CNET Editors’ Choice: Our Top Picks in EnergyTech, Solar Services and EVs
For the first time ever, CNET is expanding its Editors’ Choice Awards to include products and services that can help you achieve more energy independence. We’re talking about products that help you avoid blackouts, conserve energy, lower your carbon footprint, or save money on your utility and gasoline costs.
Editors’ Choice is our strongest recommendation — above and beyond placement on a Best List, these are the products that CNET editors can’t stop thinking about.
Only at CNET will you find the years of expertise and state-of-the-art lab testing facilities to back up these picks including portable solar panels, solar generators, rechargeable backup batteries, smart thermostats and companies that install solar panels on your roof.
Since many drivers are on the cusp of EV adoption right now, we also bring you our Editors’ Choice picks of electrified vehicles, trucks, SUVs and plug-in hybrids
– Katie Collins, Managing Editor
Who is it best for?
Palmetto Solar is perfect for people seeking energy independence for their home through solar, but might be intimidated by the technology and need a little hand holding.
Palmetto Solar partners with other top-rated solar equipment such as CNET’s favorite solar panels, battery storage options, quality inverters and a whole-home monitoring software that tracks your consumption, generation and savings progress right from your phone’s app.
But Palmetto Solar takes its monitoring service a step further than its competitors including proactive monitoring service. This service stands apart in the industry since it will monitor your panels production and will schedule a service call proactively before you might know there is a problem.
Our favorite thing
Our favorite thing about Palmetto Solar is its approach to customer care distinguishing the company from its competitors. Yes, most installers these days offer some form of performance monitoring — usually through a company app — but that responsibility is usually put on the customer to notice. Palmetto Solar stands out for its proactive monitoring and getting ahead of the issue if any problems arise.
Why we love it
We love Palmetto Solar because you can get the best equipment paired with its performance guarantee, parts and labor coverage and top-of-the line menu of solar equipment. During our review process of more than twenty solar companies, we found Palmetto Solar will bring the best customer care throughout the lifetime of your solar journey — starting from the initial price quote all the way through to design, installation and post-install monitoring.
– Katie Collins, Managing Editor
Read our full review.
Who is it best for?
NRG Clean Power is best for people who want rooftop solar panels in California or Texas needing assurances on price matching and warranty. We found NRG Clean Power to offer two rare things that solve for that: A 40-year warranty and a competitor price match. Both rare among solar installers with most competitors averaging around 25 years warranty and only a handful offering a price match option.
Our favorite thing
Our favorite thing about NRG Clean Power is the company’s confident approach to its workmanship, equipment and service. A 40-year lifetime workmanship warranty is industry-leading. The company says it guarantees its work against leaks, performance issues and energy production over the warranty period.
Why we love it
The residential solar business has a history of bad actors that doesn’t help boost the industry’s reputation. Choosing a reputable solar installer that backs up its work and equipment while also price matching competitor quotes is why we love NRG Clean Power.
– Katie Collins, Managing Editor
Read our full review.
Duracell 100W portable panel
Who is it best for?
The Duracell 100W Solar Panel is for folks who choose to spend their time outdoors, away from traditional sources of power or seeking alternative power options during an outage. Whether you need to charge your phone, laptop, or just keep a bluetooth speaker pumping out the tunes, this panel can harness clean energy directly from the sun. That’s reliable carbon free charging that won’t let you down.
Our favorite thing
Above all else, the Duracell 100W Solar Panel provides more power than its competitors. Peaking at a whopping 116 Watts in our CNET Labs testing, we found the Duracell solar panel outperformed the specs listed on the box — which is a rare occurrence. You can combine it with a portable power station, giving you rechargeability while you wait for power to be restored or extra energy on your next camping trip.
Why we love it
It has a polished user-friendly design but remains rugged and sturdy despite weighing in at only 7 pounds. The panel is easy to manipulate to catch the sun from any vantage point, and comes with adaptors to make it simple to connect to batteries that can keep a phone, coffee maker, light or even a sprinkler system going.
– Bryan Adams, Engineer, CNET Testing Labs
Read our full review.
Who is it best for?
The PS2400 by Dakota is a great fit for folks on the go and would like to have some variability in their input/output options. This portable power station has AC and DC inputs and outputs that can charge everything from your phone or laptop to most normal AC-powered devices (think, TV or space heater). It even has a 30 amp twist-lock receptacle for some of those high-powered tools, portable solar panel charging and a wireless charge dock.
Our favorite thing
The main draw for this unit is its charge speed — it gains a full charge in just over an hour, according to our CNET Labs test results. To date, the PS2400 is the fastest charging portable power station we’ve ever tested, and we’ve tested more than 100 of them! Using a standard residential (20A) outlet, the PS2400 will charge at a rate of about 26.67 watt hours per minute, charging its total 2 kilowatt capacity in one hour and seventeen minutes.
Why we love it
I love this unit because, despite being newer to the portable power station game, Dakota Lithium is not new to the world of power. The company made their mark in the electric vehicle and electric boat industry first. In my experience, many manufacturers need multiple product cycles to produce great gear, but given Dakota Lithium’s track record in the lithium battery industry, the company has easily leveled up its product line with the PS2400 to bring us another reliable and fast-charging product.
– Steven Conaway, Director, CNET Labs
Who is it best for?
The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus is one of the best options for people serious about their power portability and capacity. This unit is rugged and sturdy, sure to be popular among the outdoor enthusiasts or those seeking power alternatives during an outage.
Our favorite thing
My favorite thing about the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus is its modularity. By adding varying numbers of the Jackery Battery Pack 2000 Plus (adds an additional 2kW of capacity), you’ll be sure to meet whatever energy needs you have — large to small. Extend the telescoping handle and take it offroad for an overnight camp. Bring a battery pack or two and some solar panels for days away from home. You could alternatively grab a transfer switch, a second Explorer 2000 Plus and provide backup or offgrid power for your whole home – up to 24kW!
Why we love it
Flexibility. The Explorer 2000 Plus really is a jack[ery]-of-all-trades. It is simplistic enough for your day-to-day power needs, but flexible and nuanced enough to meet nearly any other power related needs you may have since it also sports a massive 3,000W output (6,000W peak).
– Steven Conaway, Director, CNET Labs
Who is it best for?
The Anker SOLIX F3800 is a great fit for people who have “in-between” home power needs. That may be recurring but short power backups, or off-grid or otherwise out-of-the-way residences, like RVs or other travel trailers, or even temporary power needs you might have during construction or major home repairs.
Our favorite thing
I love the F3800’s home power flexibility. Unlike most other units, the Anker SOLIX F3800 gives you access to both 120VAC as well as 240VAC in one single unit — most other options require dual units. Having access to 240VAC would be paramount for many people during outages, especially extended ones. Other than electric clothes dryers, many homes feature electric ranges for cooking and most HVAC systems are also built on 240VAC architecture. But again, you can pair two together, and max out expansion batteries for a whopping 53.8kWh of power for your home.
Why we love it
For me, the love will always come from the configuration of output ports which fuel the flexibility of how you can use this unit. Having the option to output 240VAC in one unit is a big win along with the cost-savings of basically having the power of two portable batteries in one. You don’t have to spend double the money up front for a second unit, then add in an adapter that runs several hundred dollars to end up with that 240VAC output. Paired with a fairly unique ‘appliance’ type form factor — it looks to me more like a mini fridge on wheels — and you’ve got nearly unlimited potential.
– Steven Conaway, Director, CNET Labs
Amazon Smart Thermostat
★ Multi-year award winner
Who is it best for?
The Amazon Smart Thermostat is great if you want an app-enabled wireless thermostat that can learn your habits and make adjustments on its own, but you don’t want to spend a ton of money. At $80, it comes in at less than half the cost of thermostats that offer similar features.
Our favorite thing
The Alexa app uses your smart thermostat to identify how much energy you’ve saved with your thermostat settings and when you can reduce your energy usage to minimize using it at times when the grid is dominated by fossil fuels. But while you’re looking at all of this information, it also brings up “fun facts” and energy-saving tips, helping you become a smarter energy consumer even while you’re just turning the air on.
Why we love it
The Amazon Smart Thermostat isn’t the perfect smart thermostat — there are others that have better features and more functions, and its display is basic, boring and has a little bit of a learning curve. But it delivers the core functionality you want in a smart thermostat at a reasonable price, setting it above the rest.
– Jon Reed, Senior Energy Editor
Read our full review.
ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
Who is it best for?
Some people want a basic and practical thermostat that changes the temperature when you tell it to. Then there are people who want a system that monitors and controls as much of their home as possible, including the temperature in different rooms and their home security system. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is perfect if you’re in that second group.
Our favorite thing
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is like a heads-up display for your house. With a few taps, you can check the four-day weather forecast, see your home’s air quality (it may tell you to open a window) and even check out your security system if you have other Ecobee products. Most interestingly: The thermostat doubles as a speaker, allowing you to play music or listen to an audiobook or podcast on your wall.
Why we love it
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium has everything you might want or need in a smart thermostat. It comes with every feature we would want in a smart thermostat, including external room sensors, and a few things we didn’t know we wanted.
– Jon Reed, Senior Energy Editor
Read our full review.
Kia EV9: Best Electric SUV
Who is it best for?
Most new EVs introduced over the past few years have been small SUVs, but for zero-emissions families who need a lot more space, the Kia EV9 stands (literally) head and shoulders above the crowd with its three-row silhouette. More urban family hauler than rugged trail crawler, I was especially impressed by the EV9’s low step-in and hip height, which makes loading kids and cargo especially easy.
Our favorite thing
Beneath its handsome, angular exterior, the EV9 is powered by Hyundai/Kia’s dedicated electric vehicle platform (E-GMP) technology which is often-praised for its energy efficiency and compact design. Boasting a big battery, the large-scale SUV retains excellent range and is one of the fastest charging EVs in its class. The extra capacity also makes the EV9’s bidirectional-charging — or vehicle-to-load — feature even more useful for powering critical home appliances during a blackout or energizing your next outdoor adventure.
Why we love it
Of course, the Kia EV9 is an excellent balance of range, performance, spaciousness and price and is loaded with its intuitive, low-distraction tech. But what I’m most impressed by is the electric SUV’s build quality, which leaves me with a good deal of confidence in the reliability of its EV powertrain — especially having spent thousands of miles behind the wheel of its stablemate, the Kia EV6.
– Antuan Goodwin, 16-year automotive and electric cars expert
Hyundai Ioniq 5: Best Electric Car
Who is it best for?
With its broad range of electric powertrain options, there’s a flavor of Ioniq 5 for almost everyone. There’s the efficient single-motor, long-range setup, which I think is the sweet spot for most drivers. For those who need more sure-footed agility, there’s the dual-motor configuration. There’s even a 600-horsepower Ioniq 5 N — one of the most electrifying hot hatchbacks on the road today — for those with an insatiable need for speed.
Our favorite thing
A big battery and efficient operation grant the Ioniq 5 excellent range for the price, but this EV stands apart as one of the fastest charging EV’s I’ve ever tested, rapidly DC charging from 10-80% in as little as 18 minutes under optimal conditions. More impressively, the charging port isn’t a one-way street. An inexpensive adapter unlocks bidirectional charging capabilities — in the form of vehicle-to-load power delivery — that allows the Ioniq 5 to power equipment at a campsite, a tailgate party or critical home appliances during a blackout.
Why we love it
Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 sedan and the Kia EV6 crossover share its electrified platform, powertrain, battery and tech, but the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s unique geometric style, flexible liftback design and eye-catching pixel-motif lighting distinguish this EV even from its mechanically identical siblings.
– Antuan Goodwin, 16-year automotive and electric cars expert
Read our full review.
Toyota Prius Prime: Best Plug-in Hybrid EV
Who is it best for?
The Prius Prime is an excellent plug-in hybrid (PHEV) choice for anyone looking to spend less time at the pump, from EV-curious drivers not ready (or able) to make the full jump to a battery electric vehicle (BEV) to folks just looking to save money on gas. Even before you factor the plug-in electric range, the Prime is one of the most fuel efficient gasoline-powered cars on the road today.
Our favorite thing
Of course, the Prime’s coolest party trick is its impressive plug-in range — the most full-electric range of any plug-in hybrid on the road today. This PHEV can cruise for up to 44 miles before waking its gasoline engine. With regular overnight recharges (at a normal 15-amp home outlet), some drivers may not burn a drop of gas for weeks at a time.
Why we love it
The fifth-generation Prius rolls out with a smart suite of standard safety and convenience features and high-tech optional equipment. Plus, I think it’s one of the best looking vehicles in Toyota’s current portfolio — an about-face from its awkward looking predecessors. With almost no drawbacks, the Prius Prime is one of the easiest vehicle recommendations I’ve ever made.
– Antuan Goodwin, 16-year automotive and electric cars expert
Read our full review.
Rivian R1T: Best Electric Pickup Truck
Who is it best for?
The Rivian R1T is the perfect electric pickup for eco-adventurers eager to explore the great outdoors. This electric adventure vehicle not only enables drivers to get outside and enjoy nature, it’s packed with unique features that actively encourage it. Those features make it equally appealing for suburban drivers looking for a zero-emissions vehicle with more rugged utility than an SUV.
Our favorite thing
The electric pickup was recently updated with even more powerful dashboard technology and smart connectivity, subtle exterior design revisions and even better range and performance than before. Also new is a more potent quad-motor option — joining the dual- and tri-motor configs — with a truly monstrous capacity for acceleration.
Why we love it
Every part of the Rivian R1T, from the unique and customizable gear tunnel storage compartment to its playful dashboard tech, feels like it was designed to get you outside and active — to make you feel like you can (and should) go anywhere. Even the way it’s silent, but extremely capable electric powertrain lets you tackle trails while enjoying the sounds of nature is a unique and rewarding experience. The R1T isn’t just a great EV, it’s a vibe.
Methodology / How we made this list
The CNET Editors’ Choice badge represents the strongest recommendation of a product or service evaluated by CNET experts. The award distinguishes the products and services that have made a lasting impression on CNET’s editorial team.
To earn an Editors’ Choice distinction, a product or service must be a top pick in its category, score a minimum benchmark when rated, or be selected by a CNET expert based on hands-on testing of the product and its competition. Awarded by our experienced editors, enhanced by lab testing in dedicated facilities, and more selective than a Best List inclusion or a positive review, readers can know that Editors’ Choice Award recipients are the best of the best.
