The majority of the UK’s broadband providers will increase existing customer bills on April 1, with major incumbent firms such as BT, EE and Virgin Media set to increase monthly charges by £4 per month.

Ahead of the national price hikes, consumer watchdog Which? has released the results of its annual broadband survey, and it’s not good news for the so-called ‘Big Four’ firms, which were ranked below several smaller rivals when it comes to customer satisfaction.

When judged on value, reliability and customer service, more than 5,000 broadband customers ranked BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media below challenger internet brands Zen Internet, Hyperoptic and Community Fibre.

Sky-owned NOW Broadband sat bottom of the pile with the lowest customer score of just 54 percent, which was only narrowly beaten by Virgin Media and TalkTalk on 59 percent, with Sky only one position higher on 82 percent.

Sat atop of the new rankings is Zen Internet, which scored an impressive 84 percent, beating Hyperoptic into second place on 77 percent with London-only Community Fibre third on 72 percent.

“Our research consistently shows that smaller broadband providers outperform the biggest firms on the things that matter most, such as reliability, customer support and importantly value,” said Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services.

“With many of the industry giants now implementing a standard £4-a-month annual price hike – adding £48 to a yearly bill – it is more important than ever for customers to check if they could be getting a better deal and better service elsewhere.”

Notably, customer satisfaction did not appear to be entirely led by broadband providers’ price increase decisions, as Hyperoptic, which placed second, will raise prices by £4 in April, the same as lower-ranked TalkTalk and Virgin Media. This is also determined by how much BT, and BT-owned EE and Plusnet, will hike costs by for existing broadband customers next month.

Plusnet ranked higher than EE and BT with 71 percent, just ahead of Vodafone with 67 percent. Vodafone’s prices will increase by £3.50, with Sky and NOW Broadband implementing £3 rises in April, despite keeping prices fixed in recent years.

Table topper Zen Internet guarantees no in-contract price rises, but its contracts are only 18 months long, and prices are typically higher than larger rivals, starting at £33 per month for a 105Mbps connection.

By way of comparison, at the time of writing Community Fibre was offering blazing fast 2.5Gbps speeds for a fixed price of £27 for 24 months on a plan that is usually £39 per month.

Smaller broadband firms appear more agile with their cut-price offers, with Which? suggesting those Brits who are unhappy with their internet provider have the opportunity to switch to a new firm’s services.

The comparison company said it found an example of one customer saving 50 percent on their bills after starting the UK-regulated One Touch Switch process, which then saw their current provider offer them a retention offer.

One Touch Switch is in place so if you want to leave your current broadband provider, it is their responsibility to help move you to your new provider of choice. This can sometimes result in low-cost offers from your current provider in order to get you to stay.

But if you’re still not happy, the switch is easier than ever.

“The grass can be greener and any broadband customers who are nearing the end of their contract and are unhappy with their current service or think they could stand to make savings, should not hesitate to vote with their feet and move to a different provider,” Which?’s Hitchins said.