How long do appliances last? A brand-by-brand lifespan guide.

When an appliance breaks, the first question is almost never "how do I fix it?" - it's "is this thing even worth fixing?" The honest answer depends on the brand, the model, how it was used, and how many years it already has on it. This guide gives you the plain-language lifespan numbers we see every week in the field, so you can make a repair-or-replace decision with real information instead of a guess.

Average lifespan by appliance type

These are realistic ranges based on what technicians see in homes across the Lower Mainland, not the marketing numbers from the manufacturer's spec sheet.

• Refrigerators: 10 to 15 years typical. Basic top-freezers can reach 18+ years. French door units with ice-and-water in the door often struggle past year 8.
• Dishwashers: 9 to 12 years typical. Bosch and Miele regularly hit 15+ years. Budget builder-grade units are often done at 6 to 8 years.
• Top-load washers: 12 to 15 years. Older direct-drive models (pre-2015) can last 20+ years with simple part swaps.
• Front-load washers: 8 to 12 years. Bearings and electronic controls decide when it gets replaced.
• Dryers: 12 to 15 years. The simplest appliance in the house - most failures are heating elements, thermal fuses, or belts, all cheap fixes.
• Ranges and cooktops: 15 to 20 years for gas, 13 to 17 for electric. Induction cooktops are newer, but power boards are the weak point.
• Wall ovens and microwaves: 10 to 15 years. Over-the-range microwaves are the shortest-lived - often 7 to 10 years.

What actually kills an appliance early

Very few appliances die of "old age." Most get retired because one specific component fails, and the repair cost feels too close to the replacement cost. The usual suspects:

• Sealed-system refrigerant leaks on fridges - almost always a replace, not repair, decision on modern units.
• Main control boards on Samsung and LG - expensive parts, long lead times, and often the second board in a few years.
• Rear tub bearings on front-load washers - the repair labour is high enough that it rarely makes sense past year 8.
• Ice makers and ice dispensers - the number-one reason expensive French door fridges get replaced early.
• Poor installation and voltage issues - hidden killers of electronics on every brand.

Pick a brand

Every brand has strong models and weak models. The guides below cover the patterns we see across each brand's fridges, dishwashers, and laundry, plus the specific model families to be cautious about.

A quick rule of thumb for repair vs replace

The "50 percent rule" you see online (replace if the repair costs more than half the price of a new appliance) is a decent starting point, but it misses the biggest factor: how many good years the appliance has left. A $600 repair on a 4-year-old Bosch dishwasher is almost always worth it. The same $600 repair on a 9-year-old Samsung fridge with a known ice-maker problem is not.

Our free estimate tool asks a few questions about your appliance and gives you a realistic view of what's likely wrong, what the repair would probably cost, and whether it's worth doing before you book anyone.