Is It Cheaper To Repair Or Replace Your Dishwasher?

It's hard to imagine a modern kitchen without a dishwasher. That's largely thanks to Josephine Cochrane, who patented the first commercially successful dishwasher in 1886 after looking into a better way to clean her precious china without washing it by hand. Since then, generations of appliance brands have refined the design and continued to offer so much variety that there is now an option for nearly every budget.

Once you have tried one yourself and seen just how convenient it can be, we totally get why your first instinct, when you start noticing the warning signs that your dishwasher is about to break, is probably to figure out whether you should repair it or replace it. Because going back to washing dishes by hand is no fun.

Fortunately, there is a simple framework for that decision. It's called the 50% rule for appliance repair, and the idea is straightforward: if repairing your dishwasher would cost more than half of what a new one would cost, it's generally smarter to replace it rather than repair it. So our mission here is simple. We'll look at how much it typically costs to repair a dishwasher, how much it costs to replace one, and use that math to help you make the right decision.

It could cost anywhere from $75 to $600 to repair a dishwasher, according to Angi. Of course, the exact figure depends on a few things: the model of your dishwasher, how old it is, and what needs fixing. Throughout the average lifespan of a dishwasher, you can expect one or two hiccups. And for those early problems, a warranty is often helpful. However, when the coverage window ends, and it's a minor problem, like a worn door seal or a broken door latch, you might be able to buy the replacement part and fix it yourself.

Now, if the dishwasher is just a few years old, the parts might be cheap and easy to source. Although maybe not as cheap for a premium model. But for a unit that has been discontinued, it might be a hassle to track down the parts you need. The component in question matters, too. The more complicated the fix, the higher the price. A worn gasket, for instance, costs $75 to $150, while a drain pump repair might run north of $300.

These are, by the way, cheaper than replacing a motor or control panel. For either part, you could be looking at spending up to $600. And when it's that complicated, it usually requires pulling the entire unit out of the cabinet to access these areas, so it's often smarter to get a professional to handle the repair. Hiring a pro, however, often comes with a service call fee of $65 to $125 upfront. Most technicians simply add that to the final bill if you go ahead with the repair.

You could spend as little as $500 on a standard model (less if you catch a good discount) or as much as $2,000 on one of the most reliable dishwasher brands. Of course, the price of the dishwasher itself is only one part of the equation. You've got to factor in installation as well. That will typically add $150 to $300 in labor if nothing else needs to change, such as when you're swapping in a similar model of the same size that fits into the structure you already have in place, or you're getting a countertop model. But if you need to have some electrical and plumbing work done, that can easily add several hundred more dollars to the budget.

At this point, it becomes a question of: if you can give your current dishwasher a new lease on life, is it smart to toss it? Well, it depends on your particular situation. If your dishwasher is already more than halfway through its expected lifespan and has a new problem for you every other day, you could end up spending what it'd cost to get a new one straight up on repairs, and it may start looking like a penny-wise, pound-foolish situation.

Besides, newer ENERGY STAR-certified dishwashers, by virtue of their eco-friendly design, save water, electricity, and cash. But say your current dishwasher is fairly new, and the problem is something you can fix for under $400, or less than half of what a new unit plus installation costs under the 50% rule. In that case, repairing it is definitely cheaper.