Advice
November 2021
Disposable AA batteries – shelf life and expiry dates
Did you know disposable AA batteries have an expiry date?
Although some disposable AA battery packs state a shelf life, the clock starts ticking from the date of manufacture. You won’t know how long the batteries have already been on display, so look for an expiry date.
You might have looked for it on the packaging without success – the expiry date is usually printed directly on disposable AA batteries. After this date, the batteries aren’t guaranteed to have 80% or more of their charge remaining.
Even if they’ve never been used, disposable batteries will eventually go flat. That’s why it’s better to buy only what you need rather than large packs at a discounted price.
There’s often a production date printed on disposable batteries too. With lithium, sometimes only the production date is provided.
- Lithium batteries typically have a shelf life of 10–12 years, although some manufacturers claim that certain models will last up to 20 years.
- Alkaline batteries usually have a shelf life of 5–10 years.
- Carbon zinc batteries have a shorter shelf life of 3–5 years.
Disposable AA batteries
Check our test results to see the estimated shelf life of the batteries we tested, as well as their performance.
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