Kit review · Radios

The best wind-up and battery radios

When the power and the internet go, an FM radio is how you'll hear what's happening. You don't need to spend much. Here's what matters, and the three we'd buy.

Updated [DATE] Prices checked [DATE] How we review

A portable radio on a table

Our picks

[PRODUCT PHOTO on white] Best overall

[PRODUCT NAME]

[One sentence on why: e.g. wind-up, solar and AA power, clear FM, a USB socket to top up a phone.]

  • [Power options]
  • [Battery life]
  • [Weak point, said plainly]
[£XX] price checked [DATE]
[PRODUCT PHOTO on white] Best wind-up

[PRODUCT NAME]

[One sentence on why: e.g. a minute of winding gives a useful amount of listening, no batteries to go flat in a drawer.]

  • [Power options]
  • [Listening time per minute of winding]
  • [Weak point, said plainly]
[£XX] price checked [DATE]
[PRODUCT PHOTO on white] Cheap and fine

[PRODUCT NAME]

[One sentence on why: e.g. a plain AA-powered FM radio that runs for days. Keep spare batteries with it.]

  • [Power options]
  • [Battery life]
  • [Weak point, said plainly]
[£XX] price checked [DATE]

Why FM, not just DAB

In a long, widespread power cut, mobile masts and broadband go first. BBC local radio stays on air and carries local updates: which roads are closed, where rest centres are open, when power should be back.

Most DAB radios also pick up FM, but FM reception is usually better in a weak signal and FM-only radios run far longer on a set of batteries. Whatever you buy, make sure it has FM, and write your local BBC frequency on it.

Find your local BBC radio frequency

What to look for

More than one way to power it

Wind-up plus AA batteries is the useful pair. Solar panels on small radios charge slowly in a UK winter.

Batteries you already have

AA or AAA beats a built-in battery that may be flat after a year in a drawer.

Easy tuning in the dark

A big dial or a preset button you can find by touch. Tiny menus are hard by torchlight.

Extras that earn their place

A built-in torch is handy. A USB socket to top up a phone is useful, but winding a phone to full is slow work.

Side by side

Radio Bands Power Battery life Torch Price
[Best overall] [FM, AM] [Wind-up, solar, AA] [XX hours] [Yes] [£XX]
[Best wind-up] [FM] [Wind-up, USB] [XX hours] [Yes] [£XX]
[Cheap and fine] [FM, AM] [2 × AA] [XX hours] [No] [£XX]

Battery life is the maker's figure. Owner reports are usually lower.

How we chose

We don't run a test lab, and we don't pretend to. For each radio we read the manufacturer's specifications and manual, check UK availability and price, and read owner reviews from several retailers, looking for the faults people report after months of use.

We don't accept free products or payment for placement. We re-check every pick and price at least twice a year.

Read our review method we'd buy these ourselves