When every penny counts, knowing if its possible to save on something during the weekly shop could make all the difference
Millions of people around the world know and love Diet Coke—it’s an iconic brand that has been around for decades. But getting real cans of the beverage can be costly, and with shopping bills getting more and more expensive, I wanted to see if any of the UK’s main supermarkets’ own versions, which I’ve always been against, could measure up to the challenge.
I visited every supermarket near me to get an own-brand diet cola, including Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, and the Co-op. Sainsbury’s did have its own brand of cola (also 49p), but there was no diet version to test, so I left the shop thinking it was fairer to walk away than have something that was definitely going to stand out from the crowd.
My least favourite had to be the Co-op version. As the first one I tried, the difference was almost immediately noticeable. It felt quite different to a glass of Coke, and I couldn’t even finish it off as the flavour just wasn’t there or right.
I’m not sure if it could have just been my bottle, but it also lacked any sort of fizziness and was nearly a still drink right out of the bottle. Morrisons was not much better, but for the opposite reason. It tasted too sweet for a diet cola and made it hard to finish off the glass.
This supermarket was also the most expensive, at 80p per bottle. It might not sound like much when you compare it to the price of ‘actual Coke,’ but when every penny counts, I recommend saving your money and shopping elsewhere.
Aldi is where I usually shop, so I’m quite familiar with its range of own-brand drinks that are suspiciously similar to big brands. I’ve never thought to pick up their cola before and it left me with no major feelings – it wasn’t amazing but I could have another glass if nothing else was in the fridge.
Asda was surprisingly nice and managed to get the flavour pretty close to the original. It would have been higher up in the top three had it not gone flat pretty quickly after we opened the bottle and shared a few glasses.
Lidl was one of the better options, and if I closed my eyes, I’d swear it was an actual Diet Coke in front of me. For its affordable price and the fact that it keeps a strong, bubbly fizz for a few days after opening, it earns a high score from me, and I’d happily buy it again in a tight spot.
Working out at around 4p for a 200ml serving, the Stockwell drink by Tesco proved to be the undoubted winner. It was nearly identical to the brand I’ve known and loved for years, but it was so much cheaper than that and any other shop trying to compete. We’ve had it in the fridge for a few days now, and it has kept its fizz nicely as well, meaning you don’t have to worry about it suddenly becoming flat.
The final scores:
- Tesco (45p) – 9/10
- Lidl (49p) – 8/10
- Asda (49p) – 7/10
- Aldi (49p) – 6/10
- Morrisons (80p) – 4/10
- Co-op (70p, or 49p with Member Prices) – 2/10
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