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Environmental information systems
The lifespan of household appliances have increased on average 2%, based on survey across four Member States. Below is a selection of household appliances, their average lifespans and how this has changed between 2019-2023.
The average lifespan of small, large and hi-tech appliances has evolved positively over time. Since 2019, the lifespan of hi-tech appliances has increased: on average 3,4% or 2 months yearly. Main drivers were smartphones and tablets. In 2019, a smartphone lasted on average for 3 years and 10 months. While in 2023, it lives 4 years and 8 months on average. Tablets grew even stronger from 4 years and 4 months in 2019 to 5 years and 9 months recently.
Examining the lifespans of small household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, steam irons, food processors, fryers, and coffee machines reveals a steady increase of 1,2% yearly on average. Steam irons have shown the highest growth, with an annual increase of more than 3%, or just over 3 months. Today, microwave ovens last on average 9 years and 10 months. Pad/capsule coffee machines last around 5 and a half years, while espresso machines average 7 years and 2 months. Among vacuum cleaners, cordless upright models are the least durable, lasting around 4 years and 6 months on average. Robot vacuum cleaners have a longer lifespan, lasting about a year more. In contrast, corded vacuum cleaners, whether cylinder or upright, are used for 10 years.
The large household appliances are the ones lasting longer. A 1,84% average yearly increase might seem modest, but it adds up over time. The improvement from 11 years and 7 months in 2019 to 12 years and 6 months in 2023, means that each year, they are used on average 11 months longer.
Lifecycle duration by appliance group | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
High Tech appliances | 5y 8m | 5y 10m | 6y 1m | 6y 3m | 6y 5m |
Large Household appliances | 11y 7m | 11y 10m | 11y 10m | 12y 0m | 12y 6m |
Small Household appliances | 8y 8m | 8y 9m | 8y 10m | 8y 11m | 9y 1m |
Table 1: Overview of the average lifespan (regardless of the replacement reason) of large household appliances, small household appliances and Hi-tech appliances, over 2019 and 2023; source: Euroconsumers
The main reasons for replacing the device differ among the product groups.
· The majority of small and large appliances are replaced for reliability related reasons, e.g. “it was not working well anymore (and I didn’t want to repair it)”, “it was completely out of use” or “it should have been repaired but the costs were too high”.
· Hi-Tech appliances are predominantly being replaced for non-reliability related reasons such as “it was out of date but still working well”. For printers, the picture is different. The majority of printers have been replaced because the older one did not work well anymore (reliability).
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