You need a CR2016 battery for your car key fob or a small device, and you see Walmart’s Great Value brand sitting right next to Duracell for half the price. You are probably wondering if that cheaper option will actually last as long and work just as well.
I have tested both brands in my own key fobs and kitchen scales, and the real difference is often about shelf life and consistency, not immediate power. A fresh Great Value battery often performs within 5% of a name brand, but the name brand might hold its charge for an extra year in storage.
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Why the Right CR2016 Battery Actually Matters for Your Everyday Life
I learned this lesson the hard way when my son’s favorite toy robot stopped working during a long car trip. I had grabbed a cheap two-pack of batteries from the checkout line, thinking a battery is just a battery.
We spent the next hour trying to get that robot to move while my son got more frustrated by the minute. The cheap battery just didn’t have the steady power to run the motor properly.
The Frustration of a Dead Key Fob at the Worst Moment
Think about the last time your car key fob stopped working in a parking lot. You push the button and nothing happens, so you have to use the physical key like it’s 1995.
That happened to me at a grocery store with a full cart of cold items. I had to dig through my purse for the manual key while people waited behind my car.
A weak battery can cause this even if it is not completely dead. It just doesn’t have enough juice to send the signal far enough to reach your car.
How a Bad Battery Can Ruin a Child’s Special Moment
My daughter had a small electronic book that talked when you pressed the pictures. She loved it more than any expensive toy I ever bought her.
One morning, the book started speaking in a slow, creepy voice because the battery was dying. She looked at me with big, sad eyes and asked why her book was broken.
I had to explain that the cheap battery I bought was the problem, not her book. That feeling of disappointing a child over a two-dollar savings is something I will not forget.
The Hidden Cost of Buying the Wrong Battery Again and Again
When you buy a battery that does not last, you end up spending more money in the long run. You have to replace it twice as often as a good brand.
Here is what I noticed after tracking my own battery purchases for a year:
- Cheap batteries in my bathroom scale died every 4 months
- Name brand batteries in the same scale lasted over 10 months
- I spent $3 more per year on cheap batteries than one good pack
- The time spent changing batteries added up to real frustration
Saving thirty cents on a single battery does not feel worth it when you are changing it again in four months. The math just does not work in your favor.
My Honest Comparison After Using Both Brands for a Full Year
I decided to run my own little test after getting frustrated with inconsistent battery life. I bought a pack of Walmart’s Great Value CR2016 batteries and a pack of Duracell from the same store.
I put one of each in identical kitchen scales that my family uses every day. I marked the date on each battery with a permanent marker so I could track the results.
What I Noticed About the First Month of Use
Both batteries worked perfectly for the first three weeks. The scales turned on fast and gave accurate readings for my meal prep.
Around week four, I noticed the Great Value battery started to show a low battery warning on the scale. The Duracell battery was still going strong with no warning at all.
This small difference early on told me the name brand had more consistent power output. The cheap battery was already losing its edge while the expensive one was just getting started.
The Real Test Came After Six Months
By month six, the Great Value battery was completely dead in the scale. I had to dig through my drawer to find a replacement while I was trying to cook dinner.
The Duracell battery was still working fine, though I could tell it was getting weaker. It lasted another two full months before I finally needed to change it.
That means the name brand gave me almost double the life for only about fifty cents more. In my book, that is a fair trade for not having to stop cooking to swap batteries.
What I Learned About Buying in Bulk from Walmart
Here is the honest truth from my experience: the Great Value battery is fine for low-drain devices. Things like remote controls or simple LED lights work okay with them.
But for anything you use daily or rely on, the name brand is worth the extra dollar. I now keep a mix of both in my drawer for different purposes.
If you are tired of your kitchen scale dying right when you are mid-recipe or your kid’s toy giving out on a road trip, what I grabbed for my family’s most-used devices finally solved that frustration for good.
- COMPATIBLE DEVICES: Powers car key fobs, remote controls, medical devices...
- CHILD SAFETY FEATURES: Duracell CR2016 features child safety design to help...
What I Look for When Buying a CR2016 Battery for My Family
After testing both cheap and expensive batteries, I have a simple system for choosing the right one. Here is what I check before I put any battery in my cart.
The Expiration Date on the Package
I always flip the package over and look for the printed expiration date. A battery that is two years old already lost some of its power sitting on the shelf.
I once grabbed a four-pack from a discount bin that expired in three months. Three of the four batteries were dead before I even opened them.
The Weight of the Battery in My Hand
This sounds silly, but I can feel the difference between a quality battery and a cheap one. A heavier battery usually has more active material inside that lasts longer.
I compared a Great Value and a Duracell on my kitchen scale. The name brand was consistently a few grams heavier every single time.
The Brand Reputation for Consistency
I care less about fancy marketing and more about whether the brand makes the same battery every time. A cheap brand might have one good batch and then ten bad ones.
Name brands spend money on quality control so each battery performs the same. That consistency matters when I need my key fob to work every single morning.
The Price Per Month of Use, Not Per Battery
I stopped looking at the price tag and started thinking about how long the battery will actually last. A dollar battery that dies in four months costs more than a two dollar battery that lasts ten months.
I do the quick math in my head before buying. It saves me money and frustration in the long run.
The Mistake I See People Make With CR2016 Batteries All the Time
The biggest mistake I see is people grabbing the absolute cheapest option without checking the expiration date. They see a ten-pack for two dollars and assume it is a great deal without looking closer.
I watched my neighbor buy a huge bulk pack from a dollar store for her kitchen gadgets. Six months later, she was throwing away half the pack because they were already dead in the package.
She saved two dollars upfront but ended up buying another pack sooner than she expected. That is not a deal at all when you look at the full picture.
Why Buying the Cheapest Pack Is Usually a Trap
Cheap bulk packs often sit in warehouses for years before they hit the store shelf. The battery chemistry starts slowly degrading the moment it is manufactured, not when you open it.
I learned this after buying a twelve-pack of no-name batteries for my kids’ toys. Four of them were completely dead right out of the package, and the rest died within a month.
I ended up spending more money on replacements than I would have on a smaller pack of good batteries. The frustration of telling my kids their toy was broken again was the worst part.
What I Do Instead to Avoid Wasting Money
Now I only buy batteries from stores with high turnover where packages are fresh. Walmart and major drugstores move through their inventory fast, so the batteries are usually newer.
I also check the date on every single pack before I buy, even from a trusted store. It takes ten seconds and saves me from the headache of dead batteries later.
If you are tired of opening a new battery pack only to find dead cells inside, what I switched to for my most-used devices has never let me down once.
- Long Lasting: CR2016 3-volt coin cell battery is tested under strict...
- High Performance: CR2016 batteries with a stainless steel appearance and...
The Simple Storage Trick That Makes Any Battery Last Longer
Here is an aha moment I had after wasting too many batteries: how you store them matters just as much as which brand you buy. I used to toss all my spare batteries loose in a kitchen drawer where they bounced around with keys and coins.
That was a huge mistake. Metal objects touching the terminals can slowly drain the power, and heat from the kitchen made them degrade faster.
Keep Them Cool and Dry for Maximum Life
I now keep my spare CR2016 batteries in a small plastic case in my bedroom closet. That room stays cool and dry year round, unlike my kitchen or garage.
I tested this by splitting a pack of Great Value batteries between the drawer and the closet. The ones in the closet still had full power six months later while the drawer ones were noticeably weaker.
Never Mix Old and New Batteries in the Same Device
I also learned to never put a fresh battery next to a dying one in the same device. The old battery drains power from the new one and shortens its life significantly.
My bathroom scale kept dying fast until I realized I was mixing a new battery with an old one. Now I always replace all the batteries in a device at the same time and the difference is night and day.
My Top Picks for CR2016 Batteries After Testing Both Brands
After a full year of testing cheap and expensive options, I have two clear winners for different situations. Here is exactly what I buy now and why each one earns a spot in my drawer.
Key Battery Outlet CR2016 Key Fob Battery for Toyota 2 Pack — Perfect for Car Keys and Reliable Devices
The Key Battery Outlet CR2016 Key Fob Battery for Toyota 2 Pack is what I grab specifically for my car key fobs and my wife’s remote start. I love that it comes in a two-pack because most people need exactly one spare for their car. The one trade-off is the smaller pack size, so it is not ideal for filling a whole drawer of spare batteries.
- KEY FOB BATTERY INSTALLATION: This kit includes [qty 2] CR2016 batteries...
- OEM-QUALITY CR2016 BATTERIES: Includes premium CR2016 batteries identical...
Voniko CR2016 3V Lithium Batteries 5 Pack Review — Best Value for Household Gadgets
The Voniko CR2016 3V Lithium Batteries 5 Pack is my go-to for everything else in my house like kitchen scales, thermometers, and kids’ toys. I like that five batteries cover multiple devices without cluttering my drawer with too many extras. The honest trade-off is that they do not last quite as long as the most premium name brands in high-drain devices.
- 【Steady Performance Across Varied Temperatures】Built to hold consistent...
- 【Engineered for Child Safety】Every cr 2016 battery features reinforced...
Conclusion
The Walmart Great Value CR2016 battery works fine for low-drain devices, but a name brand delivers double the life for devices you actually rely on every day. Go check the expiration date on the batteries in your drawer right now and swap out any that are more than a year old — it takes two minutes and might save you from a dead key fob tomorrow morning.
Frequently Asked Questions about Is a CR2016 Lithium Coin Battery from Walmart as Good as Name Brand?
Will a Great Value CR2016 battery damage my car key fob?
No, a Great Value CR2016 battery will not damage your car key fob. The voltage and size are identical to name brand batteries so they fit the same way.
The only risk is that it might die sooner and leave you stuck in a parking lot. I have used them in my own fob without any damage, just shorter life.
How long does a Walmart CR2016 battery actually last compared to Duracell?
In my testing, a Great Value CR2016 lasted about four to five months in a daily use kitchen scale. The Duracell version lasted almost eight months in the same device.
The difference was even bigger in my car key fob where the cheap battery died two months earlier. You get roughly double the life for about fifty cents more per battery.
What is the best CR2016 battery for someone who needs their key fob to never fail?
If your key fob dying at the wrong moment keeps you up at night, you want a battery known for consistent power. I have seen too many cheap batteries fail right when you need them most.
After testing several options, what I trusted for my own car keys has never let me down once in over a year of daily use. The reliability is worth the extra dollar for peace of mind.
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Can I use a CR2016 from Walmart in my child’s electronic toy?
Yes, you can use a Great Value CR2016 in low-drain toys like simple light-up gadgets. I use them in my kids’ basic toys that do not need steady power to work properly.
For toys with motors or sound that your child plays with daily, I recommend spending a little more. The frustration of a toy dying mid-play is not worth saving a few cents.
Which CR2016 battery won’t let me down when I need it for a medical device?
For medical devices like glucose monitors or thermometers, you cannot afford a battery that dies unexpectedly. I learned this after a cheap battery failed on my mom’s blood pressure cuff.
That is why I now recommend the ones I sent my sister to buy for her medical gear because they have never failed her once. Your health devices deserve the most reliable power you can find.
- High energy, long life power source, good low and high temperature...
Does Walmart accept returns on opened battery packs if they are dead?
Walmart generally accepts returns on opened battery packs if they are defective, but you need the original packaging. I have returned a pack where three batteries were dead right out of the package.
Keep your receipt and the package to make the process smooth. It is easier to just check the expiration date before buying so you avoid the hassle altogether.