The tado° X is the most significant update to tado's smart heating line-up in years. Launched in 2024, it brings Matter compatibility and a built-in Thread border router to UK homes — a first for the brand. If you've been hunting for the best smart thermostat for your UK home, the tado° X deserves serious consideration. The starter kit costs around £149.99 and promises wireless installation for most UK combi and system boilers.
What's New in tado° X?
Matter over Thread is the headline feature. Unlike the previous tado° V3+ — which relied on a proprietary bridge — the tado° X uses Thread, the low-power mesh networking protocol that sits beneath the Matter standard. The included gateway doubles as a Thread border router, meaning your tado° X devices can join the same fabric as your other Matter accessories. For a deeper look at how this protocol works in practice, see our guide to the best smart thermostats in the UK.
App redesign. tado° has retired the old tado° app in favour of the tado° X app, rebuilt from the ground up. The interface is cleaner, with a home screen that shows live room temperatures, heating schedules, and Energy IQ data at a glance.
Backward compatibility. If you already own tado° V3+ devices, you cannot mix them directly with tado° X on the same system — the two generations use different gateways. That's an important caveat if you're upgrading a multi-zone setup.
Installation
tado° markets the X as a wireless installation for most UK boilers, which is accurate for the majority of combi boilers. You connect the Wiring Centre (included) to your boiler's heating terminals, then pair the Smart Thermostat X wirelessly. There are no wires running between the thermostat and the boiler — a genuine advantage over wired alternatives like Honeywell evohome.
The guided in-app setup is clear, and tado° maintains a compatibility checker on its website covering most UK boilers. Ofgem data shows that the majority of UK households now have a combi boiler, so most readers will qualify for the wireless route. If you have an older open-vented system, check tado's compatibility list before buying.
Smart Radiator Valves X (TRVs) clip onto standard radiator valves — Danfoss RA, Comap, and most UK-standard fittings are covered — and pair wirelessly to the gateway. Each TRV creates an independent heating zone, letting you set different schedules per room.
Performance & Features
Geofencing and open window detection. These are the two killer features of any tado° system, but in the X generation they require the Auto-Assist subscription at £2.99 per month (or £29.99 per year). Without it, the app nudges you to adjust manually rather than acting automatically. For most households the subscription pays for itself in energy savings — the Energy Saving Trust estimates that turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can reduce your heating bill by around 10%.
Energy IQ. The tado° X app includes an Energy IQ dashboard that shows your daily and weekly heating usage, estimated energy consumption, and comparison against previous periods. It's not a live energy monitor — it doesn't pull from your smart meter — but it gives useful context for understanding your heating patterns.
Multi-zone control. Add Smart Radiator Valves X to each room and you get full per-room scheduling. Each TRV reports its own temperature and controls the radiator independently, while the Smart Thermostat X controls the boiler call for heat. This is the most effective way to cut waste in homes with multiple rooms that have different occupancy patterns.
Voice assistant compatibility. tado° X works with Apple HomeKit (via Matter), Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Matter support means you can add it to any Matter-compatible hub without waiting for tado° to release a dedicated integration.
tado° X vs tado° V3+
The V3+ remains available and is still a strong performer. Its main advantages over the X are price — starter kits are typically cheaper — and a more mature ecosystem with a larger community of users. However, the V3+ does not support Matter or Thread, so if future-proofing matters to you, the X is the better long-term buy. For a head-to-head across more brands, see our tado° vs Nest UK comparison.
We also have a detailed review of the tado° Smart Radiator Valve for those building out a multi-zone system.
Pricing & Value
The tado° X Starter Kit (thermostat + gateway) costs around £149.99, with Smart Radiator Valves X available separately. Prices vary by retailer — Amazon, John Lewis, and tado.com all stock the range.
The optional Auto-Assist subscription at £2.99/month unlocks geofencing automation and open window detection. Without it, the system is still useful but loses its most compelling time-saving features. Factor this into your total cost of ownership.
The UK government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme and energy efficiency guidance from the Energy Saving Trust both highlight smart thermostats as a cost-effective first step before larger investments like heat pumps — see our guide on whether smart heating is worth it in the UK for the full picture.
Verdict
The tado° X is a polished, future-ready smart thermostat. Matter support, a clean new app, and genuinely easy wireless installation put it ahead of the V3+ for new buyers. The Auto-Assist paywall is a legitimate gripe, but the underlying system — multi-zone control, Energy IQ, and broad platform compatibility — is excellent. At around £149.99 for the starter kit, it's competitive with other premium UK smart thermostats. Recommended.
Related: Tado vs Nest thermostat, Hive vs Tado vs Nest comparison, and best smart radiator valves UK.
