What is the Worst Boilers and Brands to Avoid in 2024?

What is the worst boiler to buy & avoid?

There’s so many boilers on the market today in various sizes, types, KWH, and other metrics which make choosing a boiler slightly confusing. 

This means that you are probably online for hours at a time reading reviews and looking at customer complaints. 

We know the feeling here at Green Central, so we have done the legwork for you. We’ve consulted with heating engineers, Boiler testing centres, and customer review sites. Don’t worry – it’s not that Viessmann boiler on the right, that’s what some consider the best combi boiler!

Compare new boiler quotes online now for the best boilers on the market.

Why do we compare the worst boilers?

We don’t want you to make a big mistake, especially when there are tons of great boilers out there that cost around the same!

As we have loads of boiler buying experience, this has allowed us to build a profile of the worst boilers on the market today to help you make an informed decision on your next boiler purchase.

If you need a custom boiler quote that is specific to your home size, (and automatically recommends the best boiler for your home!) then click the button below.

The quotes we offer are with no obligation and you don’t have to proceed to order. Should you want to take advantage of our fantastic deal though, you can do this all online and book a convenient slot for installation.

Did we also mention you can apply for financing online, book boiler cover, and take advantage of our included 12-year warranty on all Viessmann boilers? 

So what are you waiting for? Get your quote here now. 

On to the worst boilers by reviews and customer ratings……

We won’t make you read down thousands of lines to get to the point. As we said, we have compiled a list based on the Which? Tests, the engineer’s opinion, and online customer reviews.

So the worst boilers on the market in the U.K. as of 2022 are:

Worst boiler brand – Ferroli

The Italian brand Ferroli has been derided online by just about everyone from the engineers to customers and reviewers. 

Why is the Ferroli boiler so poorly rated?

Even though they have a UK base , Ferroli is not well received for customer satisfaction and parts delivery. According to the reviews online, parts are often needed during the winter months and can be hard to find, expensive or just not available at all which is not what you want during this time of year. 

Customers scored the boiler at 2 out of 5 stars

Reliability in tests scored 3 out of 5 stars

Engineer’s rating came in at 1 out of 5 stars

The overall score for Ferroli came in at just over 30%. This was mainly due to the fact that engineers couldn’t source the part required to fix the multitude of faults that arose with these boilers. 

In Which’s review of the Ferroli HE27C, they didn’t even come up with one recommended feature for the boilers. They even went as far as recommending against a single purchase of this specific boiler. The HE 32C and HE38C are also appointed the winner of worst boiler’s of 2020

2nd Worst boiler brand – Vokera

Coming in as the second-worst boiler of 2020 is the Vokera range. Again, this boiler brand has had a bad reputation over several years, especially the Vokera Vision 30c Combi Gas Boiler. 

As much as buying a cheap boiler may sounds like a good idea on the pocket, it will only end up costing you in the long run.

Why is the Vokera one of the worst boilers?

Complaints about the Vokera boiler brand range from frequent breakdowns, to being unable to source parts or waiting for hours just to talk to a customer service agent. 

These new boilers cost around £500 to buy brand new, so when you take into consideration you can get a mid-range Worcester Bosch boiler for around £850, it is likely worth just paying that bit extra.

Having an average warranty of 2 years shows the lack of confidence in their product as the top-rated brands have anywhere from 5 to 10-year warranties due to their superior internal components. 

Customers scored the boiler at 3 out of 5 stars

Reliability in tests scored 2 out of 5 stars

Engineer’s rating came in at 2 out of 5 stars

Repairing a bad or faulty boiler:

In terms of worst boilers, the above are at the top of the pile in reviews and ratings. However, as we have discovered, the application of a low-end warranty is a sign to a boiler that could be unreliable and need repair.

Repairing a boiler can get costly, the average repair for any boiler in the U.K. is around £200. Although, the worst boilers above actually have a much higher repair cost due to the parts that fail often such as the PCB failing in quite a few cases with the Ferroli Boilers. 

If you consider that a better boiler will cost around £200 more then it may just be worth the extra expense. You do also have the option of boilers on finance too to spread the cost from 2 years to 10 years!

What boilers do you recommend instead?

We at Green Central deal with boilers daily and know them inside and out. 

This means that we are able to discern what are the best brands which offer the most reliability and a higher term warranty.

We could recommend several boilers which we know will be fantastic for years to come however we have a couple of honorable mentions which Green Central can vouch for. 

• Viessmann Vitodens 100-W

Viessmann offers German-engineered boiler systems with stainless steel heat exchangers for utmost reliability. 

The Vitodens 100-W is a highly engineered boiler system with amazing affordability.

This gas condensing boiler offers highly efficient service, and reliability and is smart-tech ready. We recommend Boiler Central for the purchase and installation of this boiler starting at £2299 installed. 

Other Boilers that nearly made the list:

The Intergas Rapid 32 and its sibling the Intergas Rapid 25, have both had their fair share of ups and downs. Some claim the products are not worth it, and some claim it’s a good value for money.

Best of British:

Potterton is our pick of British boiler brands as they came in with an impressive 73% customer satisfaction score. Being part of the Baxi group means they have a great background in boiler manufacturing and have been part of the U.K. landscape since the 1850’s

Benefits of Potterton:

• Wide range of boilers suitable to most homes
  
• Reliable Combi Boiler Systems
  
• Parts and labour warranties are above average
  
• Product lots of hot water for family homes
  
• Friendly to the environment and energy efficient

Green Central have reviewed and looked at boilers more in-depth than many other comparison sites and we provide the most up-to-date information available to us. We hope the above information will help you to make the best decision when buying your new boiler.

If you would like to get a custom boiler quote then click below to see how much your boiler installation will cost you and even book the installation online. 

Get a Free Boiler Quote Here

We can also recommend exceptional boiler over plans starting from £13.99 a month just click here and fill out the simple form today!