Ideal boiler cover and repair costs after the warranty

Ideal boiler cover at a glance

• Still under Ideal's warranty: contact Ideal first. Ideal says its warranty covers manufacturing issues, and our terms exclude manufacturer defects (terms, section 10.7), so a cover plan adds little while the warranty runs.
• Out of warranty and still working: this is the right moment to set up cover, because cover is for breakdowns that have not happened yet.
• Already broken: get it repaired first, by Ideal or by a Gas Safe registered engineer. A fault the boiler already has is a defect, not a breakdown, so a Smart Plan cover plan does not pay for it (terms, definition 14).

What does Ideal boiler cover from Smart Plan pay for?

Ideal boiler cover from Smart Plan pays parts and labour for breakdowns, up to £500 in each 12-month period on a boiler under 7 years old, or £200 once it is over 7 years old. The limit depends on the boiler's age, not its brand, and the 12-month period counts from the day the plan starts (terms, section 2.1(d) and definition 12). Anything above the limit is yours to pay.

There are three boiler cover products: Boiler Cover, Boiler Cover & Annual Service, and Boiler & Central Heating Cover, which adds the central heating to the boiler (terms, section 2). The plan is modular, so boiler cover can stand on its own or sit alongside other modules. It covers one gas or LPG boiler in the property, so a second boiler needs its own agreement (terms, section 2.1(a)), and oil boilers are not covered (terms, section 2.2(b)).

The work goes through a national network of thousands of Gas Safe registered engineers, and depending on availability that can include sub-contracted engineers (terms, section 9.10).

If you ever smell gas, do not turn electrical switches on or off, open doors and windows, leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away.

Is your Ideal boiler still under warranty?

Check your Ideal boiler warranty first, because while it runs, a manufacturing fault is Ideal's to put right and our terms exclude manufacturer defects (terms, section 10.7).

Ideal says its boiler warranties vary between 2 and 12 years depending on the model. Some Logic+ models carry 7 years on the boiler plus 10 years on the heat exchanger, according to Ideal's warranties guide (checked 9 October 2026). Ideal also says the warranty may be limited to 12 months if it is not registered within 30 days of installation, and that the warranty only covers manufacturing issues, so radiators and pipework are not part of it. If you want an annual service included, the annual service section below sets out the Smart Plan products that include one.

To check, call Ideal on 01482 498660 with the serial number to hand. Our Ideal boiler warranty page, linked at the foot of this page, covers where to find the serial number and the other ways to check. The rest of this page is mainly for owners whose warranty has ended, or is about to.

Ideal's own options once the warranty ends

Ideal's out of warranty page offers a one-off fixed price repair, which Ideal says includes all required boiler parts plus labour, and a Repair & Care plan for boilers under 15 years old, including the initial repair, provided by Domestic & General (Ideal, out of warranty protection, checked 9 October 2026).

Ideal says its prices may be subject to change, so read the current figures on Ideal's page, linked at the foot of this page, before you compare anything. Our Ideal boiler out of warranty repair guide, also linked at the foot of this page, sets out Ideal's options in detail.

Is Ideal boiler cover worth it after the warranty?

Ideal boiler cover is worth it when a repair bill you did not plan for would hurt more than a regular payment. The fairest test is simple: put Ideal's fixed price repair figure, from Ideal's own page, against twelve months of the plan price we give you on the call. Ideal's fixed price buys one repair. A cover plan is there for breakdowns across the year.

Then check the cover limit for the boiler's age, set out above (terms, section 2.1(d)). On an older Ideal, one large repair can go past the £200 limit, and you pay the difference.

Finally, count the costs around the plan: a £95 call-out fee, paid in advance, in your first 30 days (terms, section 9.1), and a 12-month agreement period once you use a service (terms, section 9.4). If those still sit comfortably next to the fixed price repair, cover makes sense.

Heat exchanger and PCB failures on an Ideal

Our terms treat a heat exchanger or PCB (the main circuit board) failure differently from other repairs. If either fails, the boiler is declared beyond economic repair rather than repaired (terms, section 2.1(c)).

In that case we make a contribution payment. It is whichever is lower: the retail value of the boiler, including installation, or your cover limit less the value of any work we have already done in that 12-month period (terms, section 9.5).

Ideal's warranties guide lists 10 years on the heat exchanger for some Logic+ models, longer than the 7 years on the rest of the boiler. If your boiler is still inside that period, ask Ideal first, because our terms exclude manufacturer defects (terms, section 10.7).

Adding an annual service: an Ideal boiler service plan

If you want an Ideal boiler service plan rather than breakdown cover alone, Boiler Cover & Annual Service and Boiler & Central Heating Cover both include an annual service on your boiler (terms, section 2). You can ask for it at a time and date that suits you, though we may write to you asking for it to be done within a set period (terms, section 2.1(b)).

If you pay monthly, the service can be carried out after 6 monthly payments. If you pay annually, you can ask for it once your first 30 days have passed (terms, section 9.6). Asking for the service inside the first 30 days costs £95 (terms, section 2.1(b)).

What Ideal boiler cover does not include

These are the main exclusions for an Ideal boiler. The full list is in the terms, sections 2.2 and 10.

• A fault the boiler already has. Faults that existed before the plan started are defects, not breakdowns (terms, definition 14).
• A defect the engineer finds and you choose not to put right. We quote to remedy it, and if it is not remedied, that part is excluded from then on (terms, section 9.11).
• Manufacturer defects. While your Ideal warranty runs, those go to Ideal (terms, section 10.7).
• Repressuring the boiler, adjusting settings, changing batteries and resetting the boiler (terms, sections 10.1 and 10.2).
• Repairs to flues and flue liners (terms, section 10.4).
• Repair or replacement of radiators (terms, section 2.2(e)).
• Unvented cylinders, thermal stores, immersion heaters, condense pumps, underfloor heating and low loss headers (terms, section 2.2(c)).
• Electrical, water supply or booster pump work (terms, section 2.2(d)).
• Wifi enabled or internet based equipment, such as smart thermostats (terms, section 2.2(i)).
• Faults caused by freezing, such as a frozen condensate pipe (terms, section 10.21).
• Damage caused by sludge, scale, rust or corrosion (terms, section 10.22).
• Oil boilers, and any boiler beyond the one named on your agreement (terms, sections 2.1(a) and 2.2(b)).
• Anything above the cover limit: £500 for a boiler under 7 years old, or £200 for a boiler over 7 years old.

Fees, call-out hours and the agreement period

A call-out you request in the first 30 days of a new plan costs £95, paid in advance of the visit, and any further work in that time is paid for in advance of it being done (terms, section 9.1).

The same £95 fee applies when a call-out turns out to be for something the plan excludes (terms, section 9.2), when the engineer has no access at the booked time (terms, section 9.13), and when you ask for the annual service in your first 30 days (terms, section 2.1(b)).

Unless it is an emergency breakdown, call-outs run Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 (terms, section 9.17), and we aim to get an engineer out to you within two working days.

The plan is a monthly rolling agreement (terms, section 9.3). Once you use a service, you enter a 12-month agreement period (terms, section 9.4). To leave during that period, you either keep paying the remaining months or pay three quarters of the outstanding balance in one go (terms, section 11.4).

For 14 days from the day the plan starts, you can cancel with a full refund of anything paid. This is your cooling-off right (terms, definition 11 and section 11.1). If we carry out a service at your request in that time, the cooling-off right ends (terms, section 11.2). To cancel, email accounts@smart-plan.com, write to us or call 0333 772 6247 (terms, section 11.3).

Ideal boiler cover from Smart Plan is a service plan, not insurance

Smart Plan is a service plan, not insurance (terms, section 12.3). It is an agreement for us to carry out repairs on the equipment named on your cover sheet, up to a stated cover limit (terms, section 1 and definition 12). It comes from UK Boiler Company Ltd, trading since 2014.

Whatever you are offered for an Ideal boiler, from Ideal, Domestic & General or anyone else, read the wording rather than the name on the advert: the limit, the age rules, what happens if the boiler cannot be repaired, and what you pay to leave.

Get a call back to set up cover for your Ideal boiler

Use the call back form on this page, or call 0333 772 6247. We aim to call you back within one working day, Monday to Friday, 08:00-18:00. Have the model and roughly how old the boiler is to hand, and we will explain the limit that applies and give you the plan price. Nothing is set up and no payment is taken online. If your Ideal has a fault right now, tell us on the call: a fault it already has is not covered, and we will say so plainly.

Ideal boiler cover FAQs

Helpful links

• Ideal boiler warranty: how to check and register it
• Ideal boiler out of warranty repair: what Ideal offers
• What is a boiler service plan?
• Boiler cover for older boilers
• Vaillant boiler cover and repair costs
• Get a call back to set up cover for your Ideal boiler
• Ideal Heating: out of warranty protection (official site)
• Ideal Heating boiler warranties guide (official site)
• Check an engineer on the Gas Safe Register
• Boiler service plan: annual service and breakdown cover