The honest, no-faff guide to the best energy drinks you can actually buy in the UK right now — from your local Tesco to gaming brands worth the premium.
If you have read my reviews before, you will know that I used to be (and still kind of am) addicted to energy drinks. The obsession really started when I was working in a LAN gaming cafe in my teens when we had imported Jolt and Bawls… I absolutely loved them! Once they weren’t available anymore, I moved onto Relentless, Monster and to a lesser extent Red Bull. I have tried my best to move over to powdered energy drinks because they are cheaper and better for your health, but every now and again I can’t help myself and indulge myself with some cans of energy drinks!
If you are interested in powdered energy drinks, you can check out my review of all the brands here.
If you search “best energy drinks” right now, the top results are full of American brands you’ve never heard of, priced in dollars, and most of them are only available in the US. Not very useful if you’re standing in a Co-op at 11pm wondering which can to grab for work tomorrow.
I thought I would put this page together to basically rank all of the energy drinks I try and rank them, to share my thoughts with like-minded people. This list covers what you can actually buy in the UK, whether that’s a 69p Boost from a corner shop or a Sneak can from a gaming retailer. I’ve ranked them honestly, without any brand deals or sponsored fluff.
I will have a ‘Quick Picks’ section below for my favourites (these will change as I try new brands/flavours), but will keep a massive list of them underneath so that you can look through them all, if you fancy browsing everything that I’ve tried!
Quick Picks: Best Energy Drinks UK By Category
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | Monster Energy |
| Best Value | Irn Bru Energy |
| Best Sugar-Free | Monster Energy |
| Best for Gaming | Sneak |
| Best for Taste | Monster Energy |
Red Bull Original
Price: £1.80–£2.00 (250ml) in the shops, but cheaper from Amazon here.| Available: Everywhere
Red Bull is the world’s most well known energy drink, so of course we need to start with this one…
I always find it facinating how Red Bull came into existance. The marketing was absolutely perfect. They make a disgusting flavoured drink for the time (yes, it was intentional), because people would taste something that they thought was pretty disgusting, but not undrinkable, but it felt like it must do what it says on the tin because of how unusual it tasted!
It’s not the strongest, it’s not the cheapest, and the flavour is… Red Bull flavour (you either love it or hate it). The caffeine-to-size ratio is sensible (80mg per 250ml), it’s available in literally every petrol station, supermarket and corner shop in the country, and it doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t.
It’s pretty expensive for what it is, and to me, it’s now very similar to the knock-offs these days, for a fraction of the price…
Worth it? Yes. It’s the default for a reason.
Caffeine: 80mg
Calories: 116
Rating: 7/10 – It’s the default, but I wouldn’t buy it unless there was no other options.
Red Bull Flavours
Price: £1.80–£2.00 (250ml) in the shops, but cheaper from Amazon here.| Available: Everywhere
This is Red Bull’s adventure away from the traditional energy drink flavour, to keep up with the likes of Monster Energy. We bought one from the OneStop local shop and it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I liked the peach aftertaste, but not the initial taste, whereas my wife was the opposite (liked the initial taste, but not the aftertaste).
Worth it? Not really for me, doubt I would pick it up again.
Caffeine: 80mg
Calories: 116
Rating: 7/10
Monster Energy Original
Price: £1.50–£2.00 (500ml) in the shops, but cheaper from Amazon here | Available: Most shops
Monster is Red Bull’s bigger, louder cousin. You get twice the can for roughly the same price, with 160mg of caffeine and that iconic green logo. It’s become almost as recognisable as Red Bull in the UK.
The original flavour is genuinely good. It’s sweeter than Red Bull, with a slightly tropical edge. Monster’s extended range (Pipeline Punch, Mango Loco, Juiced range) has some excellent flavours too. Pipeline Punch in particular is one of the best-tasting mainstream energy drinks available right now and if there was an big variety of energy drinks on a shop shelf, chances are it would be a first pick.
If you get the normal cans, the calories can be pretty mental though, so be aware of that!
Worth it? Yes, especially for the price-per-ml.
Caffeine: 160
Calories: 240
Rating: 9/10 – Flavours are amazing, gives you a buzz. It’s a shame it’s so expensive!
Sneak Energy Can
Price: £2.00–£2.50 (500ml) | Available: sneakenergy.com
Sneak started as a powder ownly brand aimed squarely at gamers, but they have grown so much that they have expanded to do cans, which are availble on their website (and some local stored, if you’re lucky).
You get 150mg of caffeine per can, which is a sensible amount, plus they add B vitamins and amino acids rather than just dumping sugar and taurine in there.
The flavour range is where Sneak shines. Purple Storm is consistently one of the best-tasting energy drinks I’ve tried (it’s like Vimto to me) rather than “energy drink flavour.” These aren’t the artificial, syrup-heavy flavours you get with most mainstream cans, so if you are looking for a healthier alternative, Sneak is a great option.
The brand is genuinely UK-based (they’re out of Manchester), which matters if you care about that sort of thing (I do).
Worth it? Absolutely, especially if you want something that tastes better and doesn’t have you bouncing off the walls.
Caffeine:150mg
Calories: 5
Rating: 7/10 – I love the powdered energy versions, but not too keen on the cans (when I’m in the mood for a can, I want something bad for me lol)
Relentless
Price: ~£1.00–£1.50 (500ml) in the shops, or cheaper on Amazon| Available: Most supermarkets, some petrol stations
Relentless is a Coca-Cola product that’s been quietly available in the UK for years. It doesn’t have Monster’s marketing budget or Red Bull’s brand prestige, but it’s genuinely one of the nicest-tasting energy drinks available.
Origin (the original flavour) has a slightly sweeter, fuller profile than Monster – more like a fruit drink with a kick than a traditional “energy drink” flavour. At 160mg caffeine in a 500ml can for around a quid, it’s outstanding value.
The only downside is that it’s not as widely available to find, but at least you can get them online! Some Tescos stock it, some don’t. You can’t always rely on it being there.
Worth it? Yes, one of the most underrated cans on this list.
Caffeine: 160mg
Calories: 108
Rating: 9/10 – This is probably one of my guilty pleasures. If I find a can in the wild, I usually pick one up.
Rockstar
Price: £1.50 (500ml) | Available: Supermarkets, petrol stations or on Amazon
Rockstar’s original is a solid energy drink that suffers mainly from being too similar to Monster at a similar price point without Monster’s superior taste or brand equity. The Rockstar XDurance range is interesting for sports and fitness use, and the Punched (fruit punch flavour) is decent.
Worth it? Yes if it’s on offer or if you fancy a change from Monster every now and again.
Caffeine: 200mg
Calories: 105
Rating: 6/10
Prime
Price: £1.50–£2.00 (355ml) | Available: Asda, some supermarkets
Prime Energy is Logan Paul and KSI’s energy drink. The hydration version (no caffeine) predates the energy drink, but the actual Prime Energy cans deliver 200mg caffeine in a smaller 355ml can, which is a lot.
The taste is very good, no question. Tropical Punch and Blue Raspberry are genuinely excellent flavours. The UK availability has improved massively since the chaos of 2023 when people were buying single cans for £20 on eBay.
Worth it? For a treat, sure. Not my go-to for every day.
Caffeine: 200mg
Calories: 15
Rating: 8/10 – It’s mostly marketing hype, but it does taste pretty nice
Irn Bru Energy (500ml)
Price: £1.00 | Available: I’ve only seen them at corner shops or Amazon (here’s the link)
Well… I’m Scottish, so of course this list was always going to have Irn Bru Energy on it! This is actually pretty decent (If you like Irn Bru). It tastes a bit tangier than normal Irn Bru and was a nice change from my usual energy drink cans!
Worth it? For the price, absolutely. Don’t buy it expecting a premium experience, but as a budget option it does the job.
Caffeine: 160mg
Calories: 97
Rating: 8.5/10
Boost
Price: £0.69–£0.89 (250ml) | Available: Corner shops, Tesco, Asda, Poundland
Boost is the honest answer to “what’s the cheapest energy drink worth drinking in the UK.” You’re getting 80mg caffeine (same as a Red Bull) in a 250ml can for under a quid. It tastes broadly like a Red Bull knock-off, which isn’t an insult, that’s exactly what it’s designed to be.
Worth it? For the price, absolutely. Don’t buy it expecting a premium experience, but as a budget option it does the job.
Caffeine: 80mg
Calories: 49
Rating: 7/10
Emerge
Price: £0.69 (250ml) | Available: Poundland, Iceland, some Tesco
Similar territory to Boost, budget Red Bull alternative. Emerge is sold in Iceland and Poundland primarily and costs almost nothing. The original flavour is fine. The sugar-free version is pretty poor to be honest.
Worth it? – Unless you are absolutely skint, I wouldn’t bother.
Caffeine: 75mg
Calories: 53
Rating: 2/10
