How to Read a Repairability Score

You can now check how fixable a phone is before you buy it, the same way you check its camera or battery life. Three scoring systems compete to tell you: iFixit's independent teardown scores, France's mandatory repairability index, and the European Union's A-to-G repair labels for smartphones and tablets, in force since June 20, 2025. They measure overlapping but different things, and knowing which is which will save you from misreading the number on the box.

The three scores that matter

iFixit's score is the oldest and most familiar: a 1-to-10 rating produced by physically tearing a device apart and documenting every step. It is independent, global, and covers far more than phones, from laptops to game consoles. France's indice de reparabilite is a mandatory score out of 10 that sellers must display near the price for covered products, including smartphones, laptops, televisions, washing machines, lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and pressure washers. Unlike iFixit's teardown, it is self-assessed by manufacturers against a government rubric. The EU Repair Score grades smartphones and tablets from A to G on a label similar to energy ratings, and it comes with legal force behind it: manufacturers must make spare parts available for at least 7 years.

How iFixit builds its number

Under iFixit's current rubric, 80% of the score comes from design for repair: the ease of taking the device apart and putting it back together. Technicians trace the repair path for each critical component, recording every action and multiplying by a penalty factor for the tools required. A Phillips screwdriver you already own scores better than a proprietary pentalobe driver almost nobody has, and every tool change adds a small penalty. The remaining 20% splits evenly between the availability of a free, public service manual and the availability and cost of spare parts. Parts pairing, the software locking of components to specific devices, is a penalty-only factor that can drag a score down sharply. One caveat: iFixit updates its methodology over time, so a 7/10 from 2026 is not perfectly comparable to a 7/10 from 2022. Treat scores as indicators, not lab measurements. In 2026 teardowns, the Fairphone 6+ earned a rare perfect 10/10, with 12 modules including the battery, display, and USB-C port each swappable in under five minutes with a single screwdriver. The HMD Skyline scored 9/10. Apple's iPhone 17 and 18 lines landed at 7/10, the Pixel 10 at 6/10, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra at 5/10, held back by a glued display that is the hardest component to remove and a parts store iFixit described as difficult to navigate.

A repairability score is a forecast, not a promise: it predicts how a repair will go, but the parts counter and the software update calendar have the final say.

France and the EU: scores with legal teeth

France has required its repairability index since January 1, 2021, and the idea is already evolving. The index weighs five criteria equally at 20% each: ease of disassembly, spare parts availability, the ratio of spare parts prices to the product price, repair information, and product-specific criteria. France is now replacing the repairability index with a broader durability index for some categories, starting with televisions in January 2025 and washing machines in April 2025, which adds reliability, maintenance, and software support criteria. At the EU level, the repair label is only the visible part. Behind it sit ecodesign rules requiring spare parts for years, and member states can fine non-compliant manufacturers up to 4% of annual turnover. The policy bet is explicit: a 2022 Eurobarometer survey found 79% of EU citizens willing to pay more for repairable products, and a 2023 iFixit survey found repairing a smartphone saves users an average of 80 euros per year compared with replacing it.

Reading a score like a buyer

Start with the category spread. Modular designs win everywhere: Fairphone's phones and Framework's laptops are the reference points for their categories, built around screws instead of adhesive and sold with parts directly to owners. Sealed flagships lose, especially where glue meets glass. Then interrogate the number. A high score with expensive spare parts is a trap, so check parts prices against the device price; iFixit only awards full marks when no priority part costs more than 25% of the device's retail price. Check whether a free service manual actually exists on the manufacturer's support site. And check the software support window, because the best hardware score in the world means little if security updates stop in three years. The EU's 2026 scorecard bakes support timelines in, which is why its brand rankings look harsher than iFixit's: Motorola led with a B+, Google earned a C-, Samsung a D, and Apple a D-. Finally, remember what scores do not cover: energy efficiency, materials, and how often the device breaks in the first place. Apple’s iPads once scored 2/10 on repairability while also ranking among the most reliable tablets, which is the paradox every score reader has to hold. Buy the fixable one, but buy the reliable one too.

References

iFixit, How Is the iFixit Repairability Score Calculated and Repairability Scoring Rubric v2.2. iFixit, iFixit's Repairability Score vs. the French Index. TechRepublic, Most Repairable Phones You Can Buy in 2026. Digital Trends, Pixel outperforms iPhone and Galaxy on repairability. TechSpot, Apple and Samsung named the least repairable phone brands in new report. Gadgets360 and Android Headlines, Galaxy S26 Ultra teardown coverage. AOB News, iPhone 18 Pro repairability rating. Kindeco, EU Repair Score Labels 2026. TUV SUD, repairability testing and French index categories. MDPI Sustainability, product lifespan policy instruments table (August 2026).