HEAT PUMPS GUIDE
Best Heat Pump Brands in the UK, 2026
All five brands below qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of up to £7,500.
Check eligibilityLast updated April 2026
All five brands below qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of up to £7,500.
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Someone asked us last week which heat pump brand to buy. She'd spent three evenings reading forums, had five browser tabs open, and was more confused than when she started. See our guide on best air source heat pump models for more detail. Every brand looked identical on paper. That's because most comparison guides treat them identically, giving each one the same 200-word block in the same order with the same subheadings. See our guide on Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants available for more detail.
This one doesn't. We've weighted the brands by what actually matters when you're spending your own money: how easy it is to find a qualified installer, what you'll pay after the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant of £7,500, and how the units perform in real British houses, not in a test lab in Tokyo.
| Brand | SCOP | Noise (dB) | Warranty | Cost After BUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daikin | 3.5–4.5 | 45–52 | 5 yrs | £5,000–£9,500 |
| Samsung | 3.5–4.6 | 40–48 | 5 yrs | £4,000–£8,000 |
| Nibe | 3.8–5.0 | 42–50 | 7 yrs | £6,500–£10,000 |
| Vaillant | 3.4–4.3 | 46–54 | 5–7 yrs | £5,500–£9,000 |
| Mitsubishi | 3.5–4.4 | 45–55 | 5 yrs | £5,000–£9,500 |
SCOP = Seasonal Coefficient of Performance at 35 °C flow temperature. Costs are typical for a three-bed semi after the £7,500 BUS grant and include installation. These are indicative. Get at least three quotes.
Heat pump installations in the UK more than doubled between 2021 and 2023, reaching over 60,000 units per year according to MCS installation data. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has processed more than 100,000 vouchers since its 2022 launch, per Ofgem quarterly statistics. Air source models account for around 95% of UK residential installations, with ground source making up the rest, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Now the detail. We've ordered these by how many UK homeowners actually install them, not alphabetically.
The safe choice. Not the cheapest, not the most efficient, not the quietest. But the one your installer almost certainly knows inside out.
Daikin is the world's largest heat pump manufacturer, and in the UK that translates to the biggest MCS-certified installer network of any brand, according to MCS installer register data. That matters more than most people realise. A heat pump is only as good as the person who designs and fits the system. For a full walkthrough of what to expect on the day, our heat pump installation guide covers the process from survey to commissioning. The best unit in the world, badly installed, will underperform a mid-range unit done properly. With Daikin, you're far more likely to find three or four experienced installers competing for your job. Competition means better prices and better workmanship.
The Altherma 3 range covers outputs from 4 kW to 16 kW, so it handles everything from a two-bed flat to a large detached house. SCOP ratings sit between 3.5 and 4.5 at 35 °C flow temperature, per MCS product database figures. In plain terms, that's roughly £3.50 of heat for every £1 of electricity.
The downsides are real. Outdoor units run bulkier than Samsung or Vaillant, which matters if you're tight on space beside a side return or in a terraced house passageway. Noise at the upper end of the range hits 52 dB(A), louder than you'd want under a bedroom window. And the standard warranty is five years, not seven.
Parts supply is where Daikin pulls ahead again. Same-day availability from most plumbing merchants. If something fails in January, you're not waiting three weeks for a part from Sweden.
After the BUS grant: £5,000 to £9,500 installed, depending on property size and system complexity.
£4,000. That's what some homeowners are paying for a fully installed Samsung system after the BUS grant. For a smaller property with a straightforward installation, Samsung is comfortably the cheapest route to a heat pump in 2026.
But price isn't even the best reason to pick it.
40 dB(A). That's quieter than a fridge. The EHS Mono HT Quiet lives up to its name and sits well within the 42 dB(A) permitted development limit set by UK planning guidance. If your outdoor unit needs to go near a neighbour's boundary, or under your bedroom window, or in a courtyard where sound bounces, Samsung solves a problem that other brands don't.
Efficiency is strong too. SCOP values up to 4.6 at 35 °C flow temperature, according to MCS product data. That puts it ahead of Daikin and Mitsubishi on paper, though real-world performance depends heavily on your installer's system design.
The outdoor unit is compact. Fits tighter spaces than a Daikin Altherma.
Here's the catch. Samsung's UK installer network is smaller. Outside major cities, you might struggle to find three MCS-certified engineers with Samsung experience competing for your job. The brand is less established in heating than in electronics, so some installers default to what they know, which is usually Daikin or Mitsubishi. Fewer specialist engineers also means longer wait times for servicing in rural areas.
If budget is tight, Samsung is the obvious pick. If noise is your main concern, it's the only pick.
After the BUS grant: £4,000 to £8,000 installed.
The premium option. You'll pay more and you might wait longer for an installer, but the numbers are hard to argue with.
Nibe's F2120 monobloc achieves SCOP values above 5.0 in ideal conditions, the highest of any mainstream brand according to MCS product performance data. A SCOP of 5.0 means £5 of heat for every £1 of electricity. Over a 20-year lifespan, that efficiency gap adds up to hundreds of pounds in lower running costs compared to a unit with a SCOP of 3.5.
Seven-year warranty as standard. No upgrades, no extended warranty purchases. Seven years.
Nibe is Swedish, built for Scandinavian winters, and performs down to -25 °C without backup heating. British winters won't trouble it. The brand also offers ground source models (the S-series) that pair with borehole or horizontal loop systems, useful for larger properties where ground source makes economic sense. Our guide to ground source heat pumps covers costs, suitability and how they compare to air source. See our guide on how heat pumps work for more on the difference.
Nibe is brilliant if you can find an installer. That's the catch. The UK network is smaller than Daikin's or Mitsubishi's, and parts lead times can stretch outside major cities. If you're in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, you'll have options. If you're in rural Devon, you might be waiting.
The upfront cost is higher too. After the BUS grant, expect £6,500 to £10,000 installed. For a homeowner who plans to stay in the property long-term and wants the lowest possible running costs, that premium pays back. For someone who might move in five years, the maths is less clear.
Vaillant's pitch is simple: future-proofing.
The aroTHERM plus range uses R290, a natural refrigerant (propane) with a global warming potential of just 3. Compare that to R410A at 2,088 or R32 at 675, per EU F-gas regulation data. The EU is phasing down synthetic refrigerants over the next decade. A Vaillant unit won't need a refrigerant swap or an early replacement when those rules bite.
SCOP ratings range from 3.4 to 4.3. Solid, not spectacular. Noise levels are slightly higher than Samsung or Nibe. The outdoor unit needs minimum clearance from boundaries because of propane safety regulations, so it won't suit every property layout.
Vaillant integrates well with its own controls ecosystem, and the brand recognition from decades of boiler manufacturing means something at resale. Estate agents report that buyers recognise the name. Warranty runs to seven years on some models.
After the BUS grant: £5,500 to £9,000 installed.
The Ecodan range has been in UK homes for over 15 years. If you want a track record, Mitsubishi has the longest one.
Latest R32 models offer SCOP values between 3.5 and 4.4, according to MCS data. The installer network is one of the largest in the country, including rural areas where other brands have gaps. Mitsubishi also runs a dedicated homeowner support line, which is rare in this industry. Spare parts are widely available.
The MELCloud app gives you remote monitoring and control. Useful, not essential.
Outdoor units can be noisier than Samsung at higher output settings, up to 55 dB(A). Premium models sit at the higher end of the price range. And there's no R290 option in the current UK lineup, which could matter if F-gas regulations tighten faster than expected.
Mitsubishi is the dependable mid-range choice. Nothing flashy. Nothing to worry about either.
After the BUS grant: £5,000 to £9,500 installed.
Forget the brand for a minute. The single biggest factor in whether your heat pump works well is the installer, not the box on the wall.
A higher SCOP means lower running costs, yes. But the difference between brands is often smaller than the difference between a well-designed system and a poorly-designed one. A Daikin with correct flow temperatures, properly sized radiators and a good heat loss calculation will outperform a Nibe where the installer guessed the settings.
So start with the installer, not the brand. Get three quotes from MCS-certified companies. Ask each one which brands they're experienced with. If two out of three recommend Daikin for your property, that tells you something about local expertise and parts availability.
Three things to weigh:
Your property's heat demand. A well-insulated three-bed semi needs 4 to 8 kW. A draughty Victorian terrace might need 12 to 16 kW. Your installer should do a room-by-room heat loss calculation. If they don't offer one, find someone who does.
Your budget after the grant. The BUS grant gives you £7,500 off the installed cost, applied automatically by your MCS-certified installer. Samsung starts around £4,000 after the grant. Nibe can hit £10,000. That's a real difference.
Installer availability in your area. Check the MCS installer register for your postcode. If there are eight Daikin installers and one Nibe installer within 30 miles, that tells you where the local expertise sits.
It's also worth checking your home's EPC rating before committing. The BUS grant no longer requires a specific insulation level, but a well-insulated home gets far more out of any heat pump. A band D house with loft and cavity wall insulation will see lower bills than a band E house with the most efficient unit on the market.
All five brands qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. £7,500 off the installed cost. Your MCS-certified installer applies it automatically.
Depending on your household income, you might also qualify for the Warm Homes Plan or ECO4, which can fund heating upgrades at little or no cost for eligible households.
Not sure whether a heat pump is the right choice for your home? Our guide on are heat pumps worth it runs through the maths by property type and heating usage.\n\nOpen the eligibility checker. Two minutes. You'll know exactly which grants apply to your home.
Common questions