The Best Side-Hinged Garage Doors and Garage Side Doors in the UK: 7 Options for Different Jobs
Up-and-over garage doors are everywhere in Britain, and many are past their best: rattling, draughty and held shut by a single central lock. Side-hinged doors open like a pair of French doors, need no overhead tracks, let you walk in without opening the full width, and usually lock at several points.
Then there's the garage side door, the single personnel door into the garage from the garden. It's often the weakest door on the property. Police advice warns that garages and sheds are targeted first because they hold the tools a burglar needs to get into the house (Metropolitan Police).
Here are seven options, matched to what you need. Supply-only prices are as published by suppliers or retailers in October 2026.
For The Widest Choice Of Styles: Garador
Steel, timber and insulated steel · Made in Yeovil, Somerset · From around £949 at retailers
Garador's side-hinged range covers steel designs such as Georgian, Beaumont, Cathedral, Carlton, Windsor and Ascot, plus timber models in Western Red Cedar. Insulated Linear models use a 42mm PU-filled double steel skin with a U-value of 2.9 W/m²K. Standard doors have two-point locking with shoot-bolts, and three-point locking is an option on insulated doors. Matching garage side doors are available, and both standard and made-to-measure sizes are offered.
Worth knowing: sold through dealers and retailers, who usually quote fitted prices.
For Insulation And Engineering: Hörmann NT60-2 and NT80-2
Aluminium frame with 42mm PU-foamed steel panels · Made in Germany
Hörmann's double-leaf side-hinged doors use a thick foam-filled steel panel in an aluminium frame. The NT80-2 adds a thermally broken frame and a five-point H5 security lock with stainless steel bolts, and comes in large sizes up to 2,600mm by 2,500mm. A matching single-leaf side door is available.
Worth knowing: a premium option, sold and fitted through Hörmann dealers. Prices on request.
For Made-To-Measure As Standard: Novoferm
Steel, GRP and timber · Made to measure · Berwick steel from £1,210 including VAT at retailers
Novoferm says all its side-hinged doors are bespoke and made to measure. Plain steel doors aren't insulated, but the NovoTherma upgrade adds 30mm of insulation and the DuoPort has a 45mm PUR core. Locking is a euro-profile mortice lock with twin shoot-bolts, with three-point locking and a hinge lock as options.
For Security On A Budget: Latham's Steel Doors
Steel · Stock sizes and alteration options · From £239.99 (side door) and £599.99 (side-hinged pair), including VAT
Latham's garage side door starts with the Budget model at £599.99 including VAT, with a honeycomb core; the thicker Security grade has mineral wool insulation. Budget and Security grades use a 19-point lock. Same-day despatch and next-day delivery are available for unmodified white stock, subject to availability. Powder coating is listed at 10 working days and custom sizing at 15, plus delivery. A separately specified PAS 24 certified version is available; confirm that the ordered configuration is covered.
Its side-hinged garage doors come in widths from 1,295mm to 2,195mm, 50mm thick, with multi-point locking on the active leaf and bolts on the passive leaf, from £599.99.
Worth knowing: the standard garage doors aren't security-certified. Specify the certified doorset and configuration if you need PAS 24. Prices are for supply; arrange fitting separately.
For Low-Maintenance Looks: Wessex GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic · Made to measure at no extra charge
Wessex makes GRP side-hinged doors that imitate painted timber without the repainting. Doors come pre-framed with draught strips, and dealers list a 60mm steel frame in white, black or Van Dyke brown.
Worth knowing: GRP gives low maintenance rather than high security. Pair it with good locks.
For Traditional Timber: Rundum Meir
Oak, iroko, cedar or sapele · Handcrafted
Rundum Meir is best known for side-sliding "round the corner" timber doors, but also makes side-hinged doors to measure. It suits period houses and anyone who wants real wood.
For Comparing Brands In One Olace: Samson Doors
Online retailer · Own-brand and Garador
Samson sells side-hinged doors from several makers, including its own insulated steel range (its Fort steel side-hinged doors start from £1,646) and Garador models. It's useful for comparing prices across brands before calling an installer.
Side-Hinged Vs Up-And-Over: What You Gain
Side-hinged | Up-and-over | |
Locking points | Usually several | Often one central lock |
Walk-in access | Open one leaf | Open the whole door |
Headroom | No overhead tracks | Tracks reduce ceiling space |
Driveway space | Doors swing out, so needs clearance | Varies with canopy or retractable design |
Insulation options | Widely available | Limited |
Making Any Garage Door More Secure
Upgrade the side door first. It's often weaker than the main door and hidden from the street.
Look for multi-point locking and hinges that can't be lifted off.
Fit an anti-snap cylinder (TS007 3-star or Sold Secure Diamond).
Lock the internal door from the garage into the house.
Don't leave ladders and tools out. Police note that they're often used to break into the house.
How We Chose
We compared side-hinged garage doors and garage side doors on published specifications: materials, locking, insulation, sizes and prices, from manufacturer websites, brochures and UK retailers, checked in October 2026. Woodrite, once a well-known name, is not included because a major retailer reports it stopped trading in 2022. Entries are matched to a use rather than ranked. Prices are supply only unless stated and change often.
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