Best Time to Buy Appliances in the UK: Month by Month

Shopper comparing washing machines in a showroom

There is no single cheapest day for appliances in the UK, but there is a pattern. Prices for big white goods tend to be lower in the first quarter of the year and in the January and Boxing Day sales. They are often higher in September, when new ranges arrive. Black Friday is the loudest sale of the year, but it is not reliably the cheapest. If your machine has just died, the best time is usually now, with a price history check first.

This guide covers what the data says, how to read the sales calendar, and how to check that a “deal” is real before you pay.

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TL;DR

  • January to March is often the cheapest stretch for washing machines. Price comparison data reported in 2026 put the average at £392 in the first quarter against £417 in September.
  • Black Friday is not a guaranteed bargain. Which? found that 83% of tracked home and tech products were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
  • Compare the whole basket, not the sticker price: delivery, installation and recycling can change which retailer is cheapest.
  • Check the energy label and the price history before you buy, and never rely on a “was” price alone.
  • If you can wait, set a price alert and let the price come to you.

Table of Contents

Why appliance prices move through the year

Appliance prices are not random. Three things push them around.

New model launches. Manufacturers refresh their ranges at set points in the year. When new models arrive, the outgoing ones are often discounted to clear shelf and warehouse space. That is why a one-year-old washing machine can be a better buy than the latest version.

Retail events. Black Friday, Boxing Day, the January sales and spring promotions all pull prices down on certain categories. Retailers also use these events to clear stock and to attract customers who then add extras to the basket.

Demand. Most people buy a washing machine or fridge because the old one has broken, not because there is a sale on. That keeps demand fairly steady, so retailers use promotions to win your purchase rather than to create it.

The practical upshot: you get the best price when you combine a quiet period, a clearance model and a real discount. You rarely get it by shopping on the sale date alone.

The UK appliance buying calendar

Here is how the year tends to break down. Treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. Prices vary by model, brand and retailer.

Period What tends to happen Worth considering for
January to March Post-Christmas sales and lower average prices on white goods Washing machines, dishwashers, tumble dryers
April to June Quieter trading, occasional spring promotions Cookers and hobs if you are not in a hurry
July to August Summer lull, some clearance ahead of new ranges Fridges and freezers, small appliances
September New model lineups arrive, average washing machine prices peak Usually the month to avoid for washing machines
October to early November Early Black Friday offers start appearing Planned purchases, with price history in hand
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Heavy promotion, mixed value Items you have tracked and know the usual price of
Boxing Day and January Clearance and end-of-year sales Big-ticket items, outgoing models

The washing machine figures are the clearest numbers we found. According to PriceRunner data referenced in 2026, washing machines averaged £392 in January to March and peaked at £417 in September. That is a gap of £25 on an average machine, and bigger on premium models.

Is Black Friday the best time to buy appliances?

Not necessarily. Black Friday is the UK’s biggest online shopping event: more than £1.12 billion was spent online on the day in 2024. But the same Which? research found that 83% of the home and tech products it tracked were the same price or cheaper outside the sales window.

Which? also explains how to check whether a Black Friday deal is real, and the core advice is simple: look at what the product actually cost in the weeks before, not at the crossed-out price on the page.

This year Black Friday falls on 27 November 2026. That gives you around six weeks from today to do three things:

  1. Decide which appliance you actually need and shortlist two or three models.
  2. Start tracking their prices now, so you know the normal range.
  3. Buy during the sales only if the price is at or near the lowest you have seen.

If Black Friday offers a genuine low, take it. If it does not, the January sales are close behind. Which? has tips for the Boxing Day and January sales worth reading before you shop them.

Appliance by appliance: when to buy

Washing machines and tumble dryers

The data points to the first quarter of the year as the cheaper window, with September the one to avoid. If your machine is still working, aim for January to March. If it has gone now, track a few models and watch for a dip rather than buying the first one you see.

Fridges and freezers

Fridge freezers run all day, every day, so energy rating matters more here than almost anywhere else. Prices tend to dip around the January sales and in the quieter spring and summer months, but there are fewer reliable patterns than with washing machines. A price history for the exact model is your best guide.

Dishwashers, ovens and hobs

These often follow the white goods pattern: better prices in the new year, with occasional clearance when new ranges land. Integrated models add installation cost, so factor that in (more on this below).

TVs and small appliances

TVs and small kitchen appliances such as air fryers and coffee machines are the categories most likely to see genuine discounts around Black Friday and Boxing Day. They are also the easiest to track because the same model stays on sale for months.

The total cost of an appliance is more than the sticker price

The cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest purchase. Experts at one UK deals blog recommend comparing the total basket, including delivery fees, installation and appliance recycling, rather than the standalone price. Installation on a large white goods item such as a washing machine can cost upwards of £40 to £50, so a retailer with a higher product price can still come out ahead.

Build the full basket at each retailer you are considering:

  • Product price
  • Delivery charge and delivery slot
  • Installation, especially for integrated or built-in models
  • Removal and recycling of your old appliance
  • Warranty or extended cover, if you want it

Use price matching

Some high-street retailers will match a lower price elsewhere. John Lewis updated its price promise in September 2024 to match prices at 25 major retailers. Check the terms of any scheme before you buy, because they differ on which products, retailers and conditions count.

Running costs matter too

An appliance costs money every day it is plugged in. In the UK, energy labels (A to G) are a legal requirement at the point of sale, and they are the quickest way to compare how much electricity two models will use. A more efficient model can cost more upfront and still be the better deal over its life, particularly for fridge freezers, which never switch off.

It is the same thinking that applies across the home. If you are weighing up upfront price against ongoing electricity use for lighting too, this piece on when plug-in lighting beats hardwired in UK homes is a useful read.

Repair or replace: the 50% rule

Before you shop, make sure you need to. A common benchmark is the 50% rule: if the repair quote is more than half the price of a comparable new appliance, replacing is often the smarter move.

It is a starting point, not a law. According to Mend or End’s UK guide, appliances under five years old can justify pushing the threshold to 60 to 70%, because they have more life left. Machines over eight or ten years old, with repeated faults and weaker energy efficiency, may be worth replacing even when the repair comes in under 50%.

A quick example: a repair quote of £120 on a machine that would cost £400 new is 30%. If the machine is four years old, repair is easy to justify. A quote of £220 on a nine-year-old machine that has already had two call-outs is a different story, even though it is only 55%.

Repair or replace: the 50% rule — overview diagram

How to spot a real appliance deal

Which? has found that retailers can raise “before” prices in the run-up to a sale to make a discount look deeper. The fix is to see the price history yourself.

  1. Find the exact model number. Many retailers sell slightly different model codes of the same machine, which makes direct comparison hard.
  2. Check the price over the last few months. A genuine deal sits at or below the usual low, not just below a recent high.
  3. Compare at least three retailers. Our guide to ways to compare prices online covers the options.
  4. Rebuild the full basket, as above.
  5. Be careful with unfamiliar brands. Which? advises caution with electricals from brands you don’t recognise that only seem to appear in sales.
  6. Set an alert and wait. If you are not in a rush, let the price drop come to you.

For Amazon items, our 365-day Amazon UK price history guide shows how to read a price chart, and the Black Friday price tracker guide explains how to prepare for the sales.

Our view: watch the price, not the calendar

We built WantThis around a simple observation: most people buy at the moment they need something, not at the moment it is cheapest. The calendar helps, but it is a blunt tool. A specific washing machine can drop in price on a random Tuesday in May, and a Black Friday banner can sit on a product that is no cheaper than it was in August.

That is why we focus on price tracking across 30+ UK retailers. You paste a link from any online retailer, we pull in the title, image and current price, and you can see how it moves and get an alert when it drops. For appliances, that turns “when should I buy?” into a concrete answer for the model you actually want.

Our advice, in order:

  • If your appliance still works, wait for the January to March window and track two or three models until then.
  • If it has broken, shortlist models today, compare the full basket and buy when a price sits at the low end of its history.
  • Use Black Friday as a deadline for your research, not as a reason to buy.
  • Keep the energy label in the calculation. The cheapest machine on the day is not always the cheapest to own.

And if you are not buying for yourself, a wishlist avoids the other classic problem: duplicates. A shared list lets family reserve the kettle or air fryer privately, so only one person buys it.

— Stuart

Track appliance prices with WantThis

If you already know which model you want, add it to a free list on WantThis and let price tracking do the watching. You can organise items by occasion, share the list for house moves, weddings or birthdays through list sharing, and get alerts when prices fall. Our guide to price drop alerts for UK shoppers explains how the alerts work.

If you are choosing between retailers, the multi-store price tracking guide shows how to follow one product across several shops at once.

Buying appliances as gifts

Appliances are a popular choice for wedding lists, new homes and big birthdays, and the same timing rules apply. Wedding and housewarming lists are best built early so that the price tracking has time to find a good moment. For Christmas, our Black Friday gift deals guide covers how to shop the sales for presents, and our gift ideas for every occasion page has inspiration across home, tech and kitchen categories.

If you are organising a group exchange, the free Secret Santa organiser runs the draw automatically, so nobody needs to keep the names in a hat.

FAQ

What time of year are appliances cheapest?

For white goods, the first three months of the year are often the cheapest, with washing machines averaging £392 in January to March against £417 in September. The Boxing Day and January sales also help. Individual models can hit their lowest price at other times, so check the price history for the exact one you want.

Is Black Friday a good time to buy appliances?

Sometimes, but it is not reliably the cheapest. Which? found that 83% of tracked home and tech products were the same price or cheaper at other times. Track the price beforehand so you can tell a real discount from a marketing one.

What is the 50% rule for appliances?

It says to replace an appliance when the repair costs more than half the price of a comparable new one. Experts treat it as a guide: younger machines justify a higher threshold of up to 70%, while machines over eight years old with repeat faults are often better replaced.

Where is the best place to buy appliances in the UK?

There is no single best retailer, because the cheapest option changes by model and by date. Compare the total basket, including delivery, installation and recycling, and ask about price matching. Tracking the same model across several UK retailers is the easiest way to see who is cheapest on the day you buy.

Sources

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