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Your driveway is the gateway to your home, so you want it to make a good impression and be safe and easy to navigate. Keeping your property lit at night is a great way to achieve both of these feats. With a set of bright driveway lights, you’ll be able to spot obstacles (and stay off your own lawn!) as you drive into your garage, all while keeping an eye on activity in your driveway once the sun sets. Driveway lights come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, so you can find something that fits your needs and taste. We’ve chosen some of the best options from a range of designs and uses, so you can make an educated purchase. Read this best-of list to find the perfect set of driveway lights for your house.
Our Methodology
In order to choose the best driveway lights, we took a look at the many different lighting products available. We considered and compared different styles of driveway lights, including in-ground, wall- or fence-mounted, wireless, and over-garage lights. To narrow down our list to only the best product choices, we looked at details and features like total lumen output, weatherproofing and waterproofing, ease of installation, and light lifespan. We picked the most durable and brightly illuminating driveway lights, and we also prioritized easy installation so absolutely anyone can get a set of lights up and running.
Summary List
- Best Overall: Solpex Solar Pathway Lights
- Best Metal: GreenLighting Solar In-Ground Driveway Light Set
- Best Wall-Mounted: Leisure Solar LED Outdoor Motion Sensor Lights
- Best Warranty-Backed: Home Zone Security Solar Lights
- Best Quick-Charge: Barcole Solar Outdoor Lights
- Best for Rainy Weather: Lightsmax Solar Disk Lights
- Honorable Mention: TomCare Flickering Flames Torches
Best Driveway Lights Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall: Solpex Solar Pathway Lights
These solar-powered lights are as simple as you get, but that doesn’t mean they’re low quality. Each light is a self-contained unit with solar cells, internal batteries, and light sensors. You simply take them out of the package, stick them in the ground, and you are ready to go. The LED bulbs provide a cool white color and on a full charge, they provide 8 hours of light.
These are fully plastic construction, but they will hold up to summer sun and frost in winter. Some users will be disappointed that they don’t have a timer function and only turn on and off via the light sensor. For the price, these are hard to beat.
Best Metal: GreenLighting Solar In-Ground Driveway Light Set
Forget plastic housing that can fade or crack in sunlight, because the GreenLighting Solar In-Ground Driveway Light Set can deliver even better hardiness and longevity. Made with stainless steel housing, each one of the flat-faced driveway lights included is durable and ready to face the outdoor elements. They can survive harsh sunlight, wet weather, and all the wear that comes from lining the edges of your driveway.
Featuring automatic on-off sensors that follow the sun’s light, each light has a top-mounted solar panel to absorb sunlight even on cloudy days. Each light emits a soft 3 lumens of light and automatically recharges its lithium-ion battery during the day. The only real drawback of these driveway lights? You’ll only get four in a set, and you’ll likely want to add more for comprehensive lighting.
Best Wall-Mounted: Leisure Solar LED Outdoor Motion Sensor Lights
If you’re looking for driveway lights that’ll cover your entire driveway or front-of-garage space, the Leisure Solar LED Outdoor Motion Sensor Lights are a great choice. Designed to offer a wide angle of illumination, these lights offer both better visibility and a whole lot of brightness. They’re solar-powered, and they automatically turn on and off with the sun’s movement. Built-in motion sensors also illuminate the lights when motion is detected within 9 to 16 feet of where they’re mounted.
Each light offers 120 degrees of light, and there are three modes to choose from to control your lights’ functionality. As an added bonus, these driveway lights are also rated IP65 waterproof and heatproof so they’ll survive weather that’s cold, wet, or extremely hot. The only downside is you’ll have difficulty changing the light mode or settings once your lights are installed. Since they’re meant to be wall-mounted, the convenient mode switch isn’t exactly so convenient if the lights aren’t within reach.
Best Warranty-Backed: Home Zone Security Solar Lights
If you want to make sure you aren’t frustrated by unreliable driveway lights, consider Home Zone Security Solar Lights. These easy-to-manage lights are durable and built to list years, but they come with an added perk. They’re backed by a one-year no-hassle warranty, which ensures they’ll function for you or you’ll get the problem fixed. That warranty protects these lights if they stop working or can’t stand up to weather. Built with ultra-bright LED lights, advanced crystalline solar panels, and automatic dusk-to-dawn sensors, these driveway lights feature aluminum casing and can be mounted anywhere with the included screws and anchors. They’re tested and approved for the outdoors, carrying an IP67 extreme weather rating too.
Just keep in mind that these aren’t the most durable lights, as they can be damaged if you drive over them; they’re best for the very furthest edges of your driveway or wall mounting. Additionally, they can stop holding a charge after some time.
Best Quick-Charge: Barcole Solar Outdoor Lights
Solar-powered driveway lights can take all day in bright sunlight to recharge, but you’ll find that isn’t the case with the Barcole Solar Outdoor Lights. These speedy and efficient solar-powered and rechargeable lights are fast, and they can achieve a full charge in just four hours of sunlight (or even cloudy day) exposure. After just four hours, you’ll get 16 hours of light, allowing your driveway to stay illuminated from dusk to dawn easily. Each light offers a warm white light thanks to 3,000K LEDs and 360 beams. Made with plastic housing, these lights are shock- and vibration-resistant as well as IP68 waterproof and resistant to heat, frost, corrosion, and pressure. Plus, they’re backed by a one-year limited warranty.
The only downside to this driveway light? They have to be installed with double-sided tape. This means they can fall down if the tape doesn’t hold up over months and years.
Best for Rainy Weather: Lightsmax Solar Disk Lights
While there are plenty of weatherproof or waterproof driveway lights to choose from, we like the Lightsmax Solar Disk Lights because they manage to continue charging in addition to staying illuminated when rain is falling. These lights are great option for those in rainy regions, as they can maintain continuous charging or illumination even while rain is falling and clouds are overhead. Plus, they automatically turn on and off based on outdoor sunlight levels. Featuring solar panels and built-in 600 mAh rechargeable batteries, these driveway lights can deliver 8 to 10 hours of light daily. They’re IP65 waterproof and constructed with high-strength ABS housing to survive water, snow, mist, and humidity. And they’re incredibly easy to install.
The only potential drawback is the plastic stakes on these lights can be somewhat flimsy. They won’t be able to withstand a lot of force, like being hammered into hard ground or being twisted.
Honorable Mention: TomCare Flickering Flames Torches
Sometimes you don’t want driveway lights that look like all your neighbors’. If you want to add a tiki lounge flair to the outside of your house — or inside if you like — these are for you. These are solar-powered like most of the other lights on our list, but the LED lighting provides a flame-like effect that’ll make every boat drink taste better. These are also great if you are looking for something to spice up your Halloween decor or any time of year when you have friends over for a backyard viewing of Joe Vs The Volcano, one of the forgotten Tom Hanks’ forgotten masterpieces.
Our Verdict on the Best Driveway Lights
We love the Solpex Solar Pathway Lights, a set of driveway lights that runs on solar power and LED light bulbs with fantastic weatherproofing and a simple, almost effortless installation method. They offer the whole package of durability, convenience, and ease of use. If you’re looking for a lot of value, the Ollivage Solar Wall Lights are another great option as they’re affordable and durable, with bright illumination.
What to Consider When Buying Driveway Lights
With so many different types of outdoor lights available to choose from, picking out a set of quality driveway lights can be a bit of a challenge. If you’re wondering how to find the right fit for your needs and your driveway, we have all of the advice you need right here.
Types of Driveway Lights
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These are lights that come mounted on a stake. You then place them along the outside edge of your driveway in the soft earth. The stake holds the light elevated above the driveway to illuminate the area around each light. You’ll need several lights to line each side of your driveway.
Uplighting
These lights get installed into the ground and are flush with the driveway or earth on either side of the driveway. The light then shines upward to illuminate the area around the driveway. These lights work best when you have something for the upward-pointing light to shine against. This could be a wall or dense brush.
Downlighting
This is typically a single or couple of lights that mount high up and shine downward. You’ll need to mount the light on a tree or building that is close to the driveway. This style of light typically has two light units that you can adjust to create a large wash of light in the general area below.
Driveway Lights Key Features
Power Source
Solar-powered lights are environmentally friendly and the cheapest light to run long-term. They only require exposure to sunlight. However, for brighter and more consistent illumination, you’ll want to consider lights that are powered by batteries or ones that are hardwired into your electrical system. Consider your budget and climate, and amount of sun exposure when choosing your power source.
Light Style
The lighting style you choose will depend on the width, length, and build of your driveway. If you only want to mark the edge, then lights installed flush with the driveway will work fine. A short driveway that’s close to a building could be illuminated by one large overhead light. Long and wide driveways may need several lights on posts or bollards to provide the required amount of light.
Illumination Time
You’ll need to decide how long you want your lights to be on. Maybe you only need them to be on for a few hours after dark. Perhaps you want them to be on all night, or they could only turn on when motion is sensed on your driveway. The illumination you choose is a personal preference based on your needs and driveway use.
Driveway Lights Benefits
Affordable and Cost-Effective
Driveway lights aren’t a huge investment; you’ll find that most products are reasonably priced, if not outright budget-friendly. You can opt for lights that cost less than $25 in total and offer full garage coverage. And there’s another cost-effective reason to install garage lights. If you opt for solar-powered or battery-powered lights, you won’t have to worry about an increased utility bill each month. Solar-powered driveway lights are the most affordable, as once you’ve bought a set, they’ll run on sunlight and cost you nothing more.
Increased Safety
It’s no secret that light helps you see in the dark, so it kind of goes without saying that a set of driveway lights will increase your safety at night. With these lights placed along the edges of the driveway, your fencing, or even over your garage door, you’ll be able to see better in low lighting or total darkness. It’s the best way to avoid potential obstacles and prevent accidents. Additionally, if you opt for motion sensor lights, you can also add a bit of nighttime safety to your home by deterring would-be thieves.
Upgraded Outdoor Style
If you’re opting for sleek, colorful, or style-forward driveway lights, you can actually upgrade your home’s outdoor style. With just a few lights strategically placed along fencing, the edges of your lawn against your driveway, or even around your garage door, you can both illuminate your driveway and make your home’s exterior look extra nice. It’s a simple upgrade that looks especially great at night.
Plenty of Power Choices
You have so many options when it comes to driveway lights, and there’s a power source for every preference. From solar to single-use batteries to hardwired, there are lights that run on every possible type of power. Whether you’d like your lights to be hands off or maintained regularly, you can find driveway lights that operate in a variety of different ways.
Pricing
For $25 or less, you’ll find either high-quality single units or lower-quality sets of multiple lights in this category. They’re most likely solar and have a limited number of LEDs in the lighting unit. Spend between $25 and $55, and you’ll be able to choose from the majority of solar- and battery-powered driveway lights, all of which fall into this range. Plus, this price range offers better durability and construction. For $55 or more, you’ll find lights that are top-quality or have some unique features about them. The LEDs are generally brighter with longer illumination times.
Tips and Tricks
As with something you do for decades upon decades, you pick up a few tips and tricks along the way in terms of selecting the right product, and/or using it. That’s the case with us and driveway lights. To help you bridge the information gap, here’s a selection of what we’ve learned along the way.
- Test your lights before you install them. You don’t want to spend time setting them all up only to discover that they don’t work, and then you have to take them back down.
- If you choose to install battery-powered lights, then set a reminder for yourself to check them. Then you’ll have an alert to check the batteries and ensure your lights are always on.
- You may find that solar lights won’t work for the entire length of your driveway. They need several hours of sun to charge, and that may not happen for all areas, which will leave some bright, some not so bright, and others not working.
FAQs
You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers!
As a general rule, you should place driveway lights between 10 and 15 feet apart. However, if your lights aren’t very bright, you may want to place them closer together. Try to have the outer edges of the light radius overlap for a continuous glow. You may want to place extra lights in areas that you want to highlight.
The longer your driveway is, the more lights you should plan on using. A single high-mounted light won’t have the range ability to extend the length of the driveway. Try to evenly place them down both sides of the length of the driveway. Posts, pillars, bollards, and uplights work the best. The higher and brighter your light is, the fewer you will need.
These are lights that get mounted on top of a bollard. A bollard is a large post that’s designed to act as a boundary marker or structure. This makes them more permanent than mini lights that are on stakes or posts. Typically, bollard lights are a few feet tall and larger to illuminate a larger area.