What's the typical lifespan of a dryer and washer?
With annual vent cleaning and routine lint-trap maintenance, a typical residential dryer lasts 10–13 years. Washers last 10–12 years for top-loaders and 7–10 years for front-loaders, though premium brands like Miele and Speed Queen routinely exceed 15 years. Neglecting vent cleaning can cut dryer lifespan roughly in half.
These numbers assume typical household use (4–8 loads per week) and basic preventive care. Heavy-use households or poorly-vented laundry rooms see these lifespans cut roughly in half, mostly because the dryer's heating element is cooked by running long in over-restricted airflow.
What actually kills a dryer: overheating from a clogged vent (it's usually not the motor that fails — it's the thermal fuse and heating element being cooked over and over) and drum-roller wear. Both are meaningfully extended by annual vent cleaning.
What actually kills a washer: bearing failure (a loud thumping that gets worse over months) and control-board failure. Running the machine level, not overloading, and cleaning the drum monthly buys you years.
Premium brands: Miele advertises 20 years of typical use and backs it with long-life components. Speed Queen is built on commercial chassis for residential duty. Both cost 2-3x a mid-tier unit up front and tend to be worth it for households doing 10+ loads a week.
Manufacturer resources
Official support pages for brands commonly referenced in this answer.