Virgin Media broadband review
Virgin Media is one of the biggest broadband and TV providers in the UK, with a reputation for providing some of the fastest home internet speeds available.
But is it as fast and reliable as the adverts claim? We’ve put its service to the test, looking at everything from network coverage and outages to customer service and value for money.
If you’re considering Virgin Media for your next broadband provider, our review will help you decide if the provider is right for you and your household.
Virgin Media customer reviews
In 2025, we asked 3,734 Virgin Media customers to rate multiple aspects of their broadband service with the provider. They were asked about various things, including value for money, connection speed, customer service, and reliability.
Virgin Media finished towards the bottom of the UK's largest eight providers in terms of factors such as customer service and value, but impressed with technical scores, including internet speed and ease of installation.
| Feature | Score | Avg 1-5 rating |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | Good | 3.82 |
| Customer service | Below average | 3.46 |
| Value for money | Below average | 3.51 |
| Internet speed | Very good | 4.03 |
| Reliability | Good | 3.93 |
| Home equipment | Good | 3.93 |
| Installation/Setup | Very good | 4.02 |
| Communication | Average | 3.71 |
Note: these are weighted average scores from a 1-5 rating. To help determine which scores are considered positive or negative, we have designated all scores with the following:
- Excellent = 4.1+
- Very good = 4-4.1
- Good = 3.8-4
- Average = 3.6-3.8
- Below average = Less than 3.6
To view customer scores for all of the major UK providers, visit our Uswitch Broadband Customer Survey page.
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Pros and cons of Virgin Media
Pros
Fast internet speeds
Great TV and mobile bundle options
Quick and easy setup with QuickStart kit
Cons
More prone to outages than other providers
Poor customer scores for landline services
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is part of Virgin Media O2, which is one of the largest telecom companies in the UK.
It operates on its own cable network for both its broadband and TV services rather than relying on Openreach for its connections (like many other providers do). This provides some benefits in terms of internet speed, as it uses much faster cables than the older, copper-based network that the Openreach part-fibre network relies on.
However, in recent years, Openreach's full fibre network has actually surpassed Virgin Media cable internet in terms of UK coverage. This means its equivalent, potentially more reliable service is more likely to be available in your area now.
Virgin Media M250 broadband-only
For this review, we tested Virgin Media’s M250 broadband-only package. However, we’ve also explored the provider's other speeds and services, as well as how they compare to those of other providers.
While I had this package, I lived in a two-bedroom flat with two other young professionals. We regularly worked from home, had video meetings, streamed TV and played games online. The 264Mbps internet speed we got from this package was fast enough for everything we do online and then some.
However, intermittent outages on Virgin Media’s network resulted in some frustrating moments without an internet connection.
Despite this, the service largely satisfied our demand for internet.
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Choose from a range of internet speeds depending on what you need.
Network coverage: cable and full fibre broadband
As we mentioned earlier in this piece, Virgin Media’s network is distinct from those of all other telecom providers in the UK.
This means it doesn’t use the nationwide Openreach cables that many other providers rely on for broadband.
This used to be a benefit for Virgin Media, as it was by far the most widely available fast broadband provider in the UK. However, since 2025, Openreach's full fibre network has been available to more homes than Virgin Media's own footprint.
Virgin does benefit from a boost in homes available through its alternative full fibre partner Nexfibre, but it has not focused on expanding its coverage in recent years as it works to convert its cable network to full fibre instead. This will ultimately provide a better experience for Virgin Media customers, as it offers a higher-quality service than cable broadband can manage.
Essentially, if you're interested in Virgin Media broadband, just make sure it's available at your property first.
Broadband speed
Virgin Media is renowned for its high-speed internet. For years, it has offered ultrafast broadband to more properties than any other provider in the UK.
As for the M250 broadband package we’re subscribed to, the 264Mbps speed is nowhere near the fastest on offer from Virgin. However, it’s still more than enough for our household's needs.
I regularly stream TV in 4K quality, often while my flatmates are doing the same on their own devices, or gaming online with their friends. We also regularly work from home at the same time. And while that doesn’t require as much bandwidth as 4K streaming, it does mean that, barring outages, we can all download and share files quickly and join video meetings simultaneously without any speed-related issues.
This doesn’t mean we always have a smooth experience with our connection, though. As I will explain in the next section, our connection is prone to more outages than we’ve experienced with other providers. So while the ultrafast speeds are certainly enjoyable, the trade-off appears to be a less stable connection.
Virgin Media speed options
Virgin Media offers a range of broadband deals at various internet speeds. Here’s a quick list of all the speeds it provides on its network:
- Virgin Media M125: 132Mbps download, 20Mbps upload
- Virgin Media M250: 264Mbps download, 25Mbps upload
- Virgin Media M350: 362Mbps download, 36Mbps upload
- Virgin Media M500: 516Mbps download, 36Mbps upload
- Virgin Media Gig1: 1130Mbps (1.13Gbps) download, 52Mbps upload
Note: all speeds are ‘average’ speeds, which is the internet speed available to 50% of customers during hours of peak internet traffic.
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Run a speed test to find out what speed you're currently getting, and what else could be available to you.
Virgin Media broadband deals on Uswitch
Here's a quick view of some of our latest Virgin Media deals on Uswitch.
- £75 bill credit
- Most Reliable Broadband Provider of the Year
- £35 bill credit
- Most Reliable Broadband Provider of the Year
- Most Reliable Broadband Provider of the Year
Browse our best deals from Virgin Media
Choose from a range of internet speeds depending on what you need.
Virgin Media reliability
Virgin Media does seem to experience more connection issues and broadband outages than other providers. And when using its service, I experienced many more outages than I have with providers on the Openreach network.
The biggest problems it has are usually specific to certain neighbourhoods rather than the entire network. So, unless you’re particularly unlucky, you should enjoy a fairly smooth experience with Virgin.
Unfortunately, our household seemed to be in an area that suffered from intermittent outages. For several months, our broadband connection would intermittently drop out at various times throughout the day and night, sometimes for up to half an hour. It interrupted our meetings while working from home and meant that we had to tether to our smartphones if we wanted to continue streaming a show.
This issue took engineers two months to initially fix, but we still had occasional (though less frequent) issues afterwards. Thankfully, we received bill credit for those two months as a result.
If you’re experiencing a sluggish or inconsistent broadband connection, it’s essential to ensure that your home setup is as optimal as possible before assuming it’s a network issue.
This includes ensuring your router is located in a central and open area of your home, with a minimum distance of at least one metre from other electronic or metal objects.
Customer service
Virgin Media’s customer team was largely helpful and transparent during my time with the provider. But its website troubleshooting needs some work.
When we first started to have connection issues, we relied on Virgin Media’s Service Status tool. Frustratingly, it would initially tell us that there were no known connection issues in the area, and we only saw some indication of the problem if we then clicked ‘Still having issues?’ and tested the connection further.
We then received a message saying that Virgin Media was aware of the issues in our area and that engineers were on the case to fix them. However, that’s all we were given whenever we tried to report issues online.
Thankfully, we received a lot more support when we (eventually) got to speak to Virgin Media’s customer service team.
I initially had some trouble proving who I was on the phone, because the automated message was asking me to provide a ‘password’, and my attempts to put in my normal Virgin Media password were unsuccessful. It turned out that it was actually asking for my ‘memorable word’ which was a completely different answer. Virgin should probably update the wording here to make it clearer which word they require.
And things then became even more frustrating when I was suddenly hung up on while I was on hold.
However, once I finally used the right memorable word and reached a real person, our Virgin Media representative was very receptive to our situation. Within minutes, she provided an update on our specific connection issue, gave us the date the fix was planned for and even offered us two months’ bill credit.
Less than two hours after the call, we received an email saying the credit had been added to our account, and we could see it in the ‘bills’ section of Virgin Media’s app not long after.
If you have problems with your Virgin Media connection, you might have more success than we did by trying to find an answer online. But so far, we’ve only ever reached a swift resolution by calling. Trying to resolve issues or seek answers on its website often doesn’t get us the response we need.
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Bundles and additional services
Virgin Media offers all four of the main telecom services — broadband, TV, home phone and mobile subscriptions with O2.
TV
Historically, Virgin operates all telecom services (except for mobile) through its cable connection. This meant the only way to get cable TV in the UK is through Virgin Media.
However, with the rise of internet speeds came Wi-Fi-based TV services, and Virgin now offers its Flex service, which runs on your broadband, as standard.
Virgin gave its TV offering a complete overhaul a few years ago with the Virgin TV 360 set-top box. It was very similar to the top-flight experience offered by Sky Q, the country’s most popular TV service. Similar to Sky Q, you get:
- A smart remote with voice search and Bluetooth connectivity
- User profiles for each member of your household to personalise their experience
- 4K UHD picture quality on compatible channels and shows
- Multi-room streaming of different TV channels
- Access to the Virgin TV Go app to stream channels on your mobile devices
Virgin Flex TV
Flex is now another way to get access to Virgin TV. The only difference to the normal experience is that it runs off your Virgin Media Wi-Fi, and it supports better integration with streaming services. This is where the industry is moving, as Sky is doing a similar thing with its Sky Stream box.
As a result, Virgin Media no longer offers its TV services without a broadband connection, so you won’t be able to enjoy TV-only with the provider. You’ll have to choose a Virgin Media broadband deal, too.
The provider offers a range of TV packages at different prices, depending on how many channels and streaming services you want access to:
Bigger Combo bundle
Access to over 200 TV channels, including Sky channels, and either a 362Mbps or 1.1Gbps broadband connection.
Bigger Combo bundle + Sports
Access to over 200 TV channels, including eight Sky Sports channels, and a 516Mbps broadband connection.
Biggest Combo bundle
Access to over 210 channels, Sky TV channels and either a 516Mbps or 1.1Gbps broadband connection.
Max Volt bundle
Over 230 channels, Sky HD channels, standard Netflix subscription, anytime calls, O2 SIM and a 1000Mbps gigabit broadband connection.
Broadband and TV deals
Take a look at the latest TV and broadband packages on Uswitch.
Landline
Virgin also offers landline services with its broadband packages, which work in much the same way as a normal landline service on the Openreach copper phone lines.
There are five different broadband and home phone packages to choose from with Virgin Media. And they allow for different needs a customer may have, whether that’s evening and weekend calls, anytime calls or international calls.
Mobile services and Max Volt
Max Volt is the largest bundle package on offer from Virgin Media O2. Not only does it incorporate all four telecom services into a single, monthly payment, but it adds a whole host of other benefits, too. Depending on which Volt package you choose, this could include:
- Ultrafast or gigabit-speed broadband
- Sky HD channels and Netflix subscription
- Double data allowance on a 5G O2 Pay Monthly plan
- A whole-home Virgin Media Wi-Fi guarantee to ensure you get a strong internet connection in every room of the house
- Discounts on selected gadgets with an O2 Custom plan
According to our survey, Virgin Media customers were generally quite satisfied with their TV, home phone and mobile phone deals.
Installation, setup and equipment
If you already have a Virgin Media socket installed at your property, setting up a new connection is extremely quick and simple.
When we signed up for our M250 deal, our QuickStart kit was sent on time, with clear instructions and minimal equipment to handle. The rest of the setup was done on a smartphone.
It took less than half an hour from opening the box to get connected to the internet. And, while we didn’t opt for a landline, Virgin Media has stated that setting up this service only takes up to five minutes, while its TV box setup takes 15 minutes.
If Virgin Media is available in your area but you don’t have a socket yet, you will need an engineer to install it. When signing up, you can choose a day that suits you for the engineer to visit your property. You should receive a welcome pack a couple of days before that date.
It should take the engineer between 30 minutes and two hours to set up your connection. But it’s good to organise your installation date in advance, so you can organise the end of your current tariff with the beginning of your Virgin one.
That way, you can stay connected to the internet at home throughout the switching period.
Virgin Media Hub 5 router review
The latest router supplied as part of a Virgin Media package is the Hub 5. Although we experienced connection issues due to Virgin Media’s network, our Hub 5 router has worked seamlessly since we activated it.
We’d ideally like to put our router somewhere more central in our flat to maximise its signal, but the router needs to be connected to the Virgin Media socket in the corner of our home, and the cable provided is only a few feet long.
However, since our household is a two-bedroom flat, we’re not significantly affected by the Wi-Fi coverage challenges that some larger homes may experience.
Virgin Media Wi-Fi Max guarantee
If you’re concerned that a single router isn’t enough to get a strong internet connection in every room of your home, you might be interested in Virgin Media’s new Wi-Fi guarantee.
For an additional £8 per month, the provider will supply up to three Wi-Fi boosters to ensure you get at least 20Mbps internet speed throughout your entire home. That’s the fastest minimum speed guarantee of any broadband provider in the UK. So you can wave goodbye to Wi-Fi dead zones in the upper reaches of your house.
If you still can’t enjoy a strong connection in every room, Virgin Media will give you £100 bill credit.
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Price
Virgin Media is sometimes a little pricier than some other broadband providers, but this is often due to its high speeds and premium bundle services. However, as the deal we chose was broadband-only, we were able to save money by not selecting services we wouldn’t use, such as home phone or cable TV.
At £29 per month for a 250Mbps connection, we were very satisfied with the price of our tariff.
It wasn't the cheapest ever 200Mbps+ deal — smaller full fibre providers, such as Hyperoptic and Community Fibre, have some more affordable offers for these speeds. However, average monthly prices have dropped in the last couple of years since we had this deal, so it's likely cheaper to get now.
Virgin Media social tariff
If you’re receiving Universal Credit or another type of financial support, you could qualify for a broadband social tariff.
Virgin Media’s social tariff isn’t very good value, costing £12.50 per month for quite a slow 15Mbps connection. By comparison, you get more than double this speed for only £2.50 more with BT or Hyperoptic. So you could get a lot more for your money if those providers are available to you.
You can compare low-income broadband deals from all major providers with our guide.
Virgin Media mid-contract price rises
Unfortunately, Virgin Media increases its customers' prices by a set amount each year, even if you're mid-contract.
Since 2025, all broadband price rises with Virgin have a fixed amount stated in the sign-up process. Furthermore, it has recently increased this amount by an extra £4 per month every April, which is the highest among all major broadband providers.
Given that these price increases are included in Virgin Media's terms and conditions, you're not able to leave your contract early for free. So it's a bit of a kick in the teeth considering the monthly price as a brand new customer is so reasonable.
Our verdict on Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a great option for any household that uses the internet a lot. It’s great for people who:
- Live with more than three people
- Enjoy streaming TV shows and films in 4K
- Regularly work from home
- Play online games
- Need to download or share high-quality files quickly and efficiently
And if you want access to the biggest TV shows, sports fixtures, and movies, Virgin’s TV offering is extensive and can be easily bundled with its other services.
However, a broadband connection on the Openreach network might be a bit more reliable and consistent than Virgin Media’s network. So you might have a smoother experience with providers that use Openreach, such as BT, Sky, Plusnet, TalkTalk or NOW Broadband.
Compare our best broadband deals
Search on Uswitch to find the right broadband package for you.