Best portable power stations in 2023

We updated this roundup in August 2023 to guarantee that our portable power station picks were in stock and reflected up-to-date prices.

While we’re all well-acquainted with handy little power banks that we pop in our bags and use to recharge our phones on the go, what if you need much more power for many more devices? That’s where chunkier portable power stations come in.

These units are your all-in-one hub for recharging and powering your gadgets including TVs, slow cookers or pressure washers – they’re ideal for anyone camping, out in the garden or on a long car journey, or anybody needing the peace of mind you get from owning a backup battery in the event of a power cut.

Here are our picks for the best portable power stations to buy in 2023:

The models that we’ve picked below are more than just a bigger power bank, coming with car sockets and mains power sockets in addition to the USB ports that you’d expect on the more compact alternatives. We know that buying one of these enormous batteries is a bit daunting, so we’ve selected a range of different capacities and weights within our roundup – and there’s a buying guide below our list.

The main thing to know is that owning even the lowest capacity model here will give you enough backup electricity to recharge your iPad nearly six times over, and an AC port that can power the likes of lamps and fans when you’re on the road (you’ll need to check the wattage of your appliances, though – more on that below).

How the GH Tech Team tests portable power stations

For our list of the best portable power stations, we focused on trusted brands and reliability, and we picked a range of models with different capacities, wattage ratings, weights and sizes.

We tried out models by powering up our phone and laptop and timing how long it took to fully recharge a MacBook Pro. Charging speed isn’t the only feature to note, though, so we considered all the specifications, including size and portability, whether they have built-in lights, the number of ports and the amount of power available. Plus how much they cost – our picks range from £259 up to £999. The selections in our roundup are a mix of our hands-on tests and expert recommendations.