Best UK Wind-Up Radios 2026: A Power Cut Kit Built Around One

A power cut is mostly an information problem. The lights go, then the broadband. Your phone may be the only screen left. The government's kit list includes, among other things, an FM radio (battery or wind-up), a charged power bank and a torch with spare batteries. This guide is built around the radio, because that is where the bad listings are.

TL;DR

• Best-known brand: the Philips TAR1609, AM/FM with a crank, solar panel and AAA battery slot. No runtime figure on the listing.
• Biggest battery claim: the Immver Wind Up Solar Radio 20,000mAh, with a stated 120 hours of radio per charge, from a little-known brand with few reviews.
• Phone: a charged Anker 20,000mAh power bank. A radio's USB port is the backup.
• Light: the VARTA L30 Pro lantern for a room, the Petzl Tikkina head torch for your hands, plus VARTA AA batteries.

What the government says to keep at home

The government's Be Ready campaign lists, among other things, an FM radio (battery or wind-up), a charged power bank, and a torch with spare batteries, along with water and food for three days. On power cuts specifically it says torches are safer than candles and that a phone's own torch drains the battery faster. It also tells you to try FM and digital modes to find stations still broadcasting, and to write down the frequencies of the stations you use, on paper, because you won't be able to look them up.

To report a power cut, call 105 (free in England, Wales and Scotland; Northern Ireland uses 03457 643643). Save it in your phone now. The same page warns that your mobile may stop working if the local mast is in the affected area, which is the whole case for a radio.

The radio: what to check before you buy

Most of what Amazon UK shows for a search for wind up solar radio comes from little-known brands, with near-identical titles. Four things separate a useful one from a gadget:

• The bands. The government's kit list says an FM radio, so check the range covers 87-108 MHz. Many listings add "NOAA" or "weather band". NOAA Weather Radio is run by the US National Weather Service for the United States and its territories, so on a UK radio that setting is dead.
• Long wave. Don't pay for it. The BBC switched Radio 4 off long wave on 27 June 2026.
• Digital. Almost all wind-up radios are analogue AM/FM only, so they won't cover the digital half of the government's advice. That is fine for a backup: the point is to hear a local station on FM.
• A battery slot. A radio that also takes ordinary batteries, like the Philips TAR1609, has a second way to run that doesn't depend on your arm or the weather.

Comparison table

Both are listed as AM/FM only. The Immver listing offers a 10,000mAh option too; the reviews visible on that page at the time of writing were all tagged to the 10,000mAh size, so don't assume they describe the 20,000mAh one.

The other things in the kit

A radio's power bank function is a bonus. For the phone, a dedicated Anker 20,000mAh power bank is better: it's a known brand, and the capacity is easy to look up. Charge it now and top it up every few months. A 20,000mAh rating is the capacity of the cells inside, not what comes out of the USB port, so you'll get fewer phone charges than 20,000 divided by your phone's battery suggests.

For light, a lantern and a head torch do different jobs. The VARTA L30 Pro lantern lights a room and takes six AA cells. The Petzl Tikkina head torch leaves your hands free for the fuse box and takes three AAA, the same size as the Philips radio. Buy a pack of VARTA AA batteries for the lantern and a pack of VARTA AAA batteries for the radio and torch; both are listed with a shelf life of up to 10 years.

Things the marketing doesn't tell you

• "20,000mAh" on a radio is a cell rating. The listing's own figure for the Immver is up to 120 hours of radio, not hours of phone charging, and radios use far less than a phone does.
• The crank is slow. Neither listing gives minutes of radio per minute of cranking. A buyer on the Immver page says the handle is small and tiring and that a short crank brought the battery indicator up to four lights. Treat it as a few extra minutes.
• "Weather alerts" on a listing usually means the NOAA band, a US service. On an AM/FM-only radio it just means whatever the stations broadcast.
• Near-identical listings blur together. Many come from little-known brands with similar titles, and the specs in a title are not always the specs in the box. Look for a manual you can read online and reviews tagged to the size you are buying.
• A radio you have never switched on is not a plan. Charge it, find your local BBC station on it, and write the frequency down. Do it now, not during a cut.

Verdict

Pick by what each is for. The Philips TAR1609 is the better-known brand and takes AAA batteries as a fallback, but its listing gives no runtime figure. The Immver has the bigger battery and a stated runtime, but it is a little-known brand with few reviews, and the numbers are the maker's own. Either works as the radio in the kit. Add the power bank and a light, charge everything, and write down the number: 105.