Cheapest DAB Radios 2024

DAB radios used to be very expensive, with a basic digital radio costing over £100. Prices have fallen a lot in the past few years, and these days you can buy a new DAB radio for £20 or less.

Obviously, the cheapest radios typically have lower build and sound quality. Nevertheless, there are some decent radios out there for very low prices.

You can’t expect these radios to last for ever, but they could be good options if price is your main priority.

We’ve gone out and found 10 of the cheapest DAB radios available to buy online in the UK so you don’t have to.

All of these radios were available for under £30 when this article was last updated, though prices can fluctuate so we can’t guarantee they’ll still be so cheap when you read this.

We’ve tried to list them in price order with the cheapest first, though we can’t guarantee this order will remain accurate.

Enjoy your bargain-hunting!

Cheapest DAB Radios in the UK

1. Goodmans Rocka DAB Radio

The Goodmans Rocka was one of the very cheapest DAB radios we could find available for sale online when this article was published.

It has a very simple design, with only the most essential buttons.

Features

Summary

The Goodmans Rocka is easy to use and has good sound quality for something so small, but several buyers have had issues with the speaker giving up after a few months of use.

 

2. Bush USB DAB Clock Radio

This cube-shaped radio from Argos-owned brand Bush is one of the cheapest DAB clock radios on the market.

It offers quite a good list of features for a radio in this price range, including a dual alarm clock and a USB port for charging your phone.

Features

Dimensions: 11 cm wide x 10.6 cm deep x 8 cm

Summary

Setting the alarm on this radio can be a bit fiddly, but it should be fine if you follow the instructions carefully. If you’re looking for an ultra-low-price DAB clock radio, it’s a good choice.

 

3. Bush DAB/FM Radio

The Bush DAB/FM radio is a simple and straightforward product with a useful alarm clock function and a sleep timer so you can drift off to sleep with the radio on.

Features

Dimensions: 15 x 9.8 x 5 cm

Summary

This radio offers quite good value for money. While some people find the buttons and display to be too small and fiddly, the radio is generally easy to use and has quite good sound quality for the price.

 

4. Groov-e Paris Portable DAB/FM Digital Radio

This cheap DAB radio from Groov-e is very straightforward and unpretentious. It offers the essential features people most people want in a digital radio at a very low price.

Features

Dimensions: 19 x 9 x 3.5 cm
Weight: 300 g

Summary

The Groov-e Paris isn’t very exciting but it’s cheap and gets the job done. The design isn’t particularly appealing, but the Groov-e Paris is compact and works well for the price.

 

5. Majority Chesterton Portable Radio

At the time of writing the Majority Chestertone is one of the cheapest radios in Majority’s large range of budget DAB radios. It has a square design and can be bought in either black or white. This radio has a built-in rechargeable battery, but it only lasts for about 6 hours.

Features

Dimensions: 13 x 13 x 4.5 cm

Summary

Most portable DAB radios have quite poor battery life, but the battery life on the Majority Chesterton is worse than average, making it quite frustrating to use. However, it is very cheap, so it could be worth buying if you intend to power it using the mains.

 

6. i-Star DAB & DAB+ Digital and FM Radio

This cheap DAB radio from i-Star has a useful built-in rechargeable battery that charges via a USB cable and offers up to four hours of listening. You can also plug it into the mains.

Features

Summary

This radio has a sleek design and the rechargeable battery is a handy feature. However, it’s not ideal for listening to at night or in quiet places as the lowest volume setting is quite loud.

 

7. Goodmans Pebble Portable Radio

The Goodmans Portable Digital & FM Radio is a simple FM/DAB with a somewhat unusual design. It’s available in a choice of colours: Blue, pink, concrete, lime, purple and slate.

Features

Dimensions: 19.4 x 9.5 x 6 cm

Summary

For the price, the Goodmans Pebble performs very well. It feels quite plasticky and only has limited features (with no headphone socket), but it has decent battery life and is easy to use.

 

8. Logik L2DAB16 Portable Radio

Logik is Currys’ own brand of budget electronics. The L2DAB16 is one of the most inexpensive digital radios in the UK and performs well for such a cheap radio.

It lets you save your 20 favourite stations (10 on FM and 10 on DAB) and features a headphone jack so you can listen privately.

Features

Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.6 x 5 cm
Weight: 290 g

Summary

The L2DAB16’s design isn’t very inspiring, but it is straightforward, neutral and serious-looking.

It’s not ideal as a bedside radio since the display is very bright. However, it has quite good reception on DAB and is easy to use.

 

9. Majority Bar Hill

The Majority Bar Hill is one of the cheapest DAB clock radios on the market. Despite being very affordable, it has some useful extra features such as a USB port for charging your phone.

Features

Summary

If you want a cheap DAB clock radio, the Majority Bar Hill is a good choice. You can dim the display so it won’t keep you awake at night, and it’s also nice to be able to use the USB port to charge your phone or Kindle.

 

10. Logik LHDR15

This radio from Curry’s own brand Logik has a nice wood-effect design and offers some useful features such as a dual alarm clock, the ability to save 20 presets and a headphone jack for private listening.

Features

Summary

The Logik LHDR15 is a good cheap DAB radio with a nice design. However, it may not be ideal as a clock radio since the display could be too bright at night and the clock display can be hard to read since the digits are small.

 

Which Are the Cheapest DAB Radio Brands?

Some of the best brands to look at if you want a cheap DAB radio are the following:

• Bush – Bush is a British electronics brand that was founded in 1932 as Bush Radio. The brand is now owned by Home Retail Group, who own Argos. Bush products are now sold exclusively at Argos.
• Logik – Logik is Currys’ own brand of budget electronics. Logik products are usually modern-looking and functional, but not very flashy.
• Majority – Majority is a British DAB radio brand who have a large range of very affordable DAB radios. Some of their products have modern designs, while others have a more retro look. Majority products usually have a lot of features compared to other products in the same price range.
• PICTEK – PICTEK is an electronics brand that manufacture a large range of products from FM transmitters to gaming mice to radios. There isn’t much information about the brand available online, but they seem to be based in the Far East.
• Tesco – Tesco sell a range of very reasonably priced own-brand radios, which they sell in their stores.

 

Conclusion

Unsurprisingly given their low price, all of the radios reviewed here have several flaws.

While it’s not the absolute cheapest DAB radio on the market, the Logik LHDR15 (available from Currys here) offers good performance for the price. It’s one of the more reliable radios in this roundup, and offers a good range of features including a dual alarm clock.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more, check out our roundup of the best budget DAB radios.