Will Scholfield, Engineer
22 May : Updated 22 Mar ● 11 min read
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers - An updated review and comparison for 2024
When deciding on a new boiler for your home, it can be difficult to determine which brand is the best option for you. You need a suitable replacement, but it sometimes feels as if there’s too much choice! If you’re struggling to find what’s right for you, don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Our boiler experts at BOXT are more than happy to walk you through the pros and cons of Ideal and Baxi boilers - providing you with honest and unbiased information to help you make the right choice.
If you’re unsure about either brand, make sure to check out our other comparison guides!
Who are Ideal and Baxi?
Ideal and Baxi are two very popular manufacturers that aim to produce high-quality and efficient boilers. With a range of sizes and boiler types, let's take a look at what each of these brands has to offer.
Introduction to Ideal boilers
Founded in 1906, Ideal has consistently been producing boilers for decades. Over the years, the company has adapted to new and innovative technology, which has led them to become expert manufacturers of combi boilers.
With founding principles of quality, innovation and value, Ideal has built an outstanding reputation, providing highly efficient and budget-friendly boilers.
Ideal also offer smart thermostats, heating system filters and Thermsteo cylinders, all of which are reliable and help you get the most out of your central heating system.
Introduction to Baxi boilers
Baxi has been operating in the UK since 1866 and has garnered a respectable reputation for themselves. Their products and services range from combi boilers, standard boilers and system boilers to heat interface units (HIUs), electric water heating and prefabricated plant rooms.
Whether you’re looking for heating requirements for domestic or commercial buildings, this award-winning company has a wide selection of heating appliances and accessories to keep your property warm at an affordable price.
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers
In this section, we’ll be comparing the two boiler brands based on different criteria: technology, price, extra features, guarantees and aftercare, efficiency and size and power output.
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Technology
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Ideal has several user-friendly features that make the day-to-day operation of their boilers fairly straightforward. For example, their top-of-the-range Ideal Vogue Max Combi boiler has an LCD display screen in full colour that's easy to use and an alert system that will tell you when it's time to arrange an annual service. Ideal boilers can connect to various smart thermostat systems, like Google Nest and Halo. The Halo Heat & System RF is a wireless feature that lets you control your heating the way you want to. From adding extra hours and creating a schedule to even boosting up the hot water, you can be in full control of your ideal boiler. Weather compensation devices can also be installed to automatically save you energy. This is because the device will alter the water flow depending on what the outside thermometer reads. You won’t need to manually change the temperature since the weather device will do it for you. If it’s cold outside, for example, then your heating will be turned on. |
All of BAXI's boiler models from the mid-range and up are compatible with the uSense smart thermostat, Google Nest and other smart thermostats, which can be used from the smartphone app. This gives users greater control over their energy consumption and allows them to schedule temperature changes within their homes. Smart home boilers can help save money on energy bills and reduce waste. The app can also be used to turn on the anti-frost feature during cold weather. |
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Price
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The average price of an Ideal boiler is around £1,700, with a start price of £650 to £1,349 for combi boilers and £779 to £2,210 for regular boilers. This brand is much more affordable than other high-end boiler companies like Worcester Bosch. When purchasing directly from Ideal, it’s worth keeping in mind that the cost does not factor in installation, so you’ll need to find someone else. Buying an Ideal boiler from BOXT, however, could save you a lot of stress! As with Baxi, Ideal has a range of models at different price points, so it’s worth comparing them against one another to find the one that’s right for your home. |
For a Baxi combi boiler, you can expect to pay anywhere in the region of £730 to £1300, depending on things like power output, energy efficiency and hot water cylinder capacity. Baxi has boiler models at a range of different price points, meaning you should be able to find one that’s within your budget. Generally, it's considered to be one of the more affordable boiler brands, but this definitely doesn’t mean that its products or services are of lower quality. It’s worth noting, though, that buying directly through Baxi will mean that the price quoted won’t necessarily include added extras like installation costs, so you’ll need to factor these into the total price. If you choose to buy a new Baxi boiler through BOXT, installation discounts are available, and we offer fixed-price quotes as standard. |
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Features
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Some of the best Ideal features:
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Some of the best BAXI features include:
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Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Guarantees and aftercare
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Ideal's warranties vary widely depending on which model of boiler you choose. The minimum warranty for one of their boilers is two years but includes full cover for parts and labour costs. Their best boiler in terms of warranty is the Vogue Max Combi which comes with 12 years of cover and includes the cost of a replacement combi boiler if needed. |
Baxi offers a range of different warranty options depending on the level of cover you want. Parts and labour warranties of up to 10 years are available, giving you complete peace of mind that everything can be taken care of in the event of a breakdown, fault, or system error. In order for your boiler warranty to be valid, a Gas Safe engineer must carry out the boiler installation, and the boiler itself must be registered no more than 30 days after installation (when you buy with BOXT, we register the warranty for you). You must also ensure that the boiler is serviced every 12 months. |
Ideal vs. Baxi boiler: Efficiency
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The Baxi Platinum 40 and Ideal Vogue Max C40 can both heat 10 to 15 radiators. Although these boilers are incredibly similar, Ideal’s Vogue Max is a little bit more efficient, with Ideal also offering an LPG version of this boiler. All Ideal boilers have high energy efficiency with a rating of A. An A-rated boiler means that your boiler is at least 90% efficient, meaning it’s great for the environment and the cost of your energy bills. Ideal has two standout performers in its premium combi boiler range when it comes to efficiency, the Ideal Logic Max combi boiler and the Ideal Vogue Gen2 combi boiler. The Logic Max has a very impressive 94% energy efficiency rating, and the Vogue Gen2 has been endorsed by the Energy Saving Trust for its efficiency level. |
Baxi combi boilers have been specifically designed to be highly energy-efficient, and boilers such as the BAXI Platinum 28kw have an efficiency rating of 89%. |
Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Size and power output
The type of boiler that's being installed will significantly affect the amount of space needed in the home.
The Ideal Logic Max has a height of 700mm, a width of 395mm and a depth of 278mm and can be hung on a wall to save space.
Similarly, the Baxi 600 Combi boiler also has a height of 700mm, a width of 390mm and a depth of 285mm.
These dimensions are now fairly standard for a new combi boiler. Baxi's range of combi boilers also has plenty of choices for a home of this size, and the Baxi 836 has a central heating output of 26.4kw and a domestic hot water output of 36kw.
Worcester Bosch boilers have a higher range of KW outputs, so, for homes that require more powerful combi boilers, this brand would be more suitable than both Baxi and Ideal.
Check out our other boiler comparison guides
Still deciding on a new boiler brand?
Check out our Baxi vs. Worcester Bosch boilers comparison guide to help inform your decision.
Baxi vs. Worcester Bosch boilersIdeal boilers models
Here are some comparisons of output between each boiler from Ideal and Baxi.
| Boiler name | Fuel type | Available in | Efficiency | Hot water flow rate | Warranty |
| Ideal Vogue Max Combi Boiler | Gas | 18 kW, 26 kW, 32 kW | 89.3%, 93% | 10.6 l/min (26 kW), 13.1 l/min (32 kW) | Up to 12-year parts and labour warranty |
| Ideal Vogue Gen2 Combi Boiler | Gas | 18 kW, 26 kW, 32 kW | 93% | 10.6 l/min (26 kW), 13.1 l/min (32 kW) | Up to 8-year parts and labour warranty |
| Ideal Logic Combi ESP1 Boiler | Gas | 24 kW, 30 kW, 35 kW | 94% | 10.2 l/min (24 kW), 12.2 l/min (30 kW), 15.0 l/min (35 kW) | 2-year parts and labour warranty |
| Ideal Logic Max Combi Boiler | Gas | 24 kW, 30 kW, 35 kW | 94% | 10.2 l/min (24 kW), 12.2 l/min (30 kW), 15.0 l/min (35 kW) | 10-year parts and labour warranty |
| Ideal Logic Plus Combi Boiler | Gas | 24 kW, 30 kW, 35 kW | 94% | 10.2 l/min (24 kW), 12.2 l/min (30 kW), 15.0 l/min (35 kW) | 7-year parts and labour warranty |
Baxi boilers models
| Boiler name | Fuel type | Available in | Efficiency | Hot water flow rate | Warranty |
| Baxi 200 Combi | Gas | 24 kW, 28 kW | 89% | 9.8 l/min (24 kW), 11.5 l/min (28 kW) | 3-year parts and labour warranty |
| Baxi 400 Combi | Gas | 24 kW, 28 kW | 89% | 9.8 l/min (24 kW), 11.5 l/min (28 kW) | 5-year parts and labour warranty |
| Baxi 600 Combi | Gas | 24 kW, 30 kW, 36 kW | 89% | 10.2 l/min (24 kW), 12.2 l/min (30 kW), 15.0 l/min (36 kW) | 7-year parts and labour warranty |
| Baxi 800 Combi | Gas | 25 kW, 30 kW, 36 kW | 93% | 10.2 l/min (25 kW), 12.2 l/min (30 kW), 15.0 l/min (36 kW) | 10-year parts and labour warranty |
| Baxi Duo-tec Combi | Gas | 24 kW, 28 kW, 33 kW, 40 kW | 88.6% | 9.8 l/min (24 kW), 11.5 l/min (28 kW), 13.5 l/min (33 kW), 16.4 l/min (40 kW) | 7-year parts and labour warranty |
| Baxi Platinum Combi | Gas | 24 kW, 28 kW, 33 kW, 40 kW | 89% | 9.8 l/min (24 kW), 11.5 l/min (28 kW), 13.5 l/min (33 kW), 16.4 l/min (40 kW) | 10-year parts and labour warranty |
Other factors to consider
Other than the cost, benefits and physical features, how reliable are these two boiler brands?
Ideal heating currently has a 4.8 Excellent score from over 28,000 reviews on Trustpilot. The reliability of their boiler range is partly due to the fact that their combi boilers have a low component count making them less likely to break down.
In comparison, Baxi has a score of 4.4 with 47,601 reviews. Considering Baxi has more reviews, this boiler brand offers reliable products to a similar standard to Ideal. Both are always keen to make their customers happy.
Awards
In 2013 and 2019, Ideal received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for their amazing work in sustainable development, innovation, promoting opportunity and international trade.
Baxi, on the other hand, were also rewarded in 2021 for innovation at the Gas Industry Awards.
Ideal vs. Baxi: Summary
When comparing these two boiler brands, they both share a lot of similarities and offer excellent services. Below is a quick rundown of the pros and cons of both brands.
Ideal boilers
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Baxi boilers
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Ideal vs. Baxi boilers: Which boiler brand is best for you?
In comparison, Ideal and Baxi boilers perform similarly well when it comes to energy efficiency, reliability and power outputs. There is not much to separate them when it comes to most metrics, but Baxi boilers do tend to be less expensive and come with a 10-year warranty as standard.
If you're looking for an efficient and reliable combi boiler to heat a standard-sized home, then both Baxi and Ideal have lots of options.
If you need any more support in choosing the best boiler for your home, check out our other boiler guides! Or, use our online ‘Find a Boiler’ tool to discover tailored recommendations for your new boiler.
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