AFTER PROVING PEPSI® ZERO SUGAR OUT-TASTES COKE ZERO SUGAR, PEPSI WILL EXPAND ITS ICONIC PEPSI CHALLENGE WITH MORE TOUR STOPS IN 2026
• Pepsi Zero Sugar is winning over America as the better-tasting and more refreshing zero-
sugar cola
• Pepsi Zero Sugar beat out Coke Zero Sugar during the revival of The Pepsi Challenge
• The Pepsi Challenge will continue in 2026 with Pepsi Zero Sugar and Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild
Cherry at select stops
PURCHASE, N.Y., Dec. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 50 years ago, PEPSI ® put its cola to the test and America agreed: Pepsi tastes better than Coke. Now, with growing consumer demand for great-tasting zero-sugar cola and definitive proof of Pepsi Zero Sugar's taste advantage in blind taste tests over Coke Zero Sugar, Pepsi set out to prove once again that its cola reigns supreme. The relaunch of The Pepsi Challenge saw Pepsi Zero Sugar dominate Coke Zero Sugar in taste, reinforcing it as the unequivocally preferred choice among zero-sugar drinkers across the country.
This year, The Pepsi Challenge invited over one million consumers nationwide to "sip, taste, and choose." Subsequent market performance solidified Pepsi Zero Sugar as the best zero-sugar cola in 2025 and the undefeated challenger in the zero-calorie category:
Building on this year's success, Pepsi will expand The Pepsi Challenge in 2026 with additional tour stops, more opportunities for consumers to taste for themselves, and new flavor experiences. Pepsi Wild Cherry Zero Sugar will join select stops, inviting fans to compare it directly with Coke Cherry Zero Sugar and further demonstrate Pepsi's taste superiority.
"At Pepsi, we're always up for a challenge because we're confident in how great our cola tastes – and, if this year's Pepsi Challenge tour is any indication – America agrees," said Gustavo Reyna, Vice President of Marketing, Pepsi. "We didn't just win The Pepsi Challenge in 2025; consumers told us loud and clear that Pepsi Zero Sugar is the boldest, smoothest, and best-tasting zero sugar cola. This momentum proves that when stripped of brand bias, people choose the better-tasting cola. Building on that energy, we're taking the Challenge to new heights in 2026 with more stops, and more product with the inclusion of our delicious Pepsi Zero Sugar Wild Cherry, which is quickly becoming a fan favorite among cola drinkers."
Fans should stay tuned to find out when The Pepsi Challenge is coming to their area and step up to confirm what we already know: when it comes to taste, Pepsi wins all day long.
The 2025 Pepsi Taste Challenge Results Are In: America Prefers Pepsi Zero Sugar to Coke Zero Sugar
Market
PZS Preference Percentage
ATLANTA
58%
AUSTIN
68%
BALTIMORE
68%
BENTONVILLE
61%
BOSTON
63%
CHICAGO
65%
CINCINNATI
74%
CULLMAN
63%
DALLAS
56%
DENVER
69%
FT. LAUDERDALE
71%
GREEN BAY
67%
HOUSTON
62%
INDIANAPOLIS
66%
LAS VEGAS
70%
LOS ANGELES
63%
MIAMI
65%
MILWAUKEE
63%
MINNEAPOLIS
68%
NASHVILLE
63%
NEW HAVEN
70%
NEW ORLEANS
68%
NEW YORK
65%
NORTH CAROLINA
67%
ORLANDO
59%
PANAMA CITY
70%
PENNSYLVANIA
68%
PHOENIX
59%
SAN ANTONIO
55%
SAN DIEGO
64%
SAN FRANCISCO
72%
ST. LOUIS
64%
TAMPA
60%
WASHINGTON D.C.
67%
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America