Why do toasters die?
Usually the heat, or the cord. Heating faults, like a burnt-out element, are one of the two most common faults we could identify in the repair records, and the hardest to fix. Volunteers at repair events fix fewer than a third of them.
The rest is easier. Cord, plug and switch faults, the other most common kind, get fixed 65% of the time, and so do lever and mechanism faults. Across all faults, volunteers fix 52% of toasters, a bit below the 56% for everything else they see.
The typical toaster brought in for repair is six years old, and the middle half are between three and ten.
So the toaster that lasts is the one that survives a heating fault. More than half the time, volunteers write that toaster off. On a Dualit Classic, the fix can be a new element.
Figures from Open Repair Data (July 2026 release, 9,980 toaster records). The fix rate is the share of repair attempts that worked at volunteer repair events. We sorted faults by keywords in volunteers' notes, in English, Dutch, French and German, and could sort 40% of the records. We rank brands with 100 or more repair records.
Which toaster brands last?
Dualit. Volunteers fix Dualits about as often as the average toaster, 52% of the time. The difference is what happens to the rest. Only 21% of Dualits get written off as beyond repair, the lowest of the 15 brands we rank. Silvercrest is next at 25%, and the other 13 run from 33% to 57%. Most Dualits that don't get fixed on the day are judged repairable: fixable, just not finished then.
Silvercrest and Bosch top our brand rankings, because volunteers fix them more often, 72% and 63% of the time. We still pick Dualit, for the low write-off rate and for elements you can buy.
Dualits also come in older. The typical one is ten years old when it's brought in for repair. For Russell Hobbs, Breville and De'Longhi it's five, and for Smeg four.
One catch on Breville. Most of its repair records come from the UK, where the Breville name belongs to a different company and goes on different toasters. (Breville's own toasters are sold there as Sage.) So the records don't tell you much about the Breville toasters sold in North America.
What we looked at
We judged each toaster on four things:
Replaceable parts. Can the heating element, the part behind the hardest fault to fix, be replaced, and does the maker sell it?
Repair records. How each brand does at repair events: how often it gets fixed, how often it gets written off and how old it is when it comes in.
Build. Metal bodies and simple mechanical controls.
Maker support. Spare parts and warranty terms you can actually find.
Disclosure: Some product links on Sundr are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't influence our analysis. See our full affiliate disclosure.
Which toasters last?
Dualit Classic NewGen 2-Slice. Best for Longevity - Durability: 9/10 · Elements: replaceable - Price: ~$300 USD · Check price on Amazon
The toaster to buy if you'd rather fix it than replace it. Dualit sells replacement ProHeat elements for every Classic toaster, so a heating fault, the hardest common fault to fix, becomes a repair. The timer can be replaced too. Each one is assembled by hand at Dualit's factory in West Sussex, England. It has a mechanical timer and a defrost setting.
Trade-offs: It takes two slices, and it's the priciest toaster here. Dualit says fitting an element is simple but a job for a competent electrician, so unless that's you, budget for a repair shop. In the US you order parts through Dualit's service agent. Target lists a one-year limited warranty on the toaster, and Williams-Sonoma lists the ProHeat elements as guaranteed for two years.
Breville "A Bit More" 4-Slice. Best Features - Durability: 7/10 · Elements: no spares found - Price: ~$120 · Check price on Amazon
If you want four slices and the conveniences, this is the one. Brushed stainless steel, with an "A Bit More" button that adds a little extra time, "Lift and Look" for checking your toast mid-cycle, and Bagel and Frozen settings. It's been sold on Amazon US since 2013.
Trade-offs: We couldn't find replacement elements for it, so plan on a heating fault ending it. And as above, the repair records can't vouch for Breville's North American toasters either way.
Our top picks are side by side on DurableFinds.
Durability scores are our editorial ratings, not measurements.
Which toasters should you skip?
KitchenAid, De'Longhi and Smeg. Of the 15 brands we rank, they have the three lowest fix rates:
- KitchenAid. Fixed 32% of the time, the lowest of the 15, and written off 57% of the time, the highest.
- De'Longhi. Fixed 36% of the time.
- Smeg. Fixed 38% of the time, and written off 47% of the time. The typical Smeg is four years old when it comes in.
A well-known name doesn't buy you a toaster that gets fixed.
Just want cheap toast? The Cuisinart Metal Classic 4-Slice is brushed stainless steel with a three-year limited warranty, for ~$60 USD. We don't have enough Cuisinart repair records to say how it holds up.
What should you look for when shopping?
Replaceable elements first. Heating faults are one of the two most common faults we can identify, and the hardest to fix. A toaster whose elements you can buy turns that fault into a repair.
Find the parts before you buy. Check that the maker sells elements and other spare parts for the exact model, and how you'd order them where you live.
Metal over plastic, simple over clever. A dial and a lever give you fewer electronics to fail than touch controls and screens.
Don't buy for the name. KitchenAid, De'Longhi and Smeg get fixed least often of the 15 brands we rank.
Before you throw a toaster out, check what broke. If it's the cord, plug, switch or lever, it's usually fixable. Volunteers get those working 65% of the time, and a repair café will try for free.
Empty the crumb tray. It's the one bit of maintenance a toaster needs.
Compare Brands
See how toaster brands compare on reliability data from community repair records:
- Toaster brand reliability rankings. 15 brands ranked by repair success rate
- Breville vs Dualit: which brand is more reliable?
- Browse our durable picks on DurableFinds