Walk into any DIY shed and the electric shower aisle is a wall of white boxes between £60 and £400 that all look the same. Most of the meaningful differences are invisible from the front. Having fitted — and years later, serviced — plenty of each, here's the fitter's-eye view of the UK's big three, and the specs that matter more than the badge.
Why Brand Matters for Electric Showers
An electric shower is a small appliance that lives in the wettest room of the house and heats water with a 40-amp circuit. Two things decide whether it's still serving in year ten: build quality of the heater can and valves, and whether spare parts still exist when something wears. The big three UK names — Mira, Triton and Aqualisa — all pass the spares test with long parts availability and service networks. The £60 unbranded unit usually doesn't, which makes it disposable rather than cheap.
The Big Three, Characterised
- Mira — the premium-mainstream pick; strong thermostatic ranges and a long reputation for holding temperature steadily. Typically the dearest like-for-like.
- Triton — the volume brand of British bathrooms; enormous range from basic to premium, spares everywhere, and the sensible-money option at every price point.
- Aqualisa — strong engineering reputation, particularly in its upper and smart ranges; the brand that pushed digital shower control into the mainstream.
Honest summary: within each brand, the £230 unit is meaningfully better than the £90 unit — thermostatic rather than pressure-balanced, better flow management, quieter. Between brands at the same tier, you're choosing trim and control layout more than substance.
Kilowatts: The Spec That Matters Most
Electric showers come in ratings from about 7.5 kW to 10.5 kW, and the number is a flow ceiling: the shower can only pass as much water as it can heat to temperature. In a Scottish January, mains water arrives close to freezing, and a low-kW unit slows to a warm trickle exactly when you want the opposite. If the circuit and supply allow, fit the highest kW the installation supports — usually 9.5 or 10.5 kW. The cable and fuse rating must match the rating, which is an electrician decision, not a shopping one.
Features Worth Paying For
- Thermostatic control — holds temperature when other taps run; the single most worthwhile step up from entry-level
- Phased shutdown — rinses the heater can with cold on switch-off, cutting scale build-up; quietly extends life in harder-water areas (less critical in Scotland's soft water — here's why)
- Riser-rail-compatible fitting positions — makes a future replacement a like-for-like swap rather than a re-tiling job
Features not worth stretching for: Bluetooth, and any control your household won't actually use after week one.
The Fitting Side
An electric shower is one of the few bathroom items where the installation is the bigger job than the product: a dedicated RCD-protected circuit sized to the kilowatts, bonding, an isolator switch, and certification to BS 7671 — all electrician's work, all part of a proper fit, all covered in our Scottish bathroom electrics guide. If a quote for an electric shower doesn't mention the circuit, the quote is incomplete.
How to Choose
Pick the tier first (thermostatic, mid-range or better), the kilowatts second (highest the supply allows), and the brand third (any of the three, whichever control layout the household prefers). And if you're choosing between electric and a mixer fed by your boiler, start one level up with what your hot water system supports.
Related reading: Electric vs mixer vs power showers, Combi vs cylinder: shower implications, Bathroom electrics in Scotland, Why electric showers dominate Scotland.
Not sure which way to go in your own bathroom? Call 01236 801802 — a five-minute conversation usually settles it.