While Robinsons claimed the top spot in YouGov’s 2026 non-alcoholic beverage rankings and Rubicon took the “Most Improved” title, the table also highlighted some developments in the perennial rivalry between Pepsi and Coke. Most notably, it showed that Pepsi Max is the most considered cola brand in the UK.
With a score of 26%, Pepsi’s zero-sugar drink is three points ahead classic Coca-Cola (23%), and four points ahead of Coke Zero (22%). Diet Coke is just behind (21%), while classic Pepsi (13%) has the lowest levels of consideration.
So although Pepsi claims the top spot, Coca-Cola brands have more representation in the table overall.
(For this analysis, we’ve stuck to cola brands, but it’s probably worth mentioning that brands owned by both Pepsi and Coke’s parent companies – including Fanta, Schweppes, Sprite, Dr Pepper, 7Up and Lipton – all feature in the top 25.)
Pepsi Max’s progression over 2025-2026
Assessing these brands over the past 12 months, we can see that Pepsi Max’s Consideration scores rose from 25% to 26%. While the brand health of Classic Coke is robust enough to be second to Pepsi Max, a look at data between August 2025 – July 2026 show its Consideration score slipped from 25% to 23%. Similarly, Pepsi declined from 14% to 13%.
So why is Pepsi Max improving its position?
Pepsi Max’s Consideration driven by younger consumers
Exploring Pepsi Max’s brand scores by age shows that scores saw the biggest rise among 18-34s. These measures jumped from 26% to 32% – notably larger than the increase among the general population.
There was less movement among other age groups. Among Britons aged 35-49, scores rose from 29% to 30%; among those over 40, scores were static (21%).
So why is Pepsi Max rising in popularity among the young? It may be because of youth-targeted campaigns like “Elevating the Everyday” – which saw the brand partner with social media creators. Investing in football during a World Cup year (Pepsi Max became the official soft drink of the England team in March 2026) may also have paid off. But, whatever the reason, Pepsi Max is the UK’s top cola brand by consideration, and thanks in no small part to younger consumers.
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. [Brand’s/brands’] [Metric] score is based on the question: [Exact survey question]. Scores are reported as [net scores from –100 to +100 / percentages], based on daily surveys of UK adults. Data is weighted by age, gender, region, social grade, and ethnicity using a raking methodology. Figures are shown as a [X]-week moving average with sample size ranging from [lowest] to [highest] between DATE 1 to DATE 2.
