Lidl dethrones Aldi as UK’s cheapest supermarket in July price battle

Credit: Cineberg / Shutterstock.com

Aldi loses cheapest supermarket title as Lidl narrowly claims crown after 20 months of discount dominance.

According to Which?’s latest price check for July 2025, Lidl narrowly beat Aldi by just 85p on a standard basket of 76 grocery items. Lidl shoppers paid £128 with a Lidl Plus loyalty card, or £128.40 without, while Aldi’s total stood at £129.25.

Reena Sewraz, Retail Editor at Which? commented:

Households are still contending with high food prices but our analysis shows it pays to shop around, simply choosing one supermarket over another could save you 25 per cent.”

The basket included everyday essentials and popular brands such as Hovis bread, milk, cheese and Birds Eye peas, underscoring the fierce competition over staple items as grocery inflation bites.

The timing of Lidl’s ascent is significant. Grocery price inflation reached 5.2 percent in the four weeks ending 13 July, marking the steepest rise since January 2024, according to market data from Worldpanel by Numerator.

Beyond the discounters, the analysis highlighted sharp price differences among major UK supermarkets. Asda secured third place at £139.53, followed by Tesco at £141.92 for Clubcard holders and £145.10 for non-members. Sainsbury’s customers paid between £144.21 with a Nectar card and £149.55 without. Morrisons More card users spent £146.91, compared to £147.84 for those without loyalty membership. Waitrose remained the most expensive, with a basket costing £170.91, more than £42 higher than Lidl.

Loyalty card schemes continue to shape prices, offering tailored discounts, but neither points nor perks matched the low base prices available at Lidl and Aldi.

Cheapest UK supermarkets in July (76-item basket):

1. Lidl (Plus) – £128.00
2. Lidl – £128.40
3. Aldi – £129.25
4. Asda – £139.53
5. Tesco (Clubcard) – £141.92
6. Sainsbury’s (Nectar) – £144.21
7. Tesco – £145.10
8. Morrisons (More card) – £146.91
9. Morrisons – £147.84
10. Sainsbury’s – £149.55
11. Ocado – £159.20
12. Waitrose – £170.91

In a wider assessment covering 192 branded and staple products, Asda maintained its crown as best-value supermarket for larger shops for the seventh consecutive month. Its total bill was £474.12, beating Tesco’s Clubcard price of £481.59 by £7.47.

This expanded comparison excluded Lidl and Aldi due to their limited branded product ranges but reaffirmed Asda’s stronghold in the full-range supermarket category.

At the other end of the scale, Waitrose again ranked at the bottom with its 192-item trolley costing £538.33, £64.21 more than Asda and representing a 14 percent price premium.