# Wind-up, solar or battery radio: which to choose

> How wind-up, solar and battery emergency radios compare for UK homes: reliability, listening time, phone top-ups, winter sunlight and the spares to keep.

- Canonical URL: https://emergencyradio.co.uk/wind-up-solar-or-battery/
- Source: [Dorset and Wiltshire fire service, advice on power cuts](https://www.dwfire.org.uk/safety/storms-and-power-cuts/power-cuts/)
- Checked: 2026-10-25
- Structured data: https://emergencyradio.co.uk/data/wind-up-solar-or-battery.json

This page includes a free interactive tool that runs in the browser and sends no data. The figures and rules it uses are the ones stated on this page, with their sources.

## The short answer

Choose a radio with **two** power sources: a wind-up crank plus batteries, or a crank plus solar. Fire services point out that wind-up devices are a safe option that never run out of power ([Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue](https://www.dwfire.org.uk/safety/storms-and-power-cuts/power-cuts/)), and batteries give long listening without effort.

## How they compare

| Power source | Strengths | Weak points |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries | Long, steady listening; no effort | Spares can go flat or leak in storage; check the dates |
| Wind-up crank | Always works; nothing to buy | Winding gives short bursts; tiring for some people |
| Solar panel | Free top-ups in daylight | Slow on dull winter days; needs a window or outdoors |
| Mains or USB charging | Starts the outage fully charged | Useless once the internal battery is empty, unless it can also be wound |

## Who should pick what

- **Older people or anyone with weak hands:** batteries as the main source, with a crank as backup, and large controls.
- **Families:** a crank and batteries; children enjoy winding, and it saves the batteries.
- **Rural homes with longer outages:** crank plus solar, and a power bank for phones.
- **Flats with little daylight:** skip solar; crank plus batteries.

## Spares and storage

Store spare batteries with the radio, in their packaging, and note the expiry date. Charge any internal battery when you buy the radio and test it every six months. Keep it with your household emergency kit ([the official Be Ready list](https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/)), not in the loft.

## Next

See [the features to look for](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/choosing-an-emergency-radio/) and [test your radio](https://emergencyradio.co.uk/test-your-radio/).

---
Emergency Radio UK · Contact: contact@emergencyradio.co.uk