Guide to the Best Motion Activated LED Toilet Light in 2024

Over the past few years, technology has changed a lot about the way we light our homes. Most people have noticed this in our ordinary light bulbs. First, we made the change from traditional incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). A few years later, we transitioned from CFLs to LEDs. These changes have had benefits for consumers as well as the environment. On the consumer side, we get light bulbs that last for years, and use considerably less power. On the environmental side, we get the benefit of a reduced environmental impact. But LEDS are also much smaller than traditional bulb technology, which makes them more versatile.

This has allowed for LEDs to be used in all kinds of applications. Because the diodes are so small, these lights can be built into all kinds of devices. For example, we recently did a review of LED illuminated light switches. These are great for safety if you have to get up in the middle of the night. You can find your light switch easily, even in a dark room. But why stop with light switches? If you’re often up after dark, you might want lighting in all kinds of places. Your toilet is a great place to start. After all, it’s probably the most common destination for your late night walks around the house.

We’re about to review three of the best motion activated LED toilet lights on today’s market. We’ll start out with the Chunace LED Bowl Nightlight. This is a robust LED toilet light with a wide, 170-degree motion detector and a light level sensor.

Next, we’ll evaluate the MAZ-TEK Toilet Night Light. This is a beefier LED toilet light that’s designed to be as washable as possible.

After that, we’ll check out the Ailun Motion Activated LED Toilet Light. This is a straightforward, affordable LED toilet light that still works quite well.

But which one is the ideal choice for you? To find out, we’ll have to dig a little bit deeper into all of their features and benefits. After that, we’ll know everything we need to know to render our verdict. Let’s get started!

Choosing the Best Motion-Activated Toilet Light

A toilet bowl light might seem like a silly way to accessorize your home. Do you really want to highlight your toilet bowl? In fact, this can be a smart thing to do for safety and convenience. For one thing, senior citizens and children are at risk of falling in the bathroom. A toilet light can help to avoid this outcome. For another thing, it’s the middle of the night, and you don’t want to turn on your lights. A toilet bowl light helps you to find your toilet without waking yourself up.

But what makes one toilet light better than another? Here are a few of the things you should keep in mind when you make your decision.

Color Temperature and Brightness

When it comes to brightness, more is not always better. Remember, part of the purpose of these lights is to preserve your low light vision. If your toilet bulb is too bright, you might as well just turn on the room light. A moderately bright bulb will help you find your toilet without waking you up. Then again, a bulb that’s not bright enough could be hard to find if the room is already dimly-lit. So you want a moderate amount of brightness.

If the bulb is white, or has a white option, color temperature is another concern. Color temperature is a measure of how shifted the bulb is towards red or blue. Lower numbers are shifted towards red, while higher numbers are shifted more towards blue. If you’re using a white LED, you’ll want to use one that’s 3,000K or lower. This is a warm white, which won’t wake you up as much as a cooler white.

Mounting and Sanitation

Let’s face it; no matter how attractive a toilet LED is, it’s sitting on your toilet. By its very nature, it’s going to collect some germs. In other words, you’re going to have to clean it off from time to time. You can normally do this with soap and water. However, you can also use another method if you want to get creative. A UV sanitizer, for example, is a great hands-off cleaning method.

This plays directly into the mounting method. If an LED light has a complicated bracket, that’s a lot of surface area to collect bacteria. It’s also that much more difficult to clean. When it comes to mounting, the simpler method with smoother surfaces, the better. It also helps if the operating method is hands-free. That’s why we chose to review only motion-activated toilet lights.

Power Supply

Another thing you’ll want to think about is your light’s power source. Obviously, this is a battery-powered device. But unlike with most gadgets, we’d avoid using anything rechargeable. The problem with a rechargeable toilet light is that there’s a charging port. And this port can be a harbor for bacteria. Replaceable batteries fit in a closed compartment, minimizing the sanitation problem.

Color and Brightness Adjustment

If you’re going to light up your toilet, you might as well make it as attractive as possible. To that end, it helps to find a colorful one. But why stick with just one color, when you can choose between many options? The best motion-activated toilet lights will have multiple color options, and maybe even a color-changing option.

Along the same lines, you’ll want to be able to adjust the brightness. There’s no way for one manufacturer to account for all possible cases. With adjustable brightness, you can get the light at the exact setting that’s right for your needs. With all of this in mind, let’s check out some toilet bowl lights!

Chunace LED Bowl Nightlight

The Chunace LED Bowl Nightlight consists primarily of a white plastic block. It’s fairly compact, measuring 3.14 inches high, 2.36 inches wide, and 0.79 inches deep. The housing has a smooth finish, which is very easy to keep clean. And at 2.08 ounces, it’s lightweight enough to be easy to manage. On the front surface, there’s a large light and motion sensor near the top. Beneath that, there’s a little grey control button, with the word Chunace printed in grey underneath.

The light itself is located on the end of a semi-rigid pigtail. To mount it, you simply place the block against the outer edge of your bowl. Then, you flex the pigtail over the rim, so it points down into your bowl. It’s stiff enough that it will stay in place without the need for any further meddling.

The front motion sensor has a coverage area of 170 degrees. This allows it to cover an entire bathroom, without leaving any blind spots. Most motion-activated toilet seats have a coverage of 120 degrees. That’s not terrible. But it could potentially leave a blind spot depending on your toilet’s location. Another neat thing about the Chunace light is that it also detects the light level. This way, it won’t waste batteries by turning on when the room is lit up.

Using the control button, you can choose between 16 different colors. As you cycle through, you’ll have the opportunity to choose not just solid colors, but also a rotating mode. This mode will cycle through different colors, creating an attractive color-changing effect. You can also choose a plain white, which shines at 5,000K. If that’s not enough, you can choose between five different brightness levels. This gives you lots of flexibility, up to a relatively bright 20 lumens.

Power is provided by three AAA batteries. These should last for several months, although that will obviously depend on your usage. And if anything goes wrong, you’re covered by a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty. That’s fairly robust, and gives us plenty of confidence in its quality.

MAZ-TEK Toilet Night Light

The MAZ-TEK Toilet Night Light has a unique design. The shell measures 3.7 inches high and 1.38 thick, with a roughly oval shape. It has grooves on the surface like a tortoise shell, which are attractive to look at. On the downside, this can be slightly harder to clean.

But on the upside, the shell is IP65-rated for water resistance. This means you can easily wipe it clean with soap and water, without worrying too much about water infiltration. There are also two control buttons in the front surface, which are used to change your settings.

The light is mounted on the end of a stiff pigtail, similar to the Chunace light. It’s nine inches long, so it’s easy to mount even on a fat toilet bowl rim. The motion sensor has a 120-degree detection range. That’s not quite as good as the Chunace, but it’s suitable for most room configurations. It has a range of just under 10 feet, and will trigger the bulb for 60 seconds. That said, there’s no light sensor. The bulb will still trigger, even if the room is fully lit. Then again, battery life isn’t a significant concern. With three AAA batteries, you’ll get several months of use even under the most demanding circumstances.

The MAZ-TEK light can alternate between 16 different colors. You can cycle through them with by pressing the color button on the housing. You can also set them to a rotating mode that cycles through the different colors. The second button adjusts the brightness, with a very bright maximum of 25 lumens.

Ailun Motion Activated LED Toilet Light

Ailun is a diverse electronics manufacturer that creates all kinds of equipment. A good example is their Steam Deck screen protector, which we recently reviewed. The Ailun Motion Activated LED Toilet Light is a completely different type of technology.

But with its smooth white plastic housing, it’s still very well designed. The main shell measures 2.36 inches high, 1.57 inches wide, and 1.18 thick. It has a flared design, with a motion sensor near the top and a control button to its left. The word “Ailun” is printed underneath in an attractive grey font.

Like the other two lights, the Ailun’s LED bulb is on the end of a flexible gooseneck. However, the Ailun’s neck has an ultra-slim profile that fits easily under even very low toilet seats. When the light is powered on, the motion detector will trigger the bulb whenever it’s activated. There’s no light sensor, so it will trigger at all times of day, but you get plenty of battery life. Three AAA batteries will last for quite some time, and the light will automatically shut off after 2 minutes.

This light doesn’t have quite as many options as the others. To be fair, you get the benefit of five different brightness levels. But you only have half as many color options, with a total of eight. Then again, this is a very affordable light, so you’re still getting a great value.

Final Verdict

So, which of these motion-activated LED toilet lights is the right choice for you? A lot depends on what you’re looking for.

The Chunace LED Bowl Nightlight provides the best coverage. With its 170-degree motion sensor, you don’t have to worry about blind spots. You can also choose between 16 colors, including an attractive white. Not only that, but you get plenty of brightness settings

The MAZ-TEK Toilet Night Light is the most unique of the bunch. We had some qualms about the housing, but its water-resistant design makes it easy enough to clean. The 60-minute off time is also light on the batteries. Moreover, the maximum brightness is very bright, which can be a plus for some people.

The Ailun Motion Activated LED Toilet Light has fewer color options than the other two. That said, it’s still pretty well-designed, as well as being the most affordable choice of the bunch. We also particularly liked the design of the pigtail, which lies very flat to your toilet rim.