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Best Portable Power Station OverallBluetti Elite 300

$1,449 $1,199 (17% off) Amazon

Best Power Station for CampingJackery Explorer 1500 Ultra

$999 Amazon

Best Power Station for OverlandingGoalZero Yeti 1500 (2026)

$1,500 Goal Zero

Best Small Power StationAnker Solix C1000

$999 $430 (57% off) Anker

The gadgets and appliances that make modern living so comfortable have one thing in common: They all need power. Portable power stations have enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years, as people have turned away from gas-guzzling generators. Whether you’re camping for the weekend, living off-grid, or protecting against power outages, these big batteries can help.

There’s no such thing as the best power station for most people, because it depends on what you need, but I have spent years testing several to find which models work for certain situations. I have tried systems that can provide from 768 watt-hours to 6.4 kilowatt-hours of backup power. I've also added important advice on what to consider when shopping for one. For more modest needs, read our Best Power Banks guide.

Updated May 2026: I've added new top recommendations from Bluetti, Jackery, and GoalZero; reorganized some of our picks; added a mention for Vtoman; included advice on caring for power stations and information on what I do with review units after testing; and updated prices.

- Best Portable Power Station Overall

Photograph: Simon Hill

Video: Simon Hill

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Bluetti

Elite 300

$1,449 $1,199 (17% off) Amazon

Bluetti’s Elite 300 is so compact that I had to double-check its 3,014-watt-hour capacity, as it’s about the same size as most 2,000-watt-hour power stations. I don’t know how Bluetti packed such large lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries inside, but this could be a great power station for an RV where space is limited. It's also suitable for home backup power or campers. There are ports aplenty, and this power station can charge phones or laptops and happily run a fridge or TV. Performance was flawless with smaller gadgets (the USB-C ports fast-charged all the phones I tested) and less demanding appliances, coming close to the stated capacity (consistently around 85 percent). It passed my UK kettle test (when it exceeded the 2,400-watt maximum output, surge mode kicks in, giving you a couple of minutes at up to 4,800 watts), but boiling a full kettle drained 7 percent of the battery. Even under a heavy load, the Elite 300 fans are quiet. They never exceeded 50 decibels and hushed quickly when the load dropped below 2,400 watts. The Bluetti Elite 300 can also serve as an uninterruptible power supply with a 10-millisecond delay.

It has built-in handles, but at just under 58 pounds, the Bluetti Elite 300 is capable of giving you a bad back. Most power stations this size have wheels, and you could easily strain yourself if you’re not careful when moving it. Sadly, it’s not expandable—go for the AC200L instead if that’s important to you. Recharge times are good. With AC charging, the Elite 300 can pull 2,300 watts to hit 80 percent in an hour and a half, and fully charge in just over two hours. Standard charging is better for the battery and takes around three hours. You can also charge via portable solar panels (up to 1,200 watts) or a car (cables provided), though it’s much slower. There’s 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi support, connectable through the app to enable remote control and monitoring. Some ports have soft silicone covers. The stacked block of four AC sockets may mean that some power adapters block other sockets, though the UK version I tested only has two. You get a five-year warranty with this power station.

If you don’t need this much power, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 ($999) and the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 ($569) are also excellent.

SpecsCapacity: 3,014 watt-hoursMax Output: 2,400 watts (4,800-W surge)AC Charging time: 1.6 hoursPorts: 4 x AC (2 x AC in UK version), 1 x Car, 2 x USB-A (15W), 2 x USB-C (100 W and 140 W), 1 x Barrel Port (360 W)

- Best Power Station for Camping

Photograph: Simon Hill

Video: Simon Hill

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Jackery

Explorer 1500 Ultra

$999 Amazon

If you want to take power with you on outdoor adventures, the Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra is ideal for a long weekend in the wilderness. It is IP65-rated, so you don’t need to worry about rain or dust, and it’s shockproof, so it can survive an accidental drop (up to one meter). I love the comfy handle, which makes it easy to carry from the car to your campsite one-handed, along with other stuff (most power stations this size have two handles). It weighs just shy of 40 pounds. The Li

9 Best Portable Power Stations (2026): Power Capacity, Portability, Camping, and More | WIRED