In a cost-conscious world, value for money is under more scrutiny than ever. While promotional offers and low prices may grab attention, long-term loyalty is increasingly driven by how consumers perceive the trade-off between quality, brand, sustainability and cost.

To understand which FMCG brands are getting this balance right, we asked the UK public to rate household names across food, drink, beauty and home care. The result: a ranking of 79 FMCG brands based on their Net Value for Money Score (calculated by subtracting the proportion who rated a brand as poor value from those who said it offered good value), and a clear signal of what drives consumer perceptions today.

Top 10 Brands

Ranking	Brand	Net Value for Money Score
1	Yorkshire Tea	69
2	Hovis	65
3	PG Tips	65
4	Nivea	64
5	Yeo Valley	63
6	Dove	62
7	Ariel	61
8	KitKat	59
9	Warburtons	59
10	Fairy	59

Tea, toast and trusted toiletries lead the way

At the top of the table are brands that combine quality with familiarity. Yorkshire Tea, Hovis and PG Tips take the top three spots, proof that tried-and-tested staples are still seen as worth paying for. These brands are seen to deliver consistent quality and have built reputations that resonate across generations.

Nivea and Yeo Valley, ranked fourth and fifth, highlight the role of perceived product quality in value judgments. For both, value for money perceptions are less about price and more about trust in the performance of what’s inside the pack, whether that’s moisturiser or yoghurt.

Brands like Dove, Fairy and Ariel also perform strongly, reinforcing the idea that when it comes to personal and household care, quality and efficacy can trump low prices.

Sustainability alone isn’t enough to secure a value for money edge

Mid-table sits a cluster of brands often praised for their eco credentials  – Smol, Who Gives A Crap and The Cheeky Panda among them. While their environmental commitments drive positive perceptions among some consumers, it’s clear that sustainability doesn’t always outweigh concerns about price or performance.

This mirrors trends from our wider sustainability study, where we found that while people appreciate sustainable intent, they often default to other drivers, like cost and quality, when deciding if something is “worth it”.

Bottom 10 Retailers

Ranking	Retailer	Net Value for Money Score
70	Evian	31
71	Coca-Cola	29
72	Shloer	26
73	Innocent	26
74	Beyond Meat	25
75	Pringles	23
76	Lindt	23
77	Smart Water	22
78	FIJI Water	12
79	VOSS	-2

When price perception bites, brands suffer

In the world of FMCG, price can be both a powerful differentiator and a brand’s biggest vulnerability. For some, it’s not just the number on the shelf that’s under scrutiny, but what consumers feel they’re getting in return.

Premium bottled waters, for example, have long positioned themselves as lifestyle products, selling not just hydration but a sense of status. But in a climate of heightened price sensitivity, that added gloss is losing its lustre. VOSS and FIJI Water sit firmly at the bottom of the value for money rankings, with shoppers struggling to justify the premium price tag for what they ultimately see as just water, no matter the source.

Lindt, once the gold standard for indulgence, faces a similar challenge. Where quality and craft once outweighed cost, today’s consumers are questioning whether the product experience lives up to the luxury positioning or the price. And when expectations and experience don’t align, value scores tumble.

Beyond Meat, too, is facing pressure. As early adopters move on and the plant-based category matures, consumers are casting a more critical eye over what they get for their money. For some, high prices combined with smaller pack sizes and mixed reviews on quality have made the brand a tougher sell.

What links all of these brands isn’t just price—it’s the growing gap between what people pay and what they feel they’re getting back. And in today’s market, closing that gap is fast becoming essential to protect long-term loyalty.

Why value perceptions matter more than ever

As inflation cools but caution remains, brands can’t rely on price promotions alone to secure loyalty. Instead, they must justify their position on the shelf, whether through standout quality, trusted brand reputation, sustainability, or a mix of all three.

Our data shows that consumers are actively weighing up their choices, and many are trading down or switching entirely, if they feel value is out of balance.

So while topping the charts is a clear signal of strength, mid-table or lower-ranked brands shouldn’t panic, but they should reflect. Reassessing pack size, price points, messaging and the overall brand promise could help better communicate value in today’s competitive environment.