Coca-Cola’s first diet cola, launched in 1963, was Tab.
The Coca-Cola Company introduced Tab in the United States as a low-calorie soft drink aimed at consumers who wanted to manage their calorie intake. Its name was styled as “TaB” for much of its history, and the drink was sweetened with saccharin rather than sugar.
Tab arrived years before Diet Coke, which Coca-Cola launched in 1982. Although Diet Coke eventually became the company’s leading diet-cola brand, Tab remained available in several markets for decades and developed a particularly devoted following.
A common mix-up is to identify Diet Coke as Coca-Cola’s first diet cola. Diet Coke was the more commercially successful successor, but Tab holds the earlier distinction. Coca-Cola discontinued Tab in the United States at the end of 2020, although limited supplies remained with retailers afterward.