Aiko solar panels review

If you’ve sourced quotes for solar panels over the past couple of years, you may well have come across Aiko. This established solar pv brand is well known for its striking black solar panels with high power outputs.

Founded in 2009, Aiko invented tubular PERC technology in 2016 (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell - a type of cell technology with a film on the back surface to enhance light absorption). It then introduced bifacial tubular PERC in 2017 (bifacial means the panel works on both sides). 

Since then, the company has become known for its all black solar panels, such as the Neostar 3, and higher wattage products. It’s a brand we often see recommended by installers on quotes to homeowners. Aiko sells solar panels for homes and businesses.

We’ve tested solar panels from Aiko in our lab, and found out more about the company to help you work out if these are the right solar panels for your home.

Find out more about Aiko solar panels and how to buy them below.

Or head to our guide to solar panel brands compared to see more of the options available. 

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AIKO solar panels reviewed

Aiko reliability and warranty

Notes: based on the most efficient domestic monofacial (one-sided) solar panel available online, in July 2026.

Where are Aiko solar panels made?

Around 80% of panels available in the UK are made in China, so it’s no surprise to know that Aiko products are manufactured in China.

Aiko Solar panel test results

We’ve tested three Aiko panels to see how they fare in typical UK conditions. 

Our independent lab tests let us assess how the panels compare to the claimed stated performance when new, and following solar exposure. Our tests also reveal how much the panels degrade as they age.

Compare tech specs for the solar panels we've tested in the table - scroll down to see how each panel performed in our detailed lab tests.

The UK solar panels market is fast moving and panels don’t tend to stay around too long as technology and performance are updated, which is why we currently don’t award Best Buys for specific models. Instead, we use our results to give you an overall steer on how a particular brand performs.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our solar panel test results below.

Join Which? To get instant access to the solar panel test results for the three panels we’ve tested and our verdict on the AIKO brand.

Visit the Aiko website to view the options available for your home.

Our solar panel tests explained

Testing solar panels is complex and takes a lot of time, not least as the testing requires plenty of hours of sunlight. We’ve teamed up with our European Consumer colleagues to test panels in a specialist facility in Spain that’s been testing solar panels for decades. We test each panel according to the standards that regulate and control these products.

We know that solar panels will perform differently in the UK than in Spain. So rather than simply using the Spanish test results as they come, where applicable we model the results to daylight conditions across a number of UK cities to see how they would perform in UK homes.

Each panel is inspected for defects before testing and installed using specific tilt angles and orientations for direct sunlight exposure that’s directly comparable across all panels we test.

Once installed we run a series of tests. These include an initial solar radiation exposure; a maximum power determination test; an outdoor exposure test and a test to check for any current leakage in wet conditions. Special images are taken to detect minute defects and cracks created during the initial test programme. We then repeat the tests to work out how much the panel's performance degrades over time and if the defects affect ongoing performance.

We'll be adding more panels to our published test results as we get them.

Find out more about how we test solar panels.

How to buy Aiko solar panels

As a domestic customer, you’ll need to buy solar panels through an installation company. 

In a 2026 survey of solar panel owners**, nearly half told us they had used an independent solar panel installer, while 25% had used a larger solar panel company for their work.

Most installers will only work with one or two brands; almost three quarters of owners asked in our survey only had one brand of panel offered by their chosen installer, while 14% had a choice between two brands. It’s worth getting a few quotes from different installers to compare what brands are being offered, as well as to find out how different installers would approach your project. 

Our tests and brand reviews can help you choose the best brand to go with.

Trying to compare solar panel installers? Our guide to how to choose a solar panel installer will help you ask the right questions. 

* Data based on a January 2026 online Combo survey of 948 solar panel owners who had them installed in the last three years.