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At a Glance
You probably heard the expression, "They don't make 'em like they used to."
That is accurate for many appliances like yesterday's article on French door refrigerators. Appliances, in general, require more repair now than ever.
Electric ranges are the exception.
Why? Because electric ranges are made the exact same way as ten years ago. In fact, most new electric ranges with ceran tops (smooth) are similar to the ones I sold 34 years ago when I started at Yale.
In this article, you will learn the most reliable electric ranges to consider based on actual service calls logged by our service team last year.
We logged 35,256 calls last year alone or over 100,000 in less than three years.
First, let's break down how we measure reliability, seeing as it is a very elusive measurement in our industry.
Just as an FYI, this article is about electric ranges only, the most reliable induction ranges are in a separate article.
How We Calculate Appliance Reliability
There is no benchmark for initial quality in the appliance business. Most publications like Wirecutter and Consumer Reports test in a lab and report results.
You want to see how these products will work in your home based on actual service calls.
For this reason, we have the formula to determine reliability based on actual in-home repair.
Every day, we have 33 service technicians performing 8-10 service calls with another 150 or so on Saturday.
That amounted to 35,526 service calls logged in 2019.
Yale Appliance Service Technicians
You will see sales in that period and then divided by service calls for the reliability 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, FYI.
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Most Reliable Electric Ranges for 2020
The average repair rate for electric ranges is about 4.54% in the first year. Appliances, in general, are about 13.1%.
In the chart below, we removed any brands with fewer than ten ranges shipped in 2019.
| Service Qty | Shipped Qty | Service Ratio | |
| Jenn-Air | 28 | 63 | 44.44% |
| KitchenAid | 31 | 89 | 34.83% |
| GE Profile | 2 | 18 | 11.11% |
| Café Appliances | 3 | 28 | 10.71% |
| Bosch Appliances | 10 | 154 | 6.49% |
| Samsung | 27 | 754 | 3.58% |
| Whirlpool | 12 | 1269 | 0.95% |
| LG Electronics | 0 | 62 | 0.00% |
| Premier | 0 | 19 | 0.00% |
| Blomberg | 0 | 17 | 0.00% |
| Avanti | 0 | 17 | 0.00% |
| Grand Total | 114 | 2513% | 4.54% |
Why Are Electric Ranges So Reliable?
Electric ranges are more than twice as reliable as gas ranges and almost 10% more reliable than appliances in general.
As I said in the beginning electric ranges, haven't changed much in the last 34 years.
The heating elements are also under glass, so there is no direct contact and less chance for breakage and repair.
You have more direct contact with the burner in gas. The number one repair in a gas range is the burner ignition on top of the range.
Most companies also have a long history in manufacturing electric ranges and have since improved.
When I started at Yale back in 1986, Many companies, even GE and Whirlpool, did not produce a gas range at that time.
Electric ranges are the most reliable appliances when you exclude hoods, disposers, and grills.
Which Electric Range Should You Buy?
I am a fan of any reliable product regardless of the brand because we have to fix appliances under warranty.
Most appliance stores will display every brand and recommend everything because they do not service what they sell.
LG and Whirlpool are the best electric ranges for reliability, but most of this volume is builder-generated for Whirlpool.
In apartment and condo buildings, units are not always immediately occupied, or the customer might not know to call us.
What is interesting in these numbers is Samsung's service rate. Their products are not basic, but more feature-laden, yet have a relatively low service percentage.
Samsung Electric Ranges at Yale Appliance in Hanover
We should dispel a myth about Samsung. Their appliances are not harder to fix, and the parts are easy to order. We receive parts the next day from their warehouse in New Jersey.
However, based on comments left on the blog from around the country, Samsung may have limited support in certain areas when there are issues.
So you should check if you live out of Massachusetts (88% of you do).
Bosch and GE have decent reliability rates. They also tend to skew on the higher end with slide-in ranges and double ovens
GE Electric Range at Yale Appliance in Hanover
Basic is better for reliability, but even the most featured electric ranges are reliable.
Should You Buy An Extended Warranty?
Probably not. These service rates are low enough.
If you do buy an appliance warranty, make sure your store can fix issues. Most warranties are the third party. They take your money now and then scramble to find a tech when there is an issue.
We offer warranties. If unused, you do receive a 50% credit back to the store. You may want to consider a similar program in your area if available.
With electric ranges, you will probably receive that credit after the warranty expires.
Key Takeaways
Electric ranges all work better than any other major appliance in your home. I didn't feel like I was delivering bad news for once, like many other appliances.
However, in a full kitchen of new appliances, 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 overall issue. Most manufacturers do not have service departments anymore to fix problems.
As part of your shopping process: Definitely shop price, delivery, and installation. You should now at least inquire about service before you buy any appliance.
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 630,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?
A few review sites have placed this at the bottom of their articles. So here is our take: Our mission is to find reliable products for you to buy. Other review sites may say this as well.
However, we don’t love every product. Quite frankly, it costs us way too much money in repair costs to support less reliable brands.
In fact, we sell fewer brands than most appliance stores. Here is why:
We feel it is our responsibility to repair your appliances after you buy them.
We now have 30 service technicians, each averaging 8-10 calls a day Monday through Friday, plus another 110 on Saturday. That's over 30,000 service calls logged in one year.
The labor rates of fixing an appliance do not come close to the true cost in any product’s warranty period.
That is why no major retailer has a service department. It costs too much labor, money and time.
Our Blog is a bit different than most others you will read. We cannot write glowing reviews of unreliable products.
Hopefully, the bloggers and organizations who write such glowing product reviews for every brand consider servicing these products first. Only then they will understand the consequences of their marketing.
A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.