“How long is this covered for?” The answer always plays out on two levels: the legal guarantee (the same for everyone) and the manufacturer’s commercial warranty (which varies by brand and model). Let’s sort it out, category by category.
The common foundation: the legal guarantee
Whatever the device, if it’s bought new from a professional seller in France, you’re covered by the legal guarantee of conformity (2 years). That’s the baseline — free and automatic. Everything below comes on top of it.
Typical commercial warranty durations
The durations below are common ballpark figures; they vary by brand, product range and promotional offers.
| Category | Typical commercial warranty | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Large appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, oven, fridge) | 2 years, often extendable to 5 on certain parts | Parts vs labour, motor |
| Small appliances (coffee maker, vacuum cleaner, microwave) | 2 years | Wear parts excluded |
| Smartphones | 1 to 2 years from the manufacturer | Battery and screen often treated separately |
| Laptops | 1 to 2 years, extensions common | Battery, screen panel |
| TVs | 2 years | The panel (the priciest part) |
| Power tools | 2 to 3 years (often after online registration) | Registration required |
What’s often excluded
A commercial warranty doesn’t cover everything. Common exclusions include:
- wear parts (filters, seals, belts, batteries);
- accidental damage (breakage, drops, liquid) — unless you have dedicated insurance;
- misuse or lack of maintenance;
- consumables.
In those cases, it’s the legal guarantee (lack of conformity) or accidental-damage insurance that may step in instead.
Why the purchase date rules everything
All these durations start from the same point: the date of purchase or delivery. Get it wrong by a few months and you risk writing off a device that’s still covered — or the other way around.
Keeping the full picture
A typical household easily juggles 10 to 15 devices, each with its own date and its own duration. There’s no way to keep it all in your head. With Keept, you record each device with its purchase date and warranty length; the app works out the expiry dates automatically and warns you before each one runs out. You can see at a glance what’s still covered — and until when.