Cheaper toilet paper can often be better quality than pricier options

It's widely known that cost and quality aren't always synonymous and yes, this also applies to toilet paper.

While thicker, softer and more sizeable squares of tissue are available for those among us who want a touch of luxury while on the loo, the price tag of toilet paper isn't always reflective of the, um, user experience.

To determine the best bog roll available in Aotearoa, Consumer NZ decided to put toilet paper to the test - and found that higher price doesn't always equal higher quality.

Of the 14 tested, the top-scoring toilet paper was EarthSmart 100% Recycled Toilet Paper, closely followed by Soft Touch Ultra Soft Toilet Tissue. At 2.43c and 2.09c per metre respectively, these rolls were far from the priciest packs on offer.

At the bottom of the pile was Value Strong & Soft Toilet Tissue. At 1.34c per metre, it was the cheapest toilet paper to be tested, but its overall score was still respectable for the cost.

On the other hand, the most expensive option to be tested - with small Premium 2 Ply Tree Free Toilet Paper - ranked 10th, despite costing 5.42c a metre. The second priciest - Sorbent Thick & Large Hypo-Allergenic King Size Luxury - placed a respectable seventh, at 4.24c per metre.

According to Consumer NZ test manager Paul Smith, the toilet tissues which ranked somewhere in the middle will set you back more than the top performers - so pooh-pooh to that pricey pack.

The toilet paper testing was conducted by an independent laboratory, where rolls are rated for softness, puncture resistance, ease of separation and disintegration time.

The independent testing found there isn't a correlation between the price of a product and the quality of its performance.

"People have different priorities when it comes to toilet paper," Smith said.

"For some, the length of the roll matters the most; for others the softness of the paper is the top concern. Or it could come down to the product's price.

"All the papers we tested stand up well to the job in hand. We are not worried about consumers getting a bum deal."

Consumer NZ also measured the length of each toilet roll, but those findings did not factor into the overall scoring.

If it's length that matters most, it could be worth checking out the information on Consumer NZ's website to see how much this varies between products.

"Of the 'long' rolls we measured, one was just over 28m and another was just under 40m. That's a big difference," said Smith.

This article was amended on August 24 to change the dollar value to cents.