We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›
We’ve added information about battery sustainability to this guide, and we’re in the process of testing a slew of new batteries and battery accessories. Read more in What to look forward to.
Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries almost always last longer, cost less, and result in less waste than single-use batteries. After four hours of research and 120 hours of testing, we decided not to recommend a specific battery, since most name brands perform about the same regardless of whether you pop them into a wireless mouse, a kid’s toy, or a flashlight.
It was unsurprising that several brands of batteries—from AmazonBasics, Energizer, and Panasonic—had nearly identical results in our tests. Most rechargeable batteries are made in China, Japan, and South Korea—in some cases in the same factories—and contain roughly the same components. So we recommend getting whichever one of our favorite brands is the least expensive when you need to stock up.
Among the top-performing AA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 120 hours and a remote-control car running for 17 hours.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $16.
Among the top-performing AA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 120 hours and a remote-control car running for 16 hours.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $20.
Among the top-performing AA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 120 hours and a remote-control car running for 15.5 hours.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $20.
In our testing, three brands of AA rechargeable batteries—the AmazonBasics AA, Energizer Recharge Universal AA, and Panasonic Eneloop AA—performed about the same. They will keep your lights lit and your clickers clicking longer, can be recharged thousands of times over, and are widely available and inexpensive. We think you should get whichever one of the three is cheapest at the time of checkout.
All three types of batteries have a rated capacity of 2,000 mAh. We tested the capacity out of the box by charging and discharging the batteries on a charger that displayed the capacity, then averaged the results. And in our tests, the true capacities were all too close to make a difference in real-world use. The AmazonBasics AA batteries had an average capacity of 1,862 mAh, the Energizer Recharge Universal AAs had an average capacity of 1,896 mAh, and the Panasonic Eneloop AAs achieved an average capacity of 1,940 mAh.
Though we couldn’t test how the batteries would perform years down the line, we did test how they held up to regular recharging. After draining and recharging a battery from each of our top brands 50 times, we found that all three brands had retained a lot of their capacity. In our testing, we measured capacities of 1,836 mAh (AmazonBasics), 1,833 mAh (Energizer), and 1,850 mAh (Panasonic) after 50 cycles.
The biggest differences showed up when we tested the batteries in real-world uses. Even though all three brands powered a flameless candle for 120 hours, or five days and nights, differences emerged when we tested them with a toy radio-controlled car. The AmazonBasics AAs kept the RC car’s wheels turning for 17 hours, which is the longest of any batteries we tested—and much more time than anyone should ever spend continuously playing with a toy car. When we took the Energizer Recharge Universal AAs out for a spin, they kept their remote-control car racing for 16 hours, and the Panasonic-powered car lasted 15.5 hours.
Among the top-performing AAA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 48 hours and a remote-control car running for eight hours.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $13.
Among the top-performing AAA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 36 hours and a remote-control car running for seven hours.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $18.
Among the top-performing AAA batteries in our testing, these kept a flameless candle flickering for 36 hours and a remote-control car running for 6.5 hours.
Our testing results for AAA batteries were not quite as neck and neck as those for AA batteries, but we still had a three-way tie between the AmazonBasics AAA, Energizer Recharge Universal AAA, and the Panasonic Eneloop AAA. The AmazonBasics AAAs outperformed most of the other models across the board, but the improvements were negligible. So if you need AAA batteries, we think your best is to get whichever of these three good options is the cheapest.
In our testing, we measured an average capacity of 846 mAh for the AmazonBasics AAA batteries, which have a capacity rating of 800 mAh. Along with the Energizer Recharge Universal AAAs—which have a capacity rating of 700 mAh and, based on our testing, an average capacity of 712 mAh—these two brands provided a hair more capacity than rated for. By comparison, the Panasonic Eneloop AAAs have a rated capacity of 800 mAh and had an average capacity of 720 mAh in our testing. But the range between all three is still too small to worry about and could easily be attributed to temperature and manufacturing age. And after 50 cycles, all three brands performed about as well as they did on their first charge. We measured capacities of 844 mAh for the AmazonBasics, 709 mAh for the Energizers, and 716 mAh for the Panasonics. On paper, the EBL AAAs were a clear favorite, but we have some external concerns about reliability that we explain in the Competition section.
In our real-world tests, the AmazonBasics AAAs kept a flameless candle flickering for two days and nights (48 hours) and kept a remote-control car racing for a full workday (eight hours). Similarly, the Energizer Recharge Universal AAAs kept a flameless candle and remote-control car running for 36 hours and seven hours, respectively. Last, the Panasonic Eneloop AAAs were able to keep a candle going for 36 hours and a car running for 6.5 hours. That gives the AmazonBasics AAAs a slight edge, but with fluctuating prices and other variables like temperature at play, we don’t think they’re worth any more than the other two brands.
This combo pack includes Panasonic Eneloop batteries (eight AA and four AAA) and a great charger.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $45.
If you’re buying AA or AAA batteries and you don’t already have a charger—or you want to upgrade your existing charger—you should get the Panasonic Power Pack. It includes the rechargeable battery charger we recommend for most people, the Panasonic BQ-CC55, as well as some of our favorite AA and AAA rechargeable batteries.
When you include the cost of the charger, about $25 at the time of this writing, the batteries in the Power Pack cost only roughly 30 percent less compared with buying the batteries and a charger individually. It doesn’t hurt that each of the components is a favorite of ours—the charger is our top pick, and, while not the absolute best, Panasonic’s AA and AAA batteries were both among the top performers in our testing—so you aren’t making a major trade-off on quality.
As the writer of this guide, I spent four hours researching and 120 hours testing AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. I’ve been a science writer for more than eight years, covering a wide variety of topics from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I’ve reported on solar battery packs, power banks for phones and tablets, portable laptop chargers, and more.
For past versions of this guide, we talked to David Hobby of Strobist about the demanding battery needs of professional photographers, and Isidor Buchmann of Cadex Electronics about the mechanics and history of rechargeable batteries. We also consulted with Lee Johnson, a former NASA electrical engineer, when the technical questions got too technical.
In addition to Battery University, a resource that Buchmann runs as part of his role at Cadex Electronics, we got a lot of good background information from Michael Bluejay’s Battery Guide and the Rechargeable Battery Association.
Most electronics these days, like your smartphone, have a built-in battery that recharges from a wall charger or power bank. These are relatively convenient to charge, but since the battery can’t be easily removed and replaced you often have to buy a whole new device when the battery wears out. On the other hand, plenty of devices still rely on AA or AAA batteries—digital scales, instant cameras, flashlights, flameless candles, wireless mice, wireless keyboards, vibrators, electric pepper mills, and more—allowing you to swap out the batteries long before you need to replace the device. If you own any of such devices, it’s probably worth investing in some rechargeable batteries: They perform better, cost less in the long run, and are better for the planet than disposables.
When I was a kid in the ’90s, it seemed like every time I wanted to use my Walkman, or “borrow” my brother’s remote-control car, the batteries would be dead and I’d have to wait for them to recharge at a snail’s pace. Fortunately, the technology has made great strides since then. Most AA and AAA rechargeable batteries are made with nickel metal hydride (NiMH), as opposed to the nickel cadmium (NiCd) batteries of yore. NiMH rechargeable batteries hold a charge longer, can be recharged more times over their life spans, and have higher capacities than those made with NiCd.
In addition to technological upgrades, the price of rechargeables has come down considerably. Even after including the cost of a charger, rechargeable batteries will pay for themselves in five to six recharge cycles compared with buying most brand-name disposables. And the benefits go beyond your wallet: According to the market research firm Statista, about 310 million alkaline batteries were sold in the US in 2019, or about 2.5 per household. Assuming the average lifespan of a rechargeable battery is about four years, you could buy a single rechargeable battery instead of the 10 alkaline batteries you’d otherwise burn through in that time. Over your lifetime, that’s a lot of unnecessary e-waste.
There are just a few instances where disposable batteries might be preferable to rechargeables. If you’re going backpacking, for example, and you need batteries for a flashlight and some other equipment, it makes more sense to throw a few extra single-use batteries into your pack than attempting to juice up rechargeable batteries with a power bank or solar charger on the trail. And since single-use batteries generally have a shelf life of 5-10 years, they can be the safer bet if you’re packing a go-bag for a natural disaster, roadside emergency, or apocalypse.
Also, some devices require the slightly higher voltage of an alkaline or lithium battery (1.5 volts, compared to 1.2 volts from most rechargeables) to work reliably. For this reason, we always recommend using the type of battery recommended in the device’s manual, especially for life-saving devices like smoke alarms.
Lastly, single-use batteries have much lower discharge rates than rechargeable batteries (even those marked “low self-discharge,” like the ones we tested for this guide) so they can last longer in electronics that constantly draw low amounts of power, such as a wall clock or remote control. However, there’s a trade-off: Alkalines occasionally leak chemicals that can destroy your device, whereas nickel- or lithium-based rechargeables will never leak unless they’re misused, Battery University’s Buchmann told us.
Since AA and AAA are the most commonly used household batteries, we only considered those sizes for this guide (though one of our favorite battery chargers comes with some handy adapters that can turn your AA batteries into C or D batteries). To find the best ones, we scanned well-known retailers like Amazon, Home Depot, and Walmart to get a feel for the most widely accessible brands of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries, including AmazonBasics, Duracell, EBL, Energizer, Goal Zero, IKEA, Panasonic, Powerex, Rayovac, and Tenergy. From there, we whittled down our list based on the following criteria:
We performed a mix of technical and real-world tests to see how major brands of batteries performed in a variety of situations. To test the batteries' average capacity, we used a Powerex MH-C9000 rechargeable-battery analyzer to drain them down completely, and then charge them completely, three times in a row. We charged the AA batteries at 500 mA and discharged them at 1,000 mA, which is the recommended rate for batteries of this capacity. For AAA batteries, which have less capacity and should be charged and discharged more slowly, we charged and recharged at 400 mA. We recorded the capacity (in mAh) measured by the Powerex after each of these cycles and calculated the average capacities. We then compared these numbers with the capacity ratings printed on the label, to see how our measurements stack up against the company’s claims.
To test the batteries' long-term capacity, we cycled them (draining and charging them over and over) 50 times and recorded the capacity (again, in mAh) measured by the Powerex after the final cycle. This metric should be slightly lower than the average capacity, as the battery’s materials degrade, but we wanted to see if any of the brands had a significant drop in performance after dozens of charges and recharges (none of them did).
To test the batteries in real-world situations, we lit up eight flameless candles—four Pottery Barn candles with four different AA brands, and four West Elm candles with four different AAA brands—in a dim room and recorded a timelapse using a GoPro Hero6 Black action camera. We then played back the footage to see how long it took for each candle to die, showing the relative capacities of each type of battery.
We conducted another real-world test using eight RC cars (powered by either AA or AAA batteries) and raced them constantly until, one by one, they could race no more. We had fun racing the cars manually at first, but after several hours of testing we realized the batteries would far outlast our testers’ attention spans. So, we rigged a simulation by placing the cars in two cardboard crates, taped down the remote controls, and let them spin their wheels until dying completely.
Like all batteries, rechargeable batteries degrade over time, causing their capacity to decrease, until they stop working completely. In past rounds of testing, we’ve conducted shelf-life tests of various batteries and found that most brands can stay viable for months (and even years, if marked “pre-charged,” “low self-discharge,” or “LSD”) in storage.
When it comes to rechargeable batteries, the best way to reduce waste is to extend their overall life spans as much as possible. Here are a few things you can do to help with this:
When your rechargeable batteries eventually cross the River Styx—hopefully after many years of fruitful use, depending on how you treat them and how often you need to recharge them—you should recycle them. Nonferrous metals like those found in rechargeable batteries are a common type of municipal solid waste, according to the EPA. In 2018, about 2.4 million tons of nonferrous metals were recycled, while 3.4 million tons ended up in landfills. Not only is that harmful to local soil and water systems, but it means that more raw materials must be mined to make new electronics, rather than salvaging usable components from old ones. Here are some good options for recycling single-use batteries, rechargeable batteries, and other electronic materials:
We’re in the process of testing 1.5-volt lithium rechargeable batteries for devices that require a slightly higher voltage than our current picks can supply, such as some electric toothbrushes and trail cameras. Lithium rechargeables typically cost more than single-use alkalines, which are likewise rated for 1.5 volts, but like our picks they quickly make up for their higher up-front cost since they can be recharged hundreds of times. We’re testing lithium rechargeable batteries from EBL (AAs rated for 3,300 mAh and 3,000 mAh, as well as AAAs rated for 900 mAh) and Deleepow (AAs rated for 3,400 mAh and AAAs rated for 1,200 mAh) along with their included chargers, which are incompatible with non-lithium batteries.
We’re also testing some higher-capacity AA and AAA (rated for more than 2,000 mAh and 700 mAh, respectively) NiMH options which we previously eliminated some of these options from our testing pool due to their low charge-cycle ratings, and because there were far fewer high-capacity options available when we last updated this guide. The models we’re currently testing—including AAs from Bonai, Deleepow, EBL, HiQuick, and Tenergy, as well as AAAs from Bonai, Deleepow, EBL, HiQuick, and Tenergy—will likely have shorter overall life spans, but they’re rated to last longer in between charges.
Also in our testing pool are AAAA rechargeable battery/charger bundles from Anvow and EBL. AAAA batteries are fairly rare, but they’re required to power some super-thin styli (like the Microsoft Surface Pen) and a handful of other wandlike devices, from laser pointers to blood glucose meters.
Lastly, for people who use C and/or D batteries, we’re also testing some adapters from EBL and Panasonic that allow you to turn any NiMH rechargeable AA battery into a C or D.
EBL’s AA batteries lasted for only 24 hours in our flameless-candle testing compared with our AA picks, all of which kept a flameless candle running for five days and nights—not quite the miracle of Hanukkah but still good for batteries. And, even after much tinkering, the remote-control car we tried to power with a set of EBL AAs never turned on. Lots of user reviewers also report the batteries not working in certain devices, dying quickly, or draining when stored overnight. Despite the fact that the EBL AAs achieved an average capacity of 2,413 mAh in our testing, and 2,330 mAh after 50 cycles, we don’t feel comfortable recommending them given these concerns.
Although EBL’s AAA batteries did well in our tests—they actually outperformed our picks in every test and are the least expensive at the time of this writing—we found a pattern of negative user reviews just like the EBL AAs. So, similarly, we decided not to recommend them.
What Is C-rate?, Battery University
Battery Building Blocks, Battery University
National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling, US EPA
Rechargeable Batteries—compared and explained in detail, Michael Bluejay's Battery Guide
Types of Batteries, The Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA)
Sarah Witman has researched, tested, and reviewed all manner of products—from massage chairs and mousetraps to pencils and power banks—since joining Wirecutter in 2017. Before that, she worked as a science writer and fact checker for numerous publications, and she studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin. In her spare time, she eats as much cheese as her body will tolerate.
Our research and testing showed that the Panasonic BQ-CC55 is the easiest and safest way to keep your rechargeable AA and AAA batteries in tip-top shape.
We compared the ultra-popular Quip with four similarly priced competitors—plus three drugstore electric toothbrushes, for good measure.
Here are the three cases where single-use batteries are still the better option.
In this week’s newsletter: Regular (alkaline) batteries are still better for some electronics though.
Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right (the first time). Subscribe now for unlimited access.
© 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company