THE SHORT ANSWER
IF IT IS PAST SAVING
Sometimes a service tells you the boiler is on borrowed time.
If that is where yours is, you will get told straight rather than sold to. These are the four we fit, all fully fitted, VAT included, with a 10 year warranty.
Most popular
Baxi 800
Best value, most homes
Fitted, from
£1,995
Fully fitted, VAT included
UK-built compact unit
Fits in kitchen cupboards
Quiet operation
10-year warranty
Pick this boiler
Ideal Logic Max
Best British-built option
Fitted, from
£2,200
Fully fitted, VAT included
Hull-built, strong UK warranty
Easy-service design
Good for hard-water areas
10-year warranty
Pick this boiler
Vaillant ecoFIT pure
Quietest in the range
Fitted, from
£2,410
Fully fitted, VAT included
German engineering
Lowest noise rating
Sleek compact design
10-year warranty
Pick this boiler
Worcester 8000
Premium UK brand
Fitted, from
£2,620
Fully fitted, VAT included
Household-name UK brand
Stainless-steel heat exchanger
Premium build quality
10-year warranty
Pick this boiler
The one we fit most · fitted from £1,995
The name everyone knows · fitted from £2,620
The quietest, and the smallest · fitted from £2,410
Best value British-built · fitted from £2,200
THE NUMBERS
Fitted prices include the boiler, the fit, the standard kit, the system flush, the filter and VAT, with the warranty registered on the day.
Fitted from £1,995
Built
British-made, Preston
Warranty
10 years, registered
Efficiency
93% net, A-rated
Sizes we fit
24, 30 and 36 kW
Best for
Most houses. Value with a long warranty
What we see
The one we fit most and get called back to least
Fitted from £2,620
Built
UK household-name brand
Warranty
10 years when registered with the filter
Efficiency
94% net, A-rated
Sizes we fit
32, 35 and 40 kW
Best for
Anyone who wants the best parts network
What we see
Easiest of the four to get a part for in a hurry
Fitted from £2,410
Built
German-engineered
Warranty
10 years, registered
Efficiency
94% net, A-rated
Sizes we fit
25, 30 and 35 kW
Best for
Kitchen cupboards, flats, anywhere you hear it
What we see
Quietest and most compact of the four
Fitted from £2,200
Built
Hull-built, British
Warranty
10 years, registered
Efficiency
93% net, A-rated
Sizes we fit
24, 30 and 35 kW
Best for
Value without dropping to an entry-level boiler
What we see
Easy-service design, so cheaper to keep for 12 years
WHAT ACTUALLY DECIDES IT
1
A combi is sized on the bigger of two numbers: your radiators at roughly 1.5 kW each, and how much hot water you need at once. Oversize it and it short cycles and wears itself out. Undersize it and the shower goes cold when the tap runs. Getting this wrong costs you more than picking the wrong badge ever will.
2
A new boiler on a dirty system is a warranty claim waiting to happen. The system gets flushed, a magnetic filter goes on, and inhibitor goes in. Most manufacturers now require the filter for the full warranty anyway.
3
A 10 year warranty is only 10 years if somebody registers it with the manufacturer, and then it only stays valid with an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer. We register it on the day. Miss a service and that cover can quietly become worthless paper.
MAKING THE CALL
If you want the sensible answer
If the boiler goes in a cupboard or a flat
If you want the safest bet on parts
If you want British-built at a sensible price
COMMON QUESTIONS
Which boiler brand is the most reliable?
Is Worcester Bosch worth the extra money?
Which is the quietest boiler?
Do all of these come with a 10 year warranty?
Does the brand matter more than the installer?
What size boiler do I need?
BEFORE YOU GO
More of the same, written by the engineers who do the work.