10 Best Solar Spotlights 2024 in the United States

If you have a garden or lawn, or a walkway leading up to the front door of your house, there are advantages to illuminating them properly. Lighting up the path to your house benefits both your family as well as guests trying to find the entrance. And there is also an aesthetic aspect of the quaint look of lighting up the trees or landmarks near your property. A set of solar-powered spotlights is an energy-efficient method of lighting up your front or back yard. The spotlights themselves are usually very reasonably priced--and after the initial investment, they don’t involve any added expense: they provide illumination without affecting your electric bill one bit.

Many solar spotlights share useful features, such as being weatherproof against hot sun, rain, and snow; being able to light up a wide area; or allowing you to install them either in the ground or by attaching them to a wall. They typically will charge up when there is sunlight, and automatically turn on the moment that they detect that the ambient light is too low, from dusk to dawn. But solar spotlights differ in their brightness, how long they take to charge up, and how long they can provide light. Some have the convenience of allowing you to place the solar panel at a distance away from the spotlights. Others serve as motion detectors as well--not only do they provide light, they can also help keep your house secure.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a solar spotlight. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of solar spotlight,

• See useful tips about that particular type of solar spotlight,

• Read reviews of solar spotlights, and what customers are saying, 

• Select the right brand of a solar spotlight, and 

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Spotlight with a solar panel attached: There are solar spotlights where the solar panel is attached to the spotlight. If you choose to purchase a set of solar spotlights such as these, you’ll have to be judicious in selecting a place that receives adequate sunlight year-round. An example of this design are the VicTsing 4-pack Solar Spotlights. 

VicTsing 4-pack Solar SpotlightsVicTsing 4-pack Solar Spotlights

• Spotlight with extension cord: Some solar spotlights come with an extension cord. This lets you station the spotlight in one place, and situate the solar panel in a place where they can soak in some more rays. The Aponuo Solar Spotlights have a 9.8-foot (3-meter) cable between the solar panels and the spotlight. 

The Aponuo Solar Spotlights, illustrating the cord between the solar panels and the spotlights

• Spotlight with a motion sensor: Many of these spotlights have the nice feature of using a dim illumination, and then switching to a more intense light when someone (or something) approaches.  The JSOT Solar Spotlights employ a Passive Infrared (= PIR) motion sensor and go even a step further. You can set them to “motion sensor” mode in that they’re totally off. When someone approaches, the light suddenly goes on. This is useful at night if you want to scare away unwanted intruders, such as foxes, skunks, or rodents.  

The four modes available with the JSOT Solar Spotlights

• Distance between the lights: You’ll probably purchase these lights in sets, and install them in a way to illuminate a large area. The JSOT solar spotlights will illuminate to a distance of 33 feet--so that means that you can space the lights at a distance of 30 feet away from each other. The angle that the beam spreads out is also important--and the Aootek Solar Spotlights spread out their light in a cone of 270 degrees!

• Durable housing: Solar spotlights will be outside all of the time--so it’s essential that they have a durable housing. To be on the safe side, some customers take their solar-powered spotlights in for the winter, since they have trouble charging up properly in inclement weather.

• Note the power of the solar panel and the battery: The Aponuo Solar Spotlights have batteries with an impressive 4000 mAh rating. The “mAh” stands for “milliamp-hours”, and, the bigger the number, the longer the battery lasts. (The JSOT Solar Spotlights have a mAh rating of only 2600, for comparison.) Also, the solar panel on the Aponuo is 5 Watts, which is also impressive, to utilize the solar energy to charge the batteries.

• Installation: Most of the outdoor solar spotlights featured here will have a detachable spike. The spike will allow you to insert the spotlight into your lawn, alongside a walkway or driveway. However, it may be more convenient to attach the spotlight onto a wall or post. Keep your eyes open for solar spotlights that include a wall plug for installing the unit on the outside wall of your house, if so desired. 

Two methods of installing the VicTsing Solar Spotlight

• Range of the motion sensor: If you choose to also use your spotlights in motion sensor mode, take note of the range of the detector. For example, the Aootek Solar Spotlights will detect motion from within 10-26 feet, in a 120-degree angle, as long as the lights are installed at a height of 5.6-6.6 feet. This is another definite advantage of installing your solar spotlights on a wall so that they can detect motion below. 

• Adjustable range of solar panels: But a disadvantage of installing the solar spotlights on the wall is that it might be difficult to adjust the angle of the solar panel. You’ll want to buy a unit that allows you to tilt the solar panel so that it takes in a lot of sunlight. The VicTsing Solar Spotlights allow you to rotate the solar panel by as much as 90 degrees in each direction--so that gives you the leeway of 180 degrees.

• How long do they take to charge up: An important factor in selecting solar spotlights is the amount of time that they take to charge up. This will, of course, differ greatly, depending on whether it’s a sunny or cloudy day. You might find that, during the short winter days, the solar panels will not be able to gather enough energy to charge the batteries for the long night ahead.  One of the best lights in terms of charge-up time is the Nekteck Solar Light. They charge up in as little as 4-5 hours and can stay lit for as much as 8-10 hours. They immediately go on at dusk, when the ambient light is low, and stay on until dawn. That preserves the charge stored up in the rechargeable batteries.

• Brightness levels: Many solar spotlights will feature adjustable brightness. Many will feature a “low” and “high” level. The Aootek New Upgraded Solar Lights feature three modes: 1) Medium-light mode, 2) Dim-light mode, and 3) Motion sensor mode (where the light is dim by default, but then lights up more brightly when it detects motion). The battery life will differ greatly whether you set it on a high beam or low beam: On low beam, it will last up to 10 hours; on high beam, it will remain lit for around 6 hours.

• Solar energy conversion rate: You’ll see that solar spotlights differ in how much solar energy they succeed in storing in the rechargeable batteries. Whereas solar panels generally manage to utilize 11-15% of the incoming sunlight, you can find some very efficient solar spotlights that manage to use as much as 21% of the sunlight that they receive. This is the case with the VicTsing 4-Pack Solar Spotlights. But the size of the area of the solar panel will also figure into the equation. If you have a solar panel with a good conversion rate, the charging capacity per hour will be the conversion rate, times the solar panel area.

• Nekteck was originally a maker of mobile phone accessories and USB chargers, but they have expanded to a full line of cables, speakers, car chargers and jump starters, USB adapters, solar lights, and even massagers. They were founded in 2014.

• VicTsing was founded in 2012 as a manufacturer of consumer electronics and home appliances, in the line of computer accessories, and accessories for the car and home. They are a brand on Amazon, with their headquarters in Sunnydale, California. They make solar spotlights that are suitable for a lawn, driveway, or garden.

• Magictec is a maker of motion sensors, solar string lights, patio LED lights, and solar spotlights. 

• Aootek is a manufacturer of solar LED lighting products such as solar spotlights and wall lights. Their products use efficient LEDs, which replace the older, more wasteful lighting technologies. They are based in Shenzhen Guangdong, China.