Repair or replace an appliance? Compare the costs and the unknowns

Check your rights before paying again

If an appliance has a fault, start with the seller and check Australian Consumer Law guidance. Consumer guarantees can matter even after a written warranty ends. Whether a problem is major or minor affects the available remedies; do not assume every fault automatically means a refund.

Get comparable information

Ask what the repair fixes, the quoted total, any warranty on the work and the expected remaining life. For a replacement, include delivery, installation and disposal. Record uncertainty honestly: nobody can promise that an old appliance will last another three years.

Compare a year of useful service

For a fictional repair costing $200, three extra years of life and $100 yearly running costs, the annual equivalent is about $166.67. A replacement costing $800, lasting eight years and costing $70 a year to run has a $170 annual equivalent. These close results can reverse if the lifespan assumptions change.

Keep cash cost separate

The replacement still needs $800 upfront in that example. Dividing it across eight years does not make the purchase affordable today. The annual comparison also omits financing, future failures, resale value and the cost of being without the appliance.

Make a short decision record

Keep the quotes, your assumptions and any unresolved consumer-guarantee question together. Test shorter repair life in the calculator. If reliability, accessibility or safety matters more than the small cost difference, record that explicitly rather than pretending the lowest calculated number decides everything.

Official references

General information and fictional examples; independent professional review has not been completed.

Sources checked 22–23 October 2026. Examples and worksheets are our own illustrations.

• ACCC: repair, replace, refund or cancel ↗

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