
Best Boiler Cover
Save £100s on boiler and home emergency cover
Energy providers use our fear of losing heating or hot water to jack up the price of boiler breakdown cover. And while some of the big six energy suppliers try to flog their own cover at inflated prices, you don't need to go with their offer. With just 10 minutes' work, you could cut costs by using a cheaper standalone insurer. This guide shows you how.
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What is boiler cover?
Boiler cover pretty much does what it says on the tin – it's an insurance policy you buy to cover the cost of getting your boiler working again if it breaks. But there are several different levels of cover to choose from:
- Boiler-only cover. This is the starting level of cover, and is usually the cheapest. It typically covers only the boiler and its controls. A majority of central heating claims are down to a broken boiler, but if the problem is outside the 'white box', this sort of cover won't help.
- Boiler and central heating cover. Here you get the same protection as boiler-only cover, but these types of policies also cover you if, for example, pipes, radiators and central-heating pumps break.
- Boiler, heating, plumbing, drains and home electrics cover. This would be classed as high-end cover, and so tends to be more expensive. Here you'd be covered for all central-heating repairs, plus burst pipes, blocked drains and electrical repairs. It's slightly different to the home emergency cover below, as this policy would also cover repairs that aren't considered an emergency.
- Home emergency. Broadly, this tends to cover your boiler and central heating, plus also provide help for floods, pest infestation and more. As the name suggests, it tends to cover emergencies.
As a rule of thumb, it's an emergency if your health is at risk, your home is uninhabitable or further immediate damage could occur to your home if it's not fixed. For example, this could be if you've a burst pipe and can't turn off the water supply, or your boiler's broken and it's zero degrees outside.
Whichever level of cover you opt for, always double-check what you're getting and closely inspect the conditions to make sure the policy suits you, and you're not under or over-covered.
Quick questions
Boiler cover need-to-knows
There's absolutely no point in shelling out for cover if you don't have to – it depends on who's in charge of heating your home. So the first question to ask is whether you need it at all. Quite simply...
Only homeowners need to consider boiler cover.
If you rent, it's not your responsibility.
Even if you don't need to buy cover, always check with your landlord BEFORE you sign the rental contract what cover is in place so you know how long you'd be left in the cold if the heating and boiler were to break down.
Here are the rest of the need-to-knows:
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Best buys: How to find the cheapest cover
Before you start looking for cover, know this:
You don't have to use your energy provider's boiler cover!
Energy providers often craftily try to link the two, but that's usually nonsense (unless cover comes 'free' with your tariff). Though, you should remember to regularly compare to ensure you're on the cheapest gas and electricity tariffs.
By avoiding energy providers' cover, you can often save £100+ a year, and often more if you're opting for a top-end policy which covers heating, electrics, drains and plumbing.
Thankfully, a few comparison sites can do the hard work for you. Just pop in your details and you'll get a result in minutes. The prices in your results will usually depend on where you live, the type and age of your boiler, and what level of cover you're looking to buy.
Check the top comparison sites for cheap boiler insurance
The comparison sites below include almost all of the major boiler insurance providers. You'll also be able to choose home emergency policies if that's what you're looking for.
Try uSwitch first – it has the best range

The widest comparison of providers is offered by uSwitch*. It will return quotes with a brief overview of the cover provided. You can then select the type of policy you are looking for via a simple tab system.
Cover is available from under £3/mth for boiler-only cover, and from £5/mth for boiler and central-heating cover. It doesn't cover every insurer, so it's worth trying at least one of the comparison sites below to ensure you get the widest reach.
We've limited feedback on uSwitch's comparison tool, so if you do use it, please let us know how you got on in the forum discussion.
Other comparison sites to try
We've included these as they may have some insurers uSwitch doesn't, so may give you a cheaper price. However, both sites have their own drawbacks...

MoneySupermarket* also has boiler-only cover results 'from £3/mth'. Yet that 'from' is important as these don't tend to be tailored prices – meaning the cost can increase when you click through and put in info about where you live or more details about the cover you're looking for.

For a wider choice of providers, try Gocompare too – though its results tend to be more focused around home emergency providers. Great if that's what you're after, but may not be useful if you're looking for boiler-only cover.
If you use these sites, let us know how you get on in the boiler insurance forum discussion.
Alternative to buying cover
If you want to avoid shelling out every year for insurance, here is something to be aware of before crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.
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Cashback sites may pay you for signing up
As an extra boon, members of specialist cashback websites can be paid when they sign up to some financial products. Once you know who your cheapest provider is, you need to check there aren't any hidden cashback deals. Do check that it's exactly the same deal though, as terms can be different. And remember the cashback is never 100% guaranteed until it's in your account.
Full help to take advantage of this and pros & cons are in our Top Cashback Sites guide.
Boiler cover FAQs
How to complain about your insurance provider
The insurance industry doesn't have the best customer-service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include claims either not being paid out on time or at all, unfair charges, or exclusions being hidden in small print. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but, if not, then…

Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
RESOLVER – FREE COMPLAINTS TOOL*
If the company won't help, Resolver also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

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