Robot ownership
How long do robots last?
It depends on the type: about 12 to 15 years for an industrial arm, 2 to 5 years for a robot vacuum, 8 years of battery warranty for a car. There is no single answer, because lifespan depends on the type. Industrial robot arms run roughly 12 to 15 years by the industry body's estimate, robot vacuums about 2 to 5 years with the battery usually the first part to fail, and Tesla warrants a car's battery for 8 years. General-purpose humanoids are too new for an established figure, so that answer is an honest absence.
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How long a robot lasts depends entirely on what kind of robot it is, so the honest answer is a set of ranges, each attributed to its source, plus an honest gap where no figure exists yet.
The longest-lived are industrial robot arms, the machines that weld and lift in factories. The International Federation of Robotics assumes an average service life of 12 years when it counts the installed base, and a joint UNECE and IFR pilot study suggested the real figure may be closer to 15 years. With maintenance, the mechanics of an arm can keep running well beyond a consumer gadget's life.
At the other end are robot vacuums. Consumer testing by Reviewed puts a budget unit at around two years and a well-kept premium one at five years or more, with the battery almost always the part that gives out first: a nickel-metal-hydride pack lasts about 400 charge cycles, a lithium-ion pack about 1,500 to 2,000, and brushes and filters wear out along the way.
The autonomous machine most people actually own is a car, and its life is set by its battery. Tesla warrants the battery and drive unit for 8 years, with a mileage cap that runs from 100,000 miles on standard trims to 150,000 on the larger models, and it guarantees at least 70 percent capacity over that window. A warranty is a floor the maker commits to, not a measured lifespan, but it is the most concrete number on offer.
And then the honest gap: general-purpose humanoids. They are too new to have an established service life. DEPLOY tracks the humanoids that exist, but holds no verified lifespan figure for one, and rather than invent a number the answer here is an absence. Everything else is dated and attributed, so you can check each range yourself.
How long each type lasts
There is no single answer, so here is the honest range per type, each attributed to a named source and dated. These are estimates and warranties, not DEPLOY-verified figures.
| Robot type | How long | Status | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Industrial robot arm The International Federation of Robotics assumes an average service life of 12 years when it calculates the installed base of industrial robots, and a UNECE and IFR pilot study indicated the real figure may be as long as 15 years. These are the workhorses of factories, and with maintenance a robot arm's mechanics can run for many years. This is an industry estimate, attributed to the IFR, not a DEPLOY-verified figure. | Roughly 12 to 15 years of service life, per the industry body. | Attributed estimate | Jul 26, 2026 (as reported) | |
Robot vacuum Reviewed reports a budget robot vacuum such as an entry Roomba lasting around two years and a well-maintained premium unit lasting five years or more. The battery is usually what gives out first: a nickel-metal-hydride pack is good for about 400 charge cycles or two years, and a lithium-ion pack for about 1,500 to 2,000 cycles or five years, and brushes and filters need replacing along the way. This is a consumer estimate, attributed to Reviewed. | Roughly 2 to 5 years, with the battery the limiting part. | Attributed estimate | Jul 26, 2026 (as reported) | |
Self-driving car (battery warranty) A car is the autonomous machine most people own, and its life is set by its battery. Tesla warrants its battery and drive unit for 8 years, with the mileage cap running from 100,000 miles on standard Model 3 and Model Y trims to 150,000 miles on Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, and guarantees the battery keeps at least 70 percent of its capacity over that period. A warranty is a floor the maker commits to, attributed to Tesla, not a measured lifespan. | An 8 year battery warranty, with the mileage set by model. | Maker warranty | Jul 26, 2026 (as reported) |
The honest gap: humanoids
Read live from DEPLOY’s reviewed registry. General-purpose humanoids are too new for an established service life, so this answer is an honest absence rather than a guessed number.
| Fact | Status | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| General-purpose humanoid No established service-life figure on the record. DEPLOY holds 107 reviewed humanoid models, but none carries a verified service-life figure. General-purpose humanoids are too new: most have been in pilots for only a year or two, so a durable lifespan number would be a guess. The honest answer is an absence, not an invented figure. | Not on the record | Jul 26, 2026 | not on record |
It depends on the type
Each column is attributed to who holds the position. The long-lived are the industrial arms; the consumer devices live and die by their batteries; and the humanoids are simply too new to say.
Industrial arms: 12 to 15 years
The workhorses of the factory last longest. The IFR assumes a 12 year service life and a UNECE and IFR pilot suggests closer to 15. Maintained well, the mechanics run for many years.
Vacuums and cars: batteries decide
A robot vacuum lasts about 2 to 5 years, with the battery the first part to fail. Tesla warrants a car battery for 8 years and at least 70 percent capacity, the mileage cap set by model.
Humanoids: too new to say
General-purpose humanoids have no established service life yet. DEPLOY tracks them but holds no verified lifespan figure, so the answer is an honest absence, recorded when real service history accumulates.
How we know this
This answer cites a named source for each robot type's service life (the International Federation of Robotics for industrial arms, consumer testing by Reviewed for robot vacuums, Tesla's own warranty for a car battery), and reads DEPLOY's reviewed registry live for the humanoid count behind the honest absence. Here are the sources behind them.
Each lifespan range is an attributed estimate or a maker warranty, not a DEPLOY-verified figure. For general-purpose humanoids DEPLOY holds no verified service life and says so rather than guessing. DEPLOY does not sell robots; it checks the record and links every source.
Common questions
How long does an industrial robot last?
How long do robot vacuums last?
How long does a Tesla battery last?
How long will a humanoid robot last?
What makes a robot wear out?
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