Virgin Media is a good choice if its network reaches your street. Every home it serves can get gigabit speeds, prices start low, and it had the fewest broadband complaints of any major provider in Ofcom’s latest figures.
The catches are a fixed £4 rise every April, a 24-month contract with exit fees, and a cancellation record that Ofcom fined it for in 2026.
Virgin Media prices in this review were checked on 8 November 2026, during Virgin’s Black Friday sale, which ends on 6 December 2026; rival prices were checked on 1 November 2026. Virgin Media’s prices apply where available, because its network doesn’t reach every street, and they can vary by address.
Virgin Media at a glance
Our verdict in brief
Virgin Media is worth it for speed and price where you can get it, as long as you budget for the April rises and are happy on a 24-month contract.
Its cable network delivers the same headline speeds as full fibre in most homes it covers, and its Hub 5 is a capable WiFi 6 router. Its service record has improved sharply, but leaving has historically been harder than it should be.
Key facts
Virgin Media broadband key facts, November 2026
| What | Virgin Media |
|---|---|
| Network | Its own cable (DOCSIS 3.1) and full fibre network, plus the nexfibre network |
| Reach | 18.8 million homes serviceable, all able to get gigabit speeds; full fibre to 9 million premises (Q2 2026) |
| Speeds | 132Mbps to 2,000Mbps average download |
| Starting price | £21.99 a month for 24 months (M250 or M350, new customers, Black Friday sale until 6 December 2026) |
| Price rises | Fixed £4 a month each April |
| Contract | Usually 24 months, then rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice |
| Router | Hub 5 (cable) or Hub 5x (full fibre), both WiFi 6 |
| Complaints | 4 broadband complaints per 100,000 customers, lowest of the named providers (Ofcom, Q2 2026) |
Virgin Media O2 reported those network figures in its Q2 2026 results, published in July 2026. Virgin doesn’t use the Openreach network. Its services run over its own networks, which is why it isn’t available everywhere.
Virgin Media Broadband
Great Speed and Reliability
✅ You crave speed and reliability for streaming/gaming.
✅ Bundling TV/mobile saves you money (especially with Volt).
✅ Future-proofing matters (Gig1/Gig2).
Packages, speeds and prices
Virgin Media sells six main speeds. The cheapest, M125, is enough for streaming and video calls in a small household, while Gig1 and Gig2 are for large households, big downloads and gaming. Our package reviews go deeper: see the M125 review, M250 review, M350 review, M500 review and Gig1 review.
Virgin Media broadband-only prices, new customers, November 2026 (where available)
| Package | Average download | Average upload | Starting price | Price after 24 months | 24-month total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M125 | 132Mbps | 20Mbps | £23.99 | £36.79 | £679.76 |
| M250 | 264Mbps | 25Mbps | £21.99 | £34.49 | £631.76 |
| M350 | 362Mbps | 36Mbps | £21.99 | £34.49 | £631.76 |
| M500 | 516Mbps | 52Mbps | £24.99 | £37.94 | £703.76 |
| Gig1 | 1,130Mbps | 104Mbps | £26.99 | £40.24 | £751.76 |
| Gig2 Full Fibre | 2,000Mbps | 200Mbps | £49.99 | £66.69 | £1,303.76 |
Totals assume a November 2026 start and the fixed £4 rise each April. At the time of checking, M250 and the faster M350 cost the same, so if both are offered at your address, M350 is the better buy.
Upload speeds are the advertised figures on Virgin’s speeds page, which are the same on cable and full fibre up to Gig1. If you upload a lot, Virgin also sells an upload speed add-on.
For current bundles and offers, see our page of current Virgin Media deals.
Cable and full fibre
Most Virgin Media homes are on its cable network, which uses fibre to the street and coaxial cable into the home, running a technology called DOCSIS 3.1. Its newer areas, including the nexfibre network, are full fibre all the way to the home. You don’t choose between them: your address decides which one you get.
In practice the speeds are similar up to Gig1. The differences are the router (Hub 5 on cable, Hub 5x on full fibre), installation (QuickStart self-install isn’t available on full fibre) and Gig2, which Virgin sells as Gig2 Full Fibre in selected areas only.
If you want to understand the wider difference between cable, fibre broadband and full fibre, read fibre and full fibre explained.
Price rises and contract terms
If you join or renew now, your price goes up by a fixed £4 a month each April, “not by inflation”, according to Virgin’s annual price change page.
That is a mid-contract price rise you can plan for. On M125 it takes the price from £23.99 to £27.99 in April 2027 and £31.99 in April 2028.
Customers who joined between 9 January and 2 October 2025 pay a £3.50 rise, and those who joined earlier still have RPI plus 3.9%.
Ofcom has required new contracts to state rises in pounds and pence since January 2025. Virgin’s minimum term is normally 24 months.
After that it rolls monthly and you can leave on 30 days’ notice. Leave earlier and you’ll usually pay an early termination fee, which Virgin calls an early disconnection fee. Our guide to how to leave Virgin Media explains the fees.
The Hub and WiFi
Virgin supplies its own router, the Hub. Cable customers get the Hub 5 and full fibre customers the Hub 5x. Both are WiFi 6 routers with seven antennae and concurrent dual-band WiFi. The Hub 5 has one 2.5Gbps Ethernet port and three 1Gbps ports; the Hub 5x has a 10Gbps port and three 1Gbps ports.
The Hub 5 has a modem mode if you want to use your own router; the Hub 5x currently doesn’t.
Virgin’s WiFi Guarantee promises “at least 30Mbps download speeds in every room or £100 one-off credit”, with up to three WiFi Pods. It costs £8 a month, or is included with Gig1, Gig2 and Volt. Our Virgin Media Hub guide covers set-up and fixes.
Service record and complaints
Ofcom complaints, Q2 2026
Ofcom’s latest quarterly complaints data, published on 26 October 2026 for April to June 2026, puts Virgin Media at the top for broadband. Ofcom named Plusnet, Sky and Virgin Media as the least complained-about broadband providers.
Broadband complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers, April to June 2026
| Provider | Complaints per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| Virgin Media | 4 |
| Plusnet | 5 |
| Sky | 5 |
| BT | 7 |
| EE | 7 |
| TalkTalk | 7 |
| Vodafone | 7 |
| Industry average | 6 |
Virgin’s landline figure was 2 per 100,000 (industry average 3). Its TV service did worse: Ofcom named EE and Virgin Media as the most complained-about pay TV providers, with Virgin on 3 per 100,000 against an average of 2.
Fines and customer surveys
Two Ofcom fines are recent enough to matter. In July 2026 Ofcom fined Virgin Media £28 million for repeatedly making it hard for customers to cancel between January 2022 and September 2024, including pressure from retention agents and dropped calls.
In December 2025 it was fined £23.8 million for failures with telecare customers during its move from analogue to digital landlines.
Which?’s survey of over 5,000 broadband customers gave Virgin Media a customer score of 59%, joint 10th out of 12. Read our guide to contacting Virgin Media for its phone lines, chat hours and complaints process.
Volt, TV and phone bundles
Volt. If you have, or take, an O2 Pay Monthly plan, Virgin’s Volt bundles upgrade your broadband to the next speed up (to a maximum of 1Gbps). They also double the data on eligible O2 SIMs in the household and include the WiFi Guarantee.
Volt bundles start from £28.99 a month on 24 months. Virgin Media and O2 keep separate contracts and bills.
TV. Flex TV adds 150+ channels on a Stream box for £5 a month on a rolling 30-day contract. At a sample address in Virgin’s network, M125 broadband with Flex cost £28.99 a month.
Landline / home phone. At the same sample address, M125 with a home phone and weekend calls cost £26.99. Compare all broadband bundles before adding TV or a landline.
Social tariff. Virgin’s Essential Broadband costs £12.50 a month for 15Mbps, and Essential Broadband Plus £20 for 54Mbps. Both roll monthly with free set-up and no exit fee, for account holders on benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Gigabit everywhere it reaches. All 18.8 million homes Virgin serves can get gigabit broadband.
- Low starting prices. M250 and M350 start at £21.99 and Gig1 at £26.99 in Virgin’s Black Friday sale (until 6 December 2026).
- Predictable rises. A fixed £4 each April, set out before you sign.
- Fewest broadband complaints. 4 per 100,000 customers in Ofcom’s Q2 2026 figures.
- Good router. The Hub 5 and Hub 5x are WiFi 6, with multi-gigabit Ethernet ports.
- Perks with O2. Volt adds a speed boost and double mobile data.
Cons
- Not available everywhere. “The Virgin Media network does not cover all of the UK,” in Virgin’s words.
- Rises add up. Two £4 rises add £104 to a 24-month contract starting in November 2026.
- Big jump after 24 months. M125 goes to £36.79 once the deal ends.
- Cancellation record. Ofcom’s £28 million fine in 2026 was about discouraging cancellations.
- TV complaints. More pay TV complaints than average.
- No modem mode on Hub 5x. Full fibre customers can’t put the Hub into modem mode yet.
Who Virgin Media suits
- Households that want gigabit speeds now. If Openreach full fibre hasn’t reached your street but Virgin has, Gig1 gives you more than 1Gbps without waiting.
- O2 customers. Volt’s free speed boost and double data make Virgin better value than its headline prices suggest.
- Gamers and home workers on fast packages. The Hub 5’s 2.5Gbps port and the Hub 5x’s 10Gbps port let a wired computer use more than 1Gbps.
It suits you less if you want the lowest possible bill at a modest speed, or if you plan to move within two years (exit fees apply).
It also suits you less if you want an easy exit and are wary of the record Ofcom fined Virgin for. In those cases, check the 24-month totals in the next section before you sign.
How Virgin Media compares
The fair comparison is against full fibre deals on the Openreach and other networks at a similar speed. Rival prices below are for a sample UK address; yours will depend on your postcode.
Virgin Media against similar-speed rivals, 24 months from November 2026
| Deal | Speed | Starting price | 24-month total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Media M125 (where available) | 132Mbps | £23.99 | £679.76 |
| Vodafone Full Fibre 150 | 150Mbps | £20.50 | £583 |
| Virgin Media Gig1 (where available) | 1,130Mbps | £26.99 | £751.76 |
| EE Full Fibre 900Mb | 900Mbps | £26.99 | £751.76 |
| BT Fibre 900 only | 900Mbps | £28.99 | £799.76 |
The EE and BT deals also carried rewards of £145 and £110; Virgin’s deals showed no reward. Gig1 now costs the same as EE’s 900Mbps deal over 24 months (£751.76 each) and its average download is faster than either 900Mbps deal.
For a wider view, see our ranking of the best broadband providers or compare every UK broadband provider.
Virgin Media broadband FAQs
Is Virgin Media broadband good? For speed and complaints, yes: it offers gigabit speeds to every home it serves and had the lowest broadband complaints rate of the named providers in Ofcom’s Q2 2026 data. Its Which? customer score of 59% is lower, and its prices rise £4 each April.
Does Virgin Media use Openreach? No. Virgin runs its own cable and full fibre networks, plus the nexfibre network. That is why it is available at some addresses and not others.
Is Virgin Media cable or full fibre? Both. Most homes are on cable (DOCSIS 3.1), and newer areas are full fibre. Your address decides which you get.
How much does Virgin Media go up each year? A fixed £4 a month each April for customers who joined or renewed after 2 October 2025.
Does Virgin Media have a social tariff? Yes: Essential Broadband at £12.50 a month for 15Mbps, or Essential Broadband Plus at £20 for 54Mbps, on rolling 30-day contracts.
Can I leave Virgin Media easily? Your new provider can switch you using Ofcom’s One Touch Switch, or you can call Virgin and give 30 days’ notice. See how to leave Virgin Media.
Prices depend on your postcode. Check what you can get at your address.
Compare deals in your area
