Two months ago, my wife and I needed to replace our refrigerator and went out to our local appliance dealer to purchase a new refrigerator. Besides being overwhelmed with styles, amenities and manufacturers, we were shocked when our builder sales rep informed us that most appliances now have a life span of only 8 years. So, I reached out to a friend (Yale Appliances) in the Boston area for their take on the most reliable appliance brands, and that is how we made our final choice. Here are their findings based on the data the keep on all sales.
The Most Reliable Appliance Brands for 2020
1. Whirlpool
9,348 Units Sold | 378 Units Serviced – 4.04%
You walk around our store and hardly see Whirlpool appliances. Nine Thousand of these units were sold to builders. They were basic products
The builder channel requires less service because we are paid to do “start-up” checks with techs before the owner moves into the units.
This eliminates most of the potential issues. The repair rate in your home should be similar to their sister brand, KitchenAid, on this list at 20% repair.
2. GE Appliances
GE Café Kitchen at Yale Appliance in Hanover
1,082 Units Sold | 62 Units Serviced – 5.7%
This number may be exaggerated because we have only been selling GE since March. Their new owner, Haier, knows the appliance business after turning this company around.
3. LG
5,500 Units Sold | 329 Units Serviced – 5.98%
Most of these units are laundry, so this isn’t too surprising. They excel in the reliable washer and dryer category.
4. Samsung
Samsung Kitchen
9,420 Units Sold | 946 Units Serviced – 10.04%
Every year someone will call us out on Samsung’s reliability and probably a dealer or two. I will repeat this:
These numbers are straight from our system. I don’t make them up.
These numbers are remarkable because Samsung products are skewed to the more repaired refrigeration and cooking categories.
Samsung’s and LG’s real problem and what will upset you is their lack of service techs in the field.
Statistically, you will have fewer issues with these brands. However, there will be problems in finding competent repair.
5. Gaggenau
Gaggenau Kitchen
842 Sold | 76 Serviced – 9.03%
They could be the most reliable and well-engineered products you can buy if you can figure out how it works because the controls are not intuitive. (We have chefs to show you)
6. Bosch
Bosch Kitchen
8,132 Sold | 944 Serviced – 11.61%
The best company to buy any appliance due to their incredible support (at least in Boston). They sell mostly dishwashers, so this is no surprise.
It will be interesting to look at this number again with their entrance into the French door refrigerator market.
7. Miele
Miele Kitchen
2,482 Sold | 412 Serviced – 16.60%
Their dishwasher, laundry, and wall oven categories are excellent. In fact, its compact laundry is the most well-engineered product in the market. However, they are also in the more repaired pro range and refrigerator niche as well.
8. Fisher & Paykel
Fisher & Paykel Kitchen
849 Sold | 156 Serviced – 18.37%
This is surprising. Guess they did fix their double drawer dishwasher. You should consider this brand because Haier now owns it.
They are behind the turnaround at GE and now Fisher & Paykel.
9. Thermador
Thermador Kitchen
3,497 Sold | 692 Serviced – 19.79%
Thermador is on the top 10 list despite selling both the most repaired categories of pro range and integrated refrigerators.
They are now the most reliable premium brand.
10. KitchenAid
2,264 Sold | 465 Serviced – 20.54%
It’s still not bad for more upscale products like front control ranges and counter depth refrigerators.
Because of Yale’s collection of data, they were able to provide to me the following synopsis.
Premium Appliances
Premium appliances will require more service.
A certain percentage of repair calls are customer education calls or fixing installation issues. It’s hard to say no to a customer who has spent $10,000 on a range or refrigerator.
That said, let us look at the appliance trends for 2019-2020.
2020 Vs 2019 Appliance Service Trends
Almost every brand required more service, which is alarming.
We also had more service calls despite actively eliminating less reliable brands.
That number would be way higher if we didn’t proactively manage brands based on reliability.
The numbers continue to indicate service issues in your future with a new kitchen full of appliances.
Appliance Warranty Service Trends
Warranty service calls (repairs within the first year) dropped from 18% in 2014 to 12.55% in 2015 to a low of 11.66% in 2016.
In 2017 and 2018, they were up slightly to 12.61 and then 13.7% in 2018.
In 2019, they leveled up to 13.1%. However, without builder sales, that number will probably be higher in your home.
Appliance Service Problems
13.1% is still not bad when compared to cars and other durables.
However, these are just the clients who call us. There has to be a percentage who do not know or forget that we offer warranty service free.
You will also see higher rates from online stores because the long-distance shipping and multiple warehouses will definitely add a certain percentage.
Installation or lack of qualified installers will add more service problems as well, so be careful.
Poor handling and poor delivery have caused some issues, too.
Google stores in your area and reads reviews about store delivery experience.
Our Final Advice
If you buy a whole kitchen, there is a good chance you will still need service.
Bosch, Thermador, and Whirlpool’s brands (Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, and Maytag) have the best tech support and part availability, at least in Boston. Your area could be different.
Samsung, and especially LG, have bad reviews all over the internet because they do not have the infrastructure to support their growth. The product works. Their logistics need to be beefed up.
Most of these brands, unlike automobile manufacturers, offer minimal service.
Finding a retailer who can fix appliances in your local area is as important as the product itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best brand for kitchen appliances?
It depends on what you want. For commodity, Whirlpool, Samsung, Bosch, and LG based on their reliability percentages. For premium Wolf, Subzero, Viking and Miele.
What appliances are made in the US?
All of the Whirlpool Corporation and most Sub-Zero appliances are made in the U.S.
I really enjoyed this blog because I learned another point of view. Let me know what you think.
Best,
Michael A. Menn Principal, Architect
AIA, CGR, CAPS, CGP, NCARB, NKBA
Michael Menn Ltd.
