Best budget bike lights 2024: Boost your on-bike visibility without spending a fortune

A collection of the best budget bike lights laying on a paved floor
(Image credit: Josh Ross)

Finding the best budget bike light can be a real challenge. Although I've put together a list of best bike lights on the market, sometimes absolute performance edges out great lights that are high in value. You will find some crossover between the two lists but the point of this list is to allow value to carry a bit more weight.

If you are looking for a quick recommendation, take a look at the Portland Design Works City Rover Power 700 for the front of your bike. If you'd like to add a rear light then check out the Bontrager Flare RT. Both of these options are good value for what they offer and should serve most people in most situations. If you'd like to see more suggestions, keep reading and I've got a range of options with detailed explanations.

Reviewed by
Portrait of writer Josh Ross
Reviewed by
Josh Ross

Much of my riding involves covering big miles, these long days frequently mean heading out before the sun rises or riding late into the evening, particularly in the winter months. To be able to recommend the best bike lights to you, I have spent many hours riding in the dark to determine the important features of a bike light, measure battery life and test reliability.

Recent updates

October 23th, 2024 This guide was updated for winter 2024/25 with Buy if/Don't buy if advice for each product, a refreshed format, new images and checked products were still available and up-to-date.

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Josh Ross

Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx

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