Should I Fix or Replace
Decide whether to repair or replace an appliance. Compare repair costs against replacement and expected lifespan.
About the Item
Expected Lifespan
How long until it breaks again?
Typical lifespan of new model
Cost per year (repair)
£250/year
Cost per year (new)
£200/year
Recommendation
Replace
The new boiler is better value
You save £50/year
If you repair it
If you replace it
Other factors to consider
- ✓ Energy efficiency of new models
- ✓ Risk of further breakdowns if very old
- ✓ Warranty on new items
- ✓ Environmental impact of replacement
- ✓ Inconvenience during repair or replacement
How to Compare Repair vs Replacement Honestly
The right metric is cost per year of expected life, not the headline price. A £500 repair that lasts two more years costs £250 a year. A £3,000 new boiler that lasts 15 years costs £200 a year. The new one wins by £50 a year and you avoid the breakdown risk; that is the calculation most people skip when the engineer quotes a repair price.
The tool does this comparison live for nine common items: boilers, cars, fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, ovens, roofs, windows and a custom option. Enter the repair quote, the replacement cost, and your honest estimate of how long the repair will hold. The default expected lifespans (boiler 15 years, fridge 12, washing machine 10) come from the typical manufacturer warranty plus realistic real-world use.
When the Numbers Lie
Cost per year is a strong starting point, not the whole picture. Energy efficiency can swing the answer hard: a 12-year-old combi boiler running at 80% efficiency may cost £200 a year more in gas than a modern condensing boiler at 92%, which makes replacement attractive even when the repair maths technically favours fixing. The same applies to fridges (an A-rated 2026 fridge uses about half the electricity of a 15-year-old model) and washing machines.
Reliability risk is the other unmeasured cost. A washing machine on its third repair in two years is statistically likely to need a fourth, and at some point the cumulative spend exceeds replacement. The tool doesn't model that compounding; it assumes the repair holds for the years you specify. Be conservative on that input - if the engineer says "this should last another two years", that means it might also fail next month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth repairing a 12-year-old boiler?
Usually no, if the repair is over £300. Boiler efficiency drops with age, parts get harder to source, and engineers often quote two to three years of remaining life on a unit that age. A typical £500 repair on a 12-year-old boiler costs £250 a year for two years, while a £2,500 condensing replacement costs around £170 a year over 15 years and saves on gas usage.
When should I scrap a car instead of repairing?
When the repair cost exceeds 50% of the car's market value, or when the car is over 12 years old and faces a major mechanical failure (gearbox, head gasket, timing chain). The cost-per-year calculation can flip suddenly: a £1,500 repair on a £2,000 car works out badly because the car is depreciating faster than the repair is amortising.
Are extended warranties worth it on appliances?
Generally no. Most consumer rights legislation in the UK already gives you a six-year window to challenge serious defects under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Manufacturer warranties on washing machines and dishwashers usually cover one to two years. Paid extended cover at £40 to £80 a year often costs more over the life of the machine than the occasional out-of-warranty repair would.
What about environmental cost of replacing?
Manufacturing a new fridge or washing machine has a significant carbon footprint, perhaps 200 to 400kg of CO2 equivalent. A repair almost always wins on environmental grounds for items under eight years old. Above that age, the energy savings from a modern efficient appliance can offset the embedded carbon of manufacturing within four to five years of use.
Related Tools
Retrofit Savings Estimator
Estimate the combined savings from multiple energy efficiency improvements (insulation, windows, heating, etc).
EPC Improvement Checker
See which home improvements will boost your EPC rating. Compare the cost versus increase in property value.
Home Inventory Tracker
Track your home contents room by room for insurance. Add items with values and purchase years to get a complete inventory with total estimated value.