If you're considering switching to rechargeable batteries for eco reasons, or just want to save money by not having to fork out for traditional batteries, we can help you out. We have a collection of five of the very best rechargeable battery chargers, whether you want to juice up AA or AAA cells.
Best Value: AmazonBasics Ni-MH AA and AAA Battery Charger
This budget Ni-MH battery charger recharges in pairs, handling two or four AA or AAA rechargeable batteries at a time. The charge time is around four hours, after which the unit will automatically turn off.
What we really love about this charger is that it also has a built-in USB port on the side, so you can charge your mobile phone or other small electronic devices at the same time as your batteries are charging.
This affordable option boasts a handy USB port on the side.
Best Energy-Saving: Panasonic Eneloop BQ-CC55E Charger
This good-looking charger has a beautifully simple design and comes complete with four Panasonic Eneloop 1900mAh AA batteries that are good to go out of the packaging and can be recharged up to 2,100 times. It can charge between one and four AA and AAA batteries at a time.
This boasts "Smart Charge" functionality which checks voltage and temperature of battery automatically to only charge it as much as it needs so you save energy. There's an LED indicator to show you the charging progress, and it will automatically cut off when all the cells are fully charged.
This sleek option can charge both AA and AAA batteries and look good doing it.
Best Capacity: EBL AA and AAA Battery Charger
A great option for families and larger households, this charger can handle two, four, six or eight AA and/or AAA batteries at a time. As you can charge batteries in pairs, it has four LED indicators to show the charging progress of each pair.
Another reason this is a great family choice is its safety features. The design allows for improved heat dissipation, it has built-in overcharge and short circuit protection, and it automatically switches to trickle charge when fully charged.
A great family option, this can charge as many as eight batteries at once.
Bottom line
Whether it's batteries for your camera, torch, game controller or gaming device, these chargers will all ably handle juicing up your power cells, so you always have batteries ready to go. You need to consider what kind of batteries you'll be charging, how many you want to be able to charge at one time and how long you're prepared to wait for them to do so. One more point to ponder — would you find a USB port a useful extra function on a battery charger? The AmazonBasics option can charge four batteries but also has a built-in USB port, so this could prove a winning feature for some.
