The Most Reliable LED Light Bulb Brands, According To Consumer Reports

When you're shopping for light bulbs, you might feel like they're all the same, regardless of the brand. After all, incandescent light bulbs haven't changed much since Thomas Edison patented them more than a century ago. When comparing LED versus incandescent light bulbs, though, LEDs feature slightly different technologies, materials, and designs from brand to brand, allowing for significant quality differences from one bulb to the next. Simply put, not all LED light bulbs are created equal in terms of quality and reliability. To find the most reliable and trusted brands of LED light bulbs, we checked with Consumer Reports ratings. In the LED light bulb rankings for reliability-related testing segments, such as life testing and frequent on-off performance, a few brands of bulbs received consistently high scores, including Sylvania, Philips, Feit Electric, and EcoSmart.

Inferior quality is a key reason your LED light bulbs aren't lasting a long time and something worth looking out for if you need dependable lighting day in and day out. Among the highest-rated standard LED light bulbs that have a 60-watt equivalent performance, multiple bulbs from Sylvania and Philips received the highest marks for reliability from Consumer Reports. Philips has three 60W equivalent bulbs on the Consumer Reports list, and all three received perfect scores in the reliability ratings for on-off performance and life testing.

Against other 60-watt equivalent light bulbs, Consumer Reports ranked the Philips brand of bulbs among the strongest in brightness and efficiency. Philips-branded bulbs received high scores for lifespan, warm-up time, and frequent on-off performance, too. Philips focuses on matching its bulbs to the Color Rendering Index (CRI), which ensures that its bulbs create light that's as close to natural lighting as possible. Philips also has a history of developing performance-improving technologies like heat management systems for its LED bulbs, which helps the bulbs achieve a longer service life. For more than a decade, the company has received unique recognition for its high-quality designs, and in 2011, it earned the Department of Energy's L Prize, successfully passing the competition's rigorous testing with its tough, long-lasting, and exceptionally energy-efficient 60-watt replacement bulb.

All four Sylvania-branded LED light bulbs with a 60-watt equivalent rating that Consumer Reports tested received strong scores for on-off performance and life testing. The brand also received good scores in terms of brightness and efficiency ratings. Sylvania continues improving its offerings and receiving high marks for the durable and efficient bulbs it offers for use in the home, outside, and in vehicles.

Beyond standard designs, among the different types of LED light bulbs you'll find are globes and flood lights. In Consumer Reports' ratings of flood LED light bulbs, the Philips and EcoSmart brands had strong ratings. Consumer Reports tested three Philips-branded flood LED bulbs, and all three received high scores in the two reliability categories, as well as in brightness and warm-up time ratings. Of the two EcoSmart-branded flood lights that Consumer Reports tested, both were strongest in on-off performance and life testing. The EcoSmart bulbs, which are only available at Home Depot, received high scores for brightness and light distribution, too. Some of its flood lights have physical switches built into the base of the bulb that let you set brightness and color temperature. Many of them have adjustable beams, too.

Among the LED globe light bulbs Consumer Reports tested, the Feit Electric brand had strong scores in multiple categories. Feit Electric is a family-owned lighting company founded in 1978 in California. It owns a patent for using white-colored filaments in LED bulbs, which enhances the look of the interior of the decorative globe bulb and, subsequently, the aesthetic appeal that these bulbs provide for your rooms. Consumer Reports also tested globe LED light bulbs from EcoSmart and Philips, with both brands receiving high scores in on-off performance and life testing.