Generally, when we purchase an appliance we hope it will last us a few good years (especially if it’s more on the expensive side). Now with every appliance, the life expectancy varies and that is also true with different brands, unfortunately, if your getting a bargain that’s too good to be true it may not last as long as the more expensive one you saw before.
When figuring out how long your appliance should last it’s always important to look at the warranty period for that unit, if you have a warranty of two years there’s a good chance that your unit will last for at least that amount of time. Alternatively, if you buy an appliance with a two-month warranty you would want to keep an eye on it. These decisions, however, are based on you and whether you would like quality over cost or vice versa.
What we are able to do however is give an approximate idea of how long your major home appliances may last just see our list below.
Air conditioners- Air conditioners are a must here in sunny Australia so you would want them to last a good while especially if it’s a ducted system. On average air conditioner last about 8-15 years so it’s always good to invest in a quality system of course.
Dishwashers- Who could imagine living now without their dishwasher, we sure can’t! On average dishwashers should last for around 12 years. With the lowest amount of time being 9 years and the longest averaging around a whopping 16 years!
Gas Dryers- With gas dryers they generally last for about 13 years, the lowest average expectancy being 11 years while the highest average expectancy is 16 years.
Electric Dryers- If you want a dryer that will be around longer than your kids then you will probably want an electric dryer. These beauties last on average 14 years with the longest life expectancy being 18 years!
Freezers- The life expectancy of freezers is actually quite shocking, their average life expectancy is 16 years, with the highest expectancy of 20 years! that longer than most people live in one house!
Gas ovens- Honestly how could you cook a good roast without a great oven and thank god they last for awhile, the average expectancy of gas ovens is between 10 to 18 years.
Microwaves- Microwaves are another appliance that we just can’t live without, I mean how else are we going to be able to cook our Maggi Noodles! On average this appliance should last 8 years, the lowest life expectancy for this is 5 but luckily the highest is 10.
Range hoods- Generally your range hood should last an average of 14 good years, the highest average life expectancy for them is 19 years and the lowest is 9 years. At least your range hood should last for a pretty long time.
Refrigerators- Another major appliance that we just could not live without today! Refrigerators last on average about 14 years, the lowest average is 10 and the highest average is 18 (thank god!).
Washing machines- Washing machines also another major appliance and also lasts for ages! The average for washing machines are 12 years, the highest average being 16 years and lowest average being 8 years.
All of these are just averages and estimates and depending on how well you take care of your unit can seriously impact how long each will last, so make sure to treat them well!
Appliance |
Average life expectancy (in years) |
Air conditioners |
8-15 |
Dishwashers |
9-16 |
Gas Dryers |
11-16 |
Electric Dryers |
11-18 |
Freezers |
12-20 |
Gas Ovens |
10-18 |
Microwaves |
5-10 |
Range hoods |
9-19 |
Refrigerators |
10-18 |
Washing Machines |
8-16 |