Most Reliable Electric Ranges for 2017

Every year we rate the most and least serviced brands. However, it's not a true measure of reliability. Products like refrigerators will fail more than hoods, disposers, and dishwashers. So, a brand selling more French door refrigerators with dispensers, for instance, will be less reliable than another brand selling mostly electric ranges. 

As a result, we have branched our reliability article into product categories like pro ranges, dual fuel ranges, wall ovens, dishwashers, front load washers, and induction ranges.

In this article, we are comparing reliability rates for electric freestanding and slide-in ranges, which comprise about 38% of cooking sales. First, let's break down how we measure reliability, seeing as it is a very elusive measurement in our industry.

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The Service Formula 

As I have said, there is no benchmark for initial quality in the appliance business. For this reason, we have developed a formula to determine reliability based on our actual repair rate.

Every day, we have 25 service technicians performing 8-10 service calls with another 150 or so on Saturday. We then look at sales in that period and divide the service calls for the percentage.  

We do not scrub the data. Every time you have a technician visit, it will count as a service call. Damage and phone resolutions do not count as service calls.

I only cover the first year because our warranty service is free for the first year, so there is a greater and more accurate pool of data.

So let’s look. The average repair rate for electric ranges is about 9.3%. Appliances, in general, are about 14%.

Most Reliable Electric Ranges 

The first question is why are electric ranges so reliable? They are more than twice as reliable as gas ranges.

The heating elements are under glass, so there is no direct contact and less chance for abuse and repair.

Most companies also have a long history in manufacturing electric ranges and have since improved. When I started at Yale back in 1986, GE and Whirlpool did not produce gas ranges. 

Electric ranges are the most reliable appliances when you discount hoods, disposers, and grills.

Which Should You Buy?

I have been labeled as a “high-end guy”. The reviews all talk about Yale being a Rich Man's Home Depot (yes, I read all the reviews).

But I am a fan of any reliable product regardless of brand because we have to fix these appliances under warranty. Most companies outsource repair services, instead of having their own service department, so they do not know reliability. It also does not affect them financially like it does for us. 

Thus, it appears Frigidaire and Whirlpool are the best for reliability, but some of this volume is builder generated. In other words, with builders, units are not always immediately occupied or the customer might not know to call us. Builders, on the other hand, certainly call us with issues. 

What is interesting in these numbers is Samsung's rate. Their products are not basic, but more feature laden, yet have a relatively low service percentage. When compared to Frigidaire's better brands like Frigidaire Gallery and Pro, Samsung is better by 0.4-7.7%.

We should dispel another myth about Samsung. Samsung's appliances are not harder to fix and the parts are easy to find, now. We receive parts the next day from their warehouse in New Jersey.

Final Thoughts 

Electric Ranges all work better than any other appliance in your home. In a full kitchen, your odds of repair are almost 100% within the first year with a refrigerator, dishwasher, hood, stove, and a set of laundry. 

So, reliability has become a big issue. Always check repair rates first. Then shop by price and features. 

Most Reliable Appliances Series

• Most Reliable Top Load Washers 
• Most Reliable Freestanding Gas Ranges 
• Most Reliable Dual Fuel Professional Ranges
• Most Reliable Professional Gas Ranges
• Most Reliable Wall Ovens 
• Most Reliable Compact and Regular Front Load Washers
• Most Reliable Dishwashers for 2016 

Additional Resources

Need more information on Electric cooking? Download the Yale Electric Cooking Buying Guide with specs, features, and detailed profiles to all the brands. Well over 240,000 people have read a Yale Guide.