Reliable dynamic models are required for the correct prediction of the performance of solar-thermal collectors under variable solar-irradiance conditions. In this paper we present a 3-dimensional (3-D) dynamic thermal model applied to three different collector geometries: a flat plate collector (FPC), an evacuated tube collector (ETC), and also a hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collector. Results from the model are evaluated against real data from a series of dynamic and steady-state experiments performed in Limassol, Cyprus and London, UK. The 3-D model equations are summarised and the test apparatuses and procedures are described. In the transient response tests, the model is found to under-predict the time constant for the ETC and PVT collectors by 35-55%, while for the simpler FPC the time constant is under-predicted by 20-35%. The collector model is also implemented into a wider domestic hot-water system model that includes a hot-water storage tank, in order to assess performance predictions over a diurnal operating period on an intermittently cloudy day. The results are compared to a single-node quasi-steady state model that uses the collector steady-state efficiency coefficients and a single-node dynamic model that uses a lumped collector thermal capacity (determined using experimental and calculation-based methods in the European Standard for solar collector testing). The 3-D model is shown to provide promising results that are within the range predicted by the two single-node dynamic models. For the PVT collector simulated under intermittent conditions, the predicted net daily energy gain to the store is found to be within 2% of experimentally obtained results. By comparison, a quasi-steady state model based on the collector’s steady-state efficiency curve is found to over-predict the thermal energy gain to the store by 8% over the same operating period.