I tried toilet roll from Aldi, Lidl and 6 more shops — a 50p roll was softer than Andrex

Toilet paper can often divide opinion as some prefer theirs soft, whilst others look out for thickness. But the price has soared over the last couple of years, especially when it comes to the market-leading brands like Andrex.

Supermarkets up and down the country, from Aldi to Sainsbury’s, have now come up with their own brands to compete with the market leaders. Quilted, super soft, luxury, super saver and even ones with aloe vera — there’s something for everyone. With many different varieties out there, choosing the one that is perfect for you can be quite the conundrum. To save you from guessing, we’ve tested everyday loo rolls from all the major supermarkets to find out which ones are the best quality and value for money.

To test out the toilet rolls fairly, I bought a four-pack of standard toilet rolls from each supermarket, folded two sheets from each roll together and squirted them each with the same amount of water. I also checked how easy they were to tear after applying a bit of pressure.

Andrex

Andrex has been the brand I’ve always reached for as it does the job pretty efficiently, but given that it costs £2.95 for four rolls, I don’t think the price justifies it.

It’s textured with a unique 3D wave texture, which stopped it from ripping so easily, but the thickness of the paper wasn’t great. It’s good for softness, but compared to some of the other makes, it’s only two ply. 

Rating: 7/10

Aldi 

The cost-cutting supermarket offers its own brand soft, softer, softest, and softest premium, but I could only find the softer range, branded as “luxury” toilet roll. 

With an almost identical wave pattern to Andrex, the quality of the £1.39 toilet roll isn’t quite as good as it doesn’t absorb water well and it rips too easily, but it’s not far behind, and the cheaper price makes it an attractive option.

Rating: 6/10

Lidl

Retailing for the same price as Aldi’s toilet roll, Lidl’s Floralys ended up being worse. While the paper is tough and thick, it is also rough and scratchy. Lidl’s option is not as “luxury soft” as it promises.

Rating 4/10

Asda

Asda’s £1.38 toilet paper is good value, and it also felt strong, not tearing easily.

It was soft to touch and absorbed water well. A good option if you really need to save money on your grocery bills.

Rating: 8/10

Tesco 

The Tesco toilet paper was quite resistant and didn’t split when wet. I found that it had similar absorbency to Andrex, although the softness was lacking.

Costing the same as Aldi and Lidl, this was better than both of them so this a a great value option to go for.

Rating: 6.5/10

Sainsbury’s 

The Sainsbury’s £1.90 version felt soft and thicker than Andrex, although not quite as smooth. 

It had average performance in the water test, with the paper splitting under a small amount of pressure when wet. 

As a bonus, they were the only roll in this test to come in paper packaging, so they are a great eco choice too.

Rating: 8/10

Morrisons

The Morrisons toilet paper felt very smooth and soft. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well in the water tests as it fell apart easily when it was wet. For the price of £1.75, I wouldn’t say they’re worth the spend.

Rating: 6/10

Waitrose 

This toilet paper was soft and embossed, but the two-ply sheets were small and tore very easily.

They were pretty absorbent, but I would have expected better from a £2 pack from the upmarket chain.

Rating: 7.5/10

M&S

I frequently shop for food and drink at Marks & Sparks, knowing that you can always rely on the quality and find something out of the ordinary. But I’ve never used it for household essentials, believing it would cost me more.

The toilet roll section had multiple choices. Spring Meadow has a “delicate” flowery pattern, while Shining Stars is decorated with stars. I opt for the super soft, with triple-layered sheets.

Retailing at 50p per toilet roll, this was super soft and nice to the touch. It was probably the strongest I tried and is triple-layered for added strength.

Rating: 9/10

Verdict

After conducting this test, I can definitely say that I’ve been converted from Andrex to M&S’s toilet paper. It’s not only softer than Andrex, but it’s thicker too.

While £2 is still on the pricier side of toilet paper, you won’t be compromising on quality by switching from Andrex. For those on a tight budget, I’d recommend opting for Asda’s £1.38 toilet paper.