How Long Does the Instant Pot Last?

Instant pot on top of a mountain

Nobody likes wasting money. One of the biggest and most frustrating ways to waste money, is by spending it on a product that doesn't last.

You may invest in a product only to find it malfunctioning soon after. To add to the inconvenience your warranty may have run out and now your stuck without the product and possibly out of the money needed to replace it.

Instant pot on top of a mountain

If you've found yourself in that scenario before, you have most likely developed some different habits when it comes to shopping.

Perhaps, you spend more time reading reviews of a product before you buy it. Maybe you research the manufacturer and the quality of the materials being used for a given item.

Once you are satisfied that you will not be spending your money on a product that's going to fail soon, then you buy it.

This articles is going to be addressing some of these same concerns in regards to one off the most popular brand of electric pressure cookers, Instant Pot.

In particular I'll be attempting to answer the question; how long do Instant Pot pressure cookers last?

To help answer that question, first I'll briefly go over what pressure cookers are offered by Instant Pot. I'll also be covering some of the qualities meant to extend the life of an Instant Pot. I'll also be going over some of the main issues you may see with your Instant Pot over the years.

Spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce inside Instant Pot top view

What does Instant Pot have to offer?

Instant Pot offers a wide range of electric pressure cookers that vary in both size and available features;

  • Instant Pot IP-DUO (3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart)
  • Instant Pot IP-LUX (3 quart and 6 quart)
  • Instant Pot IP-DUO Plus60 (6 quart)
  • Instant Pot IP-Smart (6 quart)
  • Instant Pot Ultra (6 quart)
  • Instant Pot Duo Plus
  • Instant Pot Duo Crisp

Each of these pressure cookers may come in a different size and have a different number of features, but for the most part their build and materials are the same.

Each of these electric pressure cookers have a brushed stainless steel body, and a stainless steel inner cook pot.

For more info, check out the best Instant Pot guide.

Are Instant Pot pressure cookers quality products?

One thing you will notice when you get an Instant Pot pressure cooker is that it is a sturdy appliance built with quality material.

Instead of using aluminum for the body, Instant Pot uses the higher quality stainless steel. To continue with this, the inner cook pot is also made of high grade stainless steel, with the a 3-ply bottom.

The inner cooking pot also has no type of chemical coatings. In addition to the quality of products, the Instant Pot pressure cookers also have ten built in safety features designed to prevent any pressure related malfunctions.

So are Instant Pot pressure cookers quality products. The answer is yes. All Instant Pot electric pressure cookers. are sturdy appliances, built with quality materials.

How long is warranty on Instant Pot?

Instant Pot offers a one year warranty for products undergoing normal residential use. This indicates that the product is expected to last at least through the year of the warranty.

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Soup top view

How long does Instant Pot say they'll last?

When searching through the Instant Pot official website you will no find any specific mention of the life expectancy of any of the Instant pot pressure cookers.

However, there is some hints to the expected longevity of an Instant Pot pressure cookers.

One feature Instant Pot mentions a specific lifespan for is the boar under the heating element of the pressure cookers. The Instant Pot website says this feature is designed to last over 100,0000 uses. Even for a person who uses the pressure cooker multiple times a day, this is a long lifespan. Considering of course this person take care and clean the Instant Pot after every use!

Another clue to the life expectancy of an Instant Pot, comes with the silicone ring that surrounds the lid and ensures it's completely closed. Instant pot gives that ring an expected time between two and three years, before it needs to be replaced.

The part of the pot that goes through the most wear and tear, the ring, has a life expectancy of a few years. They also give the option of buying replacement wrings. The fact that the most likely to be replaced part lasts several years indicates that the pot was meant to last through several changes of this ring, and thus several years of use.

The final clue as to the longevity of the Instant Pot pressure cookers is that the inner stainless steel pot was designed to withstand any dents or damage to the pot over its entire lifetime.

Although Instant Pot has never released an expected lifespan for any of its pressure cookers, the fact that they are stacked with long lived parts indicates that the pressure cooker is meant to last several years.

Do Instant Pots break easily?

As long as you make tried and true recipes and not overfill the Instant Pot, it won't break or stop working.

If you need some delicious ideas, check out my Instant Pot recipes.

Do they actually last?

Buying an Instant Pot pressure cooker is like buying any other product. Even though you may have done all the necessary research and chose the best quality product, you still may find yourself with a lemon.

The majority of customer complaints with Instant Pot pressure cookers is that they died after a few uses, or some never worked at all.

While this was a somewhat frequent complaint, these instances were vastly outnumbered by those who had the opposite experience. However, because most of these malfunctions happened under the warranty, a bad device can simply be replaced.

Most customer reviews find Instant Pots to be well built, long lasting products, with many lasting over five years. The basic understanding is that as long as you treat the Instant Pot with care, even frequent users of the an Instant Pot can expect their pressure cooker to last several years.

Pretty much as long as you can find the replacement parts you may need, like the silicone ring, your Instant Pot pressure cooker should last.

If after reading this, you decide an Instant Pot pressure cooker still isn't the right choice for you, you still have other options. Check out this post about the best electric pressure cookers out there.

4 thoughts on “How Long Does the Instant Pot Last?

  1. My Instant Pot died today 12/8/2023. I ordered it on Amazon 11/25/2016. So, it apparently lasted about seven years.

  2. My IP DUO v3 was purchased on Black Friday 2017 lasted until Black Friday 2021 which is 4 years. The appliance was used 1-2 times daily, so it was used often. In the end, the appliance no longer heated up. The LED would display "ON", but would never get hot.

  3. I have had my IPDuo for 5 yrs. Occasionally I don’t have a good connection and fear my IP is bad but I clean, reattach and all is well. We can’t expect the very hot heat element to last forever; they don’t. FYI: my car is 18yrs my phone & pc last until it’s logical to upgrade.

  4. Five years is a long time? I have a functional 60-year-old pressure cooker in my cupboard. Granted electronics shorten the life of anything, but I would expect to get a *minimum* of five years from the IP.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *