CoverMapWhat is boiler and central heating cover?
Boiler cover is a monthly or annual plan that pays for repairs when your boiler breaks down. You pay an excess per claim (on many plans), and an engineer comes out to fix it. Some plans also include an annual service.
Plans usually come in three levels:
- Boiler only – covers the boiler itself. HomeServe’s boiler-only plan, for example, excludes radiators, pipes, tanks, cylinders and the gas supply pipe to the meter.
- Boiler and central heating cover – adds the wider heating system, such as the radiators and pipework that a boiler-only plan leaves out.
- Home emergency cover – adds plumbing and electrics on top of heating. HomeServe’s Heating, Plumbing and Electrics plan is an example.
Not every product sold as “boiler cover” is insurance. We explain why that matters below.
Compare boiler cover prices (checked October 2026)
These are the prices providers showed on their own websites in October 2026. Many are discounted for the first year only. Your price depends on your home, your boiler and the excess you choose.
| Provider | Plan | Price shown | Excess options | Annual service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomeServe | Gas Boiler Cover | £6.49/month in year 1; expected £15.55/month in year 2 | £100 | No (can be added) |
| HomeServe | Gas Boiler and Central Heating | £8.99/month in year 1; expected £27.20/month in year 2 | £60 | No (can be added) |
| HomeServe | Heating, Plumbing and Electrics (with service) | £29.49/month in year 1; expected £56/month in year 2 | £60 | Yes |
| British Gas | HomeCare | £16.50/month (discounted from £22) | £0, £60, £99 | Yes |
| OVO | Essentials / Starter / Complete | From £10.50 / £12 / £13 a month (discounts for 12 months) | £0, £60, £95 | Yes |
| CORGI HomePlan | Essentials to Complete | From £17/month | None on some plans; £60 on others | Yes |
| Hometree | Your Boiler to Your Home Plus | From £12.95/month | Quote needed | Yes |
| 24/7 Home Rescue | My Boiler / My Heating / My Home / My Home Plus | Promo £6.90 / £10.99 / £12.49 / £13.99 a month (regular £17.25 / £21.99 / £24.99 / £27.99) | £0, £45, £75, £95 | Yes, in year 1 |
| Home Emergency Assist | Boiler / Boiler & Heating / Complete | £4.15 / £5.33 / £10.09 a month | £0, £60, £95 | Complete plan only |
| Domestic & General | Boiler / Boiler and Heating | £7.99 / £9.99 a month | £60 | Not mentioned |
Source: provider websites, checked October 2026. Prices are “from” or introductory prices as shown and may change.
Comparison sites show a similar spread. Uswitch (updated 29 September 2026) listed “from” prices ranging from £3.45 a month for Hometree Your Boiler Essentials (£95 excess) to £38 a month for CORGI Complete (£0 excess). MoneySavingExpert says policies start from under £4 a month but can reach £30 a month for comprehensive cover.
Watch the year-two price
The biggest catch is renewal. HomeServe’s boiler and central heating plan goes from £8.99 a month in year one to an expected £27.20 in year two. Which? (updated September 2025) found the same pattern: HomeServe’s basic cover cost £150 in year one and £374.52 in year two in summer 2025. Which?’s advice is to check the year-two price, pay annually and switch each year, because “loyalty doesn’t pay”.
Choosing an excess
A higher excess means a lower monthly price but a bigger bill each time you claim. Which? found 22% of people had a £0 excess and said this is rarely worthwhile. It suggests considering a £60 excess.
Boiler age limits and replacement
Your boiler’s age affects whether you can get cover and whether a plan will ever replace it. Which? says many providers won’t accept boilers over 15 years old. MoneySavingExpert says most policies won’t cover boilers older than seven years.
| Provider | Age rule | Replacement if it can’t be repaired |
|---|---|---|
| British Gas | Any age, if in good working order | If under 7 years old (or under 10 if British Gas installed it) |
| HomeServe | Not stated | After 6+ months on the policy: replaced and installed if under 7 years; over 7 years, they arrange it but you pay installation |
| OVO (Complete) | Not stated | Up to £2,500 if under 7 years at start and under 10 at renewal |
| Hometree | Not stated | Free if under 7 years; 15% off a new boiler if older |
| Domestic & General | Must be under 15 years | Up to £750 (installation and delivery not included) |
| Home Emergency Assist | Extra £60 excess if over 10 years | Not stated |
Source: provider websites, checked October 2026; Which?; MoneySavingExpert.
Baxi says a boiler should last 10–15 years if it is serviced every year. If yours is near the end of that range, compare the cost of cover with our new boiler cost guide.
How much do boiler repairs cost?
| Repair | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Typical boiler repair | £150–£400 inc VAT (£200–£500 in London/South East) |
| Printed circuit board (PCB) | £300–£550 |
| Diverter valve | £250–£450 |
| Pump | £250–£450 |
| Fan | £200–£400 |
| Heat exchanger | £400–£700+ |
| Expansion vessel / low pressure | £150–£350 |
| Emergency call-out fee (before parts and labour) | £100–£300 |
Source: Fantastic Services (September 2026) for repair items; MyBuilder (August 2026) for call-out fees.
Is boiler cover worth it?
Which? found that “in most cases, paying for services and repairs as and when you need them works out cheaper over a number of years than paying for annual boiler cover”. It put the average cost of a boiler cover package at £183 a year.
That is about the cost of one typical repair from the table above. If your boiler rarely breaks down, setting the money aside yourself is likely to come out ahead, especially once year-two prices apply.
Cover can make more sense if:
- Your boiler is older and more likely to need parts such as a PCB or heat exchanger.
- A sudden repair bill of several hundred pounds would be hard for you to pay.
- The plan includes the annual service you would pay for anyway.
Saving the money yourself can make more sense if your boiler is newer or you could pay a repair bill from savings. Which? notes some people still value the peace of mind.
Common exclusions to check
- Initial no-claims period. HomeServe has a 28-day period when you aren’t covered. British Gas allows no claims in the first 14 days. CORGI HomePlan has an initial 30-day period. Home Emergency Assist adds an extra £60 excess to claims in the first 90 days.
- Pre-existing faults. HomeServe excludes pre-existing problems.
- Sludge and power flushing. Which? says system flushes, which can cost £400 or more, often aren’t covered. MoneySavingExpert says sludge is commonly excluded.
- Missed annual service. MoneySavingExpert lists the lack of an annual service as a common exclusion.
- Age limits. See the table above.
- Claim limits. Which? says some policies cap repairs at £1,500 a year, while others are unlimited. Home Emergency Assist’s standard cover pays up to £1,000 per claim and up to £3,000 a year. Hometree says it has no limit on the number of claims and no cap on repair cost unless the boiler is beyond economic repair.
Central heating insurance vs a service contract
Some boiler cover is an insurance policy. Some is a service or maintenance contract. The difference matters if something goes wrong.
MoneySavingExpert explains that insurance policies are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and give you access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Service agreements don’t have this protection if the provider goes bust.
Before buying insurance for your boiler and central heating, check the policy documents for the name of the insurer. HomeServe’s cover is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited, OVO’s by HTG Insurance Services Limited, and Domestic & General’s by Domestic & General Insurance PLC.
What the Financial Ombudsman sees
In 2024/25 the FOS received 1,481 complaints about home emergency insurance and upheld 39% of them. In July to September 2025 it received 331 new complaints, with a 37% uphold rate.
The FOS says common complaints include claims rejected as “not an emergency”, delays and cancelled appointments, poor repairs, temporary rather than permanent fixes, excess charged wrongly, the insurer saying a repair isn’t economical, and how the policy was sold.
If you have a problem, complain to the firm first. You can take it to the FOS if you don’t get a final response within eight weeks, or if you’re unhappy with the response.
Home emergency cover on your home insurance
Standard home insurance usually doesn’t cover appliance breakdown, says British Gas. Uswitch notes boiler cover can be included in home insurance, so check your existing policy first.
MoneySuperMarket says the average add-on costs £27, based on its enquiries from April to July 2026. The per-incident claim limit is usually around £1,000. Boiler breakdown is usually covered, but servicing and maintenance are not.
You can compare home insurance prices in our home insurance cost guide and see insurers in our UK home insurance providers guide.
Annual boiler service: cost and warranty
A gas boiler service costs £80–£120 including VAT, with an average of about £100, according to Checkatrade data reported by Uswitch. MoneySavingExpert quotes £60–£120. OVO values the service included in its plans at £84.
Uswitch notes that many boiler warranties require regular servicing to stay valid. So if your boiler is still under warranty, you need the annual service either way. A plan that includes it may cost less than it first looks.
Whoever services or repairs your boiler, by law all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register. You can check an engineer’s Gas Safe ID card and licence number online or by calling 0800 408 5500. For more home services, see our home security and services hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does boiler cover cost in the UK?
Provider prices checked in October 2026 ranged from £4.15 a month (Home Emergency Assist Boiler) to £34.49 a month for HomeServe Heating, Plumbing and Electrics Plus. Many are introductory prices. Which? put the average boiler cover package at £183 a year.
Is boiler cover worth it?
Which? found that paying for repairs as you need them usually works out cheaper over several years. Cover can suit you if your boiler is older or a repair bill of several hundred pounds would be hard to pay.
What is the difference between boiler cover and central heating cover?
Boiler-only cover covers the boiler itself. Boiler and central heating cover adds the wider heating system, such as radiators and pipework, which plans like HomeServe’s boiler-only cover exclude.
Will boiler cover replace my boiler?
Sometimes, with limits. British Gas, HomeServe and Hometree tie full replacement to boilers under 7 years old. OVO Complete pays up to £2,500 and Domestic & General up to £750, excluding installation.
Does home insurance cover my boiler?
Standard home insurance usually doesn’t cover breakdowns. A home emergency add-on costs £27 on average (MoneySuperMarket, April–July 2026), usually with a claim limit of around £1,000.
Is boiler cover regulated?
Insurance policies are covered by the FSCS and give access to the Financial Ombudsman. Service or maintenance contracts don’t have that protection, according to MoneySavingExpert. Check which type you are buying.
Can I make a claim straight away?
Usually not. HomeServe has a 28-day period, British Gas 14 days and CORGI HomePlan 30 days before you can claim.
Sources
- HomeServe – Gas Boiler Cover (checked Oct 2026)
- HomeServe – Gas Boiler and Central Heating cover (checked Oct 2026)
- HomeServe – Heating, Plumbing and Electrics cover (checked Oct 2026)
- British Gas – Boiler and Heating Cover (checked Oct 2026)
- OVO – Boiler cover (checked Oct 2026)
- CORGI HomePlan – Boiler cover (checked Oct 2026)
- Hometree – Boiler cover insurance (checked Oct 2026)
- 24/7 Home Rescue – Boiler cover (checked Oct 2026)
- Home Emergency Assist – Boiler & heating cover (checked Oct 2026)
- Domestic & General – Heating cover (checked Oct 2026)
- Which? – How to choose the best boiler cover (Sept 2025)
- MoneySavingExpert – Boiler insurance (Apr 2026)
- Uswitch – Boiler cover (Sept 2026)
- Uswitch – How much does a boiler service cost?
- Fantastic Services – Boiler repair cost (Sept 2026)
- MyBuilder – Boiler repair cost (Aug 2026)
- British Gas – HomeCare vs home insurance (Jan 2026)
- Financial Ombudsman – Home emergency insurance
- Financial Ombudsman – Annual complaints data 2024/25
- Financial Ombudsman – Quarterly complaints data Q2 2025/26
- MoneySuperMarket – Home emergency cover (2026)
- Gas Safe Register – FAQs