JA Solar solar panels review

JA Solar makes a range of solar PV panels for homes and commercial buildings. It's based in Shanghai, China.

It's one of the original members of the Solar Module Super League (SMSL), which is an informal industry name given to the main group of major solar module manufacturers. 

As it's such an established brand, JA Solar panels are sold and installed in the UK by a number of installers, so you're likely to see this brand name come up on your solar panel quotes.

We’ve tested solar panels from JA Solar and found out more about the company to help you work out if these are the right solar panels for your home.

You can also head to our guide to solar panel brands compared to see more of the options available.

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JA Solar solar panels reviewed

JA Solar reliability and warranty

Notes: based on the most efficient panel we've recently tested.

Where are JA Solar solar panels made?

JA Solar products are mainly produced in China, but the company has other facilities around the world.

JA Solar solar panel test results

We've tested four JA Solar panels to see how they fare in typical UK conditions. 

Our independent 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 JA Solar solar panels we've tested in the table - scroll down to see how each panel performed in our detailed lab tests. 

The UK solar panel market is fast moving and panels don’t tend to stay around for long as the technology updates. That's 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 compares. 

Only Which? members can access our test results. Log in to see how JA Solar's solar panels fared below.

Join Which? to get instant access to the solar panel test results for the three panels we’ve tested and our verdict on JA Solar as a whole.

Visit the JA Solar website to view the options available for your home.

JA Solar solar panel owners' opinions

Just over half of JA Solar solar panel owners in our survey chose the brand because it was the only brand fitted by their chosen installer. 13% said they chose it from several brands recommended by their installer. 

Several told us that they had opted for 'in-roof' panels, which are flush with roof tiles rather than sitting on top of them.

Some owners told us that their panels produced more power than they expected on dull and cloudy days. But others were disappointed by their electricity generation and felt that their installer's calculations had been too 'generous'.

Several owners of JA Solar panels said they like the appearance of their system, including that they blend in well on their roof (especially if it's slate) and that the in-roof panels are unobtrusive.

Our solar panel tests explained

We started testing solar panels in 2026. 

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 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 around the UK. So rather than simply using the 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.

Find out more about how we test solar panels.

How to buy JA Solar solar panels

As a domestic customer, you’ll need to buy solar panels through an installation company. In a January 2026 survey of solar panel owners*, nearly half told us they had used an independent solar panel installer, while 25% used a larger solar panel company for their work.

Most installers will only work with one or two brands; almost three quarters of the solar panel owners 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 so that you can compare what brands are being offered, as well as comparing the installers themselves. 

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 April 2024 online survey of more than 2,000 Which? members who have solar panels on their home. 

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