Autocar product test: What breakdown warning light is best?
A good breakdown warning light can make your life a whole lot safer, but which is best?
When it comes to a breakdown, being prepared can sometimes be the difference between it being an inconvenience or it being dangerous. Here we find out which warning light should be in your breakdown kit.
From strobing to multi-coloured and triangles to flares, warning lights comes in all shapes and sizes - some with more specific purposes than others. To find out which light is best, we judged their brightness a distance in dark, unlit conditions and at night but with streetlights, as well as in bright daylight. We also judged the warning lights on how easy they are to fix securely, their perceived durability and whether they’re compact enough to store out of the way in the car, as well as on any other useful features that they offer.
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**Best buy – Wolfteeth Warning Triangle **
*Price: *£13.46
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes: *4
The Wolfteeth feels hefty yet is compact enough to store out of the way in a boot cubby. The triangular light array has a variety of flashing modes and is clearly visible even in bright sunshine. You can’t mistake it for anything but a breakdown warning sign, either. A very bright torch function can also be used to help illuminate the car if you’re planning to do your own roadside repairs, and of course it can be propped up to leave your hands free for spannering or cursing at the sky. It’s rechargeable or runs on AA batteries. It's great value for a tool that feels like it will last for many years and is useful around the garage in everyday stuff, as well as in emergencies.
*Autocar says: *5 stars
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*Recommended - Kraser KR400V16 Emergency Light*
*Price: *£14
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 1
The Kraser feels durable and, while it’s small, it’s the brightest light that we tested. You won’t miss it even on a sunny day, despite the lack of light modes. There’s a magnetic base or a large hook that makes it easy to hang from a door mirror or warning triangle. It’s also a very effective torch. We particularly like that the Kraser is small enough to fit easily in a glovebox or into a nook around the spare-wheel well. It’s not rechargeable, but it’s still one of our favourites, because its size, brightness and cost make it so convenient.
*Autocar says: *4 stars
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*Best budget buy - AA 3-in-1 Emergency Beacon*
*Price: *£9.99
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 1
This is the Swiss army knife of roadside emergency situations, having a seatbelt cutter, a glass hammer and a torch built in, as well as a red strobe light that you can place on the car with the magnetic base. The strobe isn’t as bright as some others here, but it’s still very eye-catching and hard to miss even on a sunny day. It will fit in a spacious glovebox, too, and is great value.
*Autocar says: *4 stars
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**Vancle LED Road Flares**
*Price:* £28.99
*Buy from:* Amazon
*Number of light modes: *9
These small, waterproof lights are magnetic or can be hooked onto a door mirror or warning triangle. The fact that you get four to a pack is in itself a key safety feature, as you can put some out ahead of the car on the road and still have some left to put on the car or to use as a torch. The waterproof casings feel seriously durable, and the 360deg light is clear to see in daylight, if not quite as bright as some others here. They’re not rechargeable.
*Autocar says: *4 stars
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*OurLeeme LED Warning Triangle*
*Price: *£18.99
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 4
This hefty triangle feels like it will last for a very long time and has a number of uses. The super-bright torch light is good enough to warrant a place in your garage for help with lighting a project or is equally great for lighting when you’re trying to do some roadside repairs. Alternatively, the red triangle lights are unmistakable as an emergency warning and are highly visible even when it’s a bright day. It’s rechargeable or runs on AA batteries. The problem is that it’s so big that it will have to take up space in the boot of most vehicles. Otherwise, it’s great.
*Autocar says: *4 stars
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*Powerlantz Car Emergency Breakdown Kit*
*Price:* £20
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 8
The Powerlantz has a wide selection of light patterns, including a strobing effect that catches your attention even in bright daylight. The torch function is also three-phase and more than good enough to be useful if you’re trying a bit of roadside DIY in gloomy conditions. The magnetic base fixes to the vehicle’s roof, but it feels cheaply made and the hook is too small to fit over most modern winig-mirror casings. It runs on AAs and isn’t rechargeable.
*Autocar says:* 3 stars
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*Dinfu Emergency Warning Light*
*Price:* £25.99
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 2
This traditional beacon light has seriously bright LED bulbs and offers either a static or strobe beam. It comes with batteries, or it can be powered via 12V, and it's clearly visible and very eye-catching even in bright sunshine. It does feel cheaply made, though, and while it has a magnetic base, there’s no hook or other method of attaching it to the car. It’s not cheap for a single light, either.
*Autocar says: *3 stars
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**Routeking LED Emergency Warning Light**
*Price: *£27.99
*Buy from:* Amazon
*Number of light modes:* 9
This heavy light bar is powered by a 12V charger and is designed to go on your windscreen. You can’t run it off batteries, though, and having to plug it in can be restrictive in breakdown situations so this makes more sense as additional safety lights on a work vehicle. Even so, the metal casing makes the Routeking feel seriously durable and it suckers to the windscreen very securely. It's worth considering for work vehicles as on-site safety, but it’s not suited for breakdown situations.
*Autocar says:* 2 stars
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*KaiDengZhei Emergency Warning Lights*
*Price: *£21.09
*Buy from: *Amazon
*Number of light modes: *18
These little LED lights have to be wired to your vehicle’s electrical system via the included cables, so they’re not suitable for roadside breakdowns despite being listed as such. They are very bright, though, and are waterproof, and you get six lights to a pack so represent decent value. They're only recommendable if you plan on fixing them permanently to your car or trailer.
*Autocar says:* 2 stars
*How we test products*
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