Composite front doors are far more costly than uPVC front doors, as you’ll see when getting quotes and comparing products. Composite front doors generally cost twice as much as their uPVC counterparts. Thus, it’s a fair question to ask whether composite doors are worth their high price.
The short answer is ‘Yes’, and for most homes. However, it’s important to note that the reasons are not as they’re typically described in showrooms.
Composite doors are more dimensionally stable than uPVC doors. uPVC doors are prone to the expansion and contraction of the elements. Doors on the sun facing side of the home are frustratingly stiff in the heat of the summer and frustratingly loose in the cold of the winter after only a couple years. Composite doors, which are constructed with timber cores and GRP skins, do not suffer the same the same issues to the same extent.
There is some truth to composite doors outperforming the thermally efficient uPVC doors but the distinction is negligible, especially when compared to the price difference. For older, solid timber doors with large gaps, both composite and uPVC doors would drastically improve energy efficiency. If the focus is on cost effective energy efficiency, the frame seal and draught excluder can be upgraded on the existing door.
Where composite genuinely earns its price is longevity and security. Tougher multipoint locking systems are used on higher-end composite doors and are much harder to breach than standard uPVC doors, and the structural integrity of composite doors are stronger than their uPVC counterparts. For doors specifically, there is also much more durability required because they are used much more often than a standard external door, and are much more exposed to the weather.
Lastly, see what’s supporting the door before buying. A super high quality composite door installed in an extremely rotten or poorly installed frame is going to be a huge waste of hard earned money. If the frame is the original from the house, make sure to include that replacement cost before doing any other price comparisons.