How much to spend on a TV?
Most UK buyers should spend £400 to £550 on a TV: a 55-inch 144 Hz QLED costs £405 and Mini-LED £530. What each budget buys by size, and the cost per year.
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Most UK buyers should spend £400 to £550 on a TV, which buys a 55-inch set with a 144 Hz panel, HDMI 2.1 and Dolby Vision for £405, or QD-Mini LED local dimming for £530. Below £300 buys a plain 60 Hz LED panel and above £1,000 buys OLED; over a 7-year life, the step from £405 to £1,199 costs an extra £113.43 a year.
Prices are Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026), and the picks match Best TV UK 2026, Best budget TV UK 2026 and Best budget 55 inch TV UK 2026.
| Situation | Spend | Pick | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom or kitchen, 43-inch | Under £300 | TCL 43V6D | £219 |
| Lowest-cost 55-inch | Under £300 | TCL 55V6D | £284 |
| 55-inch for TV, streaming and a console | £400 to £450 | Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO | £405 |
| 55-inch, best picture under £600 | £500 to £550 | TCL 55C6K | £530 |
| 65-inch for a seat at 2.63 m or more | £550 to £650 | Hisense 65U7QTUK | £649 |
| Films in a dark room | £800 to £1,200 | Philips 55OLED760 or LG OLED B6 55 | £799 or £1,199 |
What does each TV budget buy at 43, 55 and 65 inches?
Each price tier buys one clear step in picture technology. Under £300 buys 4K on a 60 Hz LED panel; £300 to £600 adds quantum-dot colour, 144 Hz and, at the top, Mini-LED; £600 to £1,000 reaches OLED at 55 inches; and £1,000 or more buys brighter Mini-LED and OLED at 65 inches. Compare Electronic's tier table lists a store pick at each size.
| Budget | 43-inch | 55-inch | 65-inch | What the tier buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under £300 | TCL 43V6D, £219: 4K LED, 60 Hz | TCL 55V6D, £284: 4K LED, 60 Hz | Nothing in the store; cheapest is £407 | 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos; 60 Hz, no Dolby Vision, no local dimming |
| £300 to £600 | Hisense 43E78QTUK PRO, £329: QLED, 144 Hz; LG 43QNED70B6C, £329: Mini-LED, 60 Hz | Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO, £405: QLED, 144 Hz; TCL 55C6K, £530: QD-Mini LED, 144 Hz | TCL 65V6D, £407: LED, 60 Hz; Hisense 65E78QTUK PRO, £549: QLED, 144 Hz | Quantum-dot colour, Dolby Vision, 144 Hz and HDMI 2.1; Mini-LED local dimming at the top |
| £600 to £1,000 | LG OLED42C65LA (42-inch), £999: OLED, 165 Hz | Philips 55OLED760, £799: OLED, 120 Hz | Hisense 65U7QTUK, £649: Mini-LED, 144 Hz; Hisense 65A85NTUK, £949: OLED, 120 Hz | OLED per-pixel black at 55 inches; Mini-LED or entry OLED at 65 inches |
| £1,000 and up | Not needed at this size | LG OLED B6 55, £1,199: OLED, 120 Hz | TCL 65C7L, £1,199: SQD-Mini LED, 144 Hz; LG OLED evo C6 65, £1,899.99: OLED, 165 Hz | Four 4K 120 Hz HDMI inputs, 165 Hz, brighter Mini-LED with more dimming zones |
Two findings stand out. A 55-inch OLED now sits in the £600 to £1,000 tier: the Philips 55OLED760 costs £799, and Philips calls it its most affordable OLED Ambilight TV. At 65 inches, nothing in the store costs under £300; the cheapest is the TCL 65V6D at £407. Room size decides which column applies, and What size TV do I need? sets out the distances.
How much does a TV cost per year?
Spread over a 7-year life, the picks cost £40.57 to £271.43 a year, and the TV licence costs more each year than every pick except the LG OLED evo C6 65. The licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, according to gov.uk, or £1,260 over 7 years at that rate. Seven years matches the software support makers publish; the reasoning is in How long do TVs last?.
| TV | Price | Per year, 7 years | Per year with the TV licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCL 55V6D | £284.00 | £40.57 | £220.57 |
| Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO | £405.00 | £57.86 | £237.86 |
| TCL 55C6K | £530.00 | £75.71 | £255.71 |
| Hisense 65U7QTUK | £649.00 | £92.71 | £272.71 |
| Philips 55OLED760 | £799.00 | £114.14 | £294.14 |
| LG OLED B6 55 | £1,199.00 | £171.29 | £351.29 |
| LG OLED evo C6 65 | £1,899.99 | £271.43 | £451.43 |
The cheapest upgrades sit at the bottom of the 55-inch ladder. The step from the TCL 55V6D to the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO costs £121, or £17.29 a year, and buys a 144 Hz panel, HDMI 2.1, quantum-dot colour and Dolby Vision. The next step, to the TCL 55C6K, costs £125 more, or £17.86 a year, for QD-Mini LED local dimming that TCL rates at 1,000 nits. OLED then costs £38.43 a year more than the TCL 55C6K.
When is it worth spending more on a TV?
Spending more pays when the extra money fixes a specific limit: a console that needs 120 Hz, a dark room where LED panels show grey blacks, or a seat too far back for a 55-inch screen. It pays least for a buyer who mostly watches Freeview, which broadcasts in HD rather than 4K, as Is a 4K TV worth it for Freeview? explains.
- PS5 or Xbox Series X: spend at least £405 for 144 Hz and HDMI 2.1. The LG OLED B6 55 at £1,199 has four HDMI inputs that LG says all support 4K 120 Hz, as covered in Do I need a 120Hz TV for PS5?
- Dark-room films: OLED from £799 with the Philips 55OLED760; Is an OLED TV worth it? weighs the burn-in risk and warranties.
- A seat at 2.63 m, the UK median viewing distance in a 2014 BBC survey: the divide-by-4 rule gives a 65-inch screen, from £549 for the Hisense 65E78QTUK PRO.
- A bright living room: Mini-LED, from £530 at 55 inches (TCL 55C6K) or £649 at 65 inches (Hisense 65U7QTUK).
Which TV gives the most for the money?
The TCL 55C6K is the best TV for the money in the £400 to £600 tier, at £530 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (October 2026). It pairs a 55-inch QD-Mini LED panel with local dimming, a native 144 Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+, and it is the best-picture pick in the budget 55-inch guide.
TCL 55C6K specifications
- Screen: 55 inch Mini-LED, 3840x2160
- Peak brightness (TCL rating): 1000 nits
- Refresh rate: 144 Hz
- HDMI 2.1 ports: 2
- Dolby Vision: Yes
- HDR10+: Yes
- Dolby Atmos: Yes
- Speakers: 40 W
- Smart platform: Google TV
Over 7 years it costs £75.71 a year, £17.86 more than the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO, and a 40 W Onkyo 2.1 speaker system is built in. The compromises are two HDMI 2.1 ports rather than four, and no published Google TV upgrade term for TCL sets, so a buyer who wants a stated support window should take the Hisense, whose VIDAA platform promises up to 8 years of updates.
TCL 55C6K - pros and cons
Where to buy
Check price
Three alternatives cover the other budgets, at Amazon UK prices on 6 October 2026.
Also consider
Radar · 0-100 scores
- 55C6K 55" QD-Mini LED
- 55E78QTUK PRO 55" QLED
- 55V6D 4K Fire TV
- OLED B6 55" (OLED55B65LA)
Verdict
Most UK buyers should spend £400 to £550 on a TV: the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO at £405 covers streaming and console gaming, and the TCL 55C6K at £530 adds Mini-LED for £17.86 a year more over 7 years. Above £1,000 buys OLED, which pays off in a dark room. The full shortlists are in Best TV UK 2026 and Best budget 55 inch TV UK 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I spend on a 55-inch TV?
£400 to £550 buys the best-value 55-inch TV in October 2026. The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO costs £405 on Amazon UK with a 144 Hz QLED panel, HDMI 2.1 and Dolby Vision, and the TCL 55C6K costs £530 with QD-Mini LED local dimming. Below £300, the TCL 55V6D at £284 is a 4K LED set with a 60 Hz panel.
Is it worth spending over £1,000 on a TV?
Only for a buyer who watches films in a dim room or plays on a PS5 or Xbox Series X and keeps the set for years. £1,199 buys the LG OLED B6 55, with per-pixel black and four HDMI inputs that LG says support 4K 120 Hz. Over a 7-year life it costs £171.29 a year, against £75.71 for the TCL 55C6K.
What is a good TV under £300 in the UK?
The TCL 55V6D at £284 and the TCL 43V6D at £219 on Amazon UK are 4K LED TVs with HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and Fire TV built in, at the time of writing (October 2026). Both run at 60 Hz with no Dolby Vision or local dimming, so they suit Freeview, streaming and casual gaming rather than films in a dark room.
How many years should a TV last for the money?
Plan on 7 years. Samsung promises up to 7 years of Tizen OS upgrades, LG up to 5 years of webOS upgrades and Hisense's VIDAA platform up to 8 years of updates. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets a buyer claim for faults for up to 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Over 7 years, the £405 Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO costs £57.86 a year.
Does the TV licence cost more than the TV?
Over a TV's life, usually yes. The UK TV licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, according to gov.uk, or £1,260 over 7 years at that rate. That is more than the £1,199 LG OLED B6 55 and more than four times the £284 TCL 55V6D, so for a licence payer the licence is the bigger cost of watching TV.
What size TV should I buy for my budget?
Buy the screen the room suits first, then the best panel the budget allows. The UK median viewing distance is 2.63 m, from a 2014 BBC survey, and Compare Electronic's divide-by-4 rule puts that seat at a 65-inch TV. £549 buys the Hisense 65E78QTUK PRO, a 144 Hz QLED, and £649 the Hisense 65U7QTUK Mini-LED, on Amazon UK in October 2026.