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Stop messing with stiff taps. We tested the UK’s top digital showers from Aqualisa, Mira, and Triton to find the perfect high-pressure match for your combi boiler.
If you have a combi boiler, you already have the perfect foundation for a luxury shower experience. Combi boilers deliver high-pressure hot water directly from the mains, removing the need for noisy pumps. But to truly unlock this potential, you need a Digital Shower.
Unlike a traditional mixer valve that you have to wrestle with to get the right temperature, a digital shower uses a separate processor box (usually hidden in the loft or under the bath) to mix the water with thermostatic precision. The result? You press a button, a light flashes while it warms up, and it glows steady when it’s ready. No more freezing arm test. No more sudden blasts of cold when someone flushes the loo.
In this guide, we review the top digital showers specifically designed for High Pressure (HP) combi systems. Note: If you have a gravity-fed tank system instead, you might need a pumped unit—check our guide on recommended electric showers for alternatives.
Digital showers come in two versions. Since you have a Combi Boiler, you must buy the High Pressure (HP) or Non-Pumped version.
Do NOT buy the “Pumped” or “Gravity” version. Connecting a pumped shower to a high-pressure combi mains supply will damage the unit and void your warranty. If your combi pressure is unusually low, check our guide on the best electric shower for low water pressure instead.
The Aqualisa Quartz is the “Hoover” of the digital shower world—it defined the category. The “Blue” is the modern smart evolution of the classic.
Why it wins: Simplicity. It features a simple start/stop button and a smooth temperature dial with an LED ring that flashes while heating up. It connects to Wi-Fi, allowing you to ask Alexa to “turn on the shower” while you are still in bed. The processor box mixes water to perfection, and the reliability is legendary in the UK plumbing trade.
If you love sleek, futuristic design, the Mira Mode is for you. The controller looks like a smartphone and mounts seamlessly on your tiles. It doesn’t have a dial; you twist the chrome ring to adjust temperature.
The Killer Feature: The app control is incredible. You can set the shower duration, max temperature, and even a “bath fill” mode (if you get the bath filler version) that stops the water automatically when the bath is perfectly full. It pairs beautifully with the high pressure of a combi boiler to deliver a saturating spray.
Triton is famous for their electric showers (read our Triton T80Z reviews for proof), but their entry into the digital market is excellent value. The HOST is designed to be affordable while offering the core benefits of digital showering.
It comes with a wireless controller that can be positioned up to 10 meters away from the processor box. It offers three presets (High, Medium, Low flow/temp) which makes it incredibly easy for kids or guests to use without fiddling. It’s a workhorse digital shower that doesn’t break the bank.
The Mira Platinum is the heavy hitter of the range. Its standout feature is the completely wireless controller. You can stick it on the shower wall, the basin, or even outside the bathroom door (up to 10m range).
The “Dual” version allows you to switch between a massive overhead drencher and a practical handset with the touch of a button—or run both simultaneously if your combi boiler pressure is strong enough. It oozes luxury and offers precise digital temperature readouts.
If budget is no object, the Aqualisa Q is the Rolls Royce. It features a full-colour OLED display and a unique “proximity sensor” that wakes the shower up as you approach.
It allows you to save personalized profiles (e.g., “Dad’s Morning Wakeup” vs “Mum’s Relaxing Soak”). It’s built on the same reliable Quartz valve technology but with a user interface that feels like high-end consumer electronics. The design is a conversation starter.
One of the biggest advantages of digital showers is installation flexibility. Because the mixing of water happens in a “Processor Box” (a black box usually the size of a shoebox), you can hide this unit:
This means you don’t have to bury complex pipework inside your shower wall. You simply run a single pipe (or two for dual outlets) from the processor to the shower head, and a thin data cable to the controller. For wireless models like the Mira Platinum, you don’t even need the data cable!
No. This is a common misconception. A digital shower is a mixer shower. It takes hot water from your combi boiler and cold water from the mains and mixes them electronically. It does not have a heating element inside. If your boiler breaks, you get no hot water.
Yes, but you must buy the Pumped (Gravity) version of these showers. Do not buy the High Pressure versions listed above. Pumped versions have a built-in motor to boost flow from a cold water tank.
Yes, modern units from Aqualisa and Mira are extremely reliable. In fact, because the moving parts (the processor) are located away from the shower area (in the loft), they are less prone to limescale damage and easier to service than traditional valves buried in the wall.
Since digital showers require electricity to power the processor box and controller, they will not work during a power cut. However, standard electric showers also fail during power cuts. Only a traditional mechanical mixer valve would work (provided your boiler still supplies hot water, which most combis won’t without power!).
