Consumer champion Which? has named Aldi the UK's cheapest supermarket for October 2026, with a basket of 87 commonly-bought items costing £154.34. The total was more than £61 less than the most expensive supermarket in the comparison.
How the comparison was carried out
Which? compared a basket of 87 commonly-bought items, including bread, milk, and cheese, at eight of the UK's biggest supermarkets in October. The basket includes branded items such as Cathedral City cheddar and Hellmann's mayonnaise, as well as own-brand products like potatoes and baked beans.
Prices varied dramatically across the retailers. Lidl followed Aldi closely, with a basket costing £157.17 with Lidl Plus and £157.21 without. Tesco with Clubcard came to £181.77, while Sainsbury's with Nectar totalled £182.90. Asda, Morrisons, Tesco without Clubcard, and Sainsbury's without Nectar followed, with Ocado at £202.33 and Waitrose the most expensive at £215.87.
Loyalty scheme restrictions
Which? noted that discounts offered by loyalty schemes are helpful but are not available to everyone. The organisation said: "Our research has found that millions of people can't access loyalty promotions because they aren't eligible to join the supermarket schemes due to their age, lack of address or difficulties with digital access."
Earlier this year, Tesco announced a new Clubcard for 16 and 17-year-olds. The move came after a major Which? campaign urging supermarkets to lift unfair restrictions on their loyalty schemes so more people can take advantage of lower prices.
Which? said: "Although this is a win for consumers, more work is needed as certain restrictions continue to lock people out of valuable savings. Groups often affected include under-18s and those without smartphones, who may struggle – or simply not know how – to access loyalty prices."
Why the full item list is not published
Which? does not provide a full list of the items in its basket "to avoid supermarkets attempting to skew the results". The organisation said: "We don't want supermarkets to compete with one another to lower prices only on the items they know they'll be judged on. Instead, we want retailers to work to make groceries affordable across the depth and breadth of their available lines."
