Red Bull was rated best in Canstar Blue’s latest review of energy drinks, with five-star reviews for perceived effectiveness, packaging convenience, and overall satisfaction.
Whether you’re working at a desk or doing hard labour − there are times when you just need that extra energy kick to get you through the day. If a cup of coffee simply won’t cut it, energy drinks are an alternative specially formulated to increase energy and mental performance. In fact, half of the Aussies we surveyed (51%) consume energy drinks to feel more energetic, and 21% feel it improves their performance in sports, work, or other activities.
Canstar Blue surveyed 545 Australians for their feedback on the energy drinks they’ve purchased from a supermarket or grocer (and consumed) within the last three months.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their energy drink brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Red Bull took out the top spot in our energy drinks ratings with five-star reviews for perceived effectiveness, packaging convenience, and overall satisfaction. In terms of taste, V and Monster proved to be the crowd-pleasers, with the latter also scoring five stars for range variety. ALDI Flying Power was also a strong performer, rating best for value for money and notching up top marks for effectiveness, and packaging.
Find more detailed information on our ratings methodology.
Everyone knows Red Bull as the OG (original) energy drink, with its infamous tagline ‘Red Bull gives you wings’. Red Bull energy drinks contain ingredients known for boosting energy, including caffeine (synthetic), taurine, B vitamins and sugar from sugar beets. The brand offers the Red Bull original flavour, also available in a sugar-free version, as well as limited-edition flavours like watermelon and tropical. Prices start from about $4.10 for a single can or $8 for a pack of four.
It depends. Energy drinks do contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar (apart from sugar-free versions) − so it’s best to consume them in moderation. One in five Aussies we surveyed (20%) said they prefer energy drinks to coffee (because they don’t like hot drinks), but still want a caffeine hit. Energy drinks are required by law to indicate their caffeine content on the label and need to be approved for use by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Energy drinks are not recommended for children (including teenagers), pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people sensitive to caffeine.
Our survey found that 20% of Aussies consume one standard-size glass/can/bottle per day. Just keep in mind that drinking too much caffeine (even coffee) can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Consume energy drinks in moderation.
Megan is Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor, leading the team that focuses on consumer products and services, ranging from supermarkets and groceries to home and personal appliances and retail stores. She interprets Canstar Blue’s bespoke research on the thousands of brands that we compare, rate and review, to help shoppers make better purchasing decisions.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Here are the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s energy drinks ratings:
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