Drinking water is a staple food – and even though tap water is strictly controlled in Germany, many swear by mineral water. Stiftung Warentest and ÖKO-TEST have repeatedly tested how good our mineral water is.
As the name suggests, mineral water is rich in minerals because, unlike tap water, mineral water comes exclusively from deep, sheltered springs. However, this does not automatically mean that mineral water is better, because in principle tap water would be completely sufficient (see end of article).
Experts from Stiftung Warentest and ÖKO-TEST wanted to find out the quality of mineral water in Germany in several tests. We have compiled the relevant results for you here in a clear manner.
Natural mineral water tested by Stiftung Warentest
Stiftung Warentest recently tested 32 still mineral waters (08/2021). The result is rather positive, because at least eight water marks score “very good”, while six only achieve “satisfactory” or worse. The great majority therefore gets the grade “good”.
The best water brands in the test by Stiftung Warentest include:
- Prince Bismarck Still
- Kaufland K Classic Still
- Lichtenau mineral springs pure
- Aqua Vitale Naturelle
- Lidl Saskia Still
- Penny Elitess Still
- Rewe Quiet
The top 3 losers at Stiftung Warentest are:
- Healsi
- Voss Artisan water from Norway
- Rieser Urwasser organic still
Despite the “good” rating, the Volvic and Adelholzener brands are also naturally criticized because the Warentest Foundation has found an increased concentration of critical substances here.
-> More information can be found in our comprehensive news
Medium mineral water tested by Stiftung Warentest
Stiftung Warentest recently tested 16 brands of medium mineral water for the 08/2020 issue. Again, most brands score “good”, but only one brand gets the grade “very good”.
The top 3 brands tested by Stiftung Warentest
- basin medium
- Reinstein medium
- Gerolsteiner Media
The Merkur Medium brand did the worst. Stiftung Warentest also awards a “satisfactory” here. Critical ingredients could be found in the test for the Mineau Medium brand, but in the overall rating it is just enough for a “good”.
-> All tested brands and results can be found at Stiftung Warentest for a fee
Classic mineral water tested by ÖKO-TEST
ÖKO-TEST last tested sparkling mineral water for the 07/2021 issue. Positive: Around half of the types of water scored “very well” in the test. However, two types are given a grade of 5, partly because of the increased chromate content. Other varieties only achieve a “sufficient” because heavy metal pollution and pesticide degradation products were also detected here.
The best types of water (classic) tested by ÖKO-TEST include:
- Adelholzener Classic
- Franconia Fountain Sparkling
- Gerolsteiner sparkling water
- Aqua Römer Classic
- Aquintus Classic
The worst types of water (classic) in the ÖKO-TEST test include:
- San Benedetto
- San Pellegrino
- Salvus mineral water Classic
- Rudolf Spring Sparkling
-> More information can be found in our comprehensive news
Still mineral water tested by Öko-Test
ÖKO-TEST tested still mineral water for the 10/2020 issue. Many of the 98 water brands score “very good” or “good”. However, in some varieties, the testers also found contamination with heavy metals, among other things, which led to devaluations.
The best types of water (still) tested by ÖKO-TEST include:
- Auenwald Naturelle
- Mineau Naturelle
- K-Classic Mineral Water Still
- Lidl Saskia Still
The worst types of water (still) in the ÖKO-TEST test include:
-> More information can be found directly at ÖKO-TEST
Medium mineral water tested by ÖKO-TEST
ÖKO-TEST also took a close look at medium mineral water. Around half of the brands scored “very good”. However, four water stamps fail. Öko-Test found traces of pesticides, uranium, boron and nitrate in the devalued types of water.
The best types of water (medium) in the ÖKO-TEST test include:
- Mineau Medium
- K-Classic Natural Mineral Water Medium
- Lidl Saskia Medium
The worst types of water (medium) in the ÖKO-TEST test include:
- Anhaltiner Bergquelle Medium
- Brohler Media
- Natural Park Source Medium
- Apollinaris Medium
-> More information can be found directly at ÖKO-TEST
Multiple tests, different results
How well a certain type of water performs depends, among other things, on when the test was carried out and what the focus of the test was. For example, in one test types of water that are still within the limit values for heavy metal contamination can be downgraded, while another test does not give worse marks because of the legally regulated limit values, or at least does not judge quite as harshly.
Make sparkling water yourself
As already mentioned, tap water in Germany is very clean and also suitable for the supply of minerals. In addition, there is no waste with tap water – and it is significantly cheaper than mineral water. However, if you don’t want to do without carbon dioxide, you will find some interesting sparkling water makers in the following table. You can find more about testing the sparkling water maker, as well as background information and general tips, in our extensive buying guide.