Best plug-in solar panels UK 2026 — every certified kit, ranked
Eight kits are legal to plug in. We ranked all eight on price per watt, annual saving and payback.
The best plug-in solar kit you can legally buy in the UK today is the UKSOL Pro Max 1260W at £989 — the cheapest watts on the ENA G98 register at £0.78 a watt and the largest annual saving of any certified kit at around £112. The Pro Plus 1030W at £899 pays back at effectively the same rate for £90 less. Only eight kits are certified on the register as of 29 August 2026 — seven UKSOL and one Perlight — so we rank eight rather than padding the list. EcoFlow, Anker, Zendure and TSUNESS are not certified and must not be plugged into a socket.
Certified kits
8
on the ENA G98 register
Best price per watt
£0.78
UKSOL 1260W
Fastest payback
8.8 yrs
1030W and 1260W kits
Plug-in solar became legal in Great Britain on 27 August 2026. Three days later the market is small and strange: one manufacturer holds seven of the eight certified slots, several household-name brands are selling kits that cannot legally be plugged in, and price per watt varies by a factor of two. This ranking is built on the ENA register and the 800wsolar plug-in solar price ledger, which tracks certification status and price kit by kit. For the law, the G98 process and the full savings working, start with our plug-in solar pillar guide.
How we ranked them
Certification first: a kit that is not compliant on the ENA G98 register cannot be ranked at all. After that, value — simple payback, then price per watt, then annual saving. Our model assumes 750 kWh per kWp a year for a well-sited array, capped at 850 kWh by the 800W inverter, 55% self-consumption (no battery is permitted) and 24p/kWh at the October 2026 Ofgem cap. We do not take affiliate commission on any kit here — plug-in solar is not in our affiliate programmes.
The eight certified kits at a glance
#
Kit
Watts
Price
£/W
Saves/yr
Payback
1
UKSOL Pro Max 1260W hybrid
1260
£989
£0.78
£112
8.8 yrs
2
UKSOL Pro Plus 1030W hybrid
1030
£899
£0.87
£102
8.8 yrs
3
UKSOL Pro Duo 890W hybrid
890
£849
£0.95
£88
9.6 yrs
4
UKSOL Pro Duo 890W ground
890
£849
£0.95
£88
9.6 yrs
5
UKSOL Pro Advanced 920W hybrid
920
POA
—
£91
—
6
UKSOL Pro Compact 515W hybrid
515
£599
£1.16
£51
11.7 yrs
7
Perlight PowerPlug MAX 465
465
POA
—
£46
—
8
UKSOL Pro Compact 460W ground
460
£699
£1.52
£46
15.3 yrs
Prices per the 800wsolar ledger, checked 29 August 2026. Savings and payback are modelled estimates, not quotes — see the assumptions above.
The ranking, kit by kit
Best overall · Plug-in hybrid
UKSOL Pro Max 1260W 2P hybrid
£989
£0.78 / watt
Panels
1260W
Generates
850 kWh/yr
Saves
£112/yr
Payback
8.8 yrs
The cheapest watts on the register and the largest annual saving of any certified kit. The 800W AC cap clips its best hours, so it pays back no faster than the 1030W — but it saves more every year.
Best for: Anyone with room for two panels who wants the largest possible annual saving.
Watch out: The 800W inverter clips its brightest hours, so it pays back no faster than the 1030W kit.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21013/V1/A2Clipped by the 800W AC capCheck current stock at Argos — catalogue number 9837133
Rank 2 · Plug-in hybrid
UKSOL Pro Plus 1030W 2P hybrid
£899
£0.87 / watt
Panels
1030W
Generates
773 kWh/yr
Saves
£102/yr
Payback
8.8 yrs
The sweet spot. Just about the largest array you can fit before the 800W inverter starts throwing generation away, and £90 less than the Pro Max for effectively the same payback.
Best for: The default buy. Best balance of price, output and clipping loss on the register.
Watch out: Only £90 cheaper than the Pro Max for meaningfully less annual saving — check both prices on the day.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21012/V1/A3Check current stock at Argos — catalogue number 9973743
Rank 3 · Plug-in hybrid
UKSOL Pro Duo 890W 2P hybrid
£849
£0.95 / watt
Panels
890W
Generates
668 kWh/yr
Saves
£88/yr
Payback
9.6 yrs
Two panels, no clipping, and the most common configuration on UK balconies and flat roofs. Costs almost as much as the 1030W for less output — buy it only if you cannot fit the bigger array.
Best for: Standard balcony rails and small flat roofs where a 1kW array will not fit.
Watch out: £849 for 890W is £0.95 a watt — you pay a 21% premium per watt over the Pro Max.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21007/V1/A3Check current stock at Argos — catalogue number 9635335
Rank 4 · Ground mount
UKSOL Pro Duo 890W 2P ground
£849
£0.95 / watt
Panels
890W
Generates
668 kWh/yr
Saves
£88/yr
Payback
9.6 yrs
Identical economics to the hybrid Duo, but on a ground frame — the right pick if you have garden space and no south-facing wall or balcony rail.
Best for: Gardens and yards. No fixing into the building, so the easiest route for renters.
Watch out: Needs roughly 4m² of unshaded ground and somewhere to run the cable to a socket.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21003/V1/A2Check current stock at Argos — catalogue number 9593202
Rank 5 · Plug-in hybrid
UKSOL Pro Advanced 920W 2P hybrid
POA
price on application
Panels
920W
Generates
690 kWh/yr
Saves
£91/yr
Payback
—
Certified but not yet widely stocked, and priced on application. Sits between the Duo and the Pro Plus on output — worth a quote if a retailer lists it below £880.
Best for: Buyers who can get a quote under £880 — at that price it undercuts the Pro Duo on value.
Watch out: Certified but thinly stocked and priced on application. Do not pay Pro Plus money for it.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21014/V1/A4Not yet widely stocked at UK retail
Rank 6 · Plug-in hybrid
UKSOL Pro Compact 515W 1P hybrid
£599
£1.16 / watt
Panels
515W
Generates
386 kWh/yr
Saves
£51/yr
Payback
11.7 yrs
The cheapest legal way in. A single panel, so it suits a narrow balcony — but you pay £1.16 a watt and wait nearly twelve years for payback.
Best for: Narrow balconies, and the cheapest way to own a legally certified kit.
Watch out: £1.16 a watt and an 11.7-year payback. Cheap to buy, expensive per unit of electricity.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21008/V1/A4Check current stock at Argos — catalogue number 9766802
Rank 7 · Plug-in
Perlight PowerPlug MAX 465
POA
price on application
Panels
465W
Generates
349 kWh/yr
Saves
£46/yr
Payback
—
The only non-UKSOL kit on the register, published compliant on 27 August 2026. Retail distribution is still thin, so treat the price as unknown until a UK retailer lists it.
Best for: Buyers who want a non-UKSOL option and can wait for retail distribution.
Watch out: Published compliant on 27 August 2026 but with almost no UK retail presence yet. Price unknown.
ENA register ref PERLI/21158/V1Not yet widely stocked at UK retail
Rank 8 · Ground mount
UKSOL Pro Compact 460W 1P ground
£699
£1.52 / watt
Panels
460W
Generates
345 kWh/yr
Saves
£46/yr
Payback
15.3 yrs
The worst value on the register: £1.52 a watt because you are paying for a ground frame to carry a single panel. Buy the 890W ground kit instead — it is £150 more for nearly double the output.
Best for: Almost nobody. Included for completeness because it is on the register.
Watch out: £1.52 a watt. The 890W ground kit is £150 more for nearly double the output — buy that instead.
ENA register ref UKSOL/21002/V1/A2Not yet widely stocked at UK retail
Awaiting certification
Not ranked: the kits you cannot legally plug in yet
These are the brands most people have heard of, which is exactly why they need labelling. All four appear on the ENA G98 register with testing unfinished — a non-compliant status. They are legal to own and legal to use off-grid, but connecting one to a domestic socket in Great Britain is not permitted until the register shows the micro-inverter as compliant. They are excluded from the ranking above for that reason, not because of price or quality.
Kit
Rated
Asking price
Register status
EcoFlow EF-PS-800 plug-in kit
800W
£549
Listed on the register, testing unfinished
Anker SOLIX Solarbank 2 AC (AE1032Z1-20)
800W
£1099
Listed on the register, testing unfinished
Zendure SolarFlow 800
800W
£799
Listed on the register, testing unfinished
TSUNESS Plug-in microinverter kit
800W
Varies
Listed on the register, testing unfinished
Status changes as testing completes. The 800wsolar register tracker follows the register directly, so check it on the day you buy rather than trusting a retailer’s “UK approved” badge.
Where to buy a certified kit
The government named Currys, B&Q, Screwfix, Amazon, Argos and Wickes as launch retailers. Argos currently lists five of the UKSOL kits by catalogue number — 1260W (9837133), 1030W (9973743), 890W (9635335), 890W (9593202), 515W (9766802). We do not earn commission on plug-in solar: the category is not in our eBay Partner Network or Amazon Associates programmes, so there are no affiliate links on this page. Check price and stock directly with the retailer, and check certification status on the 800wsolar ledger first.
Best plug-in solar kits — frequently asked questions
Which is the best plug-in solar kit in the UK right now?
The UKSOL Pro Max 1260W at £989. It is the cheapest kit per watt on the ENA register at £0.78, and it produces the largest annual saving of any certified kit at roughly £112. If you cannot justify the extra £90, the Pro Plus 1030W at £899 pays back at effectively the same rate and wastes less generation to the 800W inverter cap.
Why are there only eight kits and not ten?
Because only eight are certified. Plug-in solar became legal in Great Britain on 27 August 2026 and the ENA G98 Type Test Register currently shows seven UKSOL kits and one Perlight kit as compliant. Everything else on the register — EcoFlow, Anker, Zendure, TSUNESS — still shows testing unfinished. We would rather rank eight real kits than pad the list with two you cannot legally plug in.
What is the cheapest legal plug-in solar kit in the UK?
The UKSOL Pro Compact 515W at £599. It is the cheapest way to own a certified kit, but at £1.16 per watt it is poor value — payback is about 11.7 years, against 8.8 years for the 1,030W kit. Buy it only if you genuinely cannot fit a second panel.
Is the EcoFlow or Anker plug-in solar kit legal in the UK?
No, not for socket connection. Both appear on the ENA G98 register with testing unfinished, which is a non-compliant status. They are legal to own and to use off-grid, but plugging one into a domestic socket in Great Britain is not permitted until the register shows the micro-inverter as compliant.
How long does a plug-in solar kit take to pay for itself?
Between 8.8 and 15.4 years for the certified kits currently on sale, on our model of 750 kWh per kWp, capped at 850 kWh by the 800W inverter, 55% self-consumption and 24p/kWh. The 1,030W and 1,260W kits both land at 8.8 years; the 460W ground kit is the outlier at 15.4 years.
Where can I buy a certified plug-in solar kit?
The government named Currys, B&Q, Screwfix, Amazon, Argos and Wickes as launch retailers. Argos lists five of the UKSOL kits by catalogue number. Because the category is only days old, stock and pricing move daily — check the 800wsolar price ledger for the current position before you commit.
Do I need an electrician to fit a plug-in solar kit?
No. That is the point of the category — the kit ships with a moulded BS 1363 plug and goes into a normal wall socket, with no consumer unit work and no MCS installer. You do have to notify your Distribution Network Operator under Engineering Recommendation G98, which is a free online form.
Should I buy the biggest kit I can?
Up to about 1,030W of panel, yes — price per watt falls steeply and the 800W inverter is not yet throwing much away. Above that the cap starts clipping midday generation, so the 1,260W kit saves more each year but pays back no faster. Beyond 2,000W of panel you are outside the interim product specification entirely.
Certification status and prices checked against the ENA G98 Type Test Register and the 800wsolar ledger on 29 August 2026. Savings and payback are modelled estimates using the stated assumptions, not guarantees. No affiliate links appear on this page.