How much does it cost to replace a bath in the UK?
A bath replacement costs £900 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £400 and £2,600 supplied and fitted. Type of bath: Steel or acrylic straight bath £400 to £900; Shower bath £600 to £1,300; Corner bath £700 to £1,500. Prices reviewed September 2026.
Replacing a bath costs £400 to £2,600 in the UK, with most jobs around £900 supplied and fitted. A like-for-like swap in the same position is the cheapest route, and the price climbs once the bath moves, the pipework is reworked, or you choose a freestanding or whirlpool model.
Bath replacement cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your bath replacement in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Bath replacement cost breakdown
Typical bath replacement costs, by option:
| Job type | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Like-for-like swap, same position | £400 to £800 |
| New bath with taps, panel and making good | £700 to £1,400 |
| Bath moved or pipework reworked | £1,400 to £2,600 |
| + Add a shower over the bath with a screen | add £250 to £600 |
| + Add tile and plaster repairs | add £150 to £400 |
| + Add taking the old bath away | add £60 to £90 |
Bath replacement cost by type of bath
The guide range split by the bath you choose, since the type drives both the unit price and how long the fitting takes. Every figure includes the bath, the fitting, a new waste and the seal, on the assumption it goes back where the old one was.
| Type of bath | Cost supplied and fitted | What you are paying for |
|---|---|---|
| Steel or acrylic straight bath | £400 to £900 | The standard replacement and the cheapest fitting. Acrylic is lighter and warmer to the touch, steel is more rigid and holds heat longer |
| Shower bath, P or L shaped | £600 to £1,300 | Wider at one end for standing room. Usually fitted with a screen and a shower valve, which is most of the extra over a straight bath |
| Corner bath | £700 to £1,500 | Takes more room, not less, and the fitting is fiddlier because two walls have to be sealed and the panel is curved |
| Freestanding bath | £1,100 to £2,200 | Pipework has to be set to the bath's centres before it goes down, and the floor may need checking for the filled weight |
| Whirlpool or spa bath | £1,500 to £2,600 | Needs a fused electrical supply in a bathroom zone, which is notifiable work, plus an access panel for the pump |
Supplied and fitted, supplied and fitted. UK guide prices reviewed September 2026, not quotes.
What's included in the price?
Typical bath replacement prices include:
- A plumber disconnecting the old bath from the hot, cold and waste, lifting it out and taking it away
- The new bath, its feet or cradle, and the bath itself levelled and fixed to the wall
- New waste and trap, the overflow connected, and the taps or mixer fitted and tested
- The bath sealed against the wall and the panel fitted, which is what stops water tracking behind it
- Small tile and plaster repairs where the old bath sat, on most quotes for a like-for-like swap
What changes the price?
The things that move bath replacement prices most:
Whether the new bath goes back in the same position, which is the single biggest step in price because moving it means new hot, cold and waste runs
The bath you choose, since a standard acrylic or steel bath is a fraction of a freestanding or whirlpool model and the fitting is simpler too
How much tiling has to come off and go back, because a new bath that is a different length or depth leaves a line that has to be made good
Whether the taps are being replaced at the same time, and whether they are deck-mounted on the bath, wall-mounted or a floor-standing mixer
The state of the floor under the old bath, which is only visible once it is out and is a common cause of a quote changing on the day
Access, because a one-piece bath has to physically get up the stairs and round the landing, and a cast iron or stone bath may need two people and a strengthened floor
Whether a shower is going over the bath, which brings a screen, a valve and often a new tiled area into the job
How the price is built up
Most plumbers price a bath replacement as a half day or a full day plus the bath and the bits. A like-for-like swap with the existing taps reused is £400 to £800. Add new taps or a mixer and a panel and it is £700 to £1,400. Move the bath, or open up the floor to rework the hot, cold and waste, and it is £1,400 to £2,600 because that is two days and a first-fix. On top of any of those, a shower over the bath with a screen adds £250 to £600, tile and plaster repairs where the old bath sat add £150 to £400, and taking the old bath away adds £60 to £90 where it is not already included. A whirlpool bath needs a fused supply in a bathroom zone, which is notifiable electrical work and is priced by an electrician rather than the plumber. On a like-for-like swap the labour is most of the price. A standard acrylic or steel bath is £120 to £300, and the plumber's half day to full day is £300 to £600, so the split is roughly a third materials to two thirds labour. That flips as the bath gets dearer: on a freestanding or whirlpool bath at £400 to £2,000 the unit becomes the larger half, even though the fitting also takes longer. The small parts matter more than people expect on a quote, because a new waste and trap, a front panel at £45 to £125, an end panel at £25 to £60 and the sealant are all things a cheap headline price tends to leave out.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Replace like for like in the same position and the same size, which avoids retiling and is the difference between £400 and £1,400
- Measure the old bath before you buy, because a 1700mm by 700mm replacement drops into the same footprint and anything else leaves a line to make good
- Reuse the existing taps if they are sound, since new taps and the labour to fit them are a large part of the step up from the cheapest tier
- Ask whether the quote includes the panel, the waste and taking the old bath away, the three things most often left out of a headline price
- Get the bath on site before the plumber starts, because a day lost to a damaged or wrong-size bath is a day you pay for
- Have the floor looked at while the old bath is out, as it is the only time it is visible and a soft board is far cheaper to replace then than later
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, a bath replacement typically costs around £1,100 supplied and fitted, about 20% above the UK average of £900. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £870.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £400 | £900 | £2,600 |
| London | £480 | £1,100 | £3,100 |
| South East / South West | £420 | £950 | £2,700 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
Guide prices supplied and fitted, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Bath replacement cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £380 | £860 | £2,500 |
| Birmingham | £400 | £900 | £2,600 |
| Bristol | £420 | £950 | £2,700 |
| Cardiff | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Edinburgh | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Glasgow | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Leeds | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Liverpool | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| London | £480 | £1,100 | £3,100 |
| Manchester | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Newcastle | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
| Sheffield | £390 | £870 | £2,500 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for bath replacement, not quotes.
London and the South East charge the most, mainly on the plumber's day rate and parking. The North, Scotland and Wales are a little cheaper for the same swap. The bath itself costs the same wherever you buy it, so the regional spread here is narrower than on a job that is mostly labour.
Common questions
How much does it cost to replace a bath?
Replacing a bath costs £400 to £2,600 in the UK, with most jobs landing around £900 supplied and fitted. A like-for-like swap in the same position is £400 to £800, a new bath with taps, a panel and tile repairs is £700 to £1,400, and a job where the bath moves or the pipework is reworked is £1,400 to £2,600. Labour is £300 to £600 across most of the UK and £400 to £800 in London, and the bath itself is £120 to £300 for a standard acrylic or steel model.
Can I replace a bath without retiling the whole bathroom?
Usually yes, and it is the main way to keep the cost down. The catch is the tile line. A standard UK bath is 1700mm by 700mm, so a replacement of the same size drops into the same footprint and only the sealed edge is disturbed. A bath that is a different length, depth or shape leaves bare wall or floor where the old one sat, and making that good is £100 to £400 depending on whether the tiles can be matched. Buy the new bath before the old one comes out, and measure the old one rather than assuming it is a standard size.
How much does it cost to remove an old bath?
Removal and disposal on its own is £60 to £90, which covers the labour to lift it out and take it away. That is normally inside a replacement quote rather than charged separately. If you are clearing a whole bathroom instead, a 2 yard mini skip starts around £120 and a 4 yard skip, the usual size for a bathroom strip-out, is £250 to £350 depending on where you are and how long you keep it. An acrylic bath can be cut up and put in a car; a steel or cast iron one cannot.
Do I need building regulations approval to replace a bath?
Replacing a bath in an existing home is not notifiable in itself, and you do not need to tell building control. Two things are worth knowing. The 48°C limit on the hot water supply to a fixed bath, requirement G3(4) of the Building Regulations 2010, applies only where a dwelling is erected or formed by a material change of use, so it does not apply to swapping a bath in a house that already exists. Plenty of bathroom pages state it as a blanket rule and it is not one. What can be notifiable is electrical work: under regulation 12, a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement or an alteration in the zone around a bath or shower has to be notified, which is why a whirlpool bath or an electric shower is a different matter from a plain bath swap.
Can I replace a bath myself?
The plumbing is within reach of a confident DIYer if the new bath is the same size and goes back in the same place, since it is a hot, a cold and a waste connection. Three things catch people out. The waste has to fall continuously to the stack or it will smell and drain slowly. The bath must be sealed to the wall properly, because water tracking behind it is the most common cause of a rotten floor. And any electrical work in the zone around the bath is notifiable, so a whirlpool bath is not a DIY job even if the plumbing is. Getting a one-piece bath up the stairs is a two-person lift.
How much does it cost to convert a bath into a walk-in shower?
Converting a bath into a walk-in shower costs £1,500 to £3,500, which is more than replacing the bath because the area has to be tanked, a tray or a tiled floor with a linear drain fitted, and a screen added. A tray with a glass panel sits at the low end and a fully tiled floor with a linear drain at the top. Our walk-in shower and wet room guides price that job properly. Bear in mind a house with only one bathroom usually sells better with a bath in it.
How long does a bath last?
In practice a bath is replaced during a bathroom refit or after a crack rather than because it wears out. On the figures the manufacturers publish, an acrylic bath is good for around 10 to 15 years before it starts to look tired or flex underfoot, an enamelled steel bath 20 to 30 years, and a cast iron bath longer than the room around it. Treat those numbers with some caution, because they come from the firms selling the baths. What actually shortens a bath's life is a poor seal at the wall and an unsupported base, both of which are fitting rather than the bath.
What is the cheapest way to replace a bath?
Keep the position, keep the size and keep the taps. A like-for-like acrylic bath in the same footprint with the existing taps reused is £400 to £800 all in, because nothing has to be retiled and no pipework moves. Buying the bath yourself often saves a little on the unit but loses you the plumber's trade discount and leaves any fault with the bath as your problem rather than theirs, so ask for both prices before deciding.
Check they are registered before they start
Most fixed electrical work in a home has to meet Part P of the building regulations. Work by someone unregistered can be difficult to insure, to sign off, or to sell a house through. Checking takes about a minute and it is free.
- Registered Competent Person Electrical Electrical Safety Roundtable · The register GOV.UK points householders to for electricians who can certify their own work under the building regulations
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Building Regulations 2010, Schedule 1, requirement G3(4) legislation.gov.uk · G3(4) requires the hot water supply to any fixed bath to be designed and installed so the water delivered cannot exceed 48°C. The limits on application beside it say the requirement applies only when a dwelling is erected, or formed by a material change of use within the meaning of regulation 5(a) or (b), so it does not apply to replacing a bath in an existing home.
- Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency: Approved Document G GOV.UK · Paragraph 3.65 gives the compliance route where G3(4) does apply: an in-line blending valve or other temperature control device with a maximum temperature stop, which should not be easily altered by the building's users.
- Building Regulations 2010, regulation 12 legislation.gov.uk · Sets out which electrical work in a dwelling has to be notified: a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or an alteration to an existing circuit in a room containing a bath or shower. A plain bath swap is none of those; a whirlpool bath needing a fused supply is.
- Electrical safety: Approved Document P GOV.UK · The guidance that goes with regulation 12, including the special locations in a bathroom that make electrical work notifiable.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.