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Hive review

Updated September 30, 2026 · HabitatCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Hive suits UK households buying a home battery alongside solar panels and staying with one supplier for years. The battery reaches 5,320 Wh under a 10 years warranty. Entry pricing of £1,800 sits low in the field, though capacity ranks mid pack.

Key facts

Best for
UK households pairing a large home battery with solar panels from one established supplier.
Price from
£1,800↗
Largest battery capacity (Wh)
5,320↗
Warranty
10 years↗
Markets
GB↗
Legal entity
Centrica Hive Limited (trading as Hive)↗
Headquarters
United Kingdom↗
Founded
2013↗
Support channels
Chat, Phone, Help-centre↗
Products
Home battery, Solar panel
Official website
hivehome.com

Facts checked September 30, 2026, 5 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
Google Play
Elsewhere
WikidataWikipediaXTrustpilotfacebook.com

Pros and cons

Pros

  • A 10 years warranty on the home battery, which ranks 1 of 19 brands and matches the upper end of the 10 range in this group.
  • The range covers both home battery and solar panel, so panels and storage can come from the same supplier.
  • Entry price of £1,800 sits at 23 of 27 brands ranked on price from.
  • Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, matching the channels most of the 29 brands in this group offer.
  • It trades as Centrica Hive Limited (trading as Hive), a named legal entity rather than a marketplace seller.

Cons

  • Max capacity of 5,320 Wh places it at 18 of 28 brands and under the 7,994 typical of this group.
  • The range covers home battery and solar panel only, so it does not offer the power stations or solar generators that DATOUBOSS lists in power station and home battery.
  • Product types stop at home battery and solar panel, while ALLPOWERS also lists power station, solar generator and home battery.
  • Email is not listed among chat, phone and help centre, although the share of brands in this group that do offer it is 74.1%.
Hive

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Scored 8.8 / 10 by HabitatCue.

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Who it suits

  • UK households buying a home battery and solar panels in one order, with no interest in portable power stations.
  • Buyers who put a long warranty above raw capacity, since 10 years is the strongest figure in this group.
  • People who want a single named legal counterparty, Centrica Hive Limited (trading as Hive), rather than a reseller.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Buyers who need portable or off grid kit, since ALLPOWERS lists power station, solar generator and home battery and includes balcony solar that Hive does not.
  • Shoppers chasing the largest usable capacity, since WattCycle LiFePO4 competes on a home battery line where Hive's 5,320 Wh ranks 18 of 28.
  • Buyers outside GB, since the range is listed for that market only.

What it does well

The storage side is the strong point. Hive's battery reaches 5,320 Wh, enough to carry a meaningful share of a home's evening and overnight demand, and it is covered for 10 years. That warranty is the standout number here. It places Hive at 1 of 19 brands ranked on warranty length, and it sits at the ceiling of the 10 seen across the brands compared in this group, well clear of the 5 typical of them. Buyers who plan to keep a system for the length of a mortgage term, or who transfer a battery with a house sale, get the most from that pairing. Capacity is the trade-off: 5,320 Wh is a large figure in absolute terms but it does not lead the field, so a household that wants to run high draw appliances for hours on battery alone may still find the ceiling restrictive.

Where it sits among rivals

On the three measures readers weigh, Hive splits into first place and the middle. Warranty length puts it at 1 of 19 brands ranked. Capacity tells the opposite story: 5,320 Wh leaves Hive at 18 of 28 brands, which means plenty of rivals store more. Price from is the more useful signal. At £1,800 the entry point ranks 23 of 27 brands, so the starting figure is among the lower ones recorded, even though the capacity behind it is not the largest. Put plainly, Hive looks inexpensive to get into and long guaranteed once installed, and mid pack on how much energy it can hold.

Who runs it

Hive is run by Centrica Hive Limited (trading as Hive), a specific company rather than an anonymous marketplace listing, and it is headquartered in the United Kingdom. The business dates back to 2013, which puts it among the longer established names in home energy and explains the warranty length quoted for the battery. Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, so a buyer can reach a person by phone, start a chat, or work through the help centre. In this group 29 brands are compared, and a help centre is the most common channel among them, so Hive sits with the majority there while its phone line is a little more widely offered than the typical brand in the group.

How Hive compares

Where Hive is available

Available
United Kingdom

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Hive system cost to start?+

The listed entry point is £1,800 for solar panels, which places Hive at 23 of 27 brands ranked on price from. That is a starting figure for one part of the range rather than a complete installed system, and separate figures are not stated for the home battery or for any later renewal.

How much energy can the Hive home battery hold?+

The battery is listed at 5,320 Wh, which puts Hive at 18 of 28 brands on this measure. That sits below the 7,994 typical of the brands compared in this group, so buyers wanting to cover more than everyday evening use should compare capacities first.

How long is the warranty on the Hive battery?+

The home battery carries 10 years of cover, which is the strongest warranty figure in this group. Hive ranks 1 of 19 brands on warranty length, matching the upper end of the range recorded here and sitting above the 5 most brands here carry.

Can I get solar panels and a battery from Hive at the same time?+

Yes. The listed product types are home battery and solar panel, so generation and storage can be ordered from one supplier. The range does not extend to portable or carried kit, which is the difference from DATOUBOSS at power station and home battery and ALLPOWERS at power station, solar generator and home battery.

Who am I actually buying from?+

The seller is Centrica Hive Limited (trading as Hive), a named company rather than a marketplace trader, based in the United Kingdom and trading since 2013. A named legal entity matters on a home installation, since the warranty on the battery runs for 10 years and needs a company behind it.

How do I get help after installation?+

Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, so phone, chat and a help centre are all listed. Across the brands compared in this group a help centre is the most common channel, so Hive offers the expected route plus a phone line, which is less widely offered than the group norm.

Where can I buy Hive kit?+

Hive is listed for GB only, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Buyers outside that market would need to check delivery before assuming the £1,800 entry point or the 10 years warranty applies where they live.

Is Hive a better fit than a portable power station brand?+

It depends on the job. Hive covers home battery and solar panel for a fixed home and pairs them with 10 years of cover on the battery. Someone who needs kit that can be carried or used away from home is better served by the portable lines at DATOUBOSS or ALLPOWERS.

Sources

  • hivehome.com checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Markets

    “Registered office: Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD”

  • hivehome.com/discover-hive/about-us checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Founded

    “Since 2013, we've been empowering customers to take control of their home energy”

  • hivehome.com/shop/solar checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Products

    “Add solar panels and a home battery then control your whole home from the Hive app”

  • hivehome.com/solar/battery checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Largest battery capacity (Wh), Warranty

    “SunSynk Battery - Store 5.32 kWh of energy”

  • hivehome.com/solar/solar-panels checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Price from

    “5kWh home battery £1,800”

  • hivehome.com/support checked September 30, 2026

    Backs: Support channels

    “To contact us, please use webchat, or visit our support page; Message us on WhatsApp - the right contact numbers are available here”

Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.

What changed

  • September 30, 2026: axisScores trust was 9.0, now 9.1
Hive

Hive

UK households pairing a large home battery with solar panels from one established supplier.

8.8/10See alternatives