7 ingenious wire-free lighting solutions to make your home less dingy with zero faff this autumn

My partner ordered these rechargeable under-cupboard lights after complaining about visibility in our dingy kitchen. Honestly, I think they’re one of the best things we’ve bought this year.

I can’t fault them: you stick magnets under your kitchen cupboards (or wherever you want), then you simply pop the lights on. You can either set them to be motion-sensitive (our preference) or operate them with an on/off button. You can also adjust the brightness and even the colour warmth of the white light. Yes, we have to charge them every couple of weeks, but that’s much less faff than wiring them in or replacing batteries.

I fell in love with the design of this rechargeable John Lewis mushroom lamp and decided to splash out about a year ago. No regrets. As the evenings draw in again, it’s illuminating all our dinnertimes, as well as game nights and evening drinks. I love that you can move it anywhere without being restricted by a cable, and the battery life is as good as the day I bought it.

The model linked above is slightly different to mine, but the only difference I can see is that it now has a USB-C-type charger. These are much more common, which means you won’t be in trouble if you lose the cable. There are loads of cool colours available, too – if I could pick again, I’d go for this bronze green.

Our senior homes and lifestyle writer, Megan Geall, adores these motion sensor lights that are set up on her staircase. “My hallway light isn’t bright enough in the dark, winter months, so I rely on these small, rechargeable lamps to add a little extra something,” she says.

They detect motion within three metres using infrared technology and then turn off after 15 seconds if no further motion is detected. The battery lasts for around 60 days too, so you don’t need to charge them up very often.

“I have a few dotted along the hall upstairs, too,” says Megan. “Perfect for when I need to pop to the toilet during the night and don’t want to turn on the big light. They stop me from tripping over the cat as well!”

With a score of 94/100, this wall light was the winner of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s best rechargeable lamps test, thanks to its high-quality build, long battery life (almost 20 hours!), impressive brightness and remote control. It’s also the only light we tested that has replaceable LED cells, which will extend its lifespan by years.

You have to screw it into the wall, but there’s no wiring required. And to accompany the brass fitting, there are hundreds (yes, hundreds) of shade styles to choose from, so you can pick something to match your design. Just note that the price doesn’t include the shade – the one pictured is £34.

For something a bit more wallet-friendly, this olive green Dunelm lamp is one I’ve had my eye on for a while (yes, I do need more rechargeable lamps). In the Good Housekeeping Institute lab, it earned a strong score of 81/100 for its quick charging and portability.

It’s super light at less than 500 grams, so it’s easy to pop from place to place, and I love the modern, curvy design in this colour. The battery life isn’t huge – just over five hours in our tests – but it only takes two and a half hours to charge, which is much speedier than the other lamps we tested.

If you prefer a more traditional-looking lamp, Dusk does a great-value rechargeable lamp in this sophisticated ornate brass style. Over at the Good Housekeeping Institute, it scored 87/100 for its long battery life (nine hours on full brightness!), easy-carry design and simple controls.