Research

Published October 10, 2026

EU Right to Repair in 2026: Covered Products, Costs and Claims

A broken product does not automatically qualify for a free repair under the EU's right-to-repair rules. Your first question is whether the seller still owes you a remedy under the legal guarantee. If not, a separate manufacturer repair obligation may help—but only where the relevant EU product rules cover your product and the repair concerned.

Getting that distinction right can prevent two costly mistakes: paying for a repair the seller should provide without charge, or demanding a free manufacturer repair that the law does not require.

EU countries were required to apply national measures implementing the repair directive from July 31, 2026. This guide explains the EU framework, not the implementation status or complaint procedures of all 27 countries. For a disputed claim, use the official guidance for the country whose law applies. Directive (EU) 2024/1799, Articles 1, 11, 12 and 22.

Start with the seller-or-manufacturer test

Before booking a paid service, identify which route matches your situation.

The first route is not restricted to the product categories in Annex II. That annex limits the newer manufacturer obligation, not the general seller legal guarantee. EU repair directive, Article 1; Your Europe: legal guarantees.

Route 1: the seller and the legal guarantee

For goods bought from a professional seller, the legal guarantee is a right against the seller, not just the brand on the appliance. The EU baseline covers a lack of conformity that existed when the goods were delivered and becomes apparent within at least two years. National protection may be longer; special rules can apply to second-hand goods.

A defect appearing within one year of delivery is generally presumed to have existed at delivery unless the seller proves otherwise. Some countries extend this presumption to two years. A fault appearing within the guarantee period is therefore not automatically an admission of responsibility, but the seller cannot simply replace your statutory rights with the manufacturer's warranty terms. Your Europe: legal guarantees.

Practical example: a dishwasher stops working after 18 months, and its manufacturer offered only a one-year commercial warranty. The expired warranty does not, by itself, end a possible legal-guarantee claim against the seller. Contact the seller before authorizing a paid manufacturer repair. This example illustrates the distinction; whether the defect qualifies depends on the facts and applicable law.

When does a repair add 12 months of protection?

The repair directive provides for a one-time, 12-month extension of the seller's liability period when repair is the remedy used to bring the goods into conformity. This is not a fresh two-year guarantee after every repair. Countries may provide longer protection, and the directive allows equivalent arrangements for certain national systems based on limitation periods rather than fixed seller-liability periods.

The amendment does not apply to sales contracts concluded before July 31, 2026. For example, a July 30 purchase does not acquire this EU-mandated extension merely because it is repaired in October. A contract concluded on August 1 falls on the other side of the cutoff, but the extension still depends on a qualifying repair and the applicable national rules. EU repair directive, Articles 16 and 21.

Ask the seller to record the remedy used and explain the resulting protection period. Do not treat the July 31 contract cutoff as a blanket exclusion of older products from the separate manufacturer route: that route requires its own product-specific assessment.

Route 2: the manufacturer obligation outside seller liability

For covered goods outside the seller's liability, you can request repair from the manufacturer. If it is established outside the EU, responsibility follows this sequence: its EU authorized representative; if none exists, the importer; and if there is no importer, the distributor.

The responsible operator must arrange the covered repair unless repair is impossible. It may subcontract the work, but subcontracting does not remove its obligation. The repair can carry a reasonable price and must take place within a reasonable period after the manufacturer receives or gains access to the goods. EU repair directive, Article 5.

When contacting support, ask which legal entity is handling the request. A brand name, marketplace name and seller name may not identify the same business.

Which products are covered in 2026?

Annex II of the directive, consolidated as of July 31, 2026, identifies the following categories and product rules. Being listed is the start of the check, not proof that every model, component or fault is covered. Articles 5 and 6 operate only to the extent that the listed legislation imposes applicable repairability requirements. EU repair directive, Article 1(3) and Annex II.

Three product checks that make the list useful

Washing machines: identify the part and the model's market history. The applicable ecodesign rules require listed parts, including pumps, to remain available to professional repairers for at least 10 years after the last unit of the model is placed on the market. Certain other parts, including doors, hinges and seals, must also be available to end users. This is not a ten-year free warranty from your purchase date. The 15-working-day spare-part delivery requirement is also not a universal deadline for completing the entire repair. Regulation 2019/2023, Annex II, point 8.

Phones and tablets: a recent purchase date is not the only date that matters. The relevant ecodesign requirements apply to covered products placed on the EU market from June 20, 2025. They include availability of critical spare parts for seven years after the model stops being placed on the market. Product exclusions also apply. For an older handset or unusual tablet design, ask the manufacturer to identify the applicable rule rather than assuming that all devices sold in 2026 qualify. European Commission: smartphones and tablets.

Vacuum cleaners: do not assume this includes your robot vacuum. Regulation 666/2013 expressly excludes robot and battery-only vacuum cleaners, among other types. Its appearance in Annex II therefore does not establish coverage for those excluded products. A qualifying seller legal-guarantee claim or commercial warranty may still be available. Regulation 666/2013, Article 1.

Why the battery entry needs a separate date

Goods incorporating light means of transport batteries are listed in Annex II, but the Battery Regulation's Article 11 requirements on removability and replaceability apply from February 18, 2027. Do not present those requirements as already applicable in October 2026 or interpret this entry as a general repair right for every part of an electric bicycle or scooter. Other existing consumer rights are a separate question. Battery Regulation, Articles 11 and 96.

For a disputed request, establish four things: the exact product type, the relevant component, the product rule's application date, and the duration of the applicable obligation. A receipt may establish when you bought the item without establishing all four.

What can you ask the manufacturer to do?

For goods within the applicable scope, the directive supports more than a general request for customer service.

Repair the covered defect

The responsible operator must provide the covered repair unless it is impossible. A refusal solely because another person or independent business previously repaired the product is not permitted. That does not mean every damaged product can be restored, or that safety and intellectual-property requirements can be ignored. EU repair directive, Article 5.

If the response is “not repairable,” ask what makes the repair impossible. A written explanation helps distinguish a technical problem from a disagreement over product coverage or commercial policy. This is a practical request for evidence, not a promise that every refusal can be overturned.

Make repair information and indicative prices accessible

The responsible operators must make repair-service information available free of charge in an accessible, understandable form. Consumers must also be able to consult indicative prices for typical repairs on a free-access website. EU repair directive, Articles 5(5) and 6.

An advertised price is not necessarily a quote for your particular fault. Ask whether diagnosis, labor, parts, taxes, collection, return transport and reinstallation are included. Establish what happens if diagnosis reveals a different problem.

Avoid unjustified barriers to repair

Manufacturers making spare parts and tools available for covered goods must offer them at reasonable prices that do not deter repair. Contractual, hardware or software restrictions that obstruct repair need legitimate and objective justification. Product-specific requirements, product safety and intellectual-property rules still apply. EU repair directive, Article 5(4) and (6).

You also remain free to choose another repairer. Before using that option, establish whether you are pursuing a free seller remedy or commissioning a separate paid service; do not assume one will automatically reimburse the other.

“Reasonable price” does not mean free repair

The manufacturer route does not impose a single EU-wide euro cap or a fixed percentage of the replacement price. Nor does “within a reasonable period” create one deadline in days for every repair. These are different protections from the free remedy available for a qualifying seller legal-guarantee claim. EU repair directive, Article 5.

For a paid repair, compare the total cost of getting a working product back, not just the headline fee.

Worked example: the cheaper headline price costs more

The figures below are invented solely to demonstrate a comparison. They are not market prices, actual quotes or legal thresholds. Assume both providers propose the same repair, all figures include taxes, and the diagnostic fee is not credited against the repair.

Quote A looks €45 cheaper until the extra charges are included; its final total is €10 higher. Also compare the proposed completion date, what the repair includes, and any repair-service guarantee offered. A cheaper quote is not necessarily an equivalent service.

Before authorizing work, ask: “What will I owe if I decline the repair after diagnosis, or if the attempted repair does not fix the stated fault?” Record the answer alongside any agreed price ceiling.

A temporary replacement product is something to ask about, not an automatic entitlement under the manufacturer's repair obligation. The directive allows the manufacturer to offer one free or for a reasonable fee. EU repair directive, Article 5(2).

A practical repair-request checklist

Collect the information that lets the business assess the request without sending you between departments.

1. Identify the purchase and product. Keep the invoice or order, seller's legal name, contract and delivery dates, exact model and serial number.
2. Describe the fault. Record when it appeared, the symptoms, any error message and previous repairs. Add photographs or video where useful.
3. Choose the route. Assess seller liability first. For a manufacturer request outside that route, check the product category, component and applicable dates.
4. Request the conditions. Obtain the price or calculation method, any maximum, likely completion date, handover arrangements and additional charges before authorizing paid work.
5. Make a refusal specific. Ask whether the problem is seller liability, product scope, component coverage, an expired obligation or impossibility of repair.
6. Keep the record. Save correspondence, quotes, proof of handover and the repair report. For a seller repair, request confirmation of any resulting extension of protection.

Message to the seller: a possible legal-guarantee claim

Subject: Legal-guarantee request — [product/model], order [number]

I bought [product/model] from you under a contract concluded on [date], with delivery on [date]. The defect appeared on [date]: [describe symptoms].

Please assess this as a legal-guarantee claim and arrange a free repair if the defect qualifies. Please confirm the handover arrangements, expected completion date and any resulting extension of the seller's liability period. If you reject the claim or consider another remedy appropriate, please explain why. I attach [purchase evidence/photos]. I am not authorizing a paid repair through this message.

Message to the manufacturer: repair outside seller liability

Subject: Right-to-repair request — [product/model and serial number]

I am requesting repair information under the national measures implementing Directive (EU) 2024/1799. The defect is [description], and the relevant product category appears to be [category].

Please confirm whether the product and repair fall within your obligation, which legal entity will handle it, the proposed work, total price or calculation method and ceiling, expected completion date, and any diagnostic, transport or other charges. Please also state any fee payable if I decline after diagnosis. If you consider the request outside scope or repair impossible, please explain the applicable limit or factual reason. This message does not authorize paid work.

Can you insist on the European Repair Information Form?

Not every repairer must use it. The directive makes provision of the standard form voluntary. When supplied, it sets out the repair, price or calculation method and maximum, timing and relevant additional services. Its conditions must remain unchanged for 30 calendar days, unless a longer period is agreed; accepting within that period binds the repairer to those conditions. A necessary diagnostic service can carry a previously disclosed charge. EU repair directive, Article 4 and Annex I.

Ask for the form when comparing offers, but do not mistake its 30-day validity for a 30-day repair-completion deadline.

Four distinctions that prevent the wrong claim

A legal guarantee is not a commercial warranty. The seller's statutory responsibility and an additional seller or manufacturer promise are separate. An unexpired commercial warranty may still offer a useful remedy even where the two main routes above do not resolve your case. Your Europe: legal guarantees.

The GARAN label is not a right-to-repair certificate. It identifies a qualifying voluntary producer durability guarantee offered at no additional cost. It does not determine Annex II coverage. See the official explanation of the durability guarantee and the related BFP guide to the GARAN shopping label.

A parts-availability period is not a free-warranty period. A requirement to keep particular parts available does not make every repair free or guarantee the whole product for that duration. Check the relevant product rule and the route under which the repair is requested.

An EU implementation deadline is not one identical national procedure. Authorities, complaint routes and national protection can differ. This article does not establish that each country implemented every provision correctly or on time. EU repair directive, Articles 11, 12 and 22.

If the business refuses or the route is unclear

First, identify what the refusal actually means. “Your warranty has expired” does not resolve a possible seller legal-guarantee claim. “We no longer sell this model” is not the same as demonstrating that the applicable spare-part obligation has ended. “Someone else repaired it” cannot, by itself, defeat a covered manufacturer repair request. The relevant limits are explained above; ask the business to address the one it relies on.

For a domestic dispute, consult the relevant national consumer authority or advice service. For an eligible dispute with a trader in another EU country, Iceland or Norway, contact the European Consumer Centre in the country where you live. ECC Net can explain rights and help seek a settlement, but assistance does not guarantee success. European Commission: ECC Net.

Send a compact file: purchase documents, product identification, chronology, your request, the response and the remedy you are seeking. Ask the adviser to identify the applicable deadline rather than assuming that continuing correspondence preserves your claim indefinitely.

The practical takeaway

Before paying for a repair or replacing the product, establish who owes the remedy, which product rule applies, and what the complete repair will cost.

Start with the seller when a legal-guarantee claim may still exist. Otherwise, check the manufacturer route against the exact product and component—not just the broad category. Use the appropriate message above to obtain a clear decision and written conditions before committing to paid work.

This article provides general consumer information, not individual legal advice. Outcomes depend on the facts, sales contract, product-specific rules and applicable national law. EU-level sources were reviewed on October 10, 2026; national implementation was not audited country by country. Worked examples and request templates are editorial aids, not reported cases or official forms.

Official sources

• Directive (EU) 2024/1799, consolidated July 31, 2026 — scope, responsible operators, repair conditions, information form, guarantee amendment and Annex II.
• European Commission: Directive on repair of goods — overview of the EU framework.
• Your Europe: legal guarantees — seller responsibility, proof rules, warranties and national guidance.
• Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 — washing-machine and washer-dryer spare-part requirements.
• European Commission: smartphones and tablets — application dates, exclusions and repairability requirements.
• Regulation (EU) 666/2013 — vacuum-cleaner scope and exclusions.
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — battery removability and replaceability; Article 96 application dates.
• Your Europe: commercial guarantee of durability — the separate producer durability promise.
• European Commission: European Consumer Centres Network — cross-border assistance and contact points.