Worcester Bosch vs Vaillant Boilers

Updated March 2021

As an independent boiler installation company, we only ever recommend boilers based on our stringent standards and their suitability for our customers’ specific needs. To do this, we regularly review the ranges available from boiler manufacturers, the technology they are utilising and the level of service they provide to customers. In this guide, our team, comprising heating engineers with over 40 years of experience, take a look at the Worcester Bosch boiler range compared to the Vaillant boiler range.

We understand that it can be difficult to choose between different brands when making such a high-value purchase. However, that is where we can assist you with the benefit of our experience. Over the years, we have installed both Worcester Bosch and Vaillant boilers and it is in our best interest to be factual as the installer, it is our responsibility to ensure that they’re running smoothly and that there are no complaints whatsoever.

To assist you in your decision and provide you with an accurate comparison of the two manufacturers, we have compared Worcester Bosch and Vaillant using the following criteria:

• • Reputation in the UK
  • Product range 
  • Quality of components 
  • Customer service 
  • Accolades

Before being acquired by Robert Bosch GmbH and becoming part of the worldwide Bosch Group in 1992, Worcester Bosch was formerly known as Worcester and had spent over 30 years as a British company. 

Formed as an independent company by Cecil Duckworth in 1962 in Worcester, Worcester Bosch retains this presence in the area with its UK headquarters remaining in the Worcester suburb of Wardon. 

It is in Wardon where Worcester Bosch’s gas boilers are assembled. However, many of the components utilised within these are manufactured overseas by third party companies. Worcester Bosch operates an additional production facility in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, and it is here that the company’s oil boilers are assembled. Again, many of the components utilised within these are manufactured overseas by third parties.

Having operated in the UK for almost 60 years, Worcester Bosch has developed an excellent reputation in the UK and has become a household name. This is largely due to the reliability, value for money and efficiency of boilers available in the Worcester Bosch range over the years.

Worcester Bosch is also known for lobbying the water authorities to relax water bye-laws to enable combi boilers to be sold to the UK market.

Worcester Bosch’s reputation has been recognised in the UK by being ranked in the top 10 highly recommended domestic appliance brands in the YouGov Brand Index for 2020, being named as the UK’s Best Domestic Boiler Manufacturer by Build Magazine in their 2020 Home and Garden Awards, and by being awarded Which? Best Buy status for its Greenstar boiler range every year from 2009 to 2019.

Worcester Bosch parts are readily available in Wolseley and Plumbase stores across the UK.

Vaillant is a German family-owned business that has become a well-known brand name in the UK since entering the market in the 1970s. 

Vaillant’s brand awareness is partly due to the company having sites across the UK in Derbyshire, Bristol, Leeds, Farnborough, Maidstone and Glasgow. It is also due to Vaillant’s acquisition of the established British brand, Glow-Worm, a brand that has operated in the UK since 1934.

Since acquiring Glow-Worm’s parent company, Hepworth in 2001, Vaillant has operated its UK headquarters from Hepworth’s assembly facility since 1966 in Belper, Derbyshire. It is here that Vaillant assembles its boilers for the UK market.

Vaillant’s reputation has been recognised in the UK with its entire range of domestic boilers being named the top-rated gas boiler brand in the UK after being awarded ‘Best Buy’ status by Which? in 2020.

Vaillant parts are also widely available in the UK from Wolseley and Plumbase stores across the UK.

The Worcester Bosch boiler range

Worcester Bosch’s boiler range includes the following domestic boilers for purchase in the UK:

Our thoughts on the current Worcester Bosch boiler range

Brand Reputation, Quality & Performance Benefits

• The current market leader for domestic boilers in the UK, Worcester Bosch say its boilers have been installed in over one million homes across the UK
• Named as the UK’s Best Domestic Boiler Manufacturer in Build Magazine’s 2020 Home and Garden Awards
• Ranked in the top 10 best brands in the UK Domestic Appliance sector of YouGov’s BrandIndex 2020
• The Greenstar boiler range has been awarded Which? Best Buy status every year since 2009
• Worcester Bosch boilers are assembled in the UK, with the gas boilers being assembled at the headquarters in Worcester and oil boilers being assembled at the company’s site in Clay Cross, Derbyshire
• Awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen for supplying hot water products to the Royal Family at the Sandringham Estate

Value for Money, Warranties and Efficiency Benefits

• Worcester Bosch is known for utilising plastic components and crucially, an aluminium heat exchanger across their boiler range
• Worcester Bosch are at a higher price point than other boiler ranges available in the UK
• Worcester Bosch offers a comprehensive warranty on all of its products. However, whilst this covers replacement parts, call-out charges and labour costs, the length of this does differ from boiler to boiler with no standard warranty period available across the range
• In terms of efficiency, Worcester Bosch and Vaillant’s boilers are very similar

The Vaillant boiler range

Vaillant’s boiler range includes the following domestic boilers for purchase in the UK:

Our thoughts on the current Vaillant boiler range

Brand Reputation, Quality & Performance Benefits

• Vaillant is noted for its after-sales support with its technical helpline often praised by customers
• Vaillant was named the UK’s top-scoring gas boiler brand in the Which? Best Buy 2020 report
• As part of the Which? Best Buy 2020 report, Vaillant was also awarded five stars from the surveyed engineers for build quality, ease of servicing and parts availability
• The entire Vaillant domestic boiler range is Quiet Mark accredited on account of each of the boiler’s low operating volumes
• Vaillant boilers utilise stainless steel heat exchangers which are much better at retaining efficiency than the aluminium heat exchangers used by Worcester Bosch that are prone to corrosion

Value for Money, Warranties and Efficiency Benefits

• Vaillant isn’t a budget boiler brand but you do get what you pay for
• With the above in mind, it’s worth reiterating that whilst Worcester Bosch and Vaillant boilers aren’t massively different in price, Vaillant boilers do have a stainless steel heat exchanger which will save you money in the long run – both on your energy bills and because you won’t need the out of warranty repairs which Worcester Bosch boilers inevitably will
• As stated above, the efficiency of Vaillant and Worcester Bosch boilers are very similar
• Vaillant warranties are much more straightforward than Worcester Bosch warranties, there are two options for these – 2 years guarantee as standard, with 7 to 10 years available when installed by a Vaillant Advance installer, and 5 years guarantee as standard, with 7 to 10 years available when installed by a Vaillant Advance installer

Our verdict

Before we give you the final results, you can’t really go wrong with either boiler, as both of the manufacturers come highly recommended by Which? and installers alike. However, the following points make Vaillant our preferred choice over Worcester Bosch:

• Vaillant has always been known as a premium brand which means the boilers are at a higher price point, however, Worcester Bosch are now just as expensive. This doesn’t bear well for Worcester Bosch as the boilers utilise many cheaper plastic parts and an aluminium heat exchanger

• Vaillant is rated higher than Worcester Bosch for ease of service and repair.  This means Vaillant boilers may be easier to maintain

• Vaillant has a stainless steel heat exchanger which means efficiency is retained for longer, lower energy bills and no chance of the boiler requiring repairs in the future due to the corrosion-related issues Worcester Bosch’s aluminium heat exchangers are prone to