Appliances · Full guide
Repair or replace? The appliance decision guide
Every appliance dies eventually, usually mid-cycle and never in a quiet week. What follows is a decision most households make under pressure and get wrong in both directions: paying to prop up a machine at the end of its life, or scrapping one with years left in it. Here is the rule the trade uses, and the numbers that bend it.
By the Tickover team · Published 7 January 2026 · 6 min read
It never fails politely, either. The freezer quits on the hottest Friday of the year; the oven bows out with a bird in it. Decisions made mid-crisis default to whatever the first search result is selling, which is why it pays to know the rule before you need it.
Two numbers settle most of these decisions: what the repair costs, and what the machine would cost to replace like for like. Everything else, age, condition, sentiment, adjusts the answer rather than changing the question. This guide covers the big machines; kettles and toasters play by their own economics.
The 50% rule, and how age bends it
The rule of thumb the trade works to: if the repair quote is more than half the price of a comparable new machine, replace it. Under half, repair it. Say a £120 fix on a washing machine that would cost £350 to replace: that passes the test comfortably.
Age is the adjustment. The same £120 makes sense on a three-year-old machine with most of its life ahead, and very little sense at year eleven, when the next fault is already queuing. Weigh the quote against the lifespans below: past the typical span, even cheap repairs are money on borrowed time.
The repair-or-replace decision
How long appliances actually live
| Appliance | Typical lifespan | What tends to fail first |
|---|---|---|
| Washing machine | 8–12 years | Drain pump, door seal, bearings |
| Tumble dryer | 8–12 years | Belt, heater, thermal cut-out |
| Dishwasher | 9–12 years | Heating element, spray arms |
| Fridge freezer | 10–15 years | Door seals, thermostat, fan |
| Electric oven | 10–15 years | Heating element, thermostat |
| Cooker hood | 10–15 years | Switches, motor (grease) |
Treat the spans as central expectations, not promises. A machine washing for a family of five ages faster than one serving a tidy couple, and hard water shortens the life of anything with a heater in it.
Maintenance moves the needle more than brand loyalty does. A monthly service wash, salt and rinse aid kept topped up, a lint filter cleared every load and grease filters that see hot water now and then all push a machine toward the far end of its range.
What repairs cost, and where your hands stop
Repair call-out norms
Washing machine repair
Dishwasher or oven element
the part itself £20–£60
New mid-range machine
for comparison
Typical UK ranges, mid-2026, as a guide only. Your home, your area and the job itself all move the number — always compare real quotes.
As a guide, most single-fault repairs on the big six land in the same £90–£180 band: an oven element, a drain pump, a dishwasher heater. That is the number to hold against the price of new, and it is why a five-year-old machine is nearly always fixed and a twelve-year-old machine rarely is.
Before paying anyone, check the paperwork. Machines under two years old may still be covered by the manufacturer, and card providers or extended warranties sometimes pick up repairs owners assume are theirs. A dated receipt kept in one place saves this exact scramble.
Spare parts are less of a lottery than they were. Right-to-repair rules introduced in 2021 require manufacturers to keep key spares available for 7 to 10 years after a model is discontinued, so an engineer can usually still get the part. Independent repairers and pattern parts stretch that further.
Not sure which part has failed?
Self-Diagnose in the Tickover app walks the fault through a few questions and tells you the likely cause, how urgent it is, and what an engineer will want to know before quoting.
The running-cost wildcard
The 50% rule assumes running costs are equal, and for fridges they are not. A fridge freezer is the one appliance that never clocks off, and an early-2010s model can use roughly twice the electricity of a modern equivalent. When one of those fails outside warranty, replacement often wins even if the repair squeaks under half price.
Do not be dazzled by label letters, though. The energy label scale was reset in 2021, so a proud old A+ and a modest new D can be closer than they look. If bills are the bigger worry, start with the guide to cutting energy costs before you start shopping.
50%
of the new price: the repair ceiling
8–15 yrs
typical lifespans across the big six
7–10 yrs
spare parts availability under 2021 rules
When you do call an engineer
Ask how the visit fee works before booking. Many firms put the diagnostic charge toward the repair if you go ahead, which changes the maths on borderline faults. And get the fault named before you approve anything: “it needs a part” is not a diagnosis.
Waving the old one off
Appliances are WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment), which is a bureaucratic way of saying they never go in, or beside, the bin. The shop delivering the new machine will usually take the old one away, free or for a small fee, and council recycling centres accept appliances at no charge. Fridges need their refrigerant recovered, so they must go the proper route.
Whichever way the decision goes, write the ending down. Tickover keeps a record of what you own, what was repaired and when, so the next repair-or-replace call is a two-minute check instead of an evening of guesswork.
Need someone to do the work?
Find someone shows local trades Tickover has already scored, so you skip hunting through reviews. You contact them yourself.
Quick answers
What is the 50% rule for appliance repair?
If a repair quote is more than half the cost of a comparable new appliance, replacement is usually the better spend. Adjust it for age: a machine early in its typical lifespan justifies more repair money, while one at or past its span justifies less, because further faults tend to follow the first.
Is it worth repairing a 10-year-old washing machine?
Usually only if the fix is cheap. At 10 years a washing machine is near the top of its typical 8–12 year span, so a £90–£180 repair buys uncertain time. A blocked pump or filter is different: clearing those costs little or nothing, so always rule them out before deciding anything.
Are spare parts still available for older appliances?
Better than they used to be. Right-to-repair rules from 2021 require manufacturers to keep key spare parts available for 7 to 10 years after a model leaves production. Independent repairers and compatible pattern parts extend that window further for the common brands, so age alone rarely makes a machine unrepairable.
How do I dispose of an old fridge or washing machine?
Never by the bin. Most retailers will collect the old appliance when delivering its replacement, sometimes free and sometimes for a small fee. Council household recycling centres take appliances at no charge, and many councils offer paid bulky-waste collections. Fridges must have their refrigerant recovered, so they need the official route.
Can I repair an appliance myself?
Up to the casing, yes. Filters, coin traps, door seals, drawers and spray arms are designed for owners, always with the appliance unplugged first. Anything behind the casing, elements, pumps, control boards, belongs to an engineer, and fridges and heat-pump dryers contain sealed refrigerant circuits that must never be opened.
This guide is general information for UK homes, not advice about your specific property. Anything involving gas must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and notifiable electrical work by a qualified electrician. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. If you’re ever unsure, stop and get a professional in — that’s exactly what Tickover is for.
Every guide in this series
Cooker hood doing nothing? Filters first
A cooker hood that roars but shifts nothing usually has saturated grease filters or a carbon filter years past its lifespan. Clean, date, replace, in order.
Dishwasher leaving grit and grease? Fix the basics
Grit on glasses and greasy plates usually trace back to the filter, spray arms, or empty salt and rinse aid. Ten minutes of maintenance fixes most of it.
Fridge or freezer not cold enough? Act fast, check smart
A warming fridge puts food on a timer. Check power, real temperatures, door seals and coils in order, and know when a sealed-system fault means replacement.
Oven not heating evenly (or at all)?
Lopsided bakes, cold air from a running fan, or an oven that trips the electrics mid-roast: here is how to read the symptoms and what an element repair costs.
Small appliances: fix, fuse or farewell?
Before binning a dead kettle or toaster, check the 13A plug fuse and the socket. Then the honest maths on repairs, descaling, repair cafés and WEEE disposal.
Tumble dryer running but nothing’s drying?
A dryer that tumbles but never dries is nearly always an airflow problem: lint filter, condenser box or a kinked vent hose. Fix those before paying anyone.
Washing machine smells? Your machine needs a service wash
That damp, drainy smell is biofilm from cool washes and liquid detergent. A monthly 90°C service wash, a drawer scrub and a door-ajar habit will clear it.
Washing machine won’t drain? Check the filter first
A washing machine that will not drain usually has a blocked coin trap, a kinked hose or a clogged sink spigot. Work through them in order, towels at the ready.
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