Appliances could get even pricier in the months to come
- Prices for major appliances went up more than 4% in May from April, according to the government.
- The cost of appliances hasbeen rising since the start of 2025 after largely falling in 2024 and 2023.
- Tariffs areboostingprices for appliances since many are manufactured abroad or rely on imported components.
Americans may want to reconsider buying appliances after prices started ticking up this year.
Prices for major appliances went up 4.3% in May from April, compared with a 1.3% increase in April from March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics's Consumer Price Index(CPI), which measures inflation.
Major appliances also had the second biggest monthly jump in prices in April among items the CPI tracks, beat only by a 5.2% increase among newspapers and magazines.
The major appliances category includes refrigerators, washing machines and ranges.
The rise in prices reverses previous years of declines that let Americans buy cheaper appliances.
But now tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods that businesses pay and are often passing onto consumers, are driving up the prices of appliancesmanufactured abroad and components used to make appliances in the U.S, including for materials such as steel.
"Refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines are particularly vulnerable because they often include a high percentage of foreign components even when final assembly happens in the U.S.,"said David Warrick, executive vice president at Overhaul, a supply chain management platform, to CNET.
Appliance maker LG said inApril it was considering rising prices on some products sold in the U.S., Reuters reported.
In response, some Americans are buying appliances now to get ahead of future price hikes,WXYZ Detroitreportedin April.
"We're going to maybe seen another 10% price increase come June,"said Joseph Legato, CEO of Bill & Rod's Appliance in Livonia, Mich., to WXYZ Detroit. "What we are recommending is make sure people take advantage of the promotional times that are coming up."
In February, the U.S. Department of Energy said it would help lower costs for home appliances bypostponingenergy-efficiency requirements on some appliances, including for washers and dryers.
Posted: 2025-06-11 16:58:22
