OVO vs British Gas Boiler Cover Compared

OVO vs British Gas boiler cover comes down to price and plan level: as of August 2026, OVO’s boiler and heating cover starts from £14.00 a month, while British Gas boiler and heating cover is published at £22.00 a month with a £60 excess. On the headline monthly figures, OVO’s entry plan is the cheaper of the two, though the right choice depends on what each plan actually covers, the excess, and how old your boiler is.

Both providers are large UK energy suppliers offering standalone boiler and central heating cover you can buy whether or not you take their gas and electricity. Free Price Compare tracks supplier pricing and lets you compare energy tariffs alongside cover, so you can weigh the cost of cover against what you would pay to switch tariff and save on your bills.

Last updated: August 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed August 2026

Which is cheaper on the headline monthly price?

On the published entry prices for August 2026, OVO starts from £14.00 a month while British Gas boiler and heating cover is listed at £22.00 a month with a £60 excess, so OVO is cheaper on that specific headline comparison. That is a difference of £8 a month, or around £96 over a year, before you account for any excess you would pay when you claim. OVO also publishes higher-tier plans from £16.00 and £20.00 a month, while British Gas lists boiler repair options up to £38.50 a month for a £0 excess plan. Headline price is only the starting point, because the cheapest plan on either side usually protects the least.

Figures are indicative and may change. Prices were taken from OVO and British Gas published pages in August 2026 and can vary by plan, excess and quote circumstances.

Because boiler cover pricing is not a nationally fixed rate card, always get a live quote for your address and boiler before deciding. If your main goal is cutting bills, it is also worth checking whether switching tariff frees up enough saving to cover the monthly cost, which you can test when you compare energy tariffs.

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What does each plan actually cover, and what is excluded?

Both OVO and British Gas structure cover in tiers, so an entry plan usually protects the boiler and its controls only, while higher tiers add central heating repairs, radiators, pipework and sometimes home emergency and plumbing cover. Read each plan’s terms carefully, because the cheapest option often excludes the parts most likely to fail on an older system. British Gas publishes boiler and heating cover at £22.00 a month with a £60 excess, and separate plumbing and drains cover as an add-on. OVO similarly offers essentials, complete and higher-level plans, with the priced difference reflecting how much of your heating system is protected.

Common exclusions across boiler cover plans include pre-existing faults, boilers over a certain age, systems that are not on the Gas Safe Register maintenance history, and gradual wear where no fault has yet occurred. Most plans also carry an initial exclusion period of around 14 to 30 days after you take out cover, during which you cannot claim. If you want the full breakdown of British Gas tiers, our British Gas HomeCare plans guide sets out what each level includes.

Is OVO cover the same as CORGI HomePlan?

OVO boiler cover is provided under OVO’s own branding and terms, and is not simply a rebadged CORGI HomePlan product. OVO also runs a separate on-demand fixed-price repair service for one-off breakdowns, which is different from an ongoing cover plan. If you want to know exactly who underwrites and delivers the repairs, check the plan documents at the point of quote, because the servicing engineer network and the underwriter behind a plan can differ from the supplier whose name is on the cover. Our OVO Energy boiler cover guide explains the plan tiers in more detail.

Is OVO boiler cover worth it?

OVO boiler cover can be worth it if you have an older boiler, no emergency savings, and you value a fixed monthly cost over an unpredictable repair bill, with plans starting from £14.00 a month as of August 2026. A single boiler repair can run to a few hundred pounds, and a replacement boiler can cost several thousand pounds, so cover appeals to households that would struggle to fund a sudden breakdown. Against that, if your boiler is newer and under manufacturer warranty, you may already be protected for parts and labour, making an extra monthly plan less useful.

The value case improves the older and less reliable your boiler is, but insurers usually exclude very old boilers or price cover higher for them. Before committing, add up 12 months of premiums plus your likely excess, and compare that with a typical repair and an annual service bought separately. For many households on tight budgets, the deciding factor is whether the monthly cost is affordable alongside their energy bills.

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Is boiler cover worth it at all versus paying for repairs?

Boiler cover is worth it mainly as budgeting insurance rather than a guaranteed money-saver, because over many years the total premiums can exceed what you would have spent on ad-hoc repairs. If you have savings to absorb a one-off repair of a few hundred pounds and your boiler is under 10 years old, paying as and when is often cheaper overall. Cover makes more sense for older boilers, landlords who need reliability, and households who prefer a predictable monthly cost and a single number to call in an emergency. A middle path is to skip full cover but pay for an annual Gas Safe-registered service, which catches faults early and keeps most warranties valid.

How do the excess and plan tiers affect the real cost?

The excess is the amount you pay towards each claim before cover pays the rest, and it can change which plan is cheaper. British Gas publishes boiler and heating cover at £22.00 a month with a £60 excess, and a £0 excess boiler repair option at £38.50 a month, so paying more monthly removes the per-claim charge. A £0 excess plan only pays off if you claim often enough that the saved excess outweighs the higher premium, which most households do not. For a boiler that rarely breaks down, a lower monthly price with a modest excess usually works out cheaper over a full year.

To compare fairly, add the annual premium to the excess you would pay on a typical claim. A plan at £14.00 a month is £168 a year before any excess; a plan at £22.00 a month is £264 a year plus a £60 excess if you claim once. Higher tiers cost more but protect radiators, controls and pipework, which matters more on an older whole-system setup than on a modern combi boiler.

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What is the best value servicing and heating cover approach?

The best value servicing and heating cover approach for most households is an annual Gas Safe-registered boiler service plus either targeted cover or self-insuring through savings, rather than defaulting to the most expensive whole-home plan. An annual service is the single most useful spend, because it keeps most manufacturer warranties valid and catches faults before they become emergencies. If you want breakdown cover on top, match the tier to your system: a modern combi boiler rarely needs the highest tier covering radiators and pipework, whereas an older open-vented system with lots of components does.

Compare a supplier plan against a standalone specialist and a trusted local Gas Safe engineer for servicing, since a local engineer often charges less for a service than a national plan bundles it at. If you are weighing OVO and British Gas specifically, look past the headline price to the excess, the exclusions, and whether servicing is included or extra. Our guides on OVO Energy boiler services and Hometree heating cover compare the plan structures side by side.

Should you switch energy tariff at the same time?

Switching energy tariff at the same time as sorting boiler cover often saves more than the cover itself costs, especially if you are on a standard variable tariff above the price cap floor. The energy price cap set by Ofgem limits the unit rates and standing charge a typical household pays on a default tariff, but it does not cap your total bill, which still depends on how much gas and electricity you use. Fixed tariffs and cheaper deals can sit below the capped rates, so households that never switch often pay more than they need to.

Boiler cover and your energy tariff are separate decisions, but treating them together helps you see the true monthly cost of your home energy. If a switch saves you £10 to £20 a month, that can offset most of an entry-level boiler cover plan. Before you commit to a supplier for cover, check whether staying with them on tariff is actually your cheapest option, and watch for exit fees if you are mid-contract. Our British Gas exit fees and switching guide explains what to check before you move.

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OVO vs British Gas on service and reputation

OVO and British Gas are both established UK energy suppliers, and neither can be labelled definitively better on service without verified, current satisfaction data, which was not available for this comparison. British Gas is one of the longest-running suppliers with a large national engineer network under its HomeCare brand, while OVO is a newer supplier that has expanded into bundled boiler and home cover. Reputation for boiler cover often comes down to claims handling, engineer availability in your area, and how quickly a supplier responds in an emergency, which can vary locally.

If service quality matters most to you, check independent reviews at the point of buying and read the plan’s terms on response times and emergency call-outs. Both suppliers are subject to Ofgem energy rules, and complaints about energy accounts can be escalated to the Energy Ombudsman if unresolved after eight weeks. For a broader supplier comparison, our British Gas vs E.ON Next guide looks at how the big suppliers stack up.

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Information correct as of 24 August 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).