Energy Drinks Ranked by Caffeine: How Much Is in Each Can?

Ranked by caffeine per can, Celsius leads with 200 mg, followed by NOCCO and Latitude 65 at 180 mg, Monster at roughly 160 mg, Red Bull and Powerking at 80 mg, and Vitamin Well Awake at 75 mg. Per 100 ml the order shifts, because Monster needs a 500 ml can to reach its total while Celsius and NOCCO use 330 ml.

Energy drinks ranked by caffeine

The table below gives both measures. The per-can figure tells you what you are actually drinking in one sitting. The per 100 ml figure tells you how concentrated the drink is, which is what matters if you share a can, stop halfway, or compare a 250 ml can against a half-litre one.

Which energy drink has the most caffeine per can?

Celsius, at 200 mg in a 330 ml can. NOCCO and Latitude 65 sit just below at 180 mg in the same can size, which puts the three Nordic-format drinks in a group of their own. The gap to the rest of the range is large rather than marginal: a single Celsius carries two and a half times the caffeine of a 250 ml Red Bull or Powerking. If you are moving from one of the 250 ml cans to a 330 ml functional drink, that is the number to keep in mind.

Which energy drink has the most caffeine per 100 ml?

Celsius again, at roughly 61 mg per 100 ml, with NOCCO and Latitude 65 at about 55 mg. Then there is a clear step down to Monster, Red Bull and Powerking, all at 32 mg per 100 ml, and a further step down to Vitamin Well Awake at 15 mg. The three-way tie at 32 mg is the most useful thing in the table: Monster, Red Bull and Powerking are equally concentrated, and the only reason a Monster delivers twice the caffeine of a Red Bull is that the can holds twice as much.

Is a 500 ml Monster stronger than a 330 ml NOCCO?

No. A 500 ml Monster carries about 160 mg against NOCCO's 180 mg, so the smaller can is the stronger drink, both per can and by a wide margin per 100 ml. This is the single most common misreading of energy drink labels, and it runs in both directions. The large can looks like the heavy option on a shelf, while the 330 ml BCAA drinks look like the moderate one. On caffeine, it is the other way round. Our NOCCO versus Monster comparison works through the rest of the differences between the two formats.

Why does the EU require a high caffeine warning at 150 mg per litre?

EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires any drink containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre to carry the statement "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women". The threshold is set per litre rather than per can, so it describes concentration, not dose. NOCCO, Celsius, Latitude 65, Red Bull, Powerking and Monster all sit above it and all carry the statement. It is a quick way to read an unfamiliar can: if the line is there, the drink is above 150 mg per litre, whatever its size.

Converting the figures in the table makes the point. Celsius works out at roughly 606 mg per litre, NOCCO and Latitude 65 at about 545 mg, and Monster, Red Bull and Powerking at 320 mg. Vitamin Well Awake, at 75 mg in a 500 ml bottle, comes to exactly 150 mg per litre, which is why it sits apart from the energy drinks in this ranking rather than alongside them.

How much caffeine is too much?

European food safety authorities advise moderation rather than publishing one number that applies to everyone, and tolerance genuinely varies between people. What is practical is to count your whole day rather than one can. Coffee, tea, cola and chocolate all contribute, and a single 200 mg Celsius on top of several coffees is a different proposition from the same can on its own in the morning. Timing matters as much as total: caffeine late in the afternoon shows up in how you sleep, not in how you feel at the time. If you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or buying for someone under 18, the warning on the can is the guidance to follow.

Which energy drinks suit a low-caffeine day?

Red Bull and Powerking at 80 mg per 250 ml can, and Vitamin Well Awake at 75 mg per 500 ml bottle, are the three lowest-caffeine options in the range. A few NOCCO variants are caffeine-free, so the can is worth reading if that is what you are after. Beyond those, most of the Vitamin Well range contains no caffeine at all, with Awake and Focus the exceptions, which makes variants such as Reload, Hydrate and the Zero line a straightforward swap on a day when you want the vitamins and the hydration without the stimulant.

Vitamin Well Awake is also the only drink in this ranking sold as a still 500 ml bottle rather than a carbonated can, which changes how you drink it. A bottle you can close and sip over two hours delivers its 75 mg slowly, where a 330 ml Celsius tends to be finished in ten minutes.

Does caffeine tell you everything about an energy drink?

It does not, and two drinks at the same caffeine level can be built very differently. NOCCO adds 3000 mg of BCAA and B vitamins, with green tea extract in the FOCUS line. Celsius adds guarana, green tea extract, ginger extract, taurine, glucuronolactone, vitamin C and B vitamins. Red Bull carries 1000 mg of taurine per can and Powerking about 950 mg. Latitude 65 keeps the formula simple and is produced in Sweden. Caffeine is the number people rank by, but it is one line on the panel.

Best for each situation

• The biggest single hit of caffeine: Celsius, 200 mg in 330 ml.
• High caffeine with amino acids: NOCCO, 180 mg plus 3000 mg of BCAA.
• A long drive with stops: Red Bull or Powerking, where 80 mg per can lets you pace the journey. Red Bull Blue Edition is the single best-selling line in our range in our own order data over the past twelve months.
• A long session at one desk: Monster, where 500 ml of liquid lasts longer than a 330 ml can at a lower concentration.
• A low-caffeine day: Vitamin Well Awake at 75 mg, or a caffeine-free Vitamin Well variant.
• Sharing a can: any of the 32 mg per 100 ml drinks, since half a Monster lands near a full Red Bull.

Frequently asked questions

Ordering from Nordic Refreshment

Every drink in this ranking is stocked by Nordic Refreshment, from Celsius and NOCCO at the top of the caffeine table through to Red Bull and Powerking at the lower end, available by the can, by the tray and by the pallet with delivery across Europe. B2B and wholesale pricing is available on request, and the full energy drink collection lets you compare variants before you order.