How Long Must Manufacturers Sell Spare Parts in the EU?

2026-10-14T12:31:00Z

A broken door seal or shelf on a four-year-old fridge should not mean a new fridge. Since 1 March 2021, EU ecodesign rules have required manufacturers and importers to provide a range of essential spare parts for several large appliances, for a set number of years [2]. This is general information as of 12 October 2026, not legal advice; check the rules where you live.

The minimum periods

Product	Spare parts available for at least	Delivery
Fridges and freezers	7 years (10 years for door gaskets)	within 15 working days
Washing machines and washer-dryers	10 years	within 15 working days
Dishwashers	10 years (7 years for some parts that may be restricted to professional repairers)	within 15 working days
Electronic displays, including TVs	7 years after the last unit of the model is placed on the market	within 15 working days
Smartphones and tablets (from 20 June 2025)	7 years after the model is no longer sold in the EU	within 5 to 10 working days

Appliance figures: European Commission [1] and European Consumer Centre Belgium [2]; displays: the GB regulation that mirrors the EU text [3]; phones and tablets: European Commission [4].

Three things the table does not say

Some parts are for professionals only. For displays, for example, the internal power supply, connectors, larger capacitors, batteries and drive modules go to professional repairers, while the external power supply and the remote control must also be sold to end users [3].
The clock starts late. For displays and phones, the period runs from when the model stops being placed on the market or sold, not from when you bought yours [3] [4].
Phones also get battery and software rules. Batteries must manage "at least 800 charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of their initial capacity", and operating-system updates must continue for at least 5 years after the last unit is sold [4].

What about price?

The ecodesign rules oblige manufacturers to make parts available; the repair directive adds that manufacturers who offer parts must sell them "at a reasonable price that does not deter repair" [5]. EU countries had to apply the directive from 31 July 2026 through national law, and Euronews reported that only a handful met that deadline [6]. The same report cites BEUC's June 2026 market check, which found an official vacuum-cleaner battery at 56% of the appliance's original price [6].

When the period has run out

Older appliances, discontinued variants and small parts sold only inside a large assembly fall outside these lists. That is where a maker comes in. Small plastic parts such as shelf supports, handles, caps, knobs and clips are often good candidates to remake, as long as they are not safety-critical: check what should never be remade first.

To get a quote, find the model number, then post the part with photos and measurements.

ReplacementParts.app blog (English)

How Long Must Manufacturers Sell Spare Parts in the EU?

The minimum periods

Three things the table does not say

What about price?

When the period has run out