Espresso machines · ECOV311.BG

De'Longhi Icona Vintage

Name: De'Longhi Icona Vintage
Brand: De'Longhi

ECOV311.BG

The De'Longhi Icona Vintage ECOV311.BG is a compact, retro-styled pump espresso machine (15 bar, 1100 W, 1.4 l tank) that takes ground coffee or ESE pods and has a manual steam wand.

15 bar1100 W1.4 l

Reviews 29 Videos 3

29 original reviews to read 3 video summaries Good to know

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Overview
Good to know
Reviews
Videos
Similar products
Specifications
Sources

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At a glance

The De'Longhi Icona Vintage ECOV311.BG is a compact, retro-styled pump espresso machine (15 bar, 1100 W, 1.4 l tank) that takes ground coffee or ESE pods and has a manual steam wand. UK owners praise its looks and café-style espresso and cappuccino, and generally find it easy to use and good value; many are on their second one. Common complaints are a dripping steam wand, noise for some, a learning curve and a minority of early failures. The 77 mm cup clearance rules out tall mugs. It suits anyone wanting an attractive, simple entry-level espresso machine who is happy to froth milk by hand. No independent lab test or reliability data exists, so long-term durability is uncertain.

Strengths

Retro cream-and-chrome design that owners repeatedly praise
Good espresso with crema and decent cappuccinos, and straightforward to use and clean
Takes both ground coffee and ESE pods

Show all (4)

Widely seen as good value, and many owners report a previous unit lasting years

Things to consider

77 mm maximum cup height: espresso and small cups only
Steam or milk wand dripping is a recurring complaint
Some find it noisy or rattly while brewing

Show all (6)

Some units fail early, third-party reports mention pump and pressure problems, and there is no independent reliability data
Takes some practice to dial in, and redesigned filter baskets and the portafilter can be awkward
Not stocked by major UK high-street retailers such as Argos or Currys

Who is it for, and who is it not for?

Good for

Espresso and small-cappuccino drinkers who want a stylish, simple machine for the worktop
People who want the convenience of ESE pods as well as ground coffee

May not suit

Anyone who drinks tall lattes or wants to brew straight into a mug
Households needing reliably quiet early-morning operation
Buyers wanting automatic milk frothing or a no-learning-curve machine

See alternatives

Before you buy

Good to know

What the features mean in everyday use.

Brewing

This is a manual pump espresso machine with 15 bar pump pressure and 1100 W input power, taking ground coffee or ESE pods in a dual-function filter holder.

Technical fact · See source

Cup clearance

Maximum cup height is 77 mm, which limits it to espresso cups and small cappuccino cups. Tall mugs or latte glasses will not fit under the spouts, and a UK reviewer had to change their favourite large cup.

Technical fact · See source

Milk

Milk is frothed with a manual steam wand (Manual Cappuccino System). There is no automatic milk function.

Manufacturer's claim · See source

Design

UK buyers often praise the retro look (high-gloss cream finish with chrome details) and say it looks good on the worktop.

User experience · See source

Show more (9)

Coffee quality

Most UK reviewers in the sample say it makes good espresso with crema and good cappuccinos, and many say it is easy to use and clean.

User experience · See source

Steam wand drips

Several UK reviewers report the steam or milk wand dripping or leaking. One reviewer calls it normal; another had a leak that persisted after a replacement.

User experience · See source

Noise and build

Some UK reviewers find it noisy or vibrating while brewing, or say it rattles and feels cheapened. A similar number describe it as quiet compared with their old machine.

User experience · See source

Longevity

Many UK buyers are replacing an earlier Icona Vintage that lasted for years (some say over ten). A few UK reviewers had a machine fail within days to about a year, and Amazon's AI review summary leans negative on reliability and durability.

User experience · See source

Cleaning and parts

Individual UK reviewers mention a basin under the drip tray that is hard to clean, redesigned filter baskets that are tight or awkward to insert and remove, and a newer portafilter without the clip that stops the basket dropping out when emptied.

User experience · See source

Independent tests

Which? does not list the Icona Vintage among its tested espresso machines. A review aggregator cites third-party reports of pump failure after the warranty, pressure loss over time, a dripping steam nozzle and a light body that moves when the portafilter is locked in.

User experience · See source

Price and availability

In the UK the machine is sold by De'Longhi's own shop, on Amazon UK (third-party seller), on eBay and OnBuy, and by Brown Thomas Northern Ireland. Argos, Currys and AO showed no listing, and John Lewis marks it as no longer available online.

Technical fact · See source

Value

UK reviewers often call it good value, and some compare it favourably with dearer machines. One reviewer felt it was not worth more than about £150 because of its noise and size.

User experience · See source

Learning curve

A few UK reviewers say it takes practice to get the grind, dose and milk steaming right, or that it can be messy and needs watching so the cup does not overflow.

User experience · See source

Show more (11)

Milk

Milk is frothed with a manual steam wand (Manual Cappuccino System). There is no automatic milk function.

Manufacturer's claim · See source

Design

UK buyers often praise the retro look (high-gloss cream finish with chrome details) and say it looks good on the worktop.

User experience · See source

Coffee quality

Most UK reviewers in the sample say it makes good espresso with crema and good cappuccinos, and many say it is easy to use and clean.

User experience · See source

Steam wand drips

Several UK reviewers report the steam or milk wand dripping or leaking. One reviewer calls it normal; another had a leak that persisted after a replacement.

User experience · See source

Noise and build

Some UK reviewers find it noisy or vibrating while brewing, or say it rattles and feels cheapened. A similar number describe it as quiet compared with their old machine.

User experience · See source

Longevity

User experience · See source

Cleaning and parts

User experience · See source

Independent tests

User experience · See source

Price and availability

Technical fact · See source

Value

UK reviewers often call it good value, and some compare it favourably with dearer machines. One reviewer felt it was not worth more than about £150 because of its noise and size.

User experience · See source

Learning curve

A few UK reviewers say it takes practice to get the grind, dose and milk steaming right, or that it can be messy and needs watching so the cup does not overflow.

User experience · See source

User experience

What do reviews say?

See the common points first, then read the original reviews yourself.

Summarised from the 68 reviews we read. A review can mention several points, so the theme counts can add up to more than 68.

Store ratings

Amazon

Black · 4452 ratings

8 reviews read

4 / 5

De'Longhi UK

12 ratings

10 reviews read

No rating given

ebay.co.uk

78 ratings

50 reviews read

4.7 / 5

Each store’s rating and rating count are its own; ratings are not combined. “Read” is how many of that store’s reviews we read for the summary.

Go to the original reviews

UK owners mostly like the retro cream-and-chrome styling and say it makes good, café-style espresso with crema and decent cappuccinos. Many find it easy to use and clean, call the frother powerful and see it as good value; several are buying it again after an earlier one lasted years. Recurring complaints are a dripping steam wand, noise or rattling for some, and a minority of units that failed within days to about a year. Smaller points: a learning curve, small cups only, awkward redesigned filter baskets and milk not hot enough. Amazon's AI summary is more negative on durability than this sample.

What buyers like

Makes good espresso or coffee, with crema40 reviews
Easy to use and/or clean26 reviews
Attractive retro styling24 reviews
Steam wand or frother works well for cappuccinos and lattes12 reviews
Good value for money11 reviews
Repeat purchase after a previous unit lasted years10 reviews
Feels solid and well built9 reviews
Quiet in operation6 reviews
Heats up quickly4 reviews

Common complaints

Noisy, vibrates or rattles5 reviews
Stopped working within days to about a year4 reviews
Fiddly, messy or takes practice to get right4 reviews
Milk steaming weak, hard to control or not hot enough4 reviews
Steam or milk wand drips or leaks3 reviews
Awkward filter baskets or portafilter, or a hard-to-clean area under the drip tray3 reviews
Coffee weak or only small cups fit2 reviews

How was this summary made?

Summarised from 68 reviews. The summary is drawn from opinions that recur in the reviews read; each theme shows how many reviews mention it. These counts are not a rate and do not apply to every unit.

Counted 68 unique UK reviews with text, deduplicated by author, date and text: eBay UK 50 (s22-s26), De'Longhi UK Feefo 10 (s3-s4, plus 2 rating-only excluded) and Amazon UK 8 top UK reviews (s5). 5 Amazon reviews from other countries and 176 non-UK Feefo entries were excluded. Amazon's AI summary was used only as a cross-check.

Show reviews (29 of 68)Read the texts as published by the store

29 original reviews can be listed on this page. The number of reviews analysed may differ.

m*** j*** a*** a*** 5/5 12 October 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

Needed to replace my old vintage Iconica espresso machine that I’ve had for years, so delighted to see this model still on sale. A Great price and it’s super quick to heat up and pour. My old machine sounded like a lawnmower towards it’s demise, but tge new one is silent in comparison!
M*** W*** 3/5 26 August 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

Bought it due to a half price deal offer but would never pay over £150 (current price). The design is really nice but takes a lot of space for a small coffee machine. The biggest flaw is noise...I get up for work very early and I'm pretty sure that my neighbours are bit affected by my coffee machine... It nearly vibrates while making coffee and the metal tray makes a lot of noise during the process. Not great for this kind of price. I would not buy it again...rather gladly sell it lol
R*** M*** 5/5 6 August 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

Very good espresso machine easy to use and clean the ese pods are amazing makes a perfect espresso every time for £0.30, makes great cappuccinos can't see any downsides at all.
A*** R*** D*** 5/5 24 June 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

This Expresso machine is really easy to use and delivers the perfect Expresso every time. It has bags of pressure from the pump, so you will get a lovely cream topping to your coffee. It is less bulky than others and is really elegant, compared to the bulky plastic alternatives available. You cannot beat a bit of chrome. …always use filtered water to avoid limescale build up. …Other than that, its a really superb piece of kit.
R*** 1/5 22 April 2026 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

Always leaks from the milk wand, had replaced and new one did the same. Then new one stops working entirely after less that a year. Looks nice, but terrible quality.
B*** B*** 4/5 20 April 2021 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

however, it's not as well designed as previous de Longhi machines I've had. … the basin beneath the removable drip tray also gets drips of liquid and bits of ground coffee get in there, and because it's physically part of the main part of the machine, it's incredibly difficult to clean. … Also, the design of the coffee baskets that came with this is horrible, and they're really tight to get into the bit where the water comes out. … Other than those two things, the machine is easy to use, makes nice coffee, and is pretty to look at.
R*** 5/5 5 January 2018 Amazon Colour Name: Cream

Loved it! Arrived promptly and nicely packed. This machine has an awesome vintage style, almost all of it made of stainless steel which is a bonus. Ergonomic, economic with auto off feature, water boiler heats up the water in seconds, the steam is powerful and the steam knob does a very good job adjusting the pressure, and makes a delicious cafe. … About water leak through the steam when brewing or vise-versa, yes it does leak a bit but is normal for powerful cafe machines to do that and when the steam pressure is high. …
R*** 5/5 26 October 2026 De'Longhi UK Icona Vintage, Beige (De'Longhi UK shop)

I have had one of these for over 10 years and the performance has been very good. I had to replace the original as valve and other parts were starting to fail so with delonghi offering the item at a very good price I have bought another which is working well. One small change to the coffee holder is a retrograde step as ther is no clip to stop the coffee holder dropping out as you empty it. Otherwise I am very satisfied.
M*** 5/5 31 May 2026 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

Previously owned a Icona Vintage Pump Espresso Coffee Machine which broke after many years of use. This replaces a machine we are totally happy with and would highly recommend.
Customer 5/5 27 April 2026 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

This machine looks great and produces good coffee consistently. All our guests comment on it and several of them have bought the same machine. It is easy to clean and looks stylish on my worktop.
Customer 5/5 18 April 2026 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

For its cost this model represents excellent value for anyone looking for a machine that is easy to use, is quiet and makes an excellent cup of coffee every time. We use ours every day.
Customer 4/5 3 January 2026 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

The machine looks stylish and is fairly easy to use. The coffee is good but when I steam milk for a latte, the temperature is never hot enough. If I steam twice there is too much froth.
F*** 3/5 31 December 2025 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

In trying to keep its cost down it has been over value engineered and cheepened to the extent it rattles too much.
L*** 4/5 31 December 2025 De'Longhi UK De'Longhi UK shop

This machine makes an excellent cup of coffee, looks good and is not too big. The only problem is that the milk steam spout drips.
a*** 4/5 12 January 2018 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new

So its a nice looking machine and it feels well built. The chrome details are nice and on the whole it feels good to use. The coffee capacity in the head is a a bit small and the height from the head to the cup stand is a little small too. In practice this means small cups and not strong coffee. I had to change my favourite (large) cup to use this machine. The steam wand on mine is incredibly noisy in use and it doesn't texture the milk easily. …
r*** 3/5 30 September 2020 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: pre-owned

This is a lovely looking item. However, (and I think it's because I'm not a coffee expert) it is quite tricky to learn to use. But it seems very professional. The good thing is, it makes coffee exactly like you'd get in a cafe. It's quite messy to use, you have to have a cloth handy for drips and spills. …
b*** 5/5 11 February 2018 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new

This has replaced a 6 year old £40 espresso machine and it is notably better. Very high quality construction - really feels like it will last for years. I like the looks - somewhat vintage. It makes a great cup of coffee and certainly has enough pressure to brew very finely ground beans. The milk frother is really powerful and very quick. I nearly bought a much more expensive machine and I am glad that I didn't. Recommended.
m*** 3/5 22 January 2020 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: refurbished

Sold as “refurbished” but looks 100% new. The design an total appearance is very elegant and interesting. Bought to replace my old and lived DeLonghi espresso machine, it seems to work well. It is, compared to the previous one almost silent in operation, heats up quickly too. The coffee unfortunately comes out weak and wishy washy, not comparable with the previous wonderful and rich true espresso . … Second problem is the redesigned coffe holders, difficult to insert and remove from the handle, especially when filled with ground coffee and hot. …
j*** 5/5 13 September 2019 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new

This is our 2nd Icons. The first lasted over 12 years & made v good coffee. I just changed the colour of my new one to blend with my kitchen. I do notice that the new one is v much quieter. An added bonus is that it will take pods. Am delighted with it.
j*** 5/5 24 June 2021 ebay.co.uk eBay UK

Great at-home espresso and frothed milk. The only struggle I have is oversteaming the milk with the wand that comes with the machine. Due to its shape, it's harder to steam for a latte and most of the time it comes out as cappuccino milk. Otherwise great machine and easy to clean & brew.
p*** 4/5 31 December 2018 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new, sold by ao

Love the look of my new coffee maker and the results are good. My only concern is that you really need to stand over it or your cup may overflow. However I am very pleased with it in all.
2*** 1/5 13 March 2019 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new

made noise like a train then refused to send water out of machine this all happened in first week.i had same one before lasted 2 years looks great no good if the new one does not work.
d*** 5/5 11 March 2020 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new, sold by ao

A really great crema and excellent frothing , performed much better than the £350 machine it replaced.
d*** 4/5 23 August 2018 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new, sold by ao

This coffee maker makes very good coffee , the steamer for the milk is good,but just looses it's power when making two cuppuchinos , for it's price range it's a very good machine, looks smart too 😀
v*** 5/5 11 December 2021 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new, sold by ao

Very beautiful machine. I loved mine. One month ago it just stop to make coffe. I had it one year, like the one year guarantee. So now I have to buy new one.
r*** 5/5 26 April 2024 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: pre-owned

Lovely looking and easy to use , I’ve had one before and it broke after a lot of use. It couldn’t be fixed so we persevered without one. But in the end I wanted it back so we purchased the same one again
j*** 2/5 10 February 2022 ebay.co.uk eBay UK

Worked fine. Then broke. It should last years and years. The water temp light started lighting up immediately and the water heater not turning on as if the thermostat was broken.
h*** 3/5 4 April 2019 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: pre-owned

It is really nice. I like the quality. It would be perfect if the coffee was delivered in ‘doses’.
s*** 4/5 28 December 2017 ebay.co.uk eBay UK, condition: new, sold by ao

very good not outstanding

Go to the store's reviews: Amazon · De'Longhi UK · ebay.co.uk

See it in use

Video reviews and key moments

Read the summaries; tap a moment to watch the video from that second.

3 videos · Timestamped summary

YouTube · Review

DeLonghi Icona Vintage Review ECOV 311.BG. Vintage Coffee & Espresso Machine Live Coffee Preparation

The De'Longhi Icona Vintage is an attractive espresso machine featuring an all-metal build and an intuitive three-button interface. It performs well thanks to a 15-bar pump that produces rich crema and froths milk effectively, although removing the water tank can lead to water dripping into the base. Overall, it delivers good coffee quality and solid craftsmanship at an accessible price point.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

YouTube · Long-term experience

REVIEW DeLonghi Icona Vintage AFTER 2 YEARS ECOV 311.BG Vintage Espresso Machine + Live Coffee Demo

This long-term review revisits the De'Longhi Icona Vintage espresso machine after over two years of daily use. While some cosmetic plastic coating chipped and the pump had to be replaced just after the warranty expired, the machine continues to brew good espresso with rich crema and foams milk well. Overall, it is recommended as an affordable and economical machine that quickly pays for itself.

Key moments

More key moments (3)

YouTube · In use

Delonghi Icona Vintage Espresso Machine: Thrift find cleaned, descaled, and put to the Test!

The De'Longhi Icona Vintage is an attractive, budget-friendly espresso machine that features an internal boiler rather than a thermoblock. While the stock pressurised basket produces artificial crema, upgrading to a non-pressurised basket produces a creamy and well-rounded espresso. The steam wand also performs well enough to create microfoam suitable for latte art.

Key moments

More key moments (2)

Video summaries and timestamps were taken from the videos with AI (Gemini); the video itself is the source.

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De'Longhi Dedica Style

EC685 · 15 bar · 1450 W

This is a slimmer De'Longhi pump espresso machine that Amazon UK shows alongside the Icona Vintage. It is also tested by Which?.

De'Longhi Icona Vintage

At a glance

Strengths

Things to consider

Good for

May not suit

Good to know

Brewing

Cup clearance

Milk

Design

Coffee quality

Steam wand drips

Noise and build

Longevity

Cleaning and parts

Independent tests

Price and availability

Value

Learning curve

Milk

Design

Coffee quality

Steam wand drips

Noise and build

Longevity

Cleaning and parts

Independent tests

Price and availability

Value

Learning curve

What do reviews say?

Store ratings

What buyers like

Common complaints

Video reviews and key moments

DeLonghi Icona Vintage Review ECOV 311.BG. Vintage Coffee & Espresso Machine Live Coffee Preparation

Key moments

REVIEW DeLonghi Icona Vintage AFTER 2 YEARS ECOV 311.BG Vintage Espresso Machine + Live Coffee Demo

Key moments

Delonghi Icona Vintage Espresso Machine: Thrift find cleaned, descaled, and put to the Test!

Key moments

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