When is the best time to buy new appliances?

In This Article

• When is the best time to buy a refrigerator?
• When is the best time to buy a dishwasher?
• When is the best time to buy an oven / range?
• When is the best time to buy a washer / dryer?
• When is the worst time to buy appliances?
• Other Appliance Buying Tips

None of us want to think about it, but that dreaded moment—when your oven, dishwasher, or fridge inevitably stops working—is coming. Eventually, that old kitchen appliance that has been part of your house for years will run its course, and it'll be time to buy a replacement.

But at such immense costs, just the thought of shopping for major appliances can be daunting. So how can you save money on such a large expense? And when is the best time of year to shop for kitchen appliances?

Luckily, Reviewed's team of product testers and deal hunters literally do this for a living. We've spent countless hours ranking the best kitchen appliances on the market and discovering the best time to buy. So if you're thinking about making that investment soon, we're here to tell you when to buy (and when not to). In addition to the obvious sales "holidays" like President's Day, Memorial Day, and Black Friday, there are other times of the year to look out for good deals on appliances.

We can also help you find the best places to buy in-stock appliances right now.

Editor's Note: _We do not recommend ever buying large appliances from Amazon, no matter how low the cost. We've researched the best (and worst) places to buy appliances online to help you avoid the most common pitfalls associated with online appliance shopping. _

When is the best time to buy a refrigerator?

When it comes to finding the best fridge for you, you'll need to consider things like size, door type, smart features, and overall design. Make sure you do adequate research before buying to be sure you've balanced all your options to find the right pick to suit your home, lifestyle, and budget.

When it comes to sale season, our experts recommend May as one of the best times to buy a new refrigerator. That's typically when new models hit the stores—and last year's get discounted.

We've covered a lot of the latest models, and can confidently recommend the Frigidaire Gallery GRQC2255BF as our best refrigerator overall, the Bosch B36CD50SNS as our favorite traditional French-door, the Hotpoint HPS16BTNRWW as an excellent and affordable top-freezer, the GE GDE25EYKFS as the best bottom-freezer, and the Samsung Bespoke RS28CB760012 as a great side-by-side option.

Keep in mind that there may also be incentives for replacing your fridge. For example, newer fridges use a fraction of the energy as older ones, and that increased energy efficiency will wind up paying for itself quickly.

It's also a great idea to buy a fridge during one of the year's major sales events. Labor Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and President's Day usually offer deep discounts on select fridges.

Can't wait for the next holiday weekend to go fridge shopping? Once you find your dream fridge, check the MSRP and compare the price at several major retailers (like Best Buy, Home Depot, and AJ Madison) to see if any are currently on sale.

When is the best time to buy a dishwasher?

Similar to fridge shopping, buying a new dishwasher requires some up-front research before you commit to that hefty purchase.

Consider what's important to you: Are you looking for the best affordable dishwasher? Are you desperate for a third rack? Or is dish drying your least favorite chore?

There are an overwhelming number of options in today's market. But after testing almost 15,000 dirty dishes worth of dishwashers, we can help guide you through all of your burning questions. (Spoiler alert: Our favorite dishwasher overall is the Bosch SHPM88Z75N for its superior stain removal, zeolite dish drying, and quiet operation.)

Once you have your eye on the dishwasher of your dreams, it might be worth waiting until September and October before pulling the trigger on a purchase. That's typically when new models of dishwashers start rolling out, and retailers offer older models at a cheaper price.

Black Friday is also an excellent time to buy a dishwasher, especially a higher-end model. Black Friday often has percentage-based discounts, so you stand to save the most on more expensive items.

When is the best time to buy an oven / range?

January is a popular time for new ovens and ranges to be released, so it’s a great time to find older models at a discount that rule of thumb for saving on older models also applies here. But these larger appliances also tend to go on sale during major shopping events like Memorial Day, Presidents' Day, and Black Friday, so keep your eye out for major markdowns throughout the year.

Choosing the right upgraded oven or range for your kitchen may require even more research and planning than with other appliances.

First and foremost, you'll need to narrow your search depending on what fuel type is available in your kitchen (for example, switching between gas and electric will increase costs dramatically). Then come the decisions regarding size, finish, burner configuration, built-in features, and more.

Our ranking of the best ranges crowned the best gas, electric, dual fuel, and induction options to best suit your individual needs.

When is the best time to buy a washer / dryer

Like ranges, one of the best times to buy a new washer or dryer is during Presidents' Day and Black Friday sales.

The beginning of the year is typically when stores are trying to clear away older stock and Black Friday sales are when you can leverage huge discounts to save money. Any major holiday that offers percentage-based discounts is a great time to find good deals on big-ticket items like appliances.

Choosing between top-load and front-load washers and dryers can be hard—especially if you grew up with top-loaders.

After lots of testing over a decade, the science isn't ambiguous: Front-loaders dominate the top of our rankings because they do a much better job scrubbing out stains.

That being said, top-loaders do have niche uses where they can excel, such as when your clothes are caked in mud and need the extra water to wash it all away. Top-loaders also often cost less than front-loaders, which can be a boon if you're buying on a budget.

Despite the advantage the best front-loaders have, you can still find some excellent top-loaders as well. We recommend the Electrolux ELFW7637AT for fans of front-loaders and GE Profile PTW900BPTRS if you'd rather buy a top-loader.

When is the worst time to buy appliances?

Now that we've gone over some of the best times to buy appliances, we have to address the absolute worst time to buy an appliance: When your current appliance breaks down.

If your appliance breaks down, you often need to find its replacement as soon as possible to avoid further interruptions to your home routine, especially since the alternatives are often expensive and cumbersome: Take-out is convenient but costly, and nobody wants to go to the laundromat, even people who routinely go to the laundromat.

Shopping on such a shortened timeline means you likely won't be able to take advantage of any sales. You may be limited by what's available at the moment, which may mean compromising on what you really want. And who wants to compromise on something they'll likely use for a decade or more? It's also needlessly stressful to have such a big project dumped on your plate without much notice.

So when your appliance nears the end of its lifespan it's time to buy its replacement while you can still plan ahead and take advantage of sales events.

Other Appliance Buying Tips

While it's almost always better to buy a large appliance during a holiday weekend or other big sales event, that doesn't mean you can't save money in other ways as well. Here are a few tips for how to save money on appliances during the rest of the year.

Best Buy's open-box discount can help save some money

Best Buy often discounts "open box" items, which can include appliances.

These items, true to their name, have typically been opened before being returned via Best Buy's return and exchange policy, but are otherwise in excellent working condition. This can be a great way to save a few hundred bucks on big-ticket items.

You can check out Best Buy's site to find out more information about their open box policy.

Appliance bundle deals can let you replace your whole kitchen for less

Appliance bundles or package deals can be a great way to save money if you know you need to replace several appliances at once. Whether this is part of a remodel or even just buying a washer and dryer pair at the same time, a bundle deal can often knock hundreds of dollars off your total purchase price.

What's more, bundle deals often receive an extra discount during major sales events, especially Black Friday.

Energy-efficient appliances can save money in the long run

While shopping for any new appliance is going to cost a lot of money, if your current appliance is especially old there's a good chance it's not very energy efficient, and therefore costing you more money annually.

Newer appliances are significantly more energy efficient compared to older models, and those monthly utility bill savings can add up to surprisingly large amounts over the decade you'll own them.