Oven Lifespan: How Long Should Your Oven Last and When to Replace It

When we talk about oven lifespan, the average time a home oven functions reliably before needing replacement. Also known as appliance longevity, it’s not just about how many years it’s been sitting in your kitchen—it’s about how well it still heats, how much energy it uses, and whether it’s becoming a safety risk. Most electric range ovens last between 13 and 15 years, but that’s just a starting point. If your oven’s taking twice as long to preheat, heating unevenly, or throwing error codes you don’t understand, it’s not broken—it’s telling you it’s near the end.

What cuts an oven’s life short? Frequent use, poor ventilation, lack of cleaning, and power surges. A dirty element can overheat and burn out faster. A faulty thermostat makes the oven cycle on and off too much, wearing out the control board. And if you’ve had the same oven since before smartphones were common, you’re probably running something that’s using 30% more energy than a new model. That adds up over time—not just in dollars, but in wasted heat and carbon.

Repairing an oven makes sense only if the issue is simple—a blown heating element, a broken door seal, or a faulty temperature sensor. Those fixes cost under $200 and can add a few more years. But if the control board is failing, or the oven won’t hold temperature consistently, you’re throwing money at a sinking ship. A oven repair, professional service to fix malfunctioning components in a home oven might feel like a quick win, but if your oven is over 10 years old and repairs keep popping up, replacement is smarter.

And don’t forget the electric oven, a common household appliance that uses electrical resistance to generate heat for cooking. Unlike gas ovens, electric ones don’t need gas lines or pilot lights, but their heating elements and circuitry are more sensitive to voltage spikes. If you’ve had power surges in your area, that could be why your oven started acting up suddenly.

So how do you know it’s time? If repair costs are hitting half the price of a new oven, if you’re constantly adjusting cooking times because it’s unreliable, or if the door doesn’t seal right anymore and heat keeps leaking out—those aren’t minor issues. They’re signs your oven has passed its prime. A new oven isn’t just about shiny finishes—it’s about consistent heat, better safety features, and lower bills.

Below, you’ll find real-world advice from people who’ve been there: how to tell if your oven element is blown, what replacing a control board really costs, and why a 20-year-old oven might be costing you more than you think. No fluff. Just what works.