The ampere-hour meter registers ampere-hours and is an integrating meter similar to the watt-hour meter used to measure electricity usage in a home. Typical ampere-hour meters are digital indicators similar to the odometer used in automobiles. The ampere-hour meter is a direct current meter that will register in either direction depending on the direction of current flow.

For example, starting from a given reading, it will register the amount of discharge of a battery; when the battery is placed on charge, it will operate in the opposite direction, returning once again to its starting point. When this point is reached, the battery has received a charge equal to the discharge, and the charge is stopped. It is normally desired to give a battery a 10% overcharge.

This is accomplished by designing the ampere-hour meter to run 10% slow in the charge direction. These meters are subject to inaccuracies and cannot record the internal losses of a battery. They attempt to follow the charge and discharge, but inherently do not indicate the correct state of charge. Similar to an ammeter, the ampere-hour meter is connected in series.

Although the ampere-hour meters were used quite extensively in the past, they have been largely superseded by the voltage-time method of control.