Should I buy washing machine extended warranty?
Extended warranties on washing machines are rarely good value. The insurer sets the terms knowing the statistics are in their favour. Cover is typically adequate in the first five years but degrades significantly after that – often to the point where they will scrap rather than repair the machine. Many expensive faults are either excluded or hit the repair cap. The money is often better spent choosing a higher quality machine or a brand with a longer free guarantee.
Before buying an extended warranty on a washing machine, it is worth understanding how these products are structured and what they actually cover – particularly in the later years of the policy. The reality is considerably less reassuring than the marketing.
1. An Extended Warranty Is a Bet – and the Odds Favour the House
An extended warranty is an insurance product. You are betting your appliance will break down often enough and expensively enough to make the premiums worthwhile. The insurer accepts that bet with full access to reliability statistics and average repair cost data – knowing the odds are comfortably in their favour. Extended warranties became so profitable that some retailers relied on them almost exclusively for margin, leading to an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
Consumer advice has consistently turned against extended warranties since that investigation. If they were a good deal for the buyer on average, they would not be commercially viable for the seller.
2. Cover Degrades Significantly After Five Years
The most important fact about extended warranty cover on washing machines is what happens after the fifth year. Most policies do not continue to provide full cover indefinitely.
| Machine age | What typically happens | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | Full repair covered, subject to exclusions | Adequate cover if the repair is not excluded |
| 5 to 6 years | Repaired if cost is under 50% of cheapest replacement. If over, machine is scrapped and you pay 50% of replacement cost | A £250 machine – any repair over £125 results in scrapping and a £125+ contribution from you |
| 6 to 7 years | Insurer contributes 40% toward replacement, you pay 60% | Significant out-of-pocket cost even when successfully claiming |
| Over 7 years | Insurer contributes only 30% toward replacement, you pay 70% plus delivery | 30% of the cheapest available replacement rarely covers the cost of a decent machine – and the warranty is then cancelled |
Millions of people pay for extended warranty cover without realising the level of protection has degraded to the point where it provides little practical value. The premiums continue regardless of how limited the cover has become.
3. The Faults You Most Need Covering Are Often the Most Likely to Be Rejected
The expensive repairs – PCB replacement, motor failure, drum bearing failure, outer drum replacement – are precisely the ones most likely to hit the repair cost cap and trigger a scrapping decision rather than a repair. Cheap repairs are covered; expensive ones often are not.
This is compounded by the increasing prevalence of machines with sealed outer drums and drums that cannot be stripped down. A foreign object trapped under the drum of one of these machines may result in scrapping simply because the machine cannot be disassembled to retrieve it.
4. Exclusions Can Remove Much of the Protection
Common exclusions across many extended warranty policies include:
- “No fault found” – if the engineer attends and cannot reproduce the fault, the visit may not be covered
- Damage from objects left in pockets or foreign objects in the machine
- Misuse or failure to follow the instruction manual
- Normal wear and tear – policies that exclude this specifically will not cover many common faults including belts, seals, and other wear items
A policy excluding “normal wear and tear” can legitimately decline to cover a large proportion of repair requests on an older machine.
5. The Replacement Machine Is Not Your Choice
When a repair exceeds the cap and the machine is scrapped, the replacement is typically sourced by the warranty company from their own suppliers. It may not be the machine you would choose, and you are paying at least half its cost – with the warranty then cancelled, even if the policy has only recently been taken out.
6. Spare Parts Pricing Works Against Extended Warranty Value
Budget washing machines often have disproportionately expensive spare parts relative to the machine’s purchase price. This is not a coincidence – some manufacturers price parts to recover margin on low initial sale prices. An appliance bought for £266 may have a control board that costs £138. With fitting, that single repair could approach £200, triggering a scrapping decision on a machine insured for full cover.
The practical result for extended warranty holders
- Cheap washing machines have the most expensive spare parts relative to their value
- Those machines hit the repair cap the fastest
- The extended warranty pays out the least on the machines that need it most
- The premium continues regardless
7. Better Alternatives to an Extended Warranty
More effective ways to spend the warranty premium
- Buy a higher quality machine – the annual extended warranty premium put toward a better-quality machine at the point of purchase reduces the likelihood of expensive repairs in the first place. See our guide on which washing machine to buy
- Choose a brand with a longer free guarantee – some brands include 2, 3, 5, or even 10-year guarantees at no additional cost. See our 5 tips for buying an appliance
- Remember your statutory rights – the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides protection for up to six years for goods of unsatisfactory quality, regardless of what any guarantee or warranty says. See our guide on consumer rights and faulty appliances
- Self-insure – put the equivalent of the annual warranty premium into savings. This builds a repair fund with no exclusions, no repair caps, and no scrapping decisions made by someone else
8. Extended Warranties Do Suit Some People
An extended warranty is not valueless for everyone. Some people value the peace of mind of knowing a repair call-out will be arranged without negotiation, particularly if they are not confident handling the consumer rights process directly. Some policies do pay out promptly and fairly in the first five years.
The key is understanding what you are actually buying. Read the terms and conditions before committing, pay particular attention to the wear and tear exclusion and the repair cost caps, and calculate what cover you would realistically have if the machine develops a fault at age six or seven. That calculation changes the picture significantly for most policies.
Paying more for a washing machine does not automatically mean getting a better quality machine – it often just means more features on the same quality chassis. If the goal is reducing long-term repair costs, buying a higher quality brand at a similar price is more effective than buying an extended warranty on a budget machine. See our guide on is a more expensive washing machine a better one?
Buying a New Machine Instead?
Related Guides
Free 5-Year Parts Guarantees – What They Actually CoverWhy a 5-year parts guarantee is not the same as a 5-year repair guarantee – and what you actually get.
Consumer Rights and Faulty AppliancesYour rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 – which applies regardless of any guarantee or warranty.
Out of Guarantee – Still Covered?How to make a claim under consumer rights law even after the manufacturer’s guarantee has expired.
5 Tips for Buying a New ApplianceWhat to look for when buying – including which brands offer the best free guarantees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an extended warranty on a washing machine worth buying?
For most people, no. The cover is adequate in the first five years for minor faults, but degrades significantly after that. The expensive repairs – motor, PCB, drum bearings – are most likely to hit the repair cost cap and result in scrapping rather than fixing. The annual premium is often better invested toward a higher quality machine or saved as a self-insured repair fund.
What happens if the repair cost exceeds the warranty limit?
The machine is scrapped and the insurer offers a contribution toward a replacement sourced through their own suppliers. The contribution decreases with the machine’s age: 50% of replacement cost after year five, 40% after year six, and 30% after year seven. The warranty is then cancelled regardless of how long it has been active.
What faults are typically not covered by extended warranties?
Common exclusions include no-fault-found visits, damage from foreign objects left in pockets, misuse, and – critically – normal wear and tear. A policy with a wear and tear exclusion can legitimately decline belts, seals, and many other common components. Always check the specific exclusions before purchasing.
Are there alternatives to an extended warranty?
Yes. Buy a better quality machine at the outset – some brands offer two, three, five, or ten-year free guarantees. Alternatively, self-insure by saving the equivalent premium into a dedicated fund. Consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 also provide protection for up to six years for goods of unsatisfactory quality, regardless of any warranty terms.
2 Comments
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Thank you for this very clear and refreshingly common-sense evaluation. Such a joy to find straight talking!
Many thanks Jim. I reckon I’ve saved tens of thousands of pounds by never buying one for any of my products including central heating and boiler. I think once you buy into the concept that you need to insure important appliances and products inside our homes, then you are committed to insuring them for as long as you live. That is almost 100% certainly going to cost considerably more than dealing with any breakdowns yourself. Having said that, it is fair to say that some people may get some peace of mind from having one.
Once someone convinces you that you must cover your washing machine for breakdowns, then surely the same logic applies to your dishwasher, your fridge, freezer, cooker, central heating, tumble dryer, and in fact all essential things.
But doing so would be ludicrously expensive. Also, once someone convinces you that you should cover your washing machine for breakdowns, say the first time you buy a washing machine when setting up your first home. Then surely this need, and the logic behind it, will apply for the rest of your life. This means that potentially from say 18 – 90 you are constantly going to buy extended warranties. This is insane. It is impossible to win in the long run even if you have some successful claims.
I start my opening paragraphs in this article with the thought that essentially any extended warranty is a bet. And I believe this is a perfect comparison. You are betting your money with highly skilled and clever people who know all of the odds, they have all the breakdown figures for every appliance, and have plenty of exclusions in place. Even if you have a successful claim that may have saved you a decent amount of money, as with all betting companies, they know very well they will easily get that money back from you in future bets.