Abstract In recent years, attention has been paid to hydrogen thanks to its carbon-free nature and its interesting characteristics as an energy vector. Despite the large number of numerical analyses regarding hydrocarbon combustion in all the steady and unsteady processes, few papers that cover all those aspects are available in the literature for hydrogen flames. Therefore, a numerical methodology to explore the complete ignition sequence from the spark release to the flame stabilization is validated on a single-sector hydrogen burner. In this context, a preliminary direct numerical simulation (DNS) investigation of laminar spherical expanding flames is performed using different diffusive transport models to isolate their impact. The present work, carried out within the European project HESTIA, investigates the atmospheric test rig installed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology operating with a lean, perfectly premixed, hydrogen–air flame stabilized on a conical bluff body. Four simulations are performed adopting the thickened flame model with an energy deposition (ED) strategy to assess the impact of preferential and thermal diffusion, as well as grid resolution, on flame dynamics. Three-dimensional (3D) flame structure visualization coupled with detailed particle image velocimetry (PIV)/OH-planar laser induced fluorescence (OH-PLIF) measurements allows the investigation of the key mechanisms involved during the ignition. The dynamic response of the flame through axial fluctuations once the ignition transient is concluded is reconstructed by the numerical strategy employed. Although the overall behavior is almost unchanged by including or not thermal diffusion effects, their local impact on the flame is evident leading to a better agreement with experimental data.