High-visibility rear light

70% of cyclist fatalities are from behind. A bright, daylight-visible rear light is non-negotiable — day or night.

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Daytime running lights (DRL) reduce cyclist crash rates by an estimated 19% according to the Danish road safety council. Look for at least 50 lumens in solid mode, a daylight pulse mode, and good side visibility. Pair with a Garmin Varia rear radar if you ride busy roads.

USB-C is standard, but a second rear light (one on the seatpost, one on the helmet or pannier) is the cheapest safety upgrade you can make.

Additional options

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links, labelled as such. You pay the same price either way.Read our disclosure.

Lezyne Strip Drive Pro Rear Bike Light

See price on Amazon

Where to buy

Picks with a "Check today's price" button are affiliate links to the brand's store or Amazon. An editorial mention's link to the maker's own page is a plain link; where a mention also carries a "Check today's price on Amazon" link, that one is an affiliate link. Nobody pays to be mentioned either way.

Our picks

Sold by Magicshine

Magicshine SEEMEE 200 V3.0 smart taillight

road.cc rated the SEEMEE 200 (V2) 8/10 for its bright brake/day-flash mode and ground-projecting light; V3 adds USB-C per Magicshine.

The road.cc review covers the previous V2 version.

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Sold by Magnum

Thousand Magnetic Helmet Light

Clips magnetically into Thousand helmets' PopLock port per Thousand; adds a high-mounted rear light.

Fits Thousand helmets only.

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On Amazon

Cygolite Hotrod 120 USB taillight

Wirecutter's top taillight pick: a 20-LED dome visible from the side as well as behind.

Multi-variant listing: choose the 120.

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On Amazon

Planet Bike Superflash Turbo

Long-running compact taillight with a bright flash mode, per Planet Bike.

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Also worth a look

Knog Frog bike light set
Bikerumor (GearJunkie) named the Knog Frog set best bike lights for being seen.
See price on Amazon
Bontrager Flare RT
Bontrager Flare RT (now sold as Trek Flare RT). 90 lumen, daytime visible to 2km, ANT+ pairing with Garmin/Bontrager devices.
See price at Trek
Cygolite Hotshot Pro 200
200 lumen, 6 modes, daytime visible, USB rechargeable.

Pro tips from the e-bike pros

Use daylight pulse mode day and night — it doubles your detection distance.
Run two rear lights on different modes. If one fails or batteries die, you're still seen.
If you wear a helmet light, point it slightly down — it draws drivers' eyes to your road position.

#2 USB-rechargeable front light #4 Rear-view radar

Some links are affiliate links. See our disclosure.