“It was opened by an unauthorised shop, so the warranty is void and we can't repair it.” Makers have leaned on that line for years, usually with a discount code for a new model. Since 31 July 2026 it has been the wrong answer. The EU right to repair, Directive (EU) 2024/1799, makes that refusal and most of its cousins unlawful for covered phones and large home appliances. It does not set the price, and that is where the fight has moved.
Key Takeaways: makers of covered goods can no longer refuse a repair over an expired warranty or a third-party repair; only an impossible repair is a lawful refusal.
- The duty also covers eligible goods bought before July 2026.
- Choosing repair over replacement while still under guarantee lengthens that guarantee.
- Parts must be reasonably priced, but nobody has defined reasonable, so get quotes in writing.
- Laptops and ovens sit outside the manufacturer's duty entirely.
Which refusals does the EU right to repair now ban?
The Directive strips makers of their two favourite refusals for covered goods, the expired warranty and the earlier third-party repair, and leaves them one lawful excuse: that repair is impossible, in which case they may offer a refurbished unit.
Start with “out of warranty”. Law firm Fieldfisher reads the text bluntly: past the legal guarantee, the maker must still repair goods in the Directive's annex, counted from the last unit of that model sold, not from your receipt. That excuse now describes their sales policy, not the law.
Does the EU rule cover products bought before July 2026?
Yes, the manufacturer's duty to repair applies to covered products bought before 31 July 2026, so a phone or washing machine from 2022 qualifies; only the guarantee extension for choosing repair is limited to newer purchases.
Can a maker refuse because a third-party shop opened it?
No, a manufacturer can no longer refuse to repair a covered product because an independent shop or the owner repaired it before, and it may not use contract terms or software locks to block that repair.
Compatible second-hand and 3D-printed parts that meet safety rules cannot be shut out either, so the old advice to stay with authorised centres is outdated. The same devices face other EU duties too, from the Cyber Resilience Act's 24-hour incident reporting duty to the EU packaging regulation that went live in August.
Four numbers decide how hard you can push: Fieldfisher on the duty, Acer's battery prices and a laundry audit reported by Cybernews on 8 September 2026, and Right to Repair Europe's tally of the Commission's notices.
Repair Duty After Last Sale
10 years
Lapsed warranty is no excuse
Acer Battery Swap Range
€14-€128
Ask which tier applies first
States Sent Formal Notice
18
Expect sellers there to stall
Tumble Dryer Models Failing
1 in 2
Appliance makers lag too
Look hard at the battery range. One brand, one part, and the dearest tier costs about nine times the cheapest: on our arithmetic, a €114 gap that the word “reasonable” does nothing to close. Ask which tier yours falls into, in writing, before you hand it over.
A maker's duty to fix your machine now outlives your receipt by up to a decade. “Out of warranty” is their policy, not the law.
What the rules give you, line by line
Read the table as a checklist: each row pairs a refusal or charge you might hear with what the Directive now says, so you can see at once whether the law backs a repair or leaves you exposed.
| Category | Detail | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Parts price | Must be reasonable, no cap; one brand spans 9x | ⚠️ Get your tier quoted before handover |
| ⏱ Guarantee boost | 12+ months more if you pick repair (bought from 31 Jul 2026) | ✅ Picking repair over a swap buys cover |
| ⚖️ Out of warranty | Maker must still repair unless repair is impossible | ✅ An expired warranty no longer ends talks |
| 🔒 Earlier repairs | No refusal over past fixes, used or 3D-printed parts | ✅ Independent shops stop voiding your claim |
| 🌍 Covered goods | Phones, tablets, washers, dryers, dishwashers, fridges, screens | ❌ Laptops and ovens get nothing here |
| 🔋 E-bike batteries | Covered from 18 Feb 2027 | ⚠️ Riders wait out one more winter |
| 🛠 Repair finder | EU platform fully live 1 Jan 2028 | ❌ Until then you hunt for repairers alone |
| 🏁 Best suited for | Anyone refused a fix on a covered device since 31 Jul 2026 | 🏁 Put the refusal on paper this week |
The crosses fall on coverage and on finding a repairer, never on what a maker may refuse. Price and paperwork are where you push.
That paperwork gap is measurable. Right to Repair Europe and iFixit, reviewing smartphone records in EPREL, the EU's product database, reported in September 2026 that about 80% lack the repair information makers must publish. The official database will not hand you a parts price.
Do not count on the EU's own database for a parts price: fewer than one phone record in five leads anywhere useful, so get the maker's quote in writing. Shares from the Right to Repair Europe and iFixit review as reported by Cybernews; the no-information slice is the remainder.
Where will makers still push back?
Makers will push back on price, because the Directive demands reasonable prices for parts and tools without defining them, and on enforcement, because most member states missed the deadline to write the rules into national law.
Right to Repair Europe has flagged the gap: the text says “reasonable” and stops. Our view, which is opinion, not settled law: a repair quote above the maker's own trade-in deal on a new unit is hard to call reasonable, and that comparison belongs in your written complaint.
On 25 September 2026 the Commission sent late-transposition notices to France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the rest of that group, each with two months to reply: on our count, a first deadline of 25 November 2026. Buyers in Germany, Austria, Ireland and Denmark, absent from that list, stand on firmer ground. Readers in Great Britain get none of this; their rules run separately, like the new UK subscription cancellation rules.
- A refurbished swap offered as “repair impossible” with no reason given.
- A parts quote given by phone only, never by email or on paper.
- Vague “parts unavailable” answers for a model that is still on sale.
Before you accept a no, check your own case
- The refusal you got gives a reason other than repair being impossible.
- You hold that refusal in writing, dated, from the seller or the maker.
- Your country is off the Commission's late list, or you have found its national rule.
So here is the decision. If your device is covered and the only refusal on offer is the warranty or a past independent repair, refuse the replacement. This week, email the manufacturer and ask for three answers in writing: whether it claims repair is impossible and why, which price tier your part falls into, and, for anything bought since 31 July 2026, how long your guarantee runs afterwards. A maker that answers has given you a quote to compare. One that won't has given you evidence.
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