Virgin Media Broadband Review

Virgin Media run their own network, independent of Openreach, covering around 60% of UK homes with speeds from 132Mbps up to 2Gbps.

The WiFi-6 Hub 5 router and WiFi Max add-on - free with Volt and Gig1 - gives it a strong whole-home WiFi service, though upload speeds can lag behind newer full fibre networks.

For those in coverage, the pricing is competitive, and the bundle options with O2 mobile and Virgin TV add genuine value.

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Virgin Media broadband at a glance

Best Virgin Media broadband deals

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Our review of Virgin Media broadband

Verdict: Is Virgin broadband any good?

Virgin Media is one of the better-value options for anyone in their network area, with competitive pricing across most speed tiers and some of the cheapest gigabit deals available.

They offer genuine flexibility - broadband-only, phone bundles, Volt with O2 mobile, or TV packages - and the pricing often rewards customers who bundle more rather than less.

Because they run their own network, fault resolution is faster than with Openreach resellers - Virgin Media resolves total loss of service faults on the same day on average, with 99% fixed within a week.

The main thing to watch when choosing a Virgin Media plan is that the cheapest deal isn't always the most obvious one. Bundles with more services can sometimes cost less than simpler plans:

• Faster speed tiers can be cheaper than slower ones depending on current offers, so always compare across tiers before deciding
• Broadband and phone bundles include anytime calls at a significant discount on the standard add-on price
• Volt broadband bundles offer the strongest overall value, particularly for O2 mobile customers or anyone who'd otherwise pay for WiFi Max separately
• TV and broadband bundles can also represent good value - the M350 Entertainment + Netflix bundle includes over 200 channels and Netflix Standard with Ads for a relatively small premium over broadband-only

Upload speeds remain asymmetrical across most of the network, though Virgin Media's XGS-PON upgrade is bringing symmetrical speeds to select areas, with the full rollout due to complete by 2028.

Gig2 is now available to over 8 million premises, but most customers will find Gig1 is the fastest plan on offer at their address.

On customer service, Virgin Media's complaint levels dropped below the industry average in Q3 2025 for the first time since 2019 - a meaningful turnaround after a difficult period that included an Ofcom investigation into contract cancellations and complaints handling in 2023.

For anyone in their coverage area, Virgin Media is worth serious consideration - competitive on price, strong on speed, and with customer service now tracking in the right direction.

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Virgin Media broadband packages

Summary: Virgin Media offer six speed tiers across four bundle types, with pricing that often rewards customers who take more services rather than less.

Virgin Media offer broadband across six download speed tiers, from the entry-level M125 up to Gig2 in select areas:

• M125: 132Mbps average
• M250: 264Mbps average
• M350: 362Mbps average
• M500: 516Mbps average
• Gig1: 1130Mbps average
• Gig2: 2000Mbps average (select areas only)

Each speed tier is available across four bundle types:

• Broadband-only: the simplest option, broadband connection only
• Broadband and phone: adds a Virgin Media phone line with anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles
• Volt bundles: combine broadband with an O2 mobile SIM and free WiFi Max
• Broadband and TV: pair broadband with either Mega TV or Flex for home entertainment

It's always worth running a price comparison of Virgin Media deals before committing - bundles with more services frequently cost the same as, or less than, simpler plans.

Virgin broadband only

Virgin Media broadband is available without a phone line, and broadband-only plans are typically around £8 per month cheaper than the equivalent broadband and phone bundle. That saving is real, but so is the phone line - anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles are included as standard, so it's worth adding if the household uses a landline at all.

The M125 is Virgin Media's entry-level plan, offering average download speeds of 132Mbps. Setup is free, and new customers signing up now will see their first annual price rise of £4 per month in April 2027.

Virgin broadband and phone

For customers who want a home phone line, Virgin Media's broadband and phone bundles add anytime calls to UK landlines and mobiles for £8 per month more than the equivalent broadband-only plan. With the switch to digital phone lines, Virgin Media reduced the cost of their Anytime Chatter call plan from £15 to £8 per month - making it a more reasonable add-on than it used to be.

The packages above all include Anytime Chatter with free calls to UK landlines and mobiles. While more households are leaving the landline behind, the price reduction makes it worth considering - particularly for anyone who makes regular calls to mobiles.

Virgin broadband and Volt

Volt is Virgin Media's combined broadband and O2 mobile benefit, available to any customer who has both a Virgin Media broadband plan and an active O2 mobile SIM - so it's not exclusively a new-customer bundle.

Those benefits include free WiFi Max, double data on all O2 SIMs in the household, and roaming perks. Pre-made Volt bundles are available from M250 up to the Max Volt, which adds Virgin TV, Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, and an unlimited O2 SIM.

The entry-level M250 Volt includes 264Mbps broadband, WiFi Max, and a 4GB O2 SIM with unlimited minutes and texts for £28.99 per month - just £3 more than M250 broadband-only, and £5 cheaper than M250 with a phone line. All O2 plans in the household also get double data and roaming benefits, and WiFi Max alone is worth £8 per month as a standalone add-on.

For a full breakdown of what Volt is worth, see our dedicated Volt guide.

Virgin broadband and TV

Virgin TV requires a Virgin Media broadband connection, but the pre-made bundles frequently offer better value than taking broadband alone. The main options are:

• M125 + Flex: M125 broadband and over 150 channels
• M350 Entertainment + Netflix: M350 broadband, over 200 channels, and Netflix
• M350 Cinema + Netflix: adds Sky Cinema in HD
• M350 Sport HD + Netflix: adds Sky Sports in HD
• M500 Sport HD + Cinema + Netflix: M500 broadband with both Sky Sports and Sky Cinema in HD
• Max Volt Bundle: Gig1 broadband, over 230 channels, Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Netflix, and an unlimited O2 SIM

The M350 Entertainment + Netflix bundle illustrates the value saving well - TV and Netflix are included for around £6 per month more than M350 broadband-only, based on current pricing in the table above.

Virgin Media Flex

Flex is Virgin Media's streaming-based TV service, delivered through the Stream box over the broadband connection. It includes over 150 channels including Freeview, with premium add-ons like Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Netflix, and Prime Video available on top.

Flex costs £5 per month on a rolling 30-day contract, with all TV packs also available on monthly terms - making it a low-commitment way to access premium content. The 10% bill credit on channel pack subscriptions makes it one of the cheapest ways to watch TNT Sports in full HD.

There's no setup fee, and Flex can be added to any Virgin Media broadband deal at any time. Read more in our full review of the Virgin Media Stream box.

Virgin Media Essential broadband

Virgin Media offer two social tariffs - Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus - for customers in receipt of means-tested benefits. Both are available to new and existing customers, and existing customers still in a minimum term can switch without early exit penalties.

Eligible benefits include:

• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-based Employment Support Allowance

Essential Broadband costs £12.50 per month for 15Mbps, while Essential Broadband Plus costs £20 per month for 50Mbps, with the option to add Flex TV for an extra £5 per month. Read more about Virgin Essential Broadband, or social broadband tariffs in general.

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Which broadband package is right for me?

Summary: Start with the services you want, then find the cheapest deal that includes them - which often means bundling more rather than less.

Virgin Media's range can feel overwhelming, but the decision simplifies into two questions: which services do you want, and which speed do you need?

On services, the cheapest option for each use case is usually:

• Broadband-only: broadband-only plan
• Broadband with WiFi Max: a Volt bundle
• Broadband and phone: broadband and phone bundle, or Volt if you'd use an O2 SIM for calls instead
• Broadband and TV: Flex for flexible, low-commitment viewing on a monthly contract; Mega TV often works out cheaper for those who want a fuller channel lineup long-term

On speed, the table below shows what each tier delivers. According to Ofcom's latest research, the average UK broadband speed is 223Mbps - so M250 and above all exceed the national average, and even M125 will be adequate for most light users.

Higher tiers deliver faster speeds but also more capacity - the ability to support more devices and users simultaneously without slowing each other down. Virgin Media's own guidance suggests:

• M125 suits households of around 2 people with 5 to 9 devices
• M250 suits 2 to 4 people with 10 or more devices
• M350 suits 4 to 6 people who want to stream HD, game online, and run smart devices at the same time

For larger households where several people are likely online simultaneously - streaming, gaming, video calling, or working from home - M350 and above is the safer starting point.

Download times illustrate the practical difference between tiers. The table below uses a HD film and two console games as benchmarks, including Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, one of the largest game downloads available, as an extreme example.

For most households, the HD film and FIFA columns are the more realistic reference points - full game downloads of that size are uncommon, but useful for showing just how much faster the upper tiers are for large files.

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Price comparison

Summary: Virgin Media broadband is very competitively priced, often coming in as one of the cheapest options at a given speed.

Virgin Media's pricing is competitive across most tiers, with entry-level and mid-tier plans frequently undercutting rivals on a like-for-like basis. Volt and TV bundles strengthen the value further, as covered above.

The tables below show how Virgin Media's cheapest, mid-tier, and gigabit plans compare against equivalent deals from other providers.

At 132Mbps, M125 is priced in line with 150Mbps rivals - matching Plusnet at £23.99 and undercutting Vodafone by a penny. Sky comes in £1 cheaper per month but charges a £5 refundable setup fee.

Looking at faster packages, the M500 plan also compares well:

At 516Mbps, M500 matches Plusnet at £27.99 and undercuts Vodafone by £0.01. Sky is £1 cheaper per month at £27 but again carries a £5 refundable setup fee.

At the top end of the scale, Virgin Media's Gig1 plan is also well priced:

Gig1 matches Plusnet at £29.99 and undercuts Sky by £0.01 - with Sky's £5 refundable setup fee widening that gap in the first month. Vodafone's closest equivalent comes in at £33. Gig1 also delivers faster peak speeds at 1130Mbps compared to the ~900Mbps typical of Openreach gigabit plans.

Read more about Virgin Media Gig1.

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Broadband speed

Summary: Virgin Media offer gigabit broadband across their entire network footprint, with multi-gig Gig2 expanding - though upload speeds lag behind full fibre rivals in most areas.

Virgin Media offer broadband speeds from 132Mbps up to 1130Mbps across their entire network, covering 18.8 million premises - of which 8.3 million can now access full fibre FTTP connections. Gig2, with speeds up to 2Gbps, is available to around 7 million premises.

Advertised broadband speeds must be achieved by at least 50% of a provider's customer base during peak hours of 8pm to 10pm. That's the busiest period of the day, so if half of customers are hitting these speeds then, most households should expect to see them consistently. The table below shows what that means in practice for each plan.

All plans meet or exceed their advertised speeds in real-world conditions, with performance holding up well during peak evening hours.

Minimum guaranteed speeds

Virgin Media are signatories to Ofcom's code of practice on broadband speeds, which means they must provide a minimum guaranteed speed at the point of sign-up - and tell you what it is before you commit. That figure is roughly half the advertised average, and it's the threshold that triggers your right to exit.

If your speed drops below the guaranteed minimum for 3 consecutive days and Virgin Media can't fix it within 30 days, you can leave without paying an early exit fee. In practice, most customers will never need to invoke this - but it's a useful safety net, particularly for anyone in an area where the network is still on older coaxial infrastructure.

Upload speeds

Virgin Media's network delivers asymmetrical speeds - uploads are slower than downloads across most of the network. For most households that's fine, since streaming, browsing, and gaming are all download-heavy. But if you work from home regularly, make a lot of video calls, or back up large files to the cloud, slower uploads become noticeable.

Customers in areas covered by Virgin Media's XGS-PON network upgrade can add symmetrical upload speeds - matching their download speed - for £6 per month. That's a worthwhile add-on for anyone who finds upload speed a bottleneck, and the upgrade is rolling out across the full network with completion due by 2028.

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Broadband reliability

Summary: Virgin Media resolve faults faster than any other major provider, but fault rates remain above the industry average.

Reliability comes down to two things: how often something goes wrong, and how quickly it gets fixed when it does. On the first count, Virgin Media's record is mixed; on the second, it's the best in the market.

According to Ofcom's 2025 Comparing Customer Service report, Virgin Media recorded 51 faults per 1,000 customers per month in 2024 - above the industry average of 44, though down from 56 in 2023. Higher fault rates are partly a function of network technology; Ofcom's own research has found that coaxial cable networks have marginally higher fault rates than full fibre, which means Virgin Media's figures should improve as their XGS-PON upgrade progresses.

Where Virgin Media stands apart is fault resolution. They were the fastest provider to resolve a total loss of service, doing so on the same day on average, and resolved 99% of total-loss-of-service faults within a week - the highest proportion of any provider in the report.

The re-contacts figure is the one caveat: 18% of customers had to get back in touch within 48 hours about the same fault, compared to an industry average of 12%. Faults are being closed quickly, but not always completely resolved on the first attempt.

Fault resolution

Virgin Media's speed advantage comes from running their own network. Unlike Openreach resellers - BT, Sky, EE, and others - Virgin Media doesn't need to rely on third-party engineers to diagnose and fix faults, which cuts waiting times considerably.

That advantage shows up across multiple metrics in Ofcom's 2025 report. Virgin Media completed new customer installations in an average of 4 days - the fastest of any major provider - and new customers were connected in an average of 8 days, again faster than all others in the analysis. Missed repair appointments were just 1%, joint lowest in the market.

The one area where Virgin Media's fault handling is weaker is re-contacts: 18% of customers had to get back in touch within 48 hours about the same fault, compared to an industry average of 12%. Faults are being closed quickly, but not always completely resolved on the first attempt.

Customer satisfaction with reliability

Ofcom's 2025 report found 80% of Virgin Media broadband customers were satisfied with the reliability of their service - below the industry average of 83%. That gap is modest but consistent with a network that's still part coaxial cable in most areas.

Virgin Media was also the quickest provider to get a new service up and running, completing new customer installations in an average of 8 days - faster than any other major provider in the report.

Read more in our guide to the most reliable broadband in the UK.

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Virgin Media Hub

Summary: All new customers get the WiFi 6 Hub 5, with the Hub 5x available in XGS-PON full fibre areas - both are solid mid-range routers, though rivals are beginning to move to WiFi 7.

Virgin Media supply all new broadband customers with the Hub 5, their current standard WiFi 6 router. Customers still on older Hub 3 or Hub 4 devices are being upgraded to the Hub 5 at no extra cost, with the rollout underway since October 2025 and continuing into 2026.

In areas covered by Virgin Media's XGS-PON full fibre upgrade, customers receive the Hub 5x - a more advanced model with a 10Gbps ethernet port, designed to handle the faster speeds on that network.

The table below shows the full specifications across all four hub models.

WiFi 6 is a meaningful step up from the WiFi 5 found in older Hub 3 and Hub 4 devices. It handles congested networks better - so in busy households where multiple devices are streaming, gaming, and video calling simultaneously, it maintains more consistent speeds than its predecessors. The Hub 5's 2.5Gbps ethernet port also means wired connections can take full advantage of Virgin Media's faster plans, including Gig1.

That said, Virgin Media is beginning to fall behind on router hardware. EE now supplies a WiFi 7 router as standard, and Vodafone offers WiFi 6 as standard with a WiFi 7 upgrade option. WiFi 7 brings higher theoretical speeds and better performance in dense device environments - it's not a necessity for most households today, but it's the direction the market is heading.

The Hub 5 supports modem-only mode, which lets technically confident customers connect their own third-party router for greater control over coverage, performance, and advanced networking features. This is a niche use case but a genuinely useful option for those who want it. Note that the Hub 5x does not currently support modem-only mode, which is a limitation for power users in XGS-PON areas.

We have a guide to the best WiFi 6 and 7 routers to speed up broadband if that's worth exploring - though for most households, Virgin Media's WiFi Max guarantee is worth considering before replacing the router.

Connect app

The Virgin Media Connect app lets customers manage their home WiFi and is the primary tool for setting up and managing the WiFi Max service. It's designed to help customers:

• Test WiFi performance from room to room
• Pause the WiFi signal to specific devices
• Deal with connection problems, including rebooting the Hub remotely
• Connect to Virgin Media's public WiFi hotspots, including 250+ London Underground stations and all Glasgow Subway stations

The app is also a useful first port of call for flagging broadband problems to Virgin Media before needing to contact customer support directly.

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WiFi Max

Summary: Virgin Media's WiFi Max guarantee promises 30Mbps in every room, backed by a £100 bill credit if they can't deliver it - and it's free with Volt and Gig1.

WiFi Max is Virgin Media's whole-home WiFi guarantee. It promises minimum download speeds of 30Mbps over a wireless connection in every room of the home - and if Virgin Media can't deliver that, they'll credit £100 off the bill.

It costs £8 per month, but is included free with:

• Any Volt bundle
• Gig1 broadband
• Gig2 broadband
• Max Volt bundle

The guarantee is backed by up to three WiFi Pods - plug-in boosters that extend the wireless network around the home, eliminating dead spots and weak signal areas. You can read more about how whole-home WiFi guarantees work in our dedicated guide.

Each Pod is ordered one at a time through the Connect app, which is also used to run room-by-room speed tests to identify where coverage is falling short. The process is methodical rather than instant - if coverage still falls short after all three Pods are installed, Virgin Media will send an engineer to assess router and Pod placement. Only if the 30Mbps guarantee still can't be met does the £100 bill credit kick in.

In practice, the guarantee is most valuable for larger homes or properties with thick walls where a single router struggles to reach every room. For smaller homes, the Hub 5 alone will typically be sufficient - and the WiFi Max add-on at £8 per month may not be necessary. For anyone considering it, the Volt bundle is the most cost-effective route to getting it included for free.

Read more about Virgin Media WiFi Max in our dedicated guide.

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Customer service

Summary: Virgin Media's complaint levels dropped below the industry average in Q3 2025 for the first time since 2019 - the result of a sustained customer service overhaul, though satisfaction with complaint handling remains below average.

Virgin Media's customer service record has been one of the most discussed in the industry over the past few years - and for good reason. Complaint levels peaked at 32 per 100,000 customers in Q3 2023, following an Ofcom investigation into how Virgin Media handled contract cancellations and complaints. It was the highest complaint rate among major providers at the time, and more than double the industry average.

The turnaround since has been significant. Virgin Media embarked on a wide-ranging customer service transformation, which included launching a specialist UK-based team of over 500 agents trained to handle complex and sensitive cases, alongside a series of AI-driven improvements. These included an AWS-powered contact centre platform that routes customers directly to the right team based on the reason for their call - cutting unnecessary transfers - and Lumi AI, a proprietary tool that assists agents in real time by surfacing resolution suggestions and relevant customer history during calls. Virgin Media also cross-skilled 5,000 agents and simplified team structures, reducing call transfers by 1.3 million in 2025 and saving customers an estimated 400,000 hours of support time.

The results are measurable. First-time resolution is up 8%, 70% of complaints are now resolved within 24 hours, and overall complaints fell by more than 50% between early 2024 and Q3 2025. By Q3 2025, Virgin Media's broadband complaint rate had dropped to 7 per 100,000 - below the industry average of 8 for the first time since 2019.

Ofcom's 2025 Comparing Customer Service report, covering 2024 data, gives the fuller picture. Overall broadband satisfaction was 83% - in line with the industry average of 84% - and satisfaction with speed was 82%, also broadly average. Satisfaction with reliability was slightly below average at 80%, consistent with a network still part-coaxial in most areas.

The metrics that still need improvement are complaint handling and first-contact resolution. Just 53% of Virgin Media customers were satisfied with how their complaint was handled - one of the lowest scores among major providers, against an industry average of 58%. Only 38% of complaints were completely resolved on first contact, compared to an average of 44%. Call waiting times were also above average at 3 minutes 33 seconds, versus an industry average of 2 minutes 1 second.

The Q3 2025 complaints data is the most encouraging signal yet - but the 2024 satisfaction data reflects a customer base that experienced the older, higher-complaint version of Virgin Media's support. The gap between the complaints trajectory and the satisfaction scores is likely to narrow as the reforms bed in, but for now, complaint handling remains an area to watch.

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Summary: Should you choose Virgin broadband?

Virgin Media is a strong choice for anyone in their coverage area - competitive on price, fast on speed, and with bundle options that offer genuine value through Volt and Virgin TV.

The main reasons to choose Virgin Media:

• Competitive pricing across most tiers, with gigabit broadband available from £29.99 per month
• Volt bundles combine O2 mobile benefits, free WiFi Max, and broadband in one competitively priced package
• Market-leading whole-home WiFi guarantee, promising 30Mbps in every room or a £100 bill credit
• WiFi 6 Hub 5 supplied to all customers, with Hub 5x in XGS-PON areas
• Strong fault resolution - fastest in the market for total loss of service
• Complaint levels now below the industry average for the first time since 2019
• Good value when bundling Virgin TV in pre-made packages

Where Virgin Media has limitations:

• Only available to around 60% of UK homes
• Upload speeds are asymmetrical across most of the network until the XGS-PON upgrade completes in 2028
• Fault rates remain above the industry average, though improving
• Satisfaction with complaint handling is below average - getting an issue properly resolved can take more than one contact
• The very cheapest broadband is found elsewhere, with providers like Community Fibre undercutting on price in London
• Out-of-contract pricing can be high - be prepared to haggle to re-contract at the end of your term

For anyone ready to sign up, always compare Virgin Media prices before committing - faster plans and bundles with more services frequently cost the same as, or less than, simpler options.