Which boiler brand offers the best warranty length, aftercare and product quality? In this post, we put both head to head.
Worcester Bosch and Ideal Heating are two British behemoths on the boiler scene.
In fact, both rank in the top four of our best boiler brands to purchase. But how do they compare head-to-head?
When faced with so many boiler brands on the market, it can be hard to make a decision.
However, if you’re stuck between Ideal and Worcester Bosch, you’ve come to the right place.
Both companies have pros and cons but only one can rule supreme.
Let’s get right to it...
PS We fit new smart combi boilers with gas installation nationwide. Simply answer these questions, get your fixed price and you could get it installed as quick as tomorrow.
Introducing Ideal and Worcester Bosch
Worcester Bost is a popular UK boiler brand that is renowned for being one of the most trusted and highest-selling companies on the market.
In fact, they’ve been winning several Which? Best Buy Awards for the past ten years.
Worcester Bosch was founded in 1962. Now, they are a market leader when it comes to aftercare and of course, offer a wide range of boiler products.
Moving on to Ideal, this company is widely recognised for offering high-quality heating appliances for a more affordable price.
Usually, budget-friendly boilers equal lower quality but this is not the case when it comes to Ideal.
The company is known for offering a diverse selection of high-end boilers.
The average cost of having an Ideal boiler installed is £1,700, which is about 20% cheaper than the average price of a boiler installation in general.
Another point worth considering is that both brands are recognised for producing boilers with low noise outputs.
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Style Vs. Ideal Vogue Max
One way of measuring the value of two boiler companies is through their best products.
The Greenstar 8000 Style and Vogue Max are each top-selling combi boilers from these UK brands.
The Greenstar 8000 Style is available in three options with outputs of 30kw to 35kw.
All three editions come with an energy efficiency rating of 94% and warranties of up to 10 years.
Cost-wise, these range from £1,300 to £1,900 in terms of their supply prices.
In comparison, the Ideal Vogue Max is also offered as three specific boilers with an output of 18kW to 32kW and energy efficiency ratings of 93%.
Their standalone costs stand around £1,100 to £1,300. They come with warranties of ten years too.
So, yes, on the one hand, Worcester Bosch offers more in terms of heat output and a small bit more when it comes to energy efficiency.
However, the Ideal Vogue Max is several hundred pounds cheaper.
Further, even if you need a boiler with an output of around 30-35kW, the 32kW Ideal Vogue Max C40 may be the right option for you.
That said, at around £1,300 standalone, it wouldn’t really save you much money. But if an output of 18-26kW would meet your needs, the C26 or C32 would do the job.
It is a common mistake for homeowners to choose a boiler that has too great an output as is necessary.
So, if you’re in doubt as to what sort of boiler output you need for your home, get in touch with us.
Warranties and Aftercare Comparison
Both Ideal and Worcester Bosch come with up to ten-year guarantees.
Looking first at Worcester Bosch’s warranties in more detail, Worcester Bosch is committed to repairing or replacing a boiler as soon as they can.
Check out the latest prices of Worcester Bosch boilers today.
Most warranties offered by boiler brands are essentially an agreement that they will look into an issue that arises with your boiler.
However, a Worcester Bosch guarantee is, in fact, an unconditional promise to repair your boiler cost-free.
Worcester Bosch provides an exclusive ten-year guarantee when Heatable installs its boilers. But what about Ideal?
Ideal boilers have warranties ranging from two to ten years.
Most fall somewhere in between these two points, thus, overall, you’d be looking at a less impressive warranty if you avail of an Ideal boiler in most cases.
With that being said, again, Ideal boilers are less expensive and are still of solid quality.
Overall, though, Worcester Bosch takes the biscuit if we’re talking about warranties.
And on the subject of aftercare, Worcester Bosch has a reputation for exceptional aftercare.
Ideal also offers good aftercare which includes a customer service team that is available 364 days a year.
Overall, though, Worcester Bosch appears to have superior aftercare.
Customer Trustpilot Reviews
While awards from third-party consumer organisations are notable and decorative achievements, nothing compares to the sincere feedback of regular people.
Firstly, Worcester Bosch has a 4.6-star rating from approximately 31,000 reviews.
This includes nearly 4 in 5 reviews coming with a five-star rating and a mere 5% being two- or one-star ratings.
This puts Worcester Bosch in third place among the highest-rated boiler brands on Trustpilot.
However, number one is none other than Ideal. With a 4.8-star rating from some 20,000 ratings, Ideal beats Worcester Bosch when it comes to customer reviews.
However, both ratings are superb. Ideal’s edge includes 88% of reviews coming with a 5-star rating and less than 4% of customers giving the brand a one- or two-star rating.
It’s worth noting, however, that Worcester Bosch has responded to 89% of negative reviews on Trustpilot compared to a 65% figure for Ideal.
Is your Vaillant boiler experiencing some of the brand's most common fault codes? We have you covered in our F29 fault code and F62 fault code guides.
Boiler Dimensions
Looking at the boiler dimensions of Ideal vs. Worcester Bosch, both brands offer products of similar dimensions, overall.
The best-selling boilers from Worcester Bosch are uniform in their sizing, unlike those of Ideal.
Worcester Bosch has somewhat larger top-selling boilers, on average when compared with Ideals most popular options.
Examples of popular combi boilers from each brand:
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Style: 780mm (H) x 440mm (W) x 365mm (D)
Ideal Vogue Max: 740mm (H) x 445mm (W) x 330mm (D)
Examples of popular system boilers from each brand:
Worcester Bosch Greenstar 8000 Life: 780mm (H) x 440mm (W) x 365mm (D)
Ideal Logic System: 700mm (H) x 395mm (W) x 278mm (D)
Examples of popular regular boilers from each brand:
Worcester Bosch 8000 Greenstar Life: 780mm (H) x 440mm (W) x 365mm (D)
Ideal Logic Heat: 700mm (H) x 395mm (W) x 278mm (D)
Control Options
Starting with Ideal this time, the budget-friendly brand offers a simple plug-in 24-hour mechanical timer and a wireless, digital Halo Combi control.
The Halo Combi Wi-Fi control can be connected to your mobile phone, allowing you to control your heating and hot water remotely.
Worcester Bosch offers both a conventional digital thermostat and smart thermostats.
You’ll notice that we’re talking plural in the case of smart thermostats.
Unlike Ideal, Worcester Bosch offers a range of smart control options, seven, in total, in fact. One of these is wired, with the remaining six being wireless thermostats.
Related boiler guides:
Additional Features
Both brands offer a range of extra features worth noting.
Please be aware that these are the best/most popular features of both brands and are not available with every boiler.
Some of the best features of Worcester Bosch include:
A-rated boilers with 90%+ energy efficiency.
CDi compact which is perfect for tight spaces.
Boilers are fitted with condenseSure siphon, providing them with the first protection.
Low energy pump limits electricity usage.
Decade-long guarantee if installed via Heatable.
Built-in keyless filling link which makes refilling the heating system straightforward.
Superb customer service/aftercare.
Some of Ideal’s most popular features include:
Up to a 10-year warranty.
UK made.
Energy Saving Trust endorsed.
Compact boilers.
User-friendly multi-function buttons.
Backlit 3.5” LCD display.
Ideal vs. Worcester Bosch: Verdict
Both Ideal and Worcester Bosch are top-of-the-market brands with superb customer reviews.
Indeed, Ideal even wins out when it comes to customer ratings. However, overall, we believe that Worcester Bosch has an overall edge.
Why? Primarily it’s down to the quality and reliability of their boilers along with the fact that they beat Ideal (even if just about) on more fronts than Ideal defeats Worcester Bosch.
Examples include Worcester Bosch generally offering a higher energy output, longer guarantees and, arguably, better aftercare.
Further to that, Worcester Bosch provides several smart thermostat options compared to just one from Ideal.
So, all in all, Worcester Bosch is the superior brand in our opinion. However, this is not by an overwhelming margin.
And, in addition, you may feel that Ideal is the better choice for you if you’re looking for an affordable boiler with an output somewhere in the region of 18kW to 32kW.
Looking for a great deal on a new boiler?
If so, get your boiler replacement installed with Heatable. Here’s why:
Gas Safe installation within 24 hours.
Thousands of happy customers – an average score of 4.9 on Trustpilot (that’s better than the market leader).
Price match guarantee – if you find a cheaper quote, we will match (must be like for like).
Multiple payment options - interest-free available
10-year guarantee.
Fixed price guarantee – no hidden costs.
Save your quote until later.
Use this clickable form to get a fixed price on the screen instantly.
Heat happy.
