Is bottled water just filtered tap water?

Part of our bottled and other water guide

The label says water, drinking water, spring or mineral. Which of those could be the same water that comes out of your kitchen tap? You can compare a bottle with your own tap using a 20-in-1 test strip.

By Andrew Tomlinson, WaterKit · Last reviewed 29 October 2026

Is bottled water just tap water?

It can be, depending on which of the 3 types you are holding. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says in its comparison of the types of bottled water that natural mineral water and spring water must come from an underground source tapped at a natural or drilled exit, and must be bottled at the spring or borehole. Bottled drinking water has neither rule. Defra's guidance for local authorities says producers can bottle it from any source, including public and private water sources, as long as it meets the rules and does not mislead consumers about origin.

For Wales and Northern Ireland, Food Standards Agency (FSA) guidance from 2017, past its own review date, says bottled drinking water can come from a variety of sources, including municipal supplies.

For bottled drinking water Defra lists the word "water" or "drinking water" for the label and does not list a source name. The producer must not mislead buyers about origin, for example by calling water "Somerset Hills water" when it comes from Devon, and must not use the terms mineral water or spring water. Our tap versus bottled water guide covers who tests each.

What did one reader notice on the shelf?

A member of the MoneySavingExpert forum, in a 2012 thread about bottled water, said the household liked fizzy water and used to make its own with a Sodastream. They noticed that the value brands "make no claim to be 'spring' water - just 'water'" and guessed these were probably tap water. They found them cheaper than the Sodastream and more convincingly fizzy, so they bought them. It is one person's guess, not a test, and the post is over a decade old. It does match what Defra's rules allow, since the label word "water" is the one bottled drinking water uses and its source can be a public supply. Shared on the MoneySavingExpert Forum.

Where does bottled water come from in the UK?

From springs, boreholes or other sources, depending on the type, and only natural mineral water has an official list. Defra's UK list of recognised natural mineral waters, updated 23 January 2026, has 57 entries by our count, which is 25 in England, 19 in Wales, 10 in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

We found no equivalent list for spring water in England, and the FSA's guidance says no central register of spring water sources is kept in Wales and Northern Ireland. Defra says natural mineral water and spring water labels must give the spring's name and place, so for those two types the bottle tells you.

How is bottled water made, and is it treated?

It is collected, tested, treated if the producer chooses, and bottled under hygiene rules, after the council has recognised or registered the producer.

• Testing. The producer tests for chemical, microbiological and radioactive limits at a UKAS-approved laboratory, then keeps testing regularly. For spring water and bottled drinking water the council takes its own samples at the point of bottling, at least once a year for chemical and microbiological limits.
• Bottling. Producers must meet hygiene requirements and use lidded, food-grade containers, and stop bottling if the water becomes polluted.

Treatment is where the types differ most. Defra's natural mineral water guidance allows 5 treatments only, filtration or decanting among them, and says disinfection is not permitted. For spring water in England Defra says there are no forbidden treatments, and bottled drinking water may have any treatment and need not list it. In Wales and Northern Ireland the Regulations allow spring water only four treatments and no disinfection, while the FSA's guidance says ultraviolet treatment can be used for bottled drinking water.

How pure is bottled water, and is it sterile?

The NHS says bottled water is not sterile, and the only purity rule is the "original purity" that natural mineral water must keep. For baby formula, the NHS does not usually recommend bottled water because it is not sterile and may be high in sodium or sulphate. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says bottled water is not usually sterile and should be boiled first if it must be used. Both are advice on formula, not a ruling on bottled water in general, and the NHS page is past its review date of 31 August 2026.

The rules do set microbiological limits. Defra says all 3 types must be free of parasites and of bacteria that cause disease. For spring water and bottled drinking water the limits are 0 per 250 ml for E. coli, enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and a total colony count of no more than 100 per ml at 22°C and 20 per ml at 37°C. Colony-count limits above zero are why, in our reading, the rules do not describe a sterile product.

For natural mineral water the legal phrase is "original purity", which Defra explains as its composition staying the same from source to bottling. It does not mean free of minerals. Defra's comparison table sets no original purity requirement for spring water or bottled drinking water, and a bottled drinking water label must not suggest compositional, nutritional or health properties the water lacks.

Why might your own tap differ from the water in the bottle?

The area figure is an average. Your tap is one point on a long route, and a figure for the area does not tell you what comes out of your own tap. The rules also check water in different places. Councils take samples of bottled drinking water at the point of bottling. In England the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 set tap water limits, such as E. coli at 0 per 100 ml, at consumers' taps.

“If a bottle just says "water" or "drinking water", it may well have started out as public supply, so I would not assume it is anything special. Checking it against your own tap is a sensible way to see whether the label is actually worth paying for.”

Taste is the other difference people notice at home. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) says some people are very sensitive to the taste and smell of chlorine in tap water, and that chlorine is typically 0.5 mg/l or less. A 20-in-1 strip has chlorine, hardness, nitrate and copper pads, and our chlorine guide covers the smell side.

How can you check your own tap against a bottle?

Dip one strip in a clean glass of tap water and another in a glass from the bottle, wait 30 to 60 seconds and match the pads to the chart. You can also enter the colours in our free results checker, which opens in your browser when you scan the QR code on the chart, with no app or account. We have not run strips on bottled water, so the right-hand column is our reading of the chart steps, not results.

If a bottle reads close to your tap on these pads, that indicates similar levels of those things. A strip cannot show where a water came from or how it was treated. Some things are outside what the kit can do.

• The rapid bacteria test is an optional add-on for tap and private supply samples. We do not claim it for bottled water.
• Lead, mercury, chromium, aluminium, iron, nitrite and fluoride only change colour far above their limits, so a clear result on those pads is not a pass. For lead, see our lead pipes guide.
• A strip result has no legal effect.

The area figure is an average, and the 2016 Regulations apply tap water limits at consumers' taps, so your own tap can read differently from the figure for your area. The chlorine, nitrate and copper pads matter most here, and a bottle sitting a step or more away from your tap on one of them indicates a different level of that substance. Our home testing guide has the full steps. Best pack: 20 strips, enough to test your tap and several bottles side by side and again later, £5.99 (or £10.99 with a bacteria test), with free 2nd Class delivery on every order. See the kit

Your bottled water questions

Is tap water the same as bottled water? Is bottled water tap water?

Not necessarily, as set out above. The rules also differ. In England tap water has an E. coli limit of 0 per 100 ml at consumers' taps, while bottled spring and drinking water has 0 per 250 ml, though some limits match, such as nitrate at 50 mg/l.

Is bottled water filtered? Is bottled water filtered water? Is all bottled water filtered?

It can be, but we found no rule that all of it must be. Defra allows natural mineral water to be filtered or decanted, says spring water in England has no forbidden treatments and says bottled drinking water may have any treatment without listing it.

Is bottled water the same as filtered water? Is bottled water considered filtered water?

No, they are different ideas. Defra's 3 types are set by source, where the water is bottled and the label, while filtered describes a treatment, and we found no UK official definition of filtered water as a drinks label.

Is bottled water distilled? Is bottled water distilled water?

Not by definition. None of Defra's 3 types is defined by distillation, and bottled drinking water may have any treatment without listing it. We found no UK official definition of distilled water for bottled drinks in Defra's guides or the bottled water Regulations for England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Our distilled water guide explains what distilled water is.

Is distilled water the same as bottled water? Is distilled water bottled water?

Not the same, though it can be sold in a bottle. Distilling is a way of treating water. In our reading, distilled water sold for drinking and not labelled mineral or spring would count as bottled drinking water.

Is bottled water purified?

We found no UK official definition of purified water for drinks. Defra's guides and the bottled water Regulations for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not use the word.

Where does bottled water come from? Where does bottled water come from UK?

It depends on the type. Natural mineral water and spring water come from named underground sources, and bottled drinking water can come from any source, including public supplies.

How is bottled water made?

As set out above, it is collected, tested, treated if the producer chooses and bottled under hygiene rules.

Is bottled water sterile? How pure is bottled water?

Not necessarily. In advice on baby formula the NHS says it is not sterile and UKHSA says it is not usually sterile, and the rules allow colony counts above zero.

Why does bottled water taste better than tap water?

We found no UK official source that says it does. The DWI says some people are very sensitive to the taste and smell of chlorine in tap water, and suggests that leaving a jug of tap water in the fridge for a short time reduces it. Our guide to better-tasting tap water covers the tap side.

When was bottled water invented? When did bottled water become popular?

We found no official UK source on this in searches of gov.uk, the DWI site and the NHS site, so we give no date.

Sources

1. Defra, Compare types of bottled water (published 28 May 2020; source, bottling, purity, treatments, recognition, composition, exemption for water not for human consumption; read 29 October 2026).
2. Defra, Bottled drinking water: rules for local authorities (published 16 September 2020; any source including public supplies, any treatment, labelling terms and the origin examples, bottling hygiene, microbiological limits, council samples at the point of bottling at least once a year; the page's ongoing chemical limits table gives copper as 2 micrograms per litre, which conflicts with its other table and with the Regulations at 2.0 mg/l, so we used the Regulations; read 29 October 2026) and Bottled drinking water: how to produce and label (published 28 May 2020; registration with the local authority where the water is extracted, UKAS-approved laboratory, regular testing agreed with the council; read 29 October 2026).
3. Defra, Natural mineral water: rules for local authorities (last updated 9 April 2026; original purity, 5 treatments and their stated purposes, no disinfection, abstraction licence, composition on the label; read 29 October 2026) and Spring water: rules for local authorities (last updated 9 April 2026; no forbidden treatments, abstraction licence, spring name and place on the label; read 25 October 2026).
4. Defra, Natural mineral waters: lists of recognised products (updated 23 January 2026), with its UK list and non-UK list (all counts are ours, from the table rows; read 25 October 2026).
5. The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) Regulations 2007, regulation 2 (definition of drinking water), regulation 14 (bottled drinking water labelling) and Schedule 2 (E. coli 0 per 250 ml, colony counts 100 per ml at 22°C and 20 per ml at 37°C, nitrate 50 mg/l, copper 2.0 mg/l; read 25 October 2026). Natural mineral water limits are in Schedule 6 (nitrate 50 mg/l, copper 1.0 mg/l; read 25 October 2026).
6. The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2007, (Scotland) and the Wales 2015 and Northern Ireland 2015 Regulations (Wales, Northern Ireland) were searched for the absence claims on distilled and purified water (read 25 October 2026).
7. Food Standards Agency, Water guidance for Wales and Northern Ireland (page published 25 June 2026, with a guidance PDF dated 27 October 2017, past its review date of 27 October 2019; bottled drinking water from a variety of sources including municipal supplies, ultraviolet treatment, four treatments for spring water in Wales and Northern Ireland, no central register of spring water; read 25 October 2026).
8. NHS, How to make up baby formula (bottled water not usually recommended and not sterile; page review date of 31 August 2026 has passed; read 25 October 2026), and a search of nhs.uk for "bottled water" (6 results, none on its history; read 25 October 2026).
9. UK Health Security Agency, Public health impact of drought: advice for the public (last updated 13 November 2024; bottled water not usually sterile, to be boiled first if it must be used for infant formula; read 25 October 2026).
10. Drinking Water Inspectorate, Chlorine (undated page; sensitivity to taste and smell, typically 0.5 mg/l or less, jug in the fridge; read 25 October 2026) and Bottled Water (regulated by local authorities; read 25 October 2026).
11. The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016, Schedule 1 (E. coli 0 per 100 ml, nitrate 50 mg/l and copper 2.0 mg/l at consumers' taps; these Regulations apply to water undertakers not wholly or mainly in Wales, so we write England; read 25 October 2026).
12. MoneySavingExpert Forum, Bottled water (thread from March 2012; one member's own view on value-brand bottled water, not an official source; read 29 October 2026).
13. WaterKit, Water Test Kit (20-in-1 strip, 30 to 60 second read, optional rapid coliform test read after 24 to 48 hours, 20 strips £5.99 or £10.99 with a bacteria test, free 2nd Class delivery on every order, 30-day money-back guarantee) and results portal. The strip-chart column is WaterKit's own reading of the colour chart steps.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.