Anyone who's ever priced an appliance repair has heard "the 50% rule": if the repair costs more than half the price of a new unit, replace. It's a clean rule, easy to remember, and completely wrong about a third of the time.
Here's when to trust it — and when to ignore it.
When the 50% rule works
For mid-range appliances under ten years old, the rule is solid. A $400 GE dishwasher with a $250 control board fail? Replace. A six-year-old Whirlpool dryer that needs a new motor? Probably replace.
These machines depreciate fast, parts are expensive relative to the unit, and the energy savings on a new model close most of the gap.
When it doesn't apply
High-end built-ins
A Sub-Zero refrigerator runs $9,000 to $15,000. A new compressor — the most common failure — is around $1,800 installed. That's 12% to 20% of replacement, but more importantly, the replacement isn't a swap. A new Sub-Zero has slightly different cabinet dimensions. Your custom panels, your cabinetry, your countertop overhang — none of it transfers.
The 50% rule assumes a like-for-like swap. With built-ins, the install cost dwarfs the appliance cost, and the math flips entirely.
Anything Wolf, Viking, Thermador, or Miele
Same logic. A Wolf range is $9,000 and the gas valve is a $400 part. Repair, every time.
Any appliance under three years old
If your fridge is two years old and needs a $600 sealed-system repair, the 50% rule says replace a $1,200 fridge. Don't. The new unit will hit the same age and depreciation curve in another two years. Repair the one you have, get five more years out of it, then replace.
Any appliance more than fifteen years old
The rule fails the other way here. A 1998 Maytag that's still running with original parts is mechanically simpler, easier to fix, and built better than its 2025 equivalent. A $200 repair on a 27-year-old machine that's never given you trouble is one of the best deals in your house.
The real question to ask
Forget percentages. Ask: what's the next thing likely to fail, and how soon? If your dishwasher needs a new pump and the door seal is cracked and the control panel is flickering, that's three repairs in line and you're going to be making this decision again in eight months. Replace.
But if the only thing wrong is one well-defined component and the rest of the machine is solid, repair almost always wins.
When in doubt, call
Our diagnostic is $75 flat. A real tech will tell you honestly whether it's worth fixing — we lose nothing by sending you to buy new if that's the right call. Same-day across Broward and Miami-Dade. 786-869-3888.