Best Solar Panels Of 2025

• Qcells: Best Overall
• Trina Solar: Best for Affordability
• Jinko Solar: Best for Reliability
• Canadian Solar: Best for Customer Service
• Panasonic Solar: Best for Solar Backup Equipment

After researching and comparing popular solar panel companies, we found that five companies stood out as top contenders for the quality, price, warranty, customer service and more that they have to offer for residential solar.

Qcells

4.8

Get Started

From Participating Partners

Best For

Best Overall

Trina Solar

4.4

Get Started

From Participating Partners

Best For

Best for Affordability

Jinko Solar

4.3

Get Started

From Participating Partners

Best For

Best for Reliability

Canadian Solar

4.2

Get Started

From Participating Partners

Best For

Best for Customer Service

Panasonic Solar

4.2

Get Started

From Participating Partners

Best For

Best for Solar Backup Equipment

COMPANY	FORBES HOME RATING	BEST FOR	LEARN MORE
Qcells	4.8	Best Overall	Get Started From Participating Partners
Trina Solar	4.4	Best for Affordability	Get Started From Participating Partners
Jinko Solar	4.3	Best for Reliability	Get Started From Participating Partners
Canadian Solar	4.2	Best for Customer Service	Get Started From Participating Partners
Panasonic Solar	4.2	Best for Solar Backup Equipment	Get Started From Participating Partners

See More See Less

The U.S. Department of Energy’s interactive solar manufacturing map shows 30 solar manufacturers with manufacturing sites in the U.S. alone. With so many solar panel manufacturers on the market, we had a few companies that almost made it to our top five best solar panels list, including:

• Silfab Solar: This company offers solar panels that perform well in low-light conditions, making it a close runner-up for homes in climates that receive less sunlight than average.
• Renogy: This provides some of the widest selections of solar panels on the market, making it a good option for homeowners looking to customize their solar system to the fullest. Keep in mind that all of these panels are designed for DIY install and best for RVs rather than homes.
• ZNShine Solar: Another company that offers many solar panel options, including custom frame colors, this company gives homeowners personalized experiences while building their solar systems.

The secret behind some solar panel types performing better than others is the way they’re made. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of solar panels and how they perform:

Monocrystalline Panels

As we ranked different panels, the panels that performed the best were the ones that used monocrystalline technology, but with a catch. Top-performing panels went above and beyond because they also contained newer technologies, like:

• Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC)
• Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC)
• N-type layering
• P-type layering

These upgrades increase the maximum efficiency of a typical monocrystalline panel by several percentage points in some cases and make the panels more resistant to elemental damage.

Thin-Film

Panels that ranked lower on our list were made of thin film, which is known for its lightweight properties and flexibility, but not necessarily its longevity or high efficiency. This type of panel is made from a variety of materials, some performing better than others.

Polycrystalline Panels

Polycrystalline panels were once popular because they were easier to produce than monocrystalline panels. Instead of using one silicone crystal apiece, these panels contain silicone fragments melted together, which makes them less efficient. New technology has made polycrystalline panels nearly obsolete. 2024 trends from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that nearly 100% of today’s silicon PV modules are made from monocrystalline panels.

Your average 6.5 kW solar panel system costs between $16,600 and $20,500 to install. Most panels cost between $2.55 and $3.15 per watt with installation, so your system may vary depending on the size. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most common solar panel system sizes and their respective costs:

SOLAR SYSTEM SIZE	AVERAGE COST RANGE*
5kw	$12,800 - $15,800
6kw	$15,300 - $18,900
7kw	$17,900 - $22,100
8kw	$20,400 - $25,200
9kw	$23,000 - $28,400
10kw	$25,500 - $31,500

* Before incentives

See More See Less

Solar Panel Cost Factors

The cost of your solar panels depends on a few factors, such as:

• The type of panel: High-quality, Tier 1 solar panels made with the latest technology, like N-type TOPCon monocrystalline solar panels, come at a premium cost, while lower-performing panels using P-type technology may cost less.
• The number of watts generated: Panels that produce more watts will cost more upfront, but you might need fewer panels to produce the same electricity as lower-watt panels, making them more economical overall.
• The efficiency: Panels that are 22% efficient or higher typically cost the most, while low-efficiency panels less than 20% tend to cost less.
• The manufacturer: Solar panel companies offering the latest and greatest solar panel properties often have higher prices for individual panels. However, these higher upfront costs could be offset by panels that perform better than low-cost, less-efficient panels.

There’s a good chance that you’ll purchase the solar panels from a third-party solar installation company rather than directly from the manufacturer. We recommend working with an installer, as installing solar panels is a heavy, labor-intensive job that can damage your roof or void warranties if you don’t have experience installing solar panels yourself.

The best solar companies offer a variety of payment options, including cash, loans, leases, power purchase agreements (PPAs) or some combination of these methods.

• Cash: This method is exactly what it sounds like—paying upfront for the cost of your solar system and installation.
• Solar loans: Solar installation companies may offer loans in-house or through third-party companies. This method allows you to own your panels with lower upfront costs than buying outright.
• Leases: With solar leases, you’ll pay a set cost each month to use solar energy from panels, but you won’t own them. This means you typically won’t get to take advantage of any solar incentives.
• PPAs function similarly to solar leases, only you pay for the energy you produce instead of renting the panels themselves.

The overall consensus is yes—solar panels are worth it. We surveyed 1,000 Americans and found that almost 90% were happy with their decision to go solar. On average, solar panels have a return on investment (ROI) of 10%, but if you live in a region that uses more electricity or has higher electricity rates than the national average, you could see an ROI of more than 30%.

At the same time, solar energy isn’t for everyone. The opposite ROI can be said for homes in locations that use less energy. Weigh the pros and cons of going solar for your specific energy habits, climate, home and budget to determine if solar panels are worth the investment.

How Much Money You Can Save Going Solar

Once you break even on the cost of solar panels, you’ll start saving on your electricity bills. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), most households spend around $137 a month or $1,640 yearly on electricity. Depending on the size of your system and whether or not you install a solar battery for times when your panels don’t produce electricity, you could see significant savings.

How to Determine if You Should Go Solar

The best way to determine whether or not you should go solar is to calculate your solar panel ROI. Here’s how:

• Add up the cost of your solar equipment, labor, inspections and fees.
• Deduct tax credits and rebates.
• Look at your utility bills to find out how much you spend annually on electricity.
• Divide the cost for your solar system after any deductions by your annual electric usage to get the solar payback in years.
• Since solar panels have a lifespan of 25 years, subtract your payback period from 25 to get the number of years you’ll have your panels paid off.
• Multiply this number by your annual electric bills to see how much you’ll save if your system covers your entire electricity bill.
• Subtract the cost of your system after incentives from your lifetime savings.
• Divide this number by the cost of the system after incentives and multiply by 100 to get your unique solar ROI.

The biggest solar tax credit is the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, which gives qualifying homeowners a 30% tax credit on their tax return. The credit is set to expire at the end of 2025, so only systems installed before then will qualify for the credit.

Net Metering

An important factor in determining your savings from solar panels is net metering. Not every state has net metering—only 34 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico have regional or statewide net metering programs. If you live in a state that doesn’t have a program, you may still qualify for net metering through a local electricity or utility company, so be sure to check with your energy supplier to see what they have to offer.

Other Common Incentives

Some states take an ambitious approach toward advocating for renewable energy and offer their own incentives on top of the federal tax credit to help make financing solar panels easier. A few examples include New York’s 25% Solar Energy System Equipment Credit for up to $5,000, and Maryland’s Renewable Energy Credits program. Be sure to talk with your solar installer about any incentives and do your own research too.

Keep in mind that your savings depend on your solar panel performance. Here are some of the most common factors that impact the efficiency of solar panels:

Amount of Sunlight

The amount of direct sunlight your panels receive directly influences how much energy your panels produce. If your panels don’t produce enough energy to fully power your house, you won’t save fully on electricity and will need to calculate how much the panels shave off your electricity bills to know your total savings and ROI.

Performance Guarantee

Not every solar panel is equal when it comes to performance. The manufacturing process and materials used can mean the difference between high-efficiency and low-efficiency panels. Overall, monocrystalline solar panels perform better than thin-film solar panels.

Quality

Some solar panel brands have developed panels that are heat-, weight-, snow- and wind-resistant, meaning they won’t deteriorate as quickly under the same circumstances as panels that lack these features.

We surveyed 1,000 Americans in 2025 who had solar panels installed within the last five years to better understand homeowners’ experiences and reasons for going solar. Here are some of the most important findings from the survey:

• The average cost for a solar system was approximately $26,000. Since the average surveyed electric bill is $828 per year, it would take over 30 years for homeowners to break even on solar panels.
• A majority of respondents (64%) said they installed panels primarily to save on energy bills. Of our respondents, 67% said they save more than $50 per month, with 15% saying that they saved $120 or more monthly on their bills.
• People seem generally happy with how their panels hold up and how they operate, with 31% of respondents rating the reliability and durability of their panels as a 10 out of 10 and 87% saying they were satisfied.
• Sixty-six percent of respondents said they considered at least two companies when deciding on a solar panel company, suggesting that choosing the best manufacturer is an important decision that they don’t take lightly.
• Many have already paid off their solar panels (24%), and a similar number seemed to have a fairly short expected payback period of two to three years.
• A majority of respondents, 57%, said they’ve never had to repair their panels.

To help calculate the best solar panels for homes, the Forbes Home editorial team analyzed 19 solar companies, with each company’s star rating determined by evaluating a variety of metrics, including years in business, panel variety offered, the results of our NPS survey and more.

You can find out more about how Forbes Home rates solar companies in our detailed methodology page.