A rough, genuinely useful rule: if a repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new appliance, and the unit is already past the midpoint of its typical lifespan, replacement usually wins. Neither number alone tells the full story — a cheap repair on an ancient appliance can still make sense, and an expensive repair on a nearly new one often does too.
Typical lifespans by appliance
| Appliance | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Washing machine | 10–13 years |
| Dryer | 10–13 years |
| Dishwasher | 9–12 years |
| Refrigerator | 12–17 years |
| Water heater (tank) | 8–12 years |
| Oven / range | 13–18 years |
| Microwave | 7–10 years |
| Air conditioner (central) | 12–17 years |
| Vacuum cleaner | 5–8 years |
These are averages, not guarantees — maintenance, water hardness, and how heavily an appliance is used all shift the real number meaningfully in either direction. An appliance that has had regular filter changes, descaling and vent cleaning genuinely does last longer than one that has not.
The three factors that actually matter
- Repair cost versus replacement cost
Get an actual quote rather than guessing. If a repair is under about a quarter of the replacement cost, it is almost always worth doing regardless of age. Above about half, replacement starts looking better, and the appliance’s age becomes the deciding factor.
- Age relative to typical lifespan
An appliance at 40% of its typical lifespan with an expensive repair still has years of use ahead of it and is usually worth fixing. The same repair on an appliance already past 80% of its typical lifespan is a different calculation — you are paying to extend something already near the end of its expected life.
- What has actually failed
Some failures are cheap, routine wear parts. Others are effectively the appliance’s core structure failing, and no repair meaningfully extends life beyond that point. See the two tables below for which is which on most common appliances.
Repairs that are almost always worth doing
- Door seals, gaskets and hinges on any appliance
- Drive belts, pump filters and drain hoses on washing machines and dishwashers
- Thermal fuses and thermostats
- Igniters on gas appliances
- Evaporator and condenser fans on refrigerators and air conditioners
- Water inlet valves
These are all comparatively inexpensive, commonly available parts that restore an appliance to full function without addressing anything close to the core of the machine.
Repairs where the maths usually favours replacement
- Compressor replacement on a refrigerator or air conditioner
- Drum bearing or tub assembly replacement on a washing machine
- Main control board replacement on a mid-range or budget appliance
- Motor replacement on most small and mid-range appliances
- Tank replacement on a water heater (not usually possible — the whole unit is replaced)
- Magnetron replacement on a microwave, given typical microwave prices — see our microwave not heating guide for the specific economics there
These repairs are either close in cost to a full replacement, or they address a core component whose failure often signals the rest of the appliance is not far behind.
Factors beyond pure cost
A few things push the decision beyond the numbers alone. Energy efficiency has improved meaningfully on most appliance categories over the past decade, so a genuinely old appliance may cost noticeably more to run than a modern replacement — worth factoring into the comparison, not just the sticker price. A appliance that has needed several unrelated repairs in the past year or two is often signalling broader decline, even if each individual repair looked reasonable on its own. And if a part is genuinely difficult to source for an older or discontinued model, that alone can settle the decision regardless of the underlying economics.
It is tempting to guess at repair cost and decide based on a rough feeling. Get an actual quote first — repairs are often cheaper than people assume, and knowing the real number, compared against the actual cost of a comparable replacement, turns a vague feeling into a clear decision.
