Are Ikea Appliances a Good Deal?
CR takes a look at Ikea's dishwashers, ranges, and more
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Visit Ikea on any given weekend and you’ll see people lingering in the kitchen department, perhaps with dreams of transforming their own kitchen into a sleek and stylish space—without spending a fortune.
In the showroom, alongside the sinks, countertops, and customizable cabinets, you'll also find Ikea's own line of kitchen appliances that boast stainless finishes and sleek handles. Also attractive? Their prices.
"Ikea appliances are among the lowest-priced appliances in our ratings," says Mark Allwood, an analyst covering the appliance market for Consumer Reports. "But what sets them apart is the five-year warranty. Most major appliance brands carry a one- to two-year warranty." (Ikea's reassuring warranty applies to all appliances except the Lagan and Tillreda lines, which carry two-year warranties.)
But are Ikea appliances as good a deal as they seem?
To answer that question, for Ikea and its appliance competitors, we conduct exhaustive lab tests and survey our members about the products they own. We use that data to calculate ratings for predicted reliability—projections about how new models from a given brand will hold up over time.
Dishwashers
Choosing a dishwasher from a reliable brand increases the likelihood that it will last longer, yet CR's survey of members' experiences with more than 100,000 dishwashers from 22 brands found that paying more for a dishwasher doesn't necessarily guarantee that it's going to be more reliable.