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Main boilers review
Main is a boiler brand owned by Baxi, focussing on a small range of budget boilers. On this page, we reveal how its customers rate their experience.
We've shared customer scores from our latest boiler survey for free. Main gets a two star customer score from owners of its boilers.
But this only makes up 20% of our brand score. We've also calculated how many Main boilers are fault-free for six years, and found out what engineers think about them across several metrics.
Only Which? members can access our full results. Log in now or join Which? to find out the best boiler brands and how Main boilers stack up against the competition.
Main gas boilers score
| Best Buy | Reliability | Customer score | Overall engineer score | Ease of sourcing parts | Ease of replacing a common component | Ease of servicing | Build quality | Manufacturer support | Unbiased recommendation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations. Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time Already a member? Log in |
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Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations.
Unlock tableFirst month £5, then £11.99 per month, cancel at any time
Already a member? Log in
From our May 2024 UK general public online survey of 10,028 people who are responsible for the maintenance of their boiler and our May-June 2024 survey of boiler engineers. This included 7,619 gas boiler owners, 1,387 electric boiler owners, 448 oil boiler owners and 230 Trusted Trader boiler engineers. The Total score for all types of boiler ignores price and is based on: Reliability (40%) How many boilers bought in the past six years developed a fault, factoring in time until first fault and severity. Fault had to be repaired by a trained plumber or engineer. Engineer score (40%) Made up of 15% ease of sourcing parts, 15% ease of replacing common components, 15% ease of servicing, 10% manufacturer support, 20% build quality, 25% unbiased recommendations (barring incentivised engineers). Customer score (20%) How satisfied owners are and likelihood to recommend a brand. Sample size of customers (209). Best Buy threshold for gas boilers: 75%.
Only 67% of Main customers who bought their boiler in the past six years told us they are satisfied with their purchase. This contrasts unfavourably with an 82% average satisfaction rate across all gas boiler owners.
That brings it to a two-star rating for its customer score.
But this is only 20% of the story as 80% of a boiler brands total score comes from a combination of our survey boiler engineers to find out what they think of the brand and the results of our reliability study.
See our full brand review by subscribing to Which?.
Engineers' review of Main boilers
Only Which? members can see engineers' reviews of Main boilers.
We heard from 230 expert engineers who scored boiler brands on several tests. We asked them to score gas boiler brands on the following:
- The ease of sourcing spare parts
- How easy it so to change a common component (a heat exchanger)
- The ease of servicing the brand's boilers
- The build quality of the brand's boilers
- The quality of technical support provided by the manufacturer
- Whether or not engineers would recommend the brand to consumers (we filter out incentivised and brand affiliated engineers).
We aggregate all of these scores and use them to create our 'overall engineers' score', which is 40% of our total brand score.
Which? members can see how engineers rated Main gas boilers on all of these tests by logging in, while others can sign up to Which? to unlock our full analysis.
Main boiler reliability
Boilers are major purchases you should only make once every 10 to 20 years. You can keep yours for longer if you get it regularly serviced and get faults fixed quickly.
We've asked people who bought a boiler in the past six years about whether theirs is fault-free. When faults are reported, we measure how serious the fault was, how long it took for the first fault to happen and we confirm that it was fixed by an engineer.
Using this data, Which? members can see which brands produce boilers that are less prone to fault than others.
Sign up to Which? for all the results.
Where to buy Main boilers
It's easy to rush into making a decision, especially if your boiler breaks down in winter, but we recommend getting a couple of quotes from a qualified heating engineer and comparing costs. Our Trusted Trader service can link you up with vetted boiler installers in your area.
You could also buy a boiler yourself and hire an installer, although make sure you seek expert advice before doing so to have your current heating system assessed and identify the type of boiler that meets your specific needs.
If you buy a boiler without having an installer lined up, you could find yourself struggling to find someone willing to set it up for you. An installer may have access to trade or wholesale prices, and will be able to recommend a model based on a holistic assessment of your home and heating system.
Only a Gas Safe Registered engineer/installer can install a new boiler: it's both dangerous and illegal to do so yourself if you're not qualified.
Where to buy a boiler Find out what your options are
Are Main boilers efficient?
New boilers must be A-rated, but how efficiently your boiler works in practice depends on several factors, including how you use it and how well it's installed. Use a Which? Trusted Trader for your boiler installation and regular maintenance.
Visit Main for more information about its boilers.
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