In the post-Christmas financial squeeze, one family embarked on a mission to find a cheaper alternative to a household favourite: Coca-Cola. With a weekly bottle becoming an expensive indulgence, they decided to put supermarket own-brand colas to the test.
The Cola Conundrum: Price vs Taste
The experiment, conducted in January 2026, involved a blind taste test comparing the original Coca-Cola against versions from five major UK supermarkets: Asda, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, and Morrisons. The goal was clear: could a supermarket 'dupe' match the distinctive flavour while saving money?
The family scrutinised each drink on price per 100ml, taste, ingredients, and sugar content. The results revealed surprising differences and one clear winner for those looking to cut costs.
The Contenders: A Detailed Breakdown
The Benchmark: Coca-Cola
The original 1.75-litre bottle from Morrisons cost £2.55, equating to 15p per 100ml. It was the only drink tested made with just five ingredients and containing no artificial sweeteners. However, it packed a hefty 27g of sugar (nearly seven teaspoons) and 105 calories per 250ml glass. Its unique flavour earned it a family rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Asda Classic Cola
Priced at just 60p for 2 litres (3p per 100ml), this was one of the cheapest. With 11g of sugar and 47 calories per glass, it contained sweeteners Acesulfame K and Sucralose. Sadly, the family found it "lacking in flavour, more like drinking brown fizzy water" and gave it a disappointing 1 out of 5.
Aldi Vive Cola
Costing 49p for 2 litres (2p per 100ml), this contained 12.3g of sugar and 50 calories. It was the only bottle to contain the artificial sweetener aspartame. The taste was compared to cola bottle sweets with an "unpleasant after taste", scoring just 1 out of 5.
Morrisons Cola
At 80p for 2 litres (4p per 100ml), this contained half the sugar of Coca-Cola at 12g per glass. The family thought it tasted "pretty good, not too sweet and quite like the real thing", awarding it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Lidl Freeway Cola
Another budget option at 49p for 2 litres (2p per 100ml), with 11.3g of sugar. It was deemed a "fairly pleasant" and refreshing drink, though not identical to Coca-Cola, earning a 3.5 out of 5 rating.
The Surprising Winner: Tesco's Classic Cola
Tesco Classic Cola emerged as the best overall alternative. Priced at 80p for 2 litres (4p per 100ml), it contained the least sugar of all tested at just 11g per 250ml glass. Tesco boasts over 25 years of expertise creating fizzy drinks in the UK, and this was made to a specially developed recipe.
While the journalist felt it tasted the most like original Coca-Cola, her family detected a Pepsi-like flavour. Regardless, it was considered the most authentic to a major brand and was the most refreshing of all the supermarket own brands, securing a 4 out of 5 star verdict.
The Verdict and Potential Savings
The blind test confirmed that while no own-brand perfectly replicated the distinctive Coca-Cola taste, a worthy and refreshing alternative exists. The switch to the winning Tesco Classic Cola offers significant benefits.
Financially, the saving is substantial. At 80p per bottle versus £2.55 for Coca-Cola, that's a saving of £1.75 per week. Over the course of a full year, opting for the supermarket alternative could put £91 back in your pocket.
Nutritionally, the winning choice also comes out ahead, containing less than half the sugar of the original brand. For households mindful of both their budget and sugar intake, this taste test proves that a switch to a supermarket own-brand cola can be a savvy and satisfying move.
