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.
The humble toilet paper can often spark many debates, with some favouring a softer touch while others prioritise thickness. However, the cost of this everyday essential has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly for top-tier brands like Andrex.
Supermarkets across the nation, from Aldi to Sainsbury’s, have now launched their own versions to rival the market leaders. Whether you’re after quilted, super soft, luxury, budget-friendly or even aloe vera-infused options, there’s something to suit everyone.
With such a vast array of choices, picking the perfect one can be quite the puzzle. To save you the guesswork, we’ve put everyday toilet rolls from all the major supermarkets through their paces to discover which offer the best quality and value for money.
To ensure a fair test, I purchased 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 assessed how easily they tore when under pressure.
Andrex
Andrex has always been my go-to brand as it gets the job done rather effectively, but at £2.95 for four rolls, I’m not convinced it’s worth the price tag.
It features a unique 3D wave texture, which prevents it from tearing too easily, but the paper’s thickness leaves much to be desired. It scores well on softness, but compared to other brands, it’s only two-ply.
Rating: 7/10
Aldi
The budget-friendly supermarket stocks its own brand soft, softer, softest, and softest premium varieties, though I could only locate the softer range, labelled as “luxury” toilet roll.
Featuring an almost identical wave design to Andrex, the quality of the £1.39 toilet roll doesn’t quite match up as it struggles with water absorption and tears too readily, but it comes close, and the lower price point makes it a tempting choice.
Rating: 6/10
Lidl
Priced identically to Aldi’s toilet roll, Lidl’s Floralys proved to be inferior. Whilst the paper is robust and thick, it’s also coarse and scratchy. Lidl’s offering doesn’t live up to its “luxury soft” claims.
Rating 4/10
Asda
Asda’s £1.38 toilet paper represents excellent value, and it also felt sturdy, resisting tearing effectively.
It was gentle to the touch and soaked up water efficiently. An excellent choice if you genuinely need to trim your shopping expenses.
Rating: 8/10
Tesco
The Tesco toilet paper proved quite durable and didn’t tear when dampened. I discovered that it had comparable absorption properties to Andrex, though the gentleness was missing.
Priced the same as Aldi and Lidl, this outperformed both of them, making it an excellent budget choice to consider.
Rating: 6.5/10
Sainsbury’s
The Sainsbury’s £1.90 variant felt gentle and thicker than Andrex, though not quite as silky.
It delivered moderate results in the water assessment, with the paper tearing under minimal pressure when moistened. As an added benefit, they were the sole roll in this evaluation to arrive in paper wrapping, making them an excellent environmentally-friendly option as well.
Rating: 8/10
Morrisons
The Morrisons loo roll felt incredibly smooth and gentle to touch. Regrettably, it performed poorly during the water trials as it disintegrated readily when dampened. At £1.75, I wouldn’t consider them value for money.
Rating: 6/10
Waitrose
This lavatory paper was gentle and textured, though the two-ply sheets were compact and ripped quite readily.
They proved fairly absorbent, yet I would have anticipated superior quality from a £2 pack from the premium retailer.
Rating: 7.5/10
M&S
I regularly purchase food and beverages at Marks & Spencer, confident that I can consistently depend on the standard and discover something exceptional. However, I’ve never utilised it for domestic necessities, assuming it would be more expensive.
The loo roll aisle offered numerous options. Spring Meadow features a “delicate” floral design, whilst Shining Stars is adorned with star motifs.
I choose the ultra-soft variety, with triple-layered sheets.
Priced at 50p per loo roll, this proved ultra-soft and pleasant to handle. It was likely the most robust I tested, and features triple layers for enhanced durability.
Rating: 9/10
Verdict
Following this evaluation, I can certainly confirm that I’ve switched from Andrex to M&S’s toilet paper. It’s not merely softer than Andrex, but considerably thicker as well.
While £2 might still seem a bit steep for loo roll, you won’t be skimping on quality if you switch from Andrex. For those watching their pennies, I’d suggest going for Asda’s £1.38 toilet paper.
