Batteries Best and worst AA rechargeable

batteries
We include lots of batteries in our rigorous lab tests to help us find the best rechargeable batteries
for you, whether thats pre-charged or high capacity.
We test how long each rechargeable lasts under high-drain conditions when charged. We also look
at whether a battery reaches its stated capacity when charged, how long it takes to charge, and its
charge retention.
The table below shows the full results for our last rechargeable batteries test, including which were
good enough to become Best Buys.

AA rechargeable batteries
Stated
Stated Price
HighPrecapacity
capacity for
drain
Charged achieved
(mAh)
four
lifetime
(%)

Best
Buy

Manufacturer and
model

Time to
charge

Charge
retention

Best
Buy

Energizer Recharge
Precision

2400

10.49

Yes

101

7h37m

76%

Best
Buy

Ansmann Digital
NiMH 2850mAh
AKKU

2850

13.99

No

78

7h10m

71%

Best
Buy

Maplin Extra High

Capacity NO5BW

2500

13.99

No

91

7h16m

71%

Best
Buy

Sanyo High Capacity

Eneloop XX

2450

12.44

Yes

99

7h29m

71%

Duracell
Rechargeable
Precharged

2400

9.06

Yes

99

7h23m

69%

GP Recyko+

2000

6.49

Yes

99

6h19m

69%

Energizer Recharge
Extreme

2300

10

Yes

95

6h56m

68%

Maplin Hybrid
N46CY

2100

5.99

Yes

94

6h20m

66%

Varta Power Accu

Ready to Use

2400

10.94

Yes

100

7h34m

64%

Energizer Recharge
Extreme

2300

10.00

Yes

99

6h56m

69%

Ansmann AKKU
Rechargeable

2400

11.96

Yes

96

7h14m

64%

7dayshop Good To
Go rechargeable
(HR6/MN1500)NiMH

2150

4.99

Yes

101

6h49m

69%

Ansmann 2700
AKKU Rechargeable

2500

16.43

Yes

96

7h38m

69%

Panasonic Ready To
Use 1900mAh

1900

7.89

Yes

101

6h1m

53%

7dayshop AA
(HR6/MN1500) NiMh
Batteries (2900mAh)

2900

6.98

No

89

8h8m

52%

Sanyo Ready to Use

1900

8.43

Yes

99

8h8m

50%

Score

Rechargeable
Battery

How we test AA rechargeable batteries

High-drain lifetime
To find out how long each rechargeable battery is likely to last in real-life situations, our lab
experts charge eight batteries from each brand using a smart charger on the soft-charge setting.

We charge eight batteries and test how long they last under high-drain conditions
The batteries are fitted into a computerised test rig, which is designed to simulate the sort of
conditions youll find at home in power-hungry gadgets, such as digital cameras. We then time
how long each battery lasts under these high-drain conditions.
We use the same smart charger for all the batteries in our tests. Smart chargers are the best
choice for keeping batteries in good shape - they monitor charge levels in each battery and stop
just before it's full to avoid overcharging, which can reduce performance.

Capacity accuracy
Every rechargeable battery has its capacity marked on the packaging. This is measured in milliamp
hours (mAh) and, in general, the higher this capacity the longer you should be able to keep your
devices powered. We compare the capacity stated on the packet with the measured capacity
recorded in our lifetime tests to see how the stated capacity relates to real-life usage. Most of the
batteries weve tested achieve more than 90% of the minimum stated capacity, and some even
manage more than 100%.

Charge retention
All rechargeable batteries lose their charge over time, which can be frustrating if youre hoping to
power a device with batteries that you charged a few weeks earlier.
We test for this by fully charging up eight batteries and then leaving them unused. We then
measure the amount of power remaining in four of the batteries after 25 days, and the amount of
power remaining in the other four batteries after 50 days.
The worst batteries in this test had lost 38% of their charge after 50 days, but many retained
more than 90%. Look for those that score four or more stars for charge retention if you want to
charge your batteries a few weeks before you need to use them.

Time to charge

We know that you dont want to wait ages to recharge your batteries, so we measure how long
each set of batteries takes to charge using our smart charger on the soft-charge setting. In our
latest tests, we found charging times varied quite significantly - see the full results in the table.

Rechargeable battery test scores

To become a Best Buy, rechargeable batteries must score 70% or over. Rechargeable batteries
that score less than 40% become Don't Buys.
Our total test scores ignore price and are based on:

High-drain lifetime (per charge) - 30%

Charge retention - 30%
Percentage of capacity achieved - 20%
Time to charge - 20%

Batteries Best and worst battery chargers

Battery-charging technology is constantly improving, and many modern smart chargers promise to
charge your batteries in less than an hour.
Weve tested five of these smart chargers in the Which? lab. You can find out how the Duracell,
Energizer, Uniross and Maplin chargers fared and which scored high enough to become a Which?
Best Buy in our table below.

Battery chargers

Best
Buy

Claimed
capacity
Manufacturer
of
Price
and model
supplied
batteries
(mAh)

Speed of
Speed of Proportion of charging Proportion of
Charge
charging
claimed
generic
claimed
achieved in Score
supplied
capacity
(2600
capacity
15 minutes
batteries achieved
mAh)
achieved
batteries

Best
Buy

Duracell 15minute
CEF15GBL

39.99

1700

40m

1h34m

77%

Best
Buy

Maplin 30Minute Ultra- 29.99

Fast N40BX

2500

40m

40m

60%

Energizer
Accu
Recharge 1- 29.99
Hour CH1HR2

2450

1h09m

1h09m

51%

Maplin 1-Hour
Extra-Fast
24.99
N41BX

2500

1h16m

1h20m

49%

How we test battery chargers

In our test lab, we measure exactly how long it takes each charger to charge four batteries. We
then run down each of the batteries in our computer-controlled test rig to see whether they have
been charged to their full capacity.

We carry out this test with the batteries that the charger is supplied with, and then again with our
own 2,600mAh high-capacity batteries. We also test the capacity our batteries achieve after being
charged for just 15 minutes in each charger.

On top of this we assess each charger for ease of use - including how easy it is to insert and
remove batteries - noise, build quality and bulkiness of the charger, and ease of knowing when
batteries are charged.
To become a Best Buy, a battery charger must score 70% or more.
Our total test score ignores price and is based on:

Charge achieved in 15 minutes - 30%

Charging supplied batteries - 25%

Charging generic (2,600mAh) batteries - 25%

Ease of use - 20%

Batteries Best and worst AA disposable

batteries
We test lots of batteries to help you find the best for you. Our rigorous lab tests reveal the best
lithium and alkaline batteries, for low-power to very high-power devices.
As well as testing how long batteries last under different conditions, we calculate the cost per hour
for each battery under different test conditions.

Full AA disposable battery test results

AA disposable batteries
Best
Buy

Battery brand

HighBattery Price
drain
type for four cost per
hour

Best
Buy

Energizer
Ultimate Lithium

Lithium

7.00

0.20

0.41

92%

Best
Buy

Maplin
Extralonglife+
Lithium

Lithium

5.99

0.18

0.38

88%

Aerocell AA (Lidl) Alkaline 1.99

0.04

0.11

67%

Aldi Activ Energy

Super Alkaline

Alkaline 1.99

0.04

0.11

67%

Duracell Ultra
Power

Alkaline

4.99

0.18

0.72

65%

Maplin
Extralonglife

Alkaline

2.99

0.12

0.42

53%

Sainsbury's Extra
Alkaline
Long Life

2.99

0.12

0.42

50%

Varta High
Energy

Alkaline

4.98

0.21

0.75

50%

Fusiomax
Endurance
(Poundland)

Alkaline

1.00

0.04

0.15

49%

GP Ultra Plus+

Alkaline

4.50

0.19

0.80

47%

GP Ultra Alkaline
Battery

Alkaline

2.25

0.10

0.32

45%

Tesco Extra Long

Alkaline
Life

2.50

0.11

0.39

43%

Boots Extra long

life

Alkaline

2.99

0.13

0.52

42%

Superdrug Longer
Alkaline
Life Batteries

2.00

0.09

0.32

41%

Very highHigh-drain
Very high-drain
drain cost
Score
lifetime rating
lifetime rating
per hour

Don't
Buy

Maplin Alkaline
N78HQ

Alkaline 8.99

0.07

0.28

40%

Don't
Buy

7dayshop High
Power Alkaline

Alkaline 3.63

0.08

0.42

31%

Click to expand the table and reveal full results

Table notes
Price for pack of eight as four-pack unavailable
Price for pack of 24 as four-pack unavailable

How we test AA disposable batteries

We test 11 samples of each battery to ensure consistency in our results. Each battery is tested in
conditions which mimic use in high-drain devices, such as an electric toy, and very high-drain
devices, such as a digital radio.
To become a Best Buy a battery must score at least 70%, which means it lasts well in both highdrain and very high-drain test conditions. Batteries that get an overall score below 40% in our
tests become Don't Buys. The overall score ignores price, and is based on:

High-drain life - 60%

Very high-drain life - 40%