Which boiler brand/make is the best in the UK? With so many boiler manufacturer’s now available in the UK, it can be difficult to choose, so we have assessed which brands are offering the best in terms of what matters most.
Buying a new boiler and getting it installed is an expensive process and since your boiler is likely to serve you and your home for many years, you want to ensure you choose a boiler that’s as reliable as possible.
But with so many boiler brands/makes available, how do you know which one to opt for?
The boiler market has often been said to be hard to understand and since there are many brands on offer, we decided to compare the 10 most popular in the UK, to hopefully make choosing a boiler for your home a little easier.
Best Boiler Brands Key Takeaways:
- In order to determine which boilers are the “best” on offer, we considered the following attributes:
- Boilers that come with a long warranty period.
- Boilers that are the most efficient.
- Boiler’s that come with high quality components e.g. stainless steel and free of plastic.
- Replacement parts that are easy to source.
- 5 star customer service and aftercare.
Best Boiler Makes/Manufacturers – What we considered:
How did we draw up this list and rank the best boiler brands? Simple we took into account everything that matters in a brand new boiler:
- Length of the boiler warranty offered by the brand.
- Any awards the brand has acquired.
- Trustpilot reviews – what do real customers actually think?
- Quality of the boiler components used e.g. plastic vs metal.
- Availability of spare parts.
- Efficiency ratings.
- Price point of their boiler models.
- Whether they are hydrogen ready – the next generation of fuel.
- Aftercare quality – are their customer services high quality?
Best Boiler Makes Ranked (Top 10)
#1 Baxi Boilers (Best Boiler Manufacturer)
Baxi is proud to have been manufacturing in the UK since 1866 and its factory is still in Preston, Lancashire, not far from where the business was first established.
Baxi’s head office and customer contact centre is in Warwick and it has a nationwide network of fully qualified heating engineers.
Baxi’s high efficiency hot water and heating products are straightforward to install, maintain and service and are easy to use.
The company is so confident in the reliability of its product range that it offers free of charge free parts and labour warranties of up to 10 years*, for complete peace of mind.
From its beginnings, right through to its current product ranges, Baxi’s ethos of pride, passion and positivity – combined with reliability, respect and innovation – has helped define the company and it is fully committed to making life with Baxi as easy as possible.
Sustainability is embedded in the company, and it is committed to being a cleaner, greener manufacturing business.
It offers clever heating solutions that keep homes and businesses warm while reducing their carbon footprint.
Baxi is committed to supporting the energy transition towards a zero-carbon economy.
It is responding to the global trends that are shaping its business and markets, and its expertise in designing new products and offering flexible solutions means the company can respond quickly to its customers’ changing needs.
Its current range of boilers have all received certification to work with a blend of gas that includes 20% hydrogen.
Baxi is actively working with industry bodies and the government to help shape the heating industry of the future as the UK moves towards net zero emissions by 2050.
The company has been at the forefront of developing 100% hydrogen boilers and has a portfolio of low carbon products, including air source heat pumps.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Up to 10 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.5 out of 5.
Interested in learning about the Boiler ban? Check out our full guide on the controversial proposals. And check out our guide on the new Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
#2 Warmflow Boilers (2nd Best Boiler Manufacturer)
Established over 50 years ago, Warmflow are a company renowned for their innovation range of eco oil combi and conventional boilers.
Headquartered in Lisburn, the The company attributes its success and longevity to 3 key priorities: ‘Quality manufacturing, quality sales support and quality back up service.’
Perhaps their most notable achievement is having brought the UK and Ireland’s first and only AA rated combi oil boiler to the domestic market, ideal for properties who heat on oil and want to keep their heating bills to a minimum.
You can read more about oil boilers in our complete oil boiler guide.
#3 Worcester Bosch boilers
Worcester Bosch comes in at the number 2 boiler manufacturer and is probably one of the most well-known and long-established brand within the boiler industry – Worcester Bosch boilers.
Worcester Bosch makes a wide selection of boiler types including; oil, combi boilers, system boilers as well as regular boilers.
Popular Worcester Bosch boiler models include the CDI and Greenstar 25 or 30, however, the Greenstar i range (including the 25 and 30) was recently replaced by the Worcester Bosch 4000.
In addition to manufacturing reliable boilers, Worcester also provides long boiler warranties, typically between 5 and 10 years depending on the model selected and who installs if for you e.g. getting it installed with an official Worcester Bosch installer will typically get you a 12 year guarantee.
Worcester Bosch does have a reputation of being one of the pricier brands due to the quality of their products and their award winning customer service, however, higher prices are not always the case due to the introduction and expansion of online boiler installers, making the pricing much more competitive.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: Yes (for 10 years and counting).
- Warranty length: Up to 12-year guarantee.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.9 out of 5.
Wondering how much a new boiler costs? Check out our guide on options available if you need a new boiler but can’t afford it, as well as boilers on finance and government boiler grants here.
#4 Viessmann boilers (4th Best Boiler Make)
Viessmann is a German brand that is well known for its high-level engineering, creating highly energy-efficient that only ever use the highest quality components.
For instance, all new (2022) Viessmann boilers are free from rubber and plastic parts and include their patented Patented Inox Radial Stainless Steel Heat exchanger (not aluminium found in other brands)
Initially founded in 1917, the company has grown to the scale it is today, producing products in 22 countries, and is now considered the dominator within the European boiler manufacturer industry.
During the company’s growth, Viessmann has entered the UK market and have built a strong reputation, picking up many industry awards including a Which Best Buy award.
In fact, Which? dubbed Viessmann as offering the “most reliable boilers”, when they received the top score in reliability among both installers and customers in the annual boiler survey.
Popular Viessmann boiler models currently are the Viessmann Vitodens 050-W and the Viessmann Vitodens 100-W.
Viessmann offers a range of boilers starting around £1,670, which is often deemed slightly more cost-effective than Worcester Bosch, without scrimping on the quality of the product.
In addition, and similar to Worcester Bosch, a 12-year warranty is offered with most of their boilers. They can also be purchased via most online boiler installation companies too, which is very convenient.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: Yes (Awarded in 2021).
- Warranty length: Up to 12 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.9 out of 5.
#5 Alpha Boilers (5th Best Boiler Manufacturer)
Alpha Innovation or Alpha boilers are a newer entrant to the UK market, but in recent years they have exploded onto the scene, building a solid reputation for offering high-quality boilers at a budget price point.
For example, their most popular boiler, the Alpha E Tec features a stainless steel heat exchanger and a zinc-coated expansion vessel, quality components you would only usually expect from a premium, long-standing boiler manufacturer.
They also have a stellar reputation among customers, performing incredibly well on unbiased third part review platforms like Trustpilot, further testament to their quality.
We also covered the boiler brands to avoid and the most reliable boilers currently available.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No
- Warranty length: Up to 10 years
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.8 out of 5.
Wondering which boiler manufacturers performed best? Check out our best boiler brands guide for the full rundown and if you are trying to determine who the best boiler installation company is, check out our Warmzilla and Boxt reviews.
#6 Ideal boilers (6th Best Boiler Make)
Our fourth boiler brand recommendation is for Ideal boilers. Ideal is a British manufacturer founded in 1906 but company growth has grown fast over recent years.
Ideal offers a wide selection of boilers for various types including; combi-boilers, system boilers and heat only boilers.
Ideal also promote their after-sales customer service and provide long product warranties of up to 12 years.
Pricing wise, Ideal tend to be on par with Worcester Bosch boiler prices, however as previously mentioned, savings can be made by shopping online
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Up to 10 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4 out of 5.
Did you know the efficiency of your boiler can impact the amount of energy it uses and ultimately impact your heating bill costs?
Check out our guide to the best condensing boilers if you are interested to find out more.
You may also find our review of the best eco-friendly boilers of interest.
#7 Vaillant Boilers (7th Best Boiler Manufacturer)
Vaillant is another huge name in the boiler industry, esteemed among installers and consumers.
It is also another one of the few manufacturers that have secured themselves a Which? Best Buy Award.
Designed and founded by a German family, Vaillant boilers actually produce their boilers in the UK and offer a healthy selection of combi, regular and system boilers.
Renowned for their reliability and high quality builds, these boilers are a solid choice.
They also have a reputation among installers as being one of the easiest boilers to repair.
Check out our boiler brand price guides and comparisons:
- British Gas new boiler costs.
- How much is it to fit a new boiler?
- How much does a Vaillant boiler cost?
- Baxi boiler costs.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: Yes.
- Warranty length: Up to 10 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.8 out of 5.
Did you know that not only boiler models are wall-hung either, check out our complete guide on floor standing boilers here.
#8 Potterton Boilers (8th Best Boiler Brand)
Now owned by Baxi boilers, the Potterton brand once aimed its products solely at the premium end of the market only.
However, today they offer a wide array of different boilers with their most popular models being the Promax, Titanium, Promax Ultra, Assure and Gold.
Although some of their boilers have enjoyed a good reputation, what lets them down is their warranty offering, which is as little as just 2 years on some, which is not very competitive, especially in today’s boiler market.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Starts at 2 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4 out of 5.
Got a common boiler problem? Check out our quick fix guide on boiler lockout, boiler ignition faults, boiler PCB faults, faulty diverter valves and boiler timer issues.
#9 Intergas Boilers (9th Best Boiler Brand)
Intergas boilers stand out claim is that they offer the fewest moving parts of any other boiler manufacturer.
This is thought to be a good thing as the fewer moving parts, the less wear and tear? Difficult to verify of course.
On the design front, Integra’s boilers offer contemporary styling, with sleek designs, super modern LED displays and remote-control systems for ultimate convenience and user-friendliness.
Their two major combi boilers are named the compact and the rapid, with warranties ranging from 3 years up to 7 years depending on the exact model you choose.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Starts at 3 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4 out of 5.
#10 Glow Worm Boilers (10th Best Boiler Brand)
Glow-worm has only been around for a few years and is primarily targeting the budget end of the market, notable, the brand is also owned by the premium boiler manufacturer Vaillant.
Manufactured in their Derbyshire factory, Glow Worm is another UK made boiler brand offering a variety of boilers including combi, regular and system models.
The brand is ideal for those looking for a no-thrills boiler on a budget, it’s also a brand that prioritises efficiency above all else, perfect for the eco-friendly home.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Up to 10 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 4.4 out of 5.
#11 Vokera Boilers (11th Best Boiler Make)
Unfortunately for Vokera, they recently came bottom to last in the Which? Annual Boiler Survey, scoring a very poor 50%.
Vokera offers a warranty from 2 years up to 7 years depending on the exact boiler model you choose. Their models include the Evolve C, Unica i, Vision Plus, Vision C and the Compact A.
Although not an award-winning brand, Vokera remains popular among landlords and housing associations.
Key points:
- Which Best Buy Award: No.
- Warranty length: Starts at 2 years.
- Trust pilot reviews: 3.4 out of 5.
What size boiler is right for your home? If you are thinking about a combi boiler, it is largely determined by the number of radiators in your home.
Check out our complete guide to new boiler installation here if you are wondering about the best type of boiler for your home.
How much may a new boiler cost? Are you considering converting from a conventional to a combi boiler? Use our boiler installation cost calculator to get an estimation.
Best Oil Boiler Brands
Oil boilers are not manufactured by every brand and therefore there is a slightly smaller pool of brands to choose from.
Our research has led us to recommend the following brands of oil boilers:
- Position 1 – Grant
- Position 2 – Worcester Bosch
- Position 3 – Valliant
What type of boiler do you need?
One major task required when shopping for a new boiler is to establish which type of boiler is needed.
Typically, the property requirements and household usage will determine the type of boiler to be installed, however, there are three common types of boiler to select from when seeking to install a new boiler, as follows:
Combination boilers
Also known as combi-boilers, provide both heating and hot water from the mains without the need for a water tank, which can save both physical spaces as well as energy usage.
Combi-boilers are generally most suited to small to medium-sized properties depending on the number of bathrooms and household usage requirements.
One main consideration when establishing if a combi-boiler would be suitable is to check the water pressure requirements.
Heat-Only Boilers
As the name suggests, this type of boiler only provides heat energy directly into the radiators via the use of a hot water cylinder.
Heat-only boilers are often installed into properties with older style radiators, saving the property owners of older houses the cost of replacing the whole heating system.
System Boilers
A system boiler is a cylinder system that is an integrated, non-open valve system. System boilers are best suited for properties with low water pressure; however, most system boilers require more space, than say a combi-boiler.
Related reading:
Best Boiler Brands Summary
At first, the market for new boilers can be overwhelming due to the extensive choice of boilers and marketing of other services such as extended warranties, prompt installation and finance options.
However, hopefully, this guide will help a homeowner to find the most suitable type of boiler and filter through the options available by selecting the best boiler brand.
There are multiple benefits for installing a new boiler including energy savings, however, when shopping for a new boiler, a number of other elements should be considered in addition to the cost of the boiler such as; quality of the product, energy efficiency levels, brand reputation, after-sales service and warranty period offered.
Further reading: