The Belgian comapny Vanden Borre, one of the largest retailer household appliances and electronics in the country, has just released a sustainability barometer for household appliances. This barometer is based on two indices: reliability (calculated from the number of devices under warranty that were repaired in 2020 by the Vanden Borre after-sales service compared to the total number of devices sold) and repairability (calculated on the basis of spare parts availability).
To the best of my knowledge this is the first time a retailer creates such a rating system based on actual nationwide data for after-sales repair requests. Considering the millions of appliances used to create the barometer, the data should be valid internationally (at least within Europe, since models might differ elsewhere).
Here are the top 3 brands (most reliable and repairable) for a few selected appliances. Note that Siemens and Bosch have long partnered to make electric appliances and sell essentially the same products. Zanussi and AEG are part of the Electrolux group.
Washing machines
Tumbe dryers
Dishwashers
American fridge
Combi fridge-freezer (freezer at the bottom)
Combi fridge-freezer (freezer on top)
Single door fridge
Built-in oven
Built-in microwave
Induction hob
Miele is the most expensive brand of household appliances. Their (considerably) higher prices have traditionally been justified by a high reliability and longer life. But apart from dishwashers this does not seem to be justified compared to other German brands like Siemens, Bosch and Liebherr, or the Swedish Electrolux group.
Brands like Whirlpool, Smeg, Beko, Bauknecht, Indesit, LG or Panasonic didn't make it to any top 3. Apart from a 3rd place in combi fridge-freezer, Samsung is generally not among the most reliable brands either. On the other hand the Chinese Haier scored particularly well for fridges considering its low prices.
To the best of my knowledge this is the first time a retailer creates such a rating system based on actual nationwide data for after-sales repair requests. Considering the millions of appliances used to create the barometer, the data should be valid internationally (at least within Europe, since models might differ elsewhere).
Here are the top 3 brands (most reliable and repairable) for a few selected appliances. Note that Siemens and Bosch have long partnered to make electric appliances and sell essentially the same products. Zanussi and AEG are part of the Electrolux group.
Washing machines
- Zanussi
- Bosch
- Electrolux
Tumbe dryers
- Siemens
- Bosch
- Electrolux
Dishwashers
- Siemens
- Bosch
- Miele
American fridge
- Siemens
- Haier
- Proline
Combi fridge-freezer (freezer at the bottom)
- Bosch
- Liebherr
- Samsung
Combi fridge-freezer (freezer on top)
- Haier
- Liebherr
- Bosch
Single door fridge
- Bosch
- Siemens
- Liebherr
Built-in oven
- Zanussi
- Bosch
- AEG
Built-in microwave
- Siemens
- Electrolux
- Zanussi
Induction hob
- Electrolux
- Siemens
- Bosch
Miele is the most expensive brand of household appliances. Their (considerably) higher prices have traditionally been justified by a high reliability and longer life. But apart from dishwashers this does not seem to be justified compared to other German brands like Siemens, Bosch and Liebherr, or the Swedish Electrolux group.
Brands like Whirlpool, Smeg, Beko, Bauknecht, Indesit, LG or Panasonic didn't make it to any top 3. Apart from a 3rd place in combi fridge-freezer, Samsung is generally not among the most reliable brands either. On the other hand the Chinese Haier scored particularly well for fridges considering its low prices.