Unless you’re in the industry, buying a boiler isn’t something you do regularly. Consequently, keeping up to date on the best boiler brands and boiler makes in the UK isn’t on most of our priority lists – unless you are like us…. But when the time comes to replace your ageing boiler and upgrade, that will likely change.
We are in the industry and have all the knowhow and research needed to help you learn which boiler is best. We’ve looked at all the brands available to pick our recommended seven, the ones with the best warranties, those that have managed to sustain good Trustpilot scores, and other awards and reviews.
1. Vaillant
The chances are that you’ve come across a Vaillant boiler before. Vaillant boilers rank amongst those most regularly recommended by plumbers and heating engineers, with the brand being one of the most installed in the UK. Put simply, Vaillant manufactures boilers of exceptionally high quality.
With low emissions and high energy-efficiency ratings, boilers manufactured by Vaillant are amongst the most reliable installed across the UK, today.
Vaillant has been awarded Which?’s ‘Best Buy’ award, scoring an impressive 80% overall with high marks in build quality, customer satisfaction and the all-important ‘engineer recommendation’ category. Five stars were also awarded for their servicing categories, including the availability of parts and spares.
Sitting in the same premium bracket as Veissman and Worcester Bosch, Vaillant offers a range of boilers to suit all properties. Plus, their excellent aftercare service offers substantial peace of mind.
Warranties are only between 2 and 5 years as standard (depending on the model) but are extendable to 10-years when installed by a registered professional.
With a good balance between price, quality and aftercare service, Vaillant is a truly fantastic boiler manufacturer.
- Warranty: 2- to 5-year parts and labour as standard, extendable up to 10 years.
- Awards and recommendations: A Which? ‘Best Buy’ award winner, as well as 4.5 stars on Trustpilot.
- Price range: £750 to £2,800
2. Worcester Bosch
Worcester Bosch is amongst the market leaders when it comes to UK boilers, and it’s not hard to see why. With consistent Which? ‘Best Buy’ awards for ten years running, Worcester Bosch is a trusted brand with a strong pedigree. The company offers German engineering combined with British manufacturing and customer care to provide a truly first-class service.
Worcester Bosch offers a great range of boilers, but be prepared to pay for them. Boilers start at £800 for the low-range models, through to high-tech versions around the £3,500 mark. Moving on to green credentials, and energy efficiency is always a key component of Worcester Bosch’s reliable boilers, with their Greenstar range specially designed to keep the cost of fuel down – something that’s essential in today’s environment.
Plus, when it comes to warranties, Worcester Bosch are at the top of the game. Rather than a standard warranty that might only cover the parts for your boiler repair and leave you with a call out charge, Worcester Bosch offers a full ten-year guarantee that encompasses the full service, giving you the peace of mind that everything is taken care of.
If (and it’s a sizable if) budget is no consideration, then Worcester Bosch is a true five-star offering.
- Warranty / guarantee: 10-year guarantee.
- Awards and recommendations: 10 years of Which? ‘Best Buy’, plus 4.6 stars on Trustpilot.
- Price range: £800 to £3,500
3. Viessman
The Germans are known for their quality engineering, and that’s definitely true of the Viessman range of boilers. Utilising stainless steel heat exchangers over the more-common aluminium ones, Veissman boilers are generally more durable and long-lasting than many of their competitors.
It’s this attention to quality that helps make them mainland Europe’s largest boiler supplier and a regular recipient of the Which? ‘Best Buy’ award; their most recent win was in 2022 for their gas combi boilers. Again, however, it’s a quality that does come with a hefty price tag, ranging from £900 and upwards. With that in mind, then, Veissman is far from being the most budget-oriented boiler brand on the market.
When it comes to efficiency, Veissman manufactures some of the best boilers on the market, with their most reliable boiler models reaching a staggering 97% efficiency rating. These German boiler brands really know what they are doing when it comes to efficient design!
Veissman boilers come with a comprehensive five-year parts and labour warranty. This can be extended to 12 years if installed by a properly trained engineer (certified by Viessmann). With their fastidious attention to precision engineering, you can relax in the knowledge that your Veissman boiler is going to stay the course.
Sadly, their aftercare service doesn’t receive quite the same accolades, with several people online complaining about difficulties with the Veissman aftercare service when problems do occur.
- Warranty: 5-year parts and labour as standard, extendable up to 12 years.
- Awards and recommendations: Multiple Which? ‘Best Buy’ awards, but only 2.2 stars on Trustpilot (due to reported poor aftercare service).
- Price range: £900 to £3,200
4. Ideal
Ideal is another leading UK boiler manufacturer, with a history that goes back over a century. A keen advocate of supporting environmental issues, Ideal boilers include a range of hydrogen-blend boilers ready for a low-carbon world and maintain ‘A’ grade energy efficiency ratings throughout most of their range.
Ideal boilers are cheaper than the other brands we have looked at so far, competitively priced with the lowest in the range coming in at £625. Although, as you’d expect, the price rises as the features and size of the boiler increase, even the larger Ideal boilers are significantly easier on the wallet than many of their competitors.
While Ideal doesn’t have a coveted Which? ‘Best Buy’ award, it’s a brand much beloved by homeowners, with a Trustpilot score of 4.8 and 89% five-star reviews! And no wonder, with great customer service and impressive value for money.
The warranty is a little light, with low 2-year warranties as standard on budget options, but this is extendable to 12 years in many cases, and other options do exist through the comprehensive customer service Ideal offers.
Does Ideal beat the boilers from the manufacturers listed above when it comes to quality and reliability? Perhaps not. However, if you’re looking to heat a smaller home or fit a boiler for a buy-to-let property, then there’s a lot about Ideal to like.
- Warranty: 2 to 12-year warranties (depending on model and customer options).
- Awards and recommendations: Incredible 4.8 stars on Trustpilot!
- Price range: £625 to £1,400
5. Alpha
Alpha boilers present another solid option for budget-conscious buyers. With its combi-boiler range starting from around the £500 mark, these boilers are surprisingly impressive for the money, featuring stainless-steel heat exchangers that offer premium quality and ‘A’ class energy efficiency at true budget prices.
As a manufacturer, Alpha is yet to break into the award-winning ranks with Which?, but that doesn’t stop it from being well loved on review sites like Trustpilot where they score a very respectable 4.6 stars. Warranties come in at 5 or 7 years as standard, although the higher-end boilers do offer 10-year warranties, which is comparable to some of the bigger manufacturers.
Alpha is a relative unknown as a brand, but for a budget option, its boilers are certainly worth consideration.
- Warranty: 5 to 7-year warranties as standard, and up to 10 years for top-of-the-range models.
- Awards and recommendations: An incredible 4.8 stars on Trustpilot!
- Price range: £530 and up
6. Baxi
Ranging from around the £600 mark to £1,200, Baxi’s boilers offer a good solution for a wide range of homes, capable of heating larger homes with multiple bathrooms, whilst maintaining an ‘A’ energy rating with 93% efficiency.
Baxi is based in Lancashire, with a strong level of service and support for UK customers. The quality may not be as consistent as the top-end German boiler brands, but there is a wide range to choose from, offering something for every house size and configuration.
Baxi’s warranties range from 2 years through to 10, depending on the system installed. Like all warranties, it’s essential that you register your boiler with them within 30 days to be covered, so don’t forget that small administrative detail.
- Warranty: 2 to 10-year (depending on the system).
- Awards and recommendations: 4.5 stars on Trustpilot.
- Price range: £600 to £1,200
7. Glow-worm
Our final recommendation for this list of seven best boiler brands is Glow Worm. Despite its cutesy name, Glow Worm offers a range of reliable mid-range boilers that are both easy to service and designed positively for the climate.
With great energy efficiency across the majority of the range, Glow Worm boilers are quite compact and make a good fit for most smaller properties. With LPG conversion kits as standard, they’re also great for areas that rely on oil rather than gas for their central heating.
Glow Worm is now part of Vaillant and shares many of the components of those more common boilers, making warranty issues fewer and further between than might be true for a purely independent boiler brand. Warranty terms range from 1 year through to 10 years, depending on the model.
- Warranty: 2 to 10-year (depending on the system).
- Awards and recommendations: 4.5 stars on Trustpilot.
- Price range: £600 to £1,200
Choosing the Best Boiler Brand
When it comes to choosing your next boiler, budget is always a major consideration. Whilst we might all like to splash out £3,000+ on a top-of-the-range boiler, reality means other options might be a far better fit. Consider the size of your home and your long-term needs.
A boiler is your heating investment for a decade or more and it’s important that you can relax and enjoy the warmth without worrying if something is going to go wrong (and if it can be easily fixed should that happen!).
If you are planning on replacing the boiler in your main home and plan to invest accordingly, then we heartily recommend one of the more premium brands on our list. If you’re just looking to get some decent central heating into a property you rent out, then some of the more budget offerings we’ve discussed offer a perfect fit.
Remember, many companies offer superior warranties when your boilers are fitted by an accredited professional. Contact us today to discuss options and have our expert installation team give your home the warmth it deserves.
