Best home appliance insurance

Domestic appliance insurance, also called home appliance insurance or white goods insurance, provides financial protection for a variety of household appliances, like your washing machine or fridge, if they break down or malfunction. It typically covers appliances like washing machines, tumble dryers, fridges, freezers, dishwashers and ovens. Some policies cover a single appliance; others offer multi-appliance cover for your entire home.

Appliance insurance provides financial cover for repairs and replacements if your household appliances break, malfunction or are stolen. You pay a monthly or annual premium, and if a covered appliance fails, you claim and the insurer arranges or pays for a repair. If it can’t be repaired, they’ll replace it. Most policies have a call-out fee or excess you pay towards each claim.

Appliance insurance isn't compulsory, but it can be useful for covering your white goods, like fridges and washing machines, which can be expensive to repair or replace. The standard warranty period is usually quite short, so appliance insurance provides protection once this period has expired.

Your appliances may be partially covered by contents insurance under certain circumstances, like theft or accidental damage, but it might not include protection for appliances that break down or fail. Specific appliance insurance makes sure you're comprehensively covered.

White goods insurance covers large domestic appliances - typically washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers and ovens - for mechanical and electrical breakdown. It usually covers the cost of repair or, if the appliance can’t be repaired, replacement. Cover for theft and accidental damage varies by policy, so it’s worth checking before you buy. Most policies also include a call-out service to send an engineer to your home.

Yes, many providers offer single-appliance policies that cover one specific item, which is often cheaper if you only have one appliance you want to protect. Multi-appliance policies cover all your household appliances under one policy and tend to offer better value if you want comprehensive cover for your whole home. Compare both options to find which works out cheaper based on what you need.

Home appliance insurance is worth it if you have multiple appliances and couldn’t easily afford a large unexpected repair or replacement bill. A mid-range washing machine repair can cost £200 or more, and if several appliances break down in the same year, the costs add up quickly. The alternative is to self-insure by setting aside money in a savings account for appliance emergencies. It’s worth comparing the annual premium against the value of the appliances you’d be covering to decide which makes more sense.