Batteries for the box: what to buy and how to keep them
Published
Get AA and AAA alkaline batteries, keep them in the pack, and write the date on the box. If you’d rather use rechargeables, choose a low self-discharge type.
Why AA and AAA
The Be Ready checklist asks for a torch and spare batteries. Our torch and radio picks use AA or AAA, so one or two packs cover everything. Check what your own torch and radio take before you buy. In the government’s 2026 survey, 60% of adults had spare batteries for a radio or torch.
Every house has a drawer of batteries of unknown age. This is your chance to find out.
Alkaline: the simple choice
Alkaline batteries are cheap and keep for years in the pack. Check the date printed on any you already have, which is free. For new ones, our picks are big packs of AA (Ad) and AAA (Ad).
Rechargeable: good if you use them every week
Rechargeables (NiMH) make sense for things you use all the time. But ordinary ones lose their charge sitting in a drawer. For the box, choose a low self-discharge type, which is made to hold its charge in storage, like Panasonic eneloop (Ad).
You’ll need a charger. Our pick is the Energizer Recharge Pro (Ad), which does AA and AAA. There’s a cheaper Duracell Hi-Speed charger too, which comes with 2 AA and 2 AAA. Either way, the charger needs mains power, so charge them before you need them. The torch and radio they go in are on the light and power kit page.
Lithium: the long-lasting option
Lithium AA batteries last longest and cope better with the cold, but they cost more. Fine if you want them, not needed.
Keeping them
Battery makers suggest keeping them in their packaging, somewhere dry at room temperature. The packaging also stops them touching each other, or keys and coins, so keep them out of the odds-and-ends drawer.
Check them when the clocks change, along with everything else on the clocks-change kit check.
Old batteries
Never put batteries in your household rubbish or recycling bin. They can cause fires in the bin lorry. Shops that sell lots of batteries have to take old ones back, so most supermarkets have a battery bin.