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Close-up of a gray rechargeable battery pack with four white AA batteries inserted. Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

The Best Rechargeable AA Batteries of 2024

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Close-up of a gray rechargeable battery pack with four white AA batteries inserted. Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

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Editor's Choice Product image of Energizer Recharge Universal
Best Overall

Energizer Recharge Universal

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Offering the best balance of price and performance of any batteries we've tested, these rechargeables will provide you with years of service. Read More

Pros

  • Best balance of price and performance
  • Can handle 1000 recharge cycles

Cons

  • More expensive than other options
Editor's Choice Product image of AmazonBasics Rechargeable
Best Value

AmazonBasics Rechargeable

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If you're looking to save money on rechargeable batteries, these are the ones to get. Read More

Pros

  • Lowest price-to-performance ratio

Cons

  • Lower price translates into lower charge capacity
Product image of Duracell Rechargeable

Duracell Rechargeable

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As they can only be charged around half as many times as other batteries we've tested, it's hard to recommend these Duracells. Read More

Pros

  • Actual charge capacity close to advertised capacity

Cons

  • Only rated for 400 charge cycles
Product image of EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity

EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity

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While they boast the highest charge capacity of any batteries we've tested, their cost, per-battery, is steep. Read More

Pros

  • Highest capacity in our tests
  • Come pre-charged

Cons

  • High per-battery cost
Editor's Choice Product image of Panasonic Eneloop Pro

Panasonic Eneloop Pro

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Eneloop Pro batteries are renowned for their ability to maintain a charge, even after years of sitting on a shelf. Read More

Pros

  • Stores charge for a long time

Cons

  • Far more expensive than similar products
  • Best Overall Energizer Recharge Universal
  • Best Value AmazonBasics Rechargeable
  • Duracell Rechargeable
  • EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity
  • Panasonic Eneloop Pro
  • Powerex Pro
  • Bonai 2800mAh
  • Tenergy Premium
  • Tenergy Rechargeable (2500mAh)
  • How do rechargeable batteries work?
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

Tired of throwing away money on batteries? Single-use alkaline batteries are cheaper up front, but you might consider investing in a good set of AA rechargeable batteries instead. They’ll provide years of service in toys, flashlights, and TV remote controls and save you a lot of money in the long run.

Based on hours of hands-on testing, the Energizer Recharge Universal AAs (available at Amazon) are our top pick. They provide the best balance of capacity and price, holding about 2,200 mAh of charge and supporting up to 1,000 charge cycles. Energizer lists the capacity of these batteries at 2,000 mAh, but we found them to hold even more in our real-world tests.

For a less expensive alternative, we recommend Amazon Basics Rechargeable Batteries. Each cell holds about 1,800 mAh of charge, so your devices won’t run for as long as they would with pricier, higher-capacity batteries. There are less expensive rechargeable AA batteries out there, but they come in packs of 12 at a minimum—which drives the price up. And most people don’t need that many batteries anyway.

Here are the best rechargeable batteries you can shop online right now.

Editor's Note:

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.

The Best Rechargeable
Credit: Richard Baguley / Reviewed

Energizer Universal Rechargeable batteries offer the best balance of power and price that we could find.

Best Overall
Energizer Recharge Universal

The Energizer Recharge Universal is our Best Overall pick, as it provides the best balance of price and performance. Each battery holds an above-average 2,300 mAh.

Interestingly, Energizer lists its capacity at 2,000 mAh, far less than what we measured in our tests. That’s somewhat against the grain, as most of the other batteries stored less than their rated capacities. During testing, the Energizer Recharge Universal kept our fan going for just over seven hours. And in the case of our flashlight test, four hours and 10 minutes.

Energizer claims that these batteries can handle up to 1,000 recharge cycles, which is pretty standard for the NiMH battery type. We weren’t able to test this, but 1,000 recharge cycles are more than enough for most uses. Even if you charge them once a week, they should still be good for about five years.

Pros

  • Best balance of price and performance

  • Can handle 1000 recharge cycles

Cons

  • More expensive than other options

Buy now at Amazon

$17.12 from Walmart
The Best Rechargeable
Credit: Richard Baguley / Reviewed

AmazonsBasics' AA rechargeable batteries are a great low-cost option.

Best Value
AmazonBasics Rechargeable

If price is a concern, these Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries are for you. These AA batteries come pre-charged, so you can use them straight away, and they can be charged up to 1,000 times. However, they don’t hold a huge amount of juice. During testing, we found their average capacity was 1,800 mAh—well below their stated 2,000 mAh rating.

So you’ll get less life out of these low-cost batteries than from our main pick. A set of four, for instance, could only run our battery-powered fan for just over four and a half hours. Other batteries we tested, meanwhile, managed seven hours or longer. But they’re a great value compared to disposable batteries, and more environmentally friendly.

Pros

  • Lowest price-to-performance ratio

Cons

  • Lower price translates into lower charge capacity

$22.86 from Amazon
Product image of Duracell Rechargeable
Duracell Rechargeable

Duracell, the 800-pound gorilla of the battery world, offers rechargeable batteries, and they’re a solid pick. We found that each battery held about 2,400 mAh of charge, just a bit below their 2,500 mAh rating. The Duracells kept our fan running for over seven hours, whereas our LED flashlight lasted three hours and twenty minutes.

One possible issue with these batteries is that they’re only rated for 400 charge cycles. That’s a lot less than the thousand or more that others offer, and that might be an issue if you use them on a daily basis.

Pros

  • Actual charge capacity close to advertised capacity

Cons

  • Only rated for 400 charge cycles

$14.11 from Amazon

$15.99 from Walmart
Product image of EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity
EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity

The EBL 2,800 mAh High Capacity batteries came close to living up to their name. We found that they held an impressive 2,600 mAh—the largest capacity of any battery we tested. The EBLs ran our fan for just under six hours and our flashlight for three and a half hours. They come pre-charged and in a handy plastic case that makes them easier to store.

This might sound like a small thing, but storing them properly helps prevent self-discharge, where the charge slowly leaks out over time.

Pros

  • Highest capacity in our tests

  • Come pre-charged

Cons

  • High per-battery cost

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Panasonic Eneloop Pro
Panasonic Eneloop Pro

For rechargeable batteries, you have to consider two things: how much charge the battery can hold, and how long it can hold it for. The Eneloop Pros don’t have the largest capacity in our tests: we found that they held about 2,200 mAh in each cell. This made them capable of keeping our fan running for over five hours and our flashlight shining for over four and a half.

Enloop Pros have a reputation for holding onto their charge, when not in use, for a long time. Panasonic claims that they will still hold onto 85% percent of their initial charge after sitting on a shelf for a year.

That’s important for devices you don’t use that often, like a lamp you keep handy for power outages. These would also be a great pick for an emergency preparedness kit. They aren’t cheap; sometimes, they cost twice as much as the same number of Amazon Basics batteries. But if you need a battery that you can rely on in a pinch, they’re a sound investment.

Pros

  • Stores charge for a long time

Cons

  • Far more expensive than similar products

$36.87 from Amazon

$36.98 from Walmart
Product image of Powerex Pro
Powerex Pro

These Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA batteries held an impressive 2,300 mAh of charge. That’s less than the 2,700 mAh they’re rated at, but still respectable—especially given their price.

Powerex says their batteries will retain 75% of their charge after a year on the shelf. That’s 5% less juice than Panasonic claims for their Eneloop Pro. However, the Powerex Pros sell for considerably less.

Pros

  • 2,300 mAh capacity

  • holds 75% charge up to a year in storage

Cons

  • Can't hold in-storage charge as long as Eneloop Pros

$22.95 from Amazon

$28.99 from Walmart
Product image of Bonai 2800mAh
Bonai 2800mAh

Bonai’s inexpensive high-capacity batteries are rated to hold 2,800 mAh of charge. In our tests, we found that they stored closer to 2,200 mAh. That’s very respectable for such a low-cost battery.

Bonai claims that these batteries will survive 1,200 charge cycles: that’s a couple of hundred more cycles than most. Charge them once a day and they should last you over three years.

Pros

  • Rated for 1,200 recharge cycles

  • Can be charged, daily, for over three years

Cons

  • More expensive than competing products

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Tenergy Premium
Tenergy Premium

Tenergy is a newer battery manufacturer that is making a splash by offering low-cost batteries with high capacities. Their premium AA batteries come with a 2,500 mAh rating, Unfortunately, in our tests, the batteries only held about 1,900 mAh of charge. This translated into short runtimes for our test devices: just under six hours for our fan, and over three and a half for our flashlight.

Pros

  • Reasonably priced

Cons

  • Offered 600 mAh less power than stated 2,500 mAh capacity

Buy now at Amazon
Product image of Tenergy Rechargeable (2500mAh)
Tenergy Rechargeable (2500mAh)

Tenergy’s value-priced AA batteries are designed for more general use in low powered devices, like a universal remote or kitchen scale. A pack of twelve of these batteries is the smallest quantity that you can invest in. Need more? Tenergy has you covered: a gross of 60 of their AA batteries can be had as well.

During testing, we found the Tenergys had a capacity of 2,000 mAh—that’s slightly more power than our Best Value pick. Despite this, we suggest most people stick with our Amazon Basics pick: most people simply don’t need 12 or 60 AA batteries rolling around their home’s junk drawer. A pack of eight often proves to be more than enough.

Pros

  • Low per-battery cost

Cons

  • Smallest buying option contains 12 batteries

Buy now at Amazon

How do rechargeable batteries work?

Rechargeable batteries are pretty simple devices, but there’s a lot of jargon surrounding them. Here’s our guide to the terms you need to know to make an informed choice.

NiMH (nickel-metal hydride battery): One side of a NiMH rechargeable battery is made of Nickel Oxide Hydroxide, and the other is made of an alloy of several rare earth metals. When the battery is charged, the Nickel Oxide Hydroxide gives up a Hydrogen ion, which is absorbed by the alloy. When the battery is used, this is reversed, creating a flow of electric charge outward.

Charger: the device that controls the flow of charge into a battery. You should never use a NiMH battery (like the ones in this guide) with a non-NiMH charger, as this can damage them.

LSD: Low Self-Discharge. All batteries lose a certain amount of charge over time, even when they are not connected to anything. This is called self-discharge.

Typically, a NiMH battery will lose up to half its charge if stored for a year. Some brands minimize this with extra insulation inside the battery.

mAh: milliamp-hours. A measure of the amount of charge that can be stored in a battery. 1 mAh is a flow of one milliamp over an hour, so a 2500 mAh battery can deliver 2500 milliamps (or 2.5 Amps) for one hour, or 250 milliamps for 10 hours.

Cycles or Recharge Life: Each full charge and discharge is one battery cycle. All batteries lose capacity when used, meaning that they can store a little less juice when fully charged each cycle. Manufacturers offer a cycle life—the estimated number of cycles a battery can go through before it loses a certain amount of its capacity. This is defined in a standard called IEC 61951-2.

Other Sizes and Adapters: We focused on rechargeable AAs for this guide, as they are by far the most commonly used battery size. They can also be used to power devices that require C and D cells, too. All you have to do is pop them into an appropriately-sized adapter and you’re in business. This adapter set from Eneloop is a great option for anyone interested in doing this.

Meet the testers

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley

Contributor

@@rbaguley

Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.

See all of Richard Baguley's reviews
Séamus Bellamy

Séamus Bellamy

Senior Editor: Mobile Devices & Wearables

@@SeamusBellamy

Séamus Bellamy is a senior editor on Reviewed's Electronics Team. Before coming to Reviewed, his work was featured in The New York Times, The Globe & Mail, BBC World, Macworld and Maximum PC.

See all of Séamus Bellamy's reviews

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