Cheapest supermarket: which is the cheapest UK supermarket - Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco, Asda, or Aldi?

• Which? has compared grocery prices across eight major UK supermarkets throughout 2024
• Aldi consistently ranked as the least expensive for a smaller basket of 56 everyday items
• Shoppers at Aldi saved an average of £393 compared to Waitrose over the year
• Lidl came in second for smaller shops, with slight variations due to its loyalty scheme
• Waitrose remained the priciest supermarket for both smaller and larger shops in 2024

The nation’s cheapest supermarket has been revealed, with a certain German discounter coming out as the least expensive place to stock up on groceries.

Consumer website Which? compares thousands of prices at eight of the UK's major supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose – every month.

Their latest monthly round-up, published on Sunday (5 January), revealed that Aldi outperformed rival Lidl to become the UK’s cheapest supermarket of 2024.

Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for all 12 months of last year when it came to a smaller basket of 56 items, including staples like milk, butter, and bread.

The study - conducted using an independent price comparison tool - found that shoppers who chose Aldi saved an average of £393 over the year compared to those who shopped at Waitrose, the priciest option.

In December 2024, a shopping basket of 56 groceries cost an average of £100.29 at Aldi, making it the cheapest option.

Lidl followed closely in second, with the same basket costing £101.48 using its Lidl Plus loyalty scheme and £101.56 without it. Lidl consistently ranked as the second cheapest supermarket for smaller shops throughout 2024.

At the other end of the scale, Waitrose was £29.54 more expensive than Aldi in December, with the basket costing £129.83. It remained the priciest supermarket for smaller shops every month of the year.

The 56 items analysed by Which? in December included a mix of branded and own-brand goods, such as Birds Eye peas, Hovis bread, milk, and butter. The analysis factored in special offers and loyalty prices but excluded multibuy deals.

For larger shops of 150 items, Asda was found to be the cheapest supermarket for nine months of the year. But Tesco’s Clubcard prices provided stiff competition, making Tesco cheaper in three out of the seven months since Which? began including loyalty prices in its analysis in June 2024.

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Aldi and Lidl were not included in the larger shop comparison, as they do not always stock all the items on the consumer group’s extensive list.

Waitrose, meanwhile, remained the most expensive supermarket for larger shops every month in 2024, except for September. In December, a large Waitrose trolley cost an average of £458.12.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine, said: “Our research shows Aldi has retained its crown as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in 2024. After the added expense of the festive period, many households will be looking to cut costs.

“Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets, shoppers can make significant savings, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”

Have you noticed a difference in prices between supermarkets when doing your weekly shop? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.