Johnson & Starley boilers review

We've revealed the customer scores of gas boiler brands to Which? subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

Johnson & Starley has a 73% score for customer satisfaction. However, this only represents 20% of the overall score.

For members only, we reveal whether boiler engineers think as highly of Johnson & Starley gas boilers as customers do, and how likely these boilers are to become faulty. 

Which? members can access our full results and find out how Johnson & Starley gas boilers stack up against competition such as Baxi, Ideal, Vaillant and Viessmann. 

Sign up to Which? for complete access.

Johnson & Starley gas boiler score

Johnson and Starley's customer score of 73% from our survey of owners is revealed, but only Which? Members can see engineer assessment and details, including Which?’s verdict.

Sign up to Which? for access to our full results and find out how Heatline gas boilers stack up against the competition.

Johnson & Starley engineers' review

We asked 198 expert engineers to score gas boiler brands on:

• 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 Johnson & Starley gas boilers on all of these tests by logging in, while others can sign up to Which? to unlock our full analysis.

Johnson & Starley boiler reliability

We've asked people who bought a boiler in the past six years whether theirs is fault-free. When faults are reported, we measure how serious they were, 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.

Boilers are major purchases you should only make once every 10 - 20 years. You can keep yours for longer if you get it regularly serviced and if you get faults fixed quickly.

See our guide to boiler servicing for more details.

Where to buy Johnson & Starley 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, though 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 Johnson & Starley 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.