Best Electrolyte Drinks To Stay Hydrated

Replace lost salts and minerals while staying hydrated with the best electrolyte drinks – as tested by an expert nutritionist.

Electrolyte drinks help replenish the naturally occurring salts and minerals that help balance our bodies’ fluids. These get depleted through exercise, most notably through sweating. The best electrolyte drinks often also contain carbohydrates and other nutrients to help you stay hydrated and to improve recovery.

But not all electrolyte drinks are created equal. It pays to consider the amount of the electrolytes potassium, chloride and particularly sodium in each drink, which help with preventing cramping, aiding muscle contraction and supporting hydration respectively.

If you’re not a heavy sweater, or need to reduce your intake of sodium for health reasons, you might want an electrolyte drink with lower sodium levels (say, less than 250mg per serving).

Nutritionist Rob Hobson has tested eight of the best electrolyte drinks to help you find one to support your hydration and recovery needs. He tests them for taste, solubility and effectiveness in terms of their hydration and nutritional benefits.

Best electrolyte drinks according to a nutritionist

Best for:

Natural ingredients	Nuun Hydration Sport
Taste	Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix
Long workouts	Gu Hydration Tablets
Everyday hydration	Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Powder
Replenishing sodium	SIS Go Hydro
Sugar-free hydration	High 5 Zero
Low sodium hydration	Hux Hydration Tablets
Budget-friendly hydration	MyEndurance Hydr8
On-the-go hydration	Powerbar 5 Electrolytes

Nuun Hydration Sport

Best for natural ingredients

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 475ml water
Sodium per serving:	300mg
Price per serving:	65p
Flavours:	13 flavours available (4 caffeinated)

Taste: 4/5
Solubility: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

With a good range of flavours, and available with or without caffeine, these mini tubes from Nuun are ideal for hydrating on the go. They have the most natural ingredients list of any product on test, including natural sweeteners and colouring.

Read our full Nuun Hydration Sport review

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Serving size:	1 scoop to bottle of water
Sodium per serving:	800mg
Price per serving:	£1.39
Flavours:	8 available

Taste: 4.5/5
Solubility: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

One of the best-tasting electrolyte drinks we had the pleasure of testing. Each serving contains a hefty 800mg of sodium, so it’s perfect for heavy, salty sweaters. There are an impressive eight flavours available, with each one providing a nice, hydrating option at the end of a tough workout.

Read our full Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix review

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 750ml water
Sodium per serving:	320mg
Price per serving:	55p
Flavours:	Lemon and lime, three berries, orange, strawberry lemonade

Taste: 4.5/5
Solubility: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

Ideal for larger bottles and longer sessions, GU tablets will see you through intense or prolonged training. There’s a good amount of electrolytes in the mix, especially sodium, and flavours are particularly punchy.

Read our full GU Hydration Tablets review

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 450ml water
Sodium per serving:	55mg
Price per serving:	77p
Flavours:	9 available

Taste: 3.5/5
Solubility: 5/5
Effectiveness: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5

In powder rather than tablet form, this vitamin C-rich drink is ideal for everyday hydration and wellness. There’s a good mix of electrolytes and a range of nine moreish flavours to choose from.

Read our full Ultima Replenisher review

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 500ml water
Sodium per serving:	870mg
Price per serving:	40p
Flavours:	13 available

Taste: 5/5
Solubility: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

Science In Sport is a brand driven by scientific data, so it knows a thing or two about optimal hydration. Its Go Hydro range has the highest sodium content per serving of any electrolyte drink on test and it’s also one of the most reasonably priced.

Read our full SIS Go Hydro review

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 750ml water
Sodium per serving:	250mg
Price per serving:	40p
Flavours:	9 available

Taste: 4.5/5
Solubility: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

Another trusted player in the sports nutrition market, High 5 is the go-to brand for many endurance runners. It’s a good choice if you’re training for extended periods as one tablet is enough for a 750ml water bottle. They may be free of sugar, but these tabs are full of flavour.

Read our full High 5 Zero review

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Serving size:	2 tablets in 200ml water
Sodium per serving:	116mg
Price per serving:	70p
Flavours:	Lemon and elderflower, ginger and lemongrass, watermelon

Taste: 5/5
Solubility: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5

Hux tablets are a good low-sodium option and are more suited to general hydration and wellness than intense workout sessions. They have a good mix of electrolytes as well as a pleasantly sweet and tangy flavour.

Read our full Hux Hydration Tablets review

MyEndurance Hydr8

Best for budget-friendly hydration

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 400ml water
Sodium per serving:	345mg
Price per serving:	25p
Flavour:	Orange

Hydr8 tablets are packed with vitamins and minerals with good sodium levels to suit endurance athletes. They’re fortified with B vitamins too and work out to be the cheapest electrolyte drink per serving on test.

Read our full MyEndurance Hydr8 review

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Serving size:	1 tablet in 250ml water
Sodium per serving:	250mg
Price per serving:	33p
Flavours:	Raspberry and pomegranate, lemon tonic, blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, mango and passionfruit

Taste: 3.5/5
Solubility: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5

Powerbar’s hydration tabs have an intense yet refreshing flavour and a caffeine kick for a pre-workout pick-me-up. They’re sugar-free, too, and come in tiny tubes that are perfect for hydrating on the go.

Read our full Powerbar 5 Electrolytes review

Related content

• What are electrolyte drinks?
• How much water to drink when working out
• What vitamins & minerals do you need?

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