The ranking and what it is based on
Five things decide the order, all read from documents on file rather than opinion: the list price inc GST per kilowatt of inverter, the standard warranty and the term after registration, the peak efficiency on the datasheet, whether the range has a hybrid or battery model, and whether the maker still sells in Australia. The $1,199 Sungrow SG5.0RS tops it because it is the cheapest per kilowatt at $240 and carries the longest standard string warranty at 10 years; the $2,688 Fronius is $1,489 dearer for a 5-year warranty that reaches 10 on registration. Enphase ranks on its 25-year warranty and shade performance, not price, because it has no public per-unit price in Australia.
| Rank | Brand | Model | List inc GST | Per kW | Peak efficiency | Warranty | Battery option | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sungrow | SG5.0RS | $1,199 | $240 | 97.9% | 10 years standard | SH5.0RS hybrid | Sold in Australia |
| 2 | Fronius | Primo GEN24 5.0 SC | $2,688 | $538 | 97.6% | 5 years, 10 on registration | GEN24 Plus hybrid, $3,794 | Sold in Australia |
| 3 | Enphase | IQ8 microinverters | $1,500 to $2,000 over a string system | n/a | 97.4% | 25 years standard | IQ Battery | Sold in Australia |
| 4 | GoodWe | GW5000-DNS-30 | no list price fetched | n/a | 97.9% | 5 years, 10 on registration | EH hybrid | Sold in Australia |
| 5 | SMA | Sunny Tripower 8.0 (three phase) | $2,342 | $293 | not on the datasheet read | 5 years, 10 on registration | none in the range on file | SMA announced it is leaving the Australian residential |
| 6 | Huawei | SUN2000-5KTL-L1 | no Australian list price | n/a | not on the datasheet read | 10 years standard | hybrid-capable | no longer sold in Australia under the Huawei name since February 2024 |
Best value: Sungrow SG5.0RS at $1,199
$1,199 inc GST at list for 5 kW is $240 a kilowatt, under half the Fronius figure, with 97.9 per cent peak efficiency against the Fronius Primo at 97.6 and a 10-year warranty from installation that needs no registration. The SH5.0RS hybrid twin takes a Sungrow SBR battery later at 97.7 per cent peak efficiency, and the three-phase SG10RT reaches 98.5 per cent, the highest figure on any datasheet on file. The Sungrow page has the capital-city quote shares and the Sungrow against Fronius comparison the gap in most quotes comes down to.
Best premium string: Fronius Primo GEN24 at $2,688
$2,688 buys the Austrian-made Primo GEN24 5.0, $1,489 over the Sungrow, for the widest installer base in Australia, a basic backup output on every GEN24 and the Plus hybrid at $3,794 that takes BYD and Fronius batteries. The warranty is 5 years, 10 on registration, so register it. Peak efficiency is 97.6 per cent on the Primo and 98.3 on the Symo GEN24 10.0 three-phase at $4,536. Fronius is the inverter to pay for when the installer you want is a Fronius house and will be there to service it; the Fronius page has the model list.
Longest warranty and best for shade: Enphase IQ8 microinverters, $1,500 to $2,000 over a string system
25 years is the Enphase IQ8 warranty, against 10 for the best string inverter, and each panel runs on its own microinverter so a shaded or dirty panel does not drag the rest of the string down. The price is a premium of $1,500 to $2,000 over a string system, the one dated Australian system-level estimate on file, since Enphase publishes no per-unit price here; peak efficiency is 97.4 per cent per unit. Microinverters win on roofs with shade across part of the day, on three or more roof faces, or where panels will be added later; on a clear north-facing roof the premium buys the warranty and the per-panel monitoring, not more energy. The Enphase page and the Enphase against Fronius comparison have the detail.
Best three-phase inverter: Fronius Symo at $2,199 to $4,536, SMA at $2,342, Sungrow SG10RT on efficiency
$4,536 inc GST lists the Fronius Symo GEN24 10.0 SC, $454 a kilowatt, and the Symo GEN24 6.0 at $2,199 is the cheapest Fronius per kilowatt at $366. The SMA Sunny Tripower 8.0 at $2,342 is $293 a kilowatt but SMA has announced it is leaving the Australian residential, so a new SMA is a unit the maker will support but not succeed. The Sungrow SG10RT has the top datasheet efficiency at 98.5 per cent and the 10-year warranty, with no list price fetched; the Sofar 5 kW three-phase at $961 is the budget option. Whether you need three phase at all, and what the phase conversion costs, is on the three-phase page.
| Brand | Model | List inc GST | Per kW | Peak efficiency | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sungrow | SG10RT, 10 kW | no list price fetched | n/a | 98.5% | 10 years standard |
| Fronius | Symo GEN24 10.0 SC, 10 kW | $4,536 | $454 | 98.3% | 5 years, 10 on registration |
| Fronius | Symo GEN24 6.0, 6 kW | $2,199 | $366 | not on file | 5 years, 10 on registration |
| SMA | Sunny Tripower 8.0, 8 kW | $2,342 | $293 | not on file | 5 years, 10 on registration |
| Sofar | 5 kW three-phase grid inverter | $961 | $192 | not on file | not on file |
Two brands not to buy new in 2026: Huawei and SMA
Huawei is no longer sold in Australia under the Huawei name since February 2024; the iStore units are the compatible successors, and an existing Huawei inverter keeps its 10-year warranty. SMA has announced it is leaving the Australian residential and commercial inverter market in April 2026 and will keep providing warranty support. Neither is a bad inverter; both are a warranty you will claim on a company that has left, which is the one thing the ranking cannot price. When an inverter fails out of warranty the replacement cost page has supply and labour by type.
Microinverters in Melbourne and Sydney: when the $1,500 to $2,000 premium pays
$6,218 is the Melbourne standard offer for 6.6 kW in October 2026 and $6,170 the Sydney figure, so the microinverter premium is 24 to 32 per cent on top in Melbourne and 24 to 32 per cent in Sydney. It pays where a string would lose output: terrace and semi-detached roofs with a neighbour's wall or chimney across the array, inner-suburb trees, east-west splits on a narrow block, and the Melbourne winter when low sun puts long shadows across north faces for more of the day. On a clear roof the string inverter and a good installer give the same kilowatt-hours; the per-panel view in the monitoring app is the part people keep. Melbourne and Sydney prices by suburb are on the Melbourne and Sydney pages.
Inverter questions
What is the best solar inverter in Australia in 2026?
$1,199 inc GST for the Sungrow SG5.0RS is the best value on the data on file: $240 a kilowatt, 97.9 per cent peak efficiency and a 10-year standard warranty. Fronius Primo GEN24 at $2,688 is the premium string choice and Enphase IQ8 microinverters, $1,500 to $2,000 over a string system, are the choice for shaded roofs and the longest warranty at 25 years.
Who makes the best solar inverters?
25 years of warranty puts Enphase first on term, Sungrow first on price per kilowatt at $240 and on datasheet efficiency at 98.5 per cent for the SG10RT, and Fronius, made in Austria, first on installer base and the backup output every GEN24 carries; GoodWe matches Sungrow on efficiency at 97.9 per cent with a 5 years, 10 on registration warranty.
Are Fronius inverters worth the extra money?
$1,489 is the list gap between the Fronius Primo GEN24 5.0 at $2,688 and the Sungrow SG5.0RS at $1,199. It buys Austrian manufacture, the widest service network in Australia and a backup output, against a shorter standard warranty (5 years, 10 registered, against 10 standard) and 97.6 against 97.9 per cent peak efficiency; it is worth it when your installer services Fronius and you want the backup output.
What are the best solar microinverters in Melbourne?
$1,500 to $2,000 over a string system buys Enphase IQ8 microinverters, the only microinverter brand with an Australian datasheet and warranty document on file, and the premium is 24 to 32 per cent of the $6,218 Melbourne 6.6 kW standard offer. They pay on Melbourne roofs with shade across part of the day or panels on three faces; on a clear north roof a string inverter gives the same output.
Is Sungrow a good inverter brand?
10 years of standard warranty from installation, 97.9 per cent peak efficiency on the SG5.0RS and 98.5 on the SG10RT, and a list price of $1,199 for 5 kW make Sungrow the value pick on every measure on file; the warranty document is Australian, from Sungrow Australia Group, and the hybrid SH range takes the SBR battery.
Which solar inverter has the longest warranty?
25 years for Enphase IQ8 microinverters, then 10 years standard for Sungrow and Huawei, then 10 years on registration for Fronius, GoodWe and SMA (5 years without it). Register the inverter in the first weeks either way; the registered term is the one printed on the warranty document.