Best and worst bathroom sinks, taps, toilets, baths and showers

We've rated and ranked the bathroom fixtures from big-name bathroom companies, including Bathstore, B&Q, Ideal Standard, Roca, Victoria Plum and more, based on feedback from more than 3,700 bathroom buyers.

One bathroom company achieved the maximum of five stars for quality and durability for most of its products, while another did pitifully with mostly two-star ratings.

The tables below show exactly how each company fared and the winners and losers in each area.

Which? members can log in now to unlock the ratings in the tables below. If you're not already a member, you can join Which? to get instant access to this and all our ratings and reviews from across the site.

Best baths

Our bath ratings cover 13 big-name brands, including Ideal Standard, B&Q, Victoria Plum and Soak.

Company	Durability	Quality
Armitage Shanks
B&Q
Bathstore
Duravit
Homebase
Ideal Standard
Roca
Twyford Bathrooms
Victoria Plum
Victorian Pluming
Villeroy & Boch
Vitra
Wickes

Sample sizes for durability and quality: Armitage Shanks 94/96, B&Q 110/116, Bathstore 141/149, Duravit 34, Homebase 51/52, Ideal Standard 103/113, Roca 77/86, Twyford Bathrooms 32/34, Victoria Plum 59/66, Victorian Plumbing 52/57, Villeroy & Boch 71/79, Vitra 37/40

Best toilets

We've asked customers about 16 bathroom companies, such as Roca, Wickes, Twyford Bathrooms, Villeroy & Boch and Homebase, to name a few.

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to these ratings.

Company	Durability	Quality
Armitage Shanks
B&Q
Bathstore
Duravit
Homebase
Ideal Standard
Laufen
Soak
Roca
Roper Rhodes
Twyford Bathrooms
Victoria Plum
Victorian Plumbing
Villeroy & Boch
Vitra
Wickes

Sample sizes for durability and quality: Armitage Shanks 169/174, B&Q 162/168, Bathstore 183/201, Duravit 84/103, Homebase 69/69,  Ideal Standard 183/205, Laufen 33, Soak 33, Roca 166/182, Roper Rhodes 35, Twyford Bathrooms 51/52, Victoria Plum 97/105, Victorian Plumbing 65/80, Villeroy & Boch 126/132, Vitra 102/113, Wickes 108/118.

Best bathroom sinks

From budget brands B&Q and Wickes to upmarket manufacturers Duravit and Armitage Shanks, we've rated 16 brands' sinks.

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to these ratings.

Company	Durability	Quality
Armitage Shanks
B&Q
Bathstore
Duravit
Homebase
Ideal Standard
Porcelanosa
Roca
Roper Rhodes
Soak
Twyford Bathrooms
Victoria Plum
Victorian Plumbing
Villeroy & Boch
Vitra
Wickes

Sample sizes for durability and quality: Armitage Shanks 155/160, B&Q 159/169, Bathstore 196/216, Duravit 88/101, Homebase 69/69, Ideal Standard 159/177, Porcelanosa 32, Roca 174/194, Roper Rhodes 46/54, Soak 35/40, Twyford Bathrooms 47/48, Victoria Plum 107/117, Victorian Plumbing 75/89, Villeroy & Boch 113/123, Vitra 87/99, Wickes 103/116.

Best shower enclosures

We've rated shower enclosures from the nine brands below, including online-only retailers Victorian Plumbing and Victoria Plum.

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to these ratings.

Company	Durability	Quality
Armitage Shanks
B&Q
Bathstore
Homebase
Ideal Standard
Roca
Victoria Plum
Victorian Plumbing
Wickes

The table is ordered by the durability ratings and alphabetically. Sample sizes for durability and quality: Armitage Shanks 33/33, B&Q 97/104, Bathstore 120/133, Homebase 44/45, Ideal Standard 45/49, Roca 46/48, Victoria Plum 73/78, Victorian Plumbing 58/64, Wickes 56/63.

Best bathroom taps

From tap specialist Crosswater and Kohler to general bathroom manufacturers Vitra and Duravit, we've rated 15 companies that sell taps.

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to these ratings.

Company	Durability	Quality
Armitage Shanks
B&Q
Bathstore
Crosswater
Homebase
Ideal Standard
Kohler
Roca
Roper Rhodes
Screwfix
Victoria Plum
Victorian Plumbing
Villeroy & Boch
Vitra
Wickes

Sample sizes for durability and quality: Armitage Shanks 68/69, B&Q 176/186, Bathstore 160/177, Crosswater 33/40, Homebase 69/69,  Ideal Standard 90/100, Kohler 31, Roca 76/84, Roper Rhodes 38/43, Screwfix 30/30, Victoria Plum 84/92, Victorian Plumbing 67/80, Villeroy & Boch 60/66, Vitra 33/36, Wickes 93/104.

Retailer and bathroom reviews

In case you're after a complete bathroom suite rather than individual fixtures and fittings, we also asked people about their experiences with the company they bought their bathroom from and the bathroom as a whole.

The top bathroom retailer got an excellent 80%, while the lowest scorer achieved just 58%. Meanwhile, the best brand for bathroom products impressed with 89% but the brand propping up the table got just 61%.

Visit our best and worst bathroom companies page to see the full scores and ratings.

If you're looking for a reliable bathroom installer in your area, head to Which? Trusted Traders, where you can find recommended companies that have passed our stringent checks. 

Common bathroom problems

When you're renovating your home, snags are often inevitable. But you can help to avoid tricky issues if you know what the most common problems are. 

We asked our survey respondents whether they encountered any problems with their bathrooms and, if they did, what they were.

The most common gripes people had were with their bathroom

How to deal with bathroom snags

Two thirds of people who had issues did so within the first year. This soon after purchase you will usually be able to get the issue fixed or the faulty item replaced under warranty or guarantee.

If not, you can fall back on your protection under the Consumer Rights Act. This entitles you to products and services that are:

• of satisfactory quality
• fit for their purpose
• as described
• and fitted with reasonable care.

A third of the people who took action to fix the problem had it resolved by the retailer or installer they bought the fixture from. 

If you have a problem with a bathroom that isn't down to simple wear and tear, contact the provider as soon as you notice the issue. Follow up any verbal complaints with a letter or email. 

Having everything in writing, including photos of the problem, if applicable, will make things easier if the company is unhelpful or the problem continues. Ideally, get written confirmation from the company of any agreements to fix it, along with a date.

Read our full guide to how to get a faulty product replaced or repaired and use our template letter to ask for a faulty item to be repaired or replaced.

Some 21% of the people we spoke to decided to fix it themselves or get a friend or family member to do so, while 11% hired a trader to deal with the complication. Be aware that taking these routes may void any warranty or guarantee by the fitter or retailer, so check the small print.

How Which? rates bathroom brands

In May and June 2019 we asked 3,745 Which? subscribers and members of the public about bathrooms they'd bought in the past 10 years and their experiences with the company they bought from.

This included rating retailers for the buying process, such as how knowledgeable the staff were and how good they were at dealing with problems, and the quality and durability of the bathroom itself.

For someone to be able to rate a brand's bathroom overall, they needed to have bought at least three of the following items: tap, sink, bath, toilet and shower enclosure. 

We also asked survey respondents to rate each component for quality and durability on a seven-point scale from very poor to excellent.