A new budget supermarket has launched across the UK and claims to be up to 60% cheaper than other stores - however it is only available online.
Swedish retailer Motatos is being dubbed as a rival to discount chains Aldi and Lidl and promises "well-known products that would otherwise risk ending up in landfill" and says it keeps prices down by selling surplus food from wholesalers.
There isn’t a shortage of branded goods at Motatos, including household names like Heinz, Cadbury, Kellogg’s, Walkers and Typhoo.
But how does it really stand up? We compared prices at Motatos against a standard weekly shop at Asda to see if it really saves us a packet on our groceries.
As neither Lidl or Aldi offer home delivery, we used Asda to see what was the cheapest supermarket weekly shop to have brought to our doorstep.
Delivery times
Fortunately for us here in Edinburgh, we can get orders from both Motatos and Asda delivered to our doors.
First up, Motatos. Unlike other supermarkets, the online-only service delivers via Evri and DPD. As a result, the same delivery prices apply throughout the UK.
However, don't expect next day delivery - expected delivery for all orders is within 3-4 working days so you'll need to plan ahead if you want a delivery from Motatos.
If you checkout with an order that is above £40, the delivery charge is free - if you checkout will less, a £2.99 delivery charge will apply.
We stuck our postcode into Asda's delivery service to see how quickly we could get a delivery and sorry Motatos, but Asda has beaten you to this one.
We could get a same-day delivery (albeit at 8pm at night) for £3 and deliveries tomorrow from £2.
At Asda if you spend less than £40 on your basket you incur a £3 charge.
The weekly shop - battle of the brands
First things first - Motatos do not stock any fridge or freezer items, so you'll be heading elsewhere to stock up on anything chilled or frozen.
Motatos also offer you 20% off your first order - but we've kept the price comparison without this discount to keep things fair.
Motatos' products work out cheaper if bought in bulk as the retailer offers discounts if you buy more than one, but we've gone for the price of one unit of each product (many of us won't need three boxes of Coco Pops!).
Here's what Motatos and Asda charged for 10 food cupboard items:
- Walkers Sensations Honey & Salt Roasted Peanuts - Motatos £1.16, Asda £1.99
- Oreos Double Stuff - Motatos £0.58, Asda £1.00
- Kellogg's Coco Pops Cereal 480g - Motatos £2.36, Asda £2.50
Kellogg's Cereal Variety 8 Pack 191g - Motatos £2.10, Asda £1.25
- Twinings Cold Infuse Blueberry, Apple & Blackcurrant 30g - Motatos £1.50, Asda £3.00
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Skinny/Light Cappuccino Coffee Pods - Motatos £4.20, Asda £3.50
Oxo Stock Cubes Chicken 12 pack - Motatos £1.37, Asda £1.45
Kenco Millicano Americano Intense Instant Coffee - Motatos £3.68, Asda £4.50
Batchelors 'Cup A Soup' Tomato 4 Sachets - Motatos £1.05, Asda £0.95
Bisto Gravy Granules Favourites 190g - Motatos £1.58, Asda £1.85
Cupboard classics, tins, pasta and jars
For cupboard classics, such as beans, chopped tomatoes etc. Motatos only stock an organic brand called 'Mr Organic' - so here we've compared four of these products against Asda's equivalent.
- Motatos Mr Organic Chopped Tomatoes 400g - £1
Asda - Tarantella Organic Chopped Tomatoes in Organic Tomato Juice 400g - £0.85 Motatos Mr Organic Red Kidney Beans 400g - £1
Asda - Organic Red Kidney Beans in Water 400g - £0.85Motatos Mr Organic Chickpeas in Water 400g - £1
Asda - Organic Chickpeas in Water 400g - £0.75Motatos Mr Organic Cannellini Beans 400g - £0.89
Asda - Gino D'Acampo Organic Cannellini Beans - £0.90
For pasta - Motatos only stock a range called 'Garofalo' - here's how the prices compared with Asda's own brand.
- Motatos Garofalo Linguine 500g - £2
Asda Linguine 500g - £0.80 - Motatos Garofalo Macaroni 500g - £1.90
Asda Macaroni 500g - £0.80 Motatos Garofalo Spaghetti 500g - £1.58
Asda Spaghetti 500g - £0.80
The verdict
When it comes to the battle of the brands, Motatos is better as a whole - their single unit prices are cheaper and reduced further with bulk buying options.
However, the 'rival to discount chains Aldi and Lidl' fails to deliver when it comes to staples such as pasta, tins and jars due to a limited range, allowing Asda to pip it at the post.
A quick search of Lidl's jars and pasta prices show even lower than Asda - so will Motatos become the next big way to shop? We're not overly convinced.
