View details View details
Best Alkaline Batteries for 2025
View details View details
View details View details
Alkaline batteries are needed more often than you may think. They’re commonly found in the most popular toys and inside the many remotes you might have around the home. However, batteries die. So when it’s time to replace them, having extras around is a godsend.
We’ve identified the best alkaline batteries on the market by rigorously testing a wide range of models and brands. Our thorough evaluation involved extensive discharge tests to identify the longest-lasting alkaline batteries, including AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt options. Furthermore, we analyzed the cost per battery for each choice, ensuring that you receive exceptional value for your investment.
None of the options selected are rechargeable. So, if you’re looking to reduce waste over time, you’re better off looking elsewhere. US alkaline battery sales reached $9.28 billion in 2024 and are predicted to increase to $9.75 billion in 2025, showing that there’s still demand for these batteries.
Read on for our picks of the best batteries and how each model performed in our tests, starting with Amazon’s own brand of AAA batteries.
<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best AAA alkaline battery" description="
The competition for the best AAA battery was closely contested, as all competing brands demonstrated similar performance in our discharge test. Affordability and reliability played a significant role in our evaluation.
Amazon AAA batteries emerged as the most reliable during our discharge test, exhibiting consistently repeatable results across three different runs and boasting the longest average discharge time at 28 minutes, 32 seconds.
Moreover, if you’re considering buying in bulk, this option is, by far, the better choice. The 36-pack is currently priced at less than $18 at the time of this publication, translating to approximately 50 cents per unit. Now that’s true value.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo overridecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” overridecaption=”” imagegroup=”{"uuid":"fe24e89e-39e3-4cf9-8d2d-b8b0c56e3579","alt":"amazon alkaline batteries","caption":"","credits":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageData":{"id":"fe24e89e-39e3-4cf9-8d2d-b8b0c56e3579","filename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-31-am.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/e6629814193bf23dc4ace29cf7bdc5c66b14b379/hub/2024/01/05/fe24e89e-39e3-4cf9-8d2d-b8b0c56e3579/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-31-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-01-05 16:16:20.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/e6629814193bf23dc4ace29cf7bdc5c66b14b379/hub/2024/01/05/fe24e89e-39e3-4cf9-8d2d-b8b0c56e3579/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-31-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageAltText":"amazon alkaline batteries","imageFilename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-31-am.jpg","imageWidth":2048,"imageHeight":1536,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-01-05","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{"id":"l6mrh0jlyhgnwta","type":"listicle"}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__0b4a3874-0d34-4331-a748-d009b16bff54″ index=”1″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,freelance-update” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” imagealttext=”amazon alkaline batteries” class=”c-bestListListicle”>
Photo Gallery 1/1
The competition for the best AAA battery was closely contested, as all competing brands demonstrated similar performance in our discharge test. Affordability and reliability played a significant role in our evaluation.
Amazon AAA batteries emerged as the most reliable during our discharge test, exhibiting consistently repeatable results across three different runs and boasting the longest average discharge time at 28 minutes, 32 seconds.
Moreover, if you’re considering buying in bulk, this option is, by far, the better choice. The 36-pack is currently priced at less than $18 at the time of this publication, translating to approximately 50 cents per unit. Now that’s true value.
<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best AA alkaline battery" description="
AA batteries are likely the most popular battery size, given their widespread use in a variety of electronic devices. They don’t hold as much charge as a C or D battery, which means you’re probably going to be replacing them a lot. Again, it comes down to bulk price and performance.
The two leading AA battery brands, Energizer and Duracell, stood out in the competition, displaying similar performance, with Energizer having a slight edge. The decisive factor turned out to be price. A single Energizer AA Max battery powered three fan motors arranged in parallel for an impressive average of 30 minutes, 15 seconds, marking the best score among the group.
Furthermore, Energizer AA Max batteries are the second most affordable option. The 20-pack is currently priced at approximately $14 at the time of this publication, equating to around 73 cents per unit. With outstanding performance and an affordable price, if you’re in the market for AA batteries to power your holiday gifts or any other device, this is the optimal choice.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo=”{"uuid":"8751dcfa-f97f-43b7-a4f6-827f049d85a0","slug":"energizer-aa-batteries-max-double-a-battery-alkaline-20-count","name":"Energizer AA Batteries, Max Double A Battery Alkaline, 20 Count","productType":"SERIES","updateType":"EZMONEY","mod":1740810689876}” overridecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” overridecaption=”” imagegroup=”{"uuid":"f15f182a-f80b-488e-99a6-3f7038e16622","alt":"energizer alkaline batteries","caption":"","credits":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageData":{"id":"f15f182a-f80b-488e-99a6-3f7038e16622","filename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-33-am.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/69e39905e8c1910e24fa8a6d32062d11956473f4/hub/2024/01/05/f15f182a-f80b-488e-99a6-3f7038e16622/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-33-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-01-05 16:21:09.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/69e39905e8c1910e24fa8a6d32062d11956473f4/hub/2024/01/05/f15f182a-f80b-488e-99a6-3f7038e16622/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-33-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageAltText":"energizer alkaline batteries","imageFilename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-33-am.jpg","imageWidth":2048,"imageHeight":1582,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-01-05","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{"id":"8kz430fdm47yhqy","type":"listicle"}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__57de39da-6e6d-4cf9-8a22-df7101dbef0e” index=”2″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,freelance-update” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” imagealttext=”energizer alkaline batteries” class=”c-bestListListicle”>
Photo Gallery 1/1
This one was straightforward. Duracell outperformed its competition convincingly. The only caveat is that this may not be your most budget-friendly option. Since C batteries are primarily used for medium-drain devices like cameras, radios, and even some intruder alarms, longevity and reliability are paramount.
In our discharge test, Duracell C-type batteries powered four fan motors in parallel for an outstanding average of 25 minutes, 42 seconds, nearly doubling the average duration achieved by other competing brands. Quality sometimes comes at a price, and Duracell C batteries are no exception. The 10-pack is priced at roughly $15 at the time of this publication, totaling roughly $1.56 per unit, the highest price per unit in this category.
<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="Best D alkaline battery" description="
D batteries are predominantly used in high-current drain devices that require prolonged running times and emergency gadgets such as flashlights, radio transmitters, and even some water heaters. It should come as no surprise that, in this case, we particularly value performance over price.
Amazon D batteries excel in performance. They were able to sustain our five-motor parallel circuit for nearly 18 minutes on average, the highest score in this category. Impressively enough, they maintained a voltage output higher than 1.2 volts throughout each of the three runs. That’s a lot of juice.
That said, they are the second priciest option on our list. The 4-pack is priced at approximately $9 at the time of this publication, translating to roughly $2.25 per unit.
” page-position linktext linkurl like dislike can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer techobjectinfo=”{"uuid":"af2a60c0-80ef-4c56-9a7c-5fae57aefa20","slug":"amazon-basics-4-pack-d-cell-alkaline-everyday-batteries-1-5-volt-5-year-shelf-life","name":"Amazon Basics 4-Pack D Cell Alkaline Everyday Batteries, 1.5 Volt, 5-Year Shelf Life","productType":"SERIES","updateType":"EZMONEY","mod":1740810689686}” overridecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” overridecaption=”” imagegroup=”{"uuid":"388005ce-075a-4a72-bd14-a0bd9814bb40","alt":"amazon alkaline batteries","caption":"","credits":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageData":{"id":"388005ce-075a-4a72-bd14-a0bd9814bb40","filename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-30-am.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/206e4cf65a6998dab1eed246b6d6f9a6627ff67c/hub/2024/01/05/388005ce-075a-4a72-bd14-a0bd9814bb40/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-30-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-01-05 16:58:12.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/206e4cf65a6998dab1eed246b6d6f9a6627ff67c/hub/2024/01/05/388005ce-075a-4a72-bd14-a0bd9814bb40/whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-30-am.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"","imageCredit":"Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET","imageAltText":"amazon alkaline batteries","imageFilename":"whatsapp-image-2024-01-05-at-11-02-30-am.jpg","imageWidth":2048,"imageHeight":1488,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-01-05","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{"id":"2y5ehu2cq9lhae9","type":"listicle"}” edition=”us” data-key=”cnetlisticle__51933f2c-356c-493e-95ae-ebacd1a4a99c” index=”4″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”Best List – Precap” tagslugs=”gap-project,hv60,freelance-update” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET” imagealttext=”amazon alkaline batteries” class=”c-bestListListicle”>
Photo Gallery 1/1
9-volt batteries deliver higher voltage but possess less overall charge, resulting in a shorter lifespan compared to their 1.5-volt counterparts. They are ideal for high-voltage, low-drain applications such as smoke alarms, portable electronics, tools and even the multimeter used in this test.
In our focused analysis, we observed the battery’s ability to maintain high voltage output throughout its usable life. Amazon 9-volt batteries not only significantly outperformed other brands in terms of discharge time and voltage output under load but also stood out as the most cost-effective option, priced at only $1.11 per unit at the time of this publication, making it the only brand we tested in this category available for less than $2 per unit. In our discharge test, Amazon 9-volt batteries sustained our battery test rig for over 36 minutes — nearly three times longer than their competitors. This makes them the clear winner across all metrics.
How we test batteries
For this round of testing, we gathered four of the most popular battery brands and tested five battery categories, including AAA, AA, C, D and 9-volt. Our objective was to find out which battery manufacturer offered the best value for your money. To assess battery performance, we used our custom-built battery test rig and timed the longevity of each battery, paying attention to their voltage output over time, and compared the difference in price per unit.
Battery performance and voltage drop
Measuring battery voltage output is more complex than simply sticking multimeter probes on the positive and negative ends of the battery. For instance, AA, AAA, C and D batteries are rated at 1.5 volts. If you measure voltage output directly on the battery, the reading may be close to 1.6 volts, which is generally a good sign for a new battery. Even batteries that are no longer usable can display a value equal to or higher than 1.5 volts when measured directly. The correct approach is to test voltage output under a load condition, such as when the battery is connected to a resistor or powering a device. Meet the CNET Labs Battery Test Rig:
We use parallel arrangement on our test rig. From left to right, the 1.5-volt battery source (either AAA, AA, C or D), a voltmeter and motor array. The setup allows two motors to be active at all times, allowing the addition of up to five motors.
For the 9-volt types, we arranged six load components in series. A series arrangement evenly distributes the voltage from the power source across all load components. Since each of our fan motors takes at least 1.5 volts to run, using a 9-volt battery provides 9-volt/6 loads = 1.5-volt per load.
