How long is an appliance warranty in the EU?

Two different things are called a warranty

Almost every dispute about appliance warranties comes from confusing two separate things:

1. The legal guarantee. Under EU rules on the sale of goods, a consumer buying from a

trader in the EU has a minimum two-year guarantee against goods that do not conform to the contract. It comes from the seller, it is free, and it cannot be signed away.

1. The commercial warranty. Whatever the manufacturer or retailer chose to offer on top

— one year, five years, ten years on a specific part. It is voluntary, its terms are whatever the document says, and it often carries conditions such as registration or annual servicing.

The second one is the one people remember and the first one is the one that is actually guaranteed.

Which date should you track?

Track the purchase date, and record both end dates from it:

• The legal guarantee end date, two years from delivery in most cases
• The commercial warranty end date, from the manufacturer's own document

Individual national rules vary in the detail — some member states go beyond the two-year minimum, and the rules on who must prove what can change partway through the period. If a claim matters, check the rules for the country you bought in.

Keep the receipt with the item

A warranty claim without proof of purchase is usually not a claim at all. The receipt, the model number and the serial number should live on the same record as the appliance, because that is what you will be asked for and it is what nobody can find at the time.

In Epimeleia, a receipt attached to an item and a warranty end date on the same record means the reminder arrives while you can still do something about it — and the document you need is one tap away.

Before you rely on this

The two-year minimum described here comes from Directive (EU) 2019/771 on the sale of goods. National implementations differ; confirm the position in your own country before relying on a date.