Electronics and appliance retailers in the UK 2026: a ranking built on verified facts
A ranking of UK chains and online retailers that sell electronics and home appliances themselves, built only on verifiable facts from their official pages: the returns window they state, whether the website names the company with its Companies House number, the year the business started, extended warranty or care plans, free delivery and from what order value, click and collect, buy now pay later or finance, trade-in and the App Store rating of their app. Marketplaces where other sellers trade are not included; for Amazon only its own retail would count. Every fact links to its source with the date we checked it. This is not advice to buy from a particular retailer. Places are not for sale.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Lewis | 95 | 30 days | Yes | 1928 | Yes | Yes | Seller named Extended warranty Free delivery Click and collect Instalments Trade-in |
| 2 | Appliances Direct | 78 | 30 days | Yes | 2001 | Yes | Yes | Seller named Free delivery Click and collect Instalments |
| 3 | Overclockers UK | 78 | 30 days | Yes | 1999 | Yes | Yes | Seller named Free delivery Click and collect Instalments |
| 4 | Hughes | 73 | 14 days | Yes | 1921 | Yes | Yes | Seller named Extended warranty Free delivery Click and collect Instalments |
| 5 | Box.co.uk | 71 | 30 days | Yes | 2010 | Yes | Yes | Seller named Free delivery Instalments Trade-in |
| 6 | Laptops Direct | 68 | 14 days | Yes | 2001 | Not verified | Yes | Seller named Extended warranty Click and collect Instalments Trade-in |
| 7 | Scan | 58 | 14 days | Not verified | 1991 | Yes | Yes | Extended warranty Free delivery Click and collect Instalments |
-
- Return period for online orders
- 30 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 1928
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Long period to return an online order
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
Details Visit site ↗ 95% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 30 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 2001
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Long period to return an online order
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
Details Visit site ↗ 83% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 30 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 1999
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Long period to return an online order
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
Details Visit site ↗ 77% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 14 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 1921
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
- Online orders can be collected in a shop or pickup point
Details Visit site ↗ 85% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 30 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 2010
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Long period to return an online order
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
Details Visit site ↗ 73% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 14 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Yes
- In business since
- 2001
- Free home delivery
- Not verified
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Names the seller's legal entity and registration number
- Long-established retailer
- Online orders can be collected in a shop or pickup point
- You can pay in instalments or on credit
Details Visit site ↗ 80% backed by facts
-
- Return period for online orders
- 14 days
- Seller's legal entity on the website
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1991
- Free home delivery
- Yes
- Instalments or credit
- Yes
Pros
- Long-established retailer
- Home delivery can be free
- Online orders can be collected in a shop or pickup point
- You can pay in instalments or on credit
Details Visit site ↗ 70% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- AO (site closed to automated checks, )
- Amazon.co.uk (site closed to automated checks, )
- Argos (site closed to automated checks, )
- Currys (site closed to automated checks, )
- Richer Sounds (55% backed by facts)
- Very (site closed to automated checks, )
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
25%
Reliability
Whether the website names the seller's legal entity with its registration number (in the imprint, contacts or public offer), and the year the store or its company started.
30%
Returns and warranty
How many days the store gives you to return an item of proper quality bought online (the more beyond the legal minimum, the better), and whether it sells an extended warranty beyond the manufacturer's.
25%
Delivery and pickup
Whether home delivery is free at least above a stated order value, whether an online order can be collected in the store's own shop or pickup point, and how many such places the store says it has.
20%
Payment and service
Whether you can pay in instalments or with consumer credit, whether the store takes old devices in part exchange (trade-in), and the App Store rating of its own app.
How to choose an electronics store
Check who the seller is
Look for the seller's legal entity and registration number in the imprint, contacts or public offer. On marketplaces, check which company actually sells the item: your rights are claimed from that seller.
Read the return rules before you order
For online purchases the law gives a minimum period to change your mind; some stores give more. Check from when the period runs, who pays for return postage and which goods are excluded.
Know the difference between warranty and statutory rights
The manufacturer's warranty is a voluntary promise. Your statutory rights against the seller for a faulty item exist anyway. An extended warranty is a separate paid service: read what it covers before buying it.
Compare the total cost of delivery and credit
Free delivery often starts from an order value or excludes large appliances, floor delivery and installation. For instalments, look at the total amount payable, not only the monthly payment.
Inspect the item on delivery
Check the box and the item for damage and completeness in front of the courier, and keep the receipt, the order confirmation and the warranty card.
Know where to complain
First send a written claim to the store. If it is not resolved, contact the national consumer protection authority or an approved dispute resolution body, and finally the court.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to cancel an online order in the UK?
Under regulation 30 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, for goods the cancellation period ends 14 days after the day the goods come into your physical possession.
What if the retailer did not tell me about my right to cancel?
If the information on cancellation rights is not given, regulation 31 extends the cancellation period to 12 months after the day it would otherwise have ended. If the information is given late, the period ends 14 days after you receive it.
When must the retailer refund me?
Where the trader has not offered to collect the goods, the refund is due within 14 days after it receives the goods back or, if earlier, after you supply evidence of having sent them back (regulation 34).
What if the item is faulty?
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you have a short-term right to reject faulty goods within 30 days (section 22). After that, you are entitled to a repair or replacement, and if that fails, to a price reduction or a final right to reject (section 24). GOV.UK guidance says customers have up to 6 years to make a claim (5 years in Scotland).
Can I return a working item bought in a shop?
GOV.UK guidance says a retailer does not have to refund a customer who bought an item in person and simply no longer wants it, unless they bought it without seeing it. Many retailers offer a goodwill returns window anyway: check their policy.