Searching for the right oven, dishwasher, dryer or other appliance? Shopping for appliances can be a difficult experience, with numerous manufacturers and models competing for your attention and cash.
One way to simplify your home appliance search is to choose a brand with the right combination of build quality, reliability and value for money, then stick with it for most or all of your purchases.
Below, we’ve listed four tactics that you can use to pick the right appliance brand for your needs and budget. If you’re shopping for new kitchen or laundry appliances, keep these tips in mind to simplify your search, improve reliability and get the best bang for your buck.
Check brand reliability ratings
Your first step in choosing an appliance brand should be to check the latest consumer reliability ratings.
These ratings use consumer data and professional testing to determine which appliance brands are the least likely to require repairs. Brands are rated as a whole and on a per-appliance basis, giving you both a general buyer’s guide and a guide to specific appliance types.
The most popular consumer reliability ratings are the J.D. Power Ratings, which compare a wide range of brands and products for overall customer satisfaction.
For 2017, the top-rated brand for home laundry appliances was LG, which scored highest in the front-load washer, top-load washer and clothes dryer categories. LG also ranked first for French door refrigerators, dishwashers, freestanding ranges and top-mount freezer refrigerators.
Bosch was the second-highest rated appliance brand in 2018, coming first for cooktops and wall ovens. Other highly-rated brands include Samsung, which earned a #1 ranking for side-by-side refrigerators, and KitchenAid, which ranked highest for over-the-range microwaves.
Another brand that received positive ratings was Kenmore, which scored highly for microwaves and cooktops.
There’s no substitute for hard data when it comes to assessing reliability and satisfaction. If a brand scores highly on the J.D. Power Ratings, it’s usually a reliable choice for your kitchen or home laundry area.
Check customer reviews before you buy
In addition to checking consumer brand ratings, it’s worth checking customer reviews before you go appliance shopping.
Appliances are far from cheap, meaning that fitting out your kitchen and laundry room can often cost several thousand pounds. Checking reviews from real customers lets you know if there are any surprises lurking around the corner, giving you more confidence in the appliances you buy.
Good resources for appliance reviews include CNET, which has a dedicated appliance review and comparison section, and The Wirecutter, which has some of the most detailed reviews of washers, dryers and other home appliances of any product comparison website.
Create a budget and stick to it
Different brands occupy different areas of the price scale, with high-end brands like KitchenAid usually commanding higher prices than products from mid-range brands such as Samsung and LG.
When you’re comparing appliance brands, it’s important to keep your budget in mind. By picking a brand with a greater focus on affordability than luxury design, you could get significantly more features for your money.
As beautiful as high-end appliances are, it’s usually better to stick with a more affordable option than to overspend on appliances that just aren’t compatible with your budget.
Check insurance quotes before you buy
Finally, it’s important to compare insurance quotes before you buy appliances, especially if you plan on buying appliance insurance once your new appliances are out of their warranty period.
Different appliance brands can result in different insurance prices, meaning that one particular brand could cost you significantly more than another over the long term, even if their purchase prices are relatively similar.
Services like Go Assist let you compare appliance brands and insurance pricing online, letting you see how much it will cost over the long term to cover your appliances for repairs and parts replacement.
