Best Emergency Radios For UK Households

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In a serious power cut, storm or flood, mobile networks and broadband can go down too. A battery or wind-up radio means you can still hear local news, travel updates and official advice – and it’s one of the items the UK government’s Prepare campaign suggests every household keeps at home.

Here’s what to look for in an emergency radio, and our pick of the best for UK homes.

What makes a good emergency radio?

Power options

The best emergency radios have more than one way to power them, so they keep working however long the outage lasts:

Hand crank (wind-up): a minute or two of winding gives you several minutes of listening – it never runs out.
Solar panel: slowly tops up the built-in battery in daylight.
Standard batteries (AA/AAA): the most reliable back-up – keep spares.
USB charging: charge it from the mains or a power bank before storms are forecast.

FM, AM or DAB?

Most wind-up radios are FM/AM only. That’s fine for emergencies – BBC national and local radio broadcast on FM, and local radio is usually where you’ll hear about local incidents. DAB+ models give you more stations and better sound, but they use more power, so check how long they run on a charge.

A note on “NOAA weather alert” radios: many radios sold on Amazon are designed for the US and include NOAA weather bands. These don’t work in the UK – the FM and AM bands work normally, so they’re still useful, but don’t pay extra for the NOAA feature.

Useful extras

A built-in torch or reading lamp
A USB output to top up your phone (useful, but a wind-up radio is a very slow phone charger)
An SOS alarm or flashing beacon
Water resistance if you live in a flood risk area
A headphone socket, so you can listen without disturbing others

The best emergency radios for UK households

Kaito KA500

Best for: best overall

A well-built emergency radio you can power five ways – hand crank, solar, AA batteries, USB and mains. It has an LED torch, reading lamp, red SOS beacon and a USB port to charge your phone. FM and AM work in the UK (ignore the NOAA band).

Five power sources
Torch, reading lamp and SOS beacon
Phone charging

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DEGEN DE13

Best for: great reception on a budget

A compact FM/AM/shortwave radio with wind-up and solar charging, three torch settings and a phone charging port. Shortwave lets you pick up international broadcasts too.

FM, AM and shortwave
Wind-up and solar
Built-in torch

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iGadgitz Xtra U4457

Best for: a simple, low-cost option

A straightforward FM/AM radio with crank, solar and USB charging and a telescopic aerial. No frills, but it does the job.

Crank, solar and USB
Low cost

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A DAB+ wind-up radio

Best for: listening to digital stations

If you mostly listen to DAB, look for a DAB+/FM model with a wind-up handle, solar panel and a large rechargeable battery (some include a 5,000mAh-plus power bank and torch). Check reviews for battery life on DAB, which uses more power than FM.

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A battery-powered portable radio

Best for: the simplest back-up

Any decent battery-powered FM radio works in an emergency, as long as you keep spare batteries with it. Many households already have one – just check it still works.

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Keeping your radio ready

Charge it fully (or fit fresh batteries) when you buy it, and check it every few months.
Keep it with your torch and spare batteries in your emergency kit.
Note down your local BBC radio station frequency – that’s where you’ll hear local emergency information.
Make sure emergency alerts are switched on in your phone settings too – the UK’s Emergency Alerts system sends warnings to phones in areas where there’s a danger to life.