Drawing on nearly half a decade at Which?, Natalie helps readers cut through the noise with practical guidance on trending products, pest control, cleaning advice, and money-saving tips during the sales.
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This week, two rechargeable battery brands go head-to-head. One packs an electrifying amount of charge and is budget-friendly enough to earn our Great Value stamp of approval. The other, however, leaks substantial energy and doesn’t have the stamina to go the distance.
| Ikea Ladda HR06 AA 1.2V 2450mAh | Energizer Recharge Extreme AA | |
|---|---|---|
| Which? Best Buy and Great Value | Yes | No |
| Score | 81% | 65% |
| Battery life on single charge | 7:54 | 7:30 |
| Long-term use (overall) | ||
| Charge retention | ||
| Stated capacity achieved | Yes | Yes |
Average price in the past six months £12.73 | Cheapest price in the past six months £12.48
These budget-friendly Ikea rechargeable batteries earned a Best Buy due to their impressive eight-hour battery life on a single charge. It took us 319 minutes – just over five hours – to charge them fully.
We did find the capacity dropped over time by about a third after 200 cycles, though this is common with rechargeable batteries, and other brands we tested dropped a lot more.
For Which? members only: read our Ikea Ladda HR06 AA 1.2V 2450mAh review
Average price in the past six months £15.28 | Cheapest price in the past six months £9.99
This option from Energizer doesn’t quite live up to its name. It costs around the same price as the Ikea Ladda, but our tests found it conked out after 150 to 175 charges, which is below average compared to other high-capacity chargeables.
We also found the charge retention mediocre – they’re not great at keeping their charge when not in use. Overall, you’re better off choosing one of our Best Buys.
For Which? members only: read our Energizer Recharge Extreme AA review
'Rechargeable batteries can reduce your carbon footprint and save you a lot of money, especially if you find yourself churning through lots of disposable batteries. Our tests have shown the best can power devices for hours and can be reused hundreds of times before losing capacity.
'Ikea’s rechargeables are long lasting and don’t suffer from considerable capacity loss until around the 200 cycle mark. They easily compete and widely beat major battery brand alternatives and are comparatively cheap as well, making them a superb investment.
'Energizer is a big name in batteries, but its so-called ‘Extreme’ rechargeables are rather disappointing. Beyond solid battery life, there's not much to write home about. Plus, that battery life diminishes faster than many alternatives. For more on our testing and our other Best Buys, see our full guide to the best rechargeable batteries.'
Callum Pears, Which? rechargeable batteries expert
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