EcoFlow DELTA 3 (portable power station with expandable battery capacity): our review

A power cut halfway through a wet Sunday evening makes the essentials rather obvious: some light, a charged phone and the broadband router, if the connection outside your home still works. With 1024 Wh, the DELTA 3 offers a large energy reserve for that sort of interruption. We see it as a reserve for essentials, with actual running time shaped by their consumption and the energy available after conversion losses.

What would you want to keep going until the electricity returns? That question matters more than filling every socket. Sustained high consumption eats through the reserve quickly, so an appliance that can run electrically may still be an unhelpful choice for a long evening.

Our overall assessment places it well. Its appeal is the balance between useful stored energy and a format that can also leave the house for a campervan weekend. The torch can retire from its starring role on the kitchen table.

The rated output of 1800 W gives this station scope to supply a demanding appliance, provided its requirements stay below that ceiling. A kettle in a campervan is a plausible candidate, but its label gets the deciding vote. Add together the demand of everything running simultaneously, rather than judging each appliance in isolation.

There are 4 sockets, providing plenty of mains connections for arranging your equipment. That is convenient when a lamp and other essentials need separate plugs, though the shared output limit still applies. A free socket is not extra power.

For equipment with a motor, starting demand needs checking separately; the rated output does not establish which starting surges this station can accommodate. The 12 V cigarette lighter socket also provides a connection route for suitable DC equipment. Check the equipment's voltage and power requirements before choosing that route. We appreciate having connection choices without treating every outlet as something that must be occupied.

A campervan parked beside a loch gives solar charging a clear purpose: replenish the battery while you spend the morning outdoors. The maximum solar input of 500 W is generous enough to make a considered panel arrangement worthwhile. It is an input ceiling, not a promise of what arrives from the sky. Sunshine, panel orientation and the chosen equipment determine the incoming power.

Solar compatibility makes this portable battery relevant to a campsite without electric hook-up, particularly when you can position compatible panels in useful light while keeping the station sheltered. Panels and charging cables are not confirmed as included; check the package contents before planning your first trip around them.

Follow the manufacturers' guidance on protection from rain and high temperatures, and charge in a ventilated place. A sheltered position needs to remain practical when the weather changes, with room around the station rather than luggage piled against it. That matters beside a van just as much as it does beneath a camping shelter.

At 12.5 kg, this is a weight you can carry by the handle for a few metres. That suits unloading beside a campervan or moving the reserve from a cupboard to the room where it is needed. A distant pitch reached through several gates deserves more thought, especially when the rest of your luggage already requires repeated journeys.

The battery uses LiFePO4 chemistry. That identifies the battery type, but chemistry alone gives no firm promise about how long it will last in your routine. Expansion battery compatibility gives you a route to a larger reserve if your plans grow. Choose an expansion battery confirmed as compatible with the station.

Wi-Fi app connectivity is also supported. That could fit neatly into a holiday cabin routine where connectivity is available, although particular remote controls or monitoring functions need confirmation before you rely on them. Our interest here is practical: a station that can move between home backup duties and motorhome use, with short carrying distances making that shared role more appealing.

The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 alternative is better suited to demanding appliances and has a similar overall score. Its rated output of 2200 W gives more headroom for a demanding load, which makes it worth considering when your appliance requirements lead the decision.

The VEVOR M6 600 W 493 Wh is better suited to frequent carrying, although it is less well rated overall. Its 5.80 kg makes regular moves less of a carrying job. That is a meaningful reason to choose it when equipment spends as much time travelling across a campsite as sitting beside the tent.

The ALLPOWERS R2500 V2 solar alternative is better suited to a generous solar charging setup and has a similar overall score. Its maximum solar input of 1000 W leaves more room for incoming solar power from compatible panels. The sunshine still decides how much of that room you use. Choose around the task that keeps recurring, rather than a capability you might never need.