Vokera Boilers: Are They Better Than Worcester Bosch?

If you’ve been looking for a new boiler installed, there’s an affordable boiler brand that’s probably caught your eye — Vokera boilers.

Vokera is a popular boiler manufacturer, with over 500,000 different Vokera boiler models in use throughout central heating systems in the UK and Ireland. They produce combi boilers, system and open vent boilers, as well as a good range of cylinders and instantaneous heating solutions for domestic hot water.

In this post, we’ll walk you through Vokera boiler models, warranty terms, durability, and prices, so you can make an informed decision before you make your purchase.

Generally, We’ll Recommend a Worcester Bosch Over a Vokera Boiler

If you’ve already had boiler installation quotes, there’s a good chance that Vokera boilers have not been quoted. Although they are cheap, they are known not to be as reliable as Worcester Bosch.

Interested in getting a back-to-back comparison for installation on a Vokèra boiler and another brand? You can do that here.

Or, if you want a dirt cheap price on a Worcester Bosch boiler, you can get that online within 2-minutes using Heatable, an online boiler installation company.

Vokera Boiler Model Choices

Here’s a list of the currently available Vokera boiler models:

• Linea
• Unica
• Mynute
• Compact
• Condexa
• evolve
• Vision

No two homes are the same — even properties of a similar size may require a completely different boiler type and heating system setup. The type of Vokera boiler you need will depend on:

• The central heating setup (conventional, system, or combi boilers)
• Fuel type (natural gas, LPG, oil)
• Size of the property and heating requirements
• Number of radiators
• Length of the heating circuit
• Number of bathrooms
• Demand for hot water
• Insulation — less insulation usually means more heat loss, and therefore, a higher heating output is required

Vokera boiler models only come in a small range. This is partly due to the fact that they don’t have the sales volume of Worcester boilers, so they tend to condense the range where possible.

Homeowners with what might be classed as a typical property will easily find a suitable Vokera boiler. But those with an atypical property, may need to explore the more in-depth Worcester range.

Vokera Boiler Guarantees

Vokèra boilers come standard with a 2-year warranty. And, that’s never a good sign. Typically, we advise customers to go with boilers that have a warranty of at least 5 years. A good example of this is the Ideal Logic Plus 24, which comes standard with a 7-year warranty and is cheaper than the Worcester equivalent.

Now, if you dig through the Vokèra range of boilers, you’ll find some models with a 5-year warranty — like the Vokera Vision 30c. This table below covers Vokera combi boilers and system boilers ranges.

If you need to get your boiler service, you can usually use the in-house Vokera boiler service team. However, on occasion, they do employ local contractors. In contrast, Worcester has a dedicated service team of over 80 engineers and offers warranties from 5-10 years if a Worcester accredited installer is used to fit the boiler.

For example, you can get on-screen prices for a complete home heating package from Heatable here, complete with a 10-year warranty on Worcester boilers.

Longevity

When you start looking at Vokera boiler prices and reviews you’ll notice one thing; they are cheap. They can sometimes be as much as 20% cheaper than the equivalent Worcester. On a typical installation with a Gas Safe registered engineer, this could mean saving £300-500. That was of course, before Heatable partnered with Bosch to offer Worcester boilers at ridiculously low prices (you can see just how cheap here).

Unfortunately, there’s a good reason for this. Cheap boilers are made from cheap parts. Vokera boilers use low quality Italian components.

We’ve been called out to lots of breakdowns of Vokera boilers that are just a few years old. Problems we’ve encountered include:

• Expansion vessels losing pressure
• Diverter valves need unsticking (or replacing)

Sometimes, paying that little extra up front for a boiler from Worcester, Ideal, or Baxi, is going to pay dividends in the long run.

Prices and Reputation

For most homeowners that don’t know much about heating and hot water, it really comes down to price. And when using a local installer Vokèra boilers beat Worcester every single time. The problem is, these boilers really are the lower end of the spectrum.

When quoted with a flue, controls, system filter, chemicals and labour, a Vokera combination boiler will be in the region of £300-500 cheaper. But, now Heatable work with Bosch, they’re able to almost match Vokera boiler prices, on a boiler that comes with a 10-year warranty and, typically, a smart thermostat; you can get prices on screen here. To get an idea, they’re running a sale now which brings the price of a Worcester Greenstar 4000 down to just £1,965.

What most people don’t consider is the installation usually costs as much as the boiler. So, when a cheaper boiler breaks down, a large labour charge is applied (on top of the new boiler cost). This is why we recommend choosing a brand known for durability, energy efficiency, and overall quality — like Worcester Bosch — and getting the longest warranty possible.

The Verdict: Vokera Boilers

I’d sooner be fitting a quality, durable, energy efficient appliance from Baxi, Ideal, Vaillant, or Worcester than a Vokera boiler. The initial saving of £300-500 just doesn’t offset the large jumps in warranty, and the possibility of forking out £1900+ for a new boiler installation a few years down the line.

That said, if you’ve got your mind set on a Vokera boiler, at least make sure you’re getting one with the 5-year warranty instead of the standard, 2-year term.

If you have any questions, or would like to share your own experience, please leave us a comment below and we’ll get back to you.