The two published ranges
| Source | Blower motor replacement | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Vila, November 2022 | $250 to $900 | $515 |
| Fixr, January 2026 | $300 to $2,000 | not stated |
Fixr's top end is $1,100 higher, our subtraction. On most topics we would stop there and tell you the sources disagree. Here there is a better answer.
The contradiction is inside Bob Vila's own page
The same guide that leads with $250 to $900 prices the motor by horsepower further down:
| Motor size | Cost |
|---|---|
| ¼ hp | $100 to $550 |
| ⅓ hp | $100 to $800 |
| ½ hp | $120 to $1,000 |
| ¾ hp | $180 to $1,500 |
| 1 hp | $250 to $2,000 |
The 1-hp row ends at $2,000, which is exactly where Fixr ends. Our comparison. Three of the five rows already run past the page's own $900 headline.
Our reading, marked as ours. The $250 to $900 band describes a small or mid-size single-speed motor, which is what most older forced-air furnaces have. The $2,000 end describes a large or variable-speed motor. The two publishers are not disagreeing about the market; one of them is leading with a narrower case than its own table supports. If your motor is ¼ or ⅓ hp, use the $250 to $900 band. If it is ¾ or 1 hp, plan for Fixr's range.
It is one blower, not two
Note where these two figures live. Bob Vila files this under furnaces. Fixr files it under air conditioning repair.
Our note, marked as ours. In a conventional forced-air system there is one blower, in the air handler, and it moves the air for both heating and cooling. That is why the same part shows up in a furnace guide and an AC repair guide without either page mentioning the other. Bob Vila comes close to saying so: it describes "furnace and HVAC blower motors" as the thing that pushes air through the ductwork and vents.
Practically, it means two things. A failed blower takes out your heating and your cooling at once. And a quote framed as "AC repair" in July is pricing the part your furnace will need in January.
What the motor type does to the price
| Motor type | Cost | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Single-speed, PSC | $400 to $500 | one speed, least efficient |
| Variable-speed | $400 to $1,100 | best airflow control, quietest |
| Multi-speed | $600 to $800 | two or three speeds |
All three figures are Bob Vila's. Our note: the variable-speed band is wider than the multi-speed one and starts lower, so the three rows do not stack up in a neat ladder. The page does not reconcile that either, and we would ask the contractor which type the furnace is built for rather than choosing from a table.
Brand matters less than you would expect for an internal part, but Bob Vila does price it:
| Brand | Cost |
|---|---|
| Goodman | $75 to $800 |
| Carrier | $100 to $1,600 |
| Lennox | $150 to $1,500 |
| Trane | $180 to $1,500 |
| York | $150 to $1,800 |
| Rheem | $250 to $900 |
Labor
Bob Vila: $150 to $410, for a job that takes two or three hours, plus a possible trip fee. Hourly, $75 to $140 per hour for a trained technician.
Our arithmetic, marked as ours. Three hours at $140 is $420, slightly above the top of the stated labor band, so the $150 to $410 figure implies either the quicker end of the job or the lower end of the rate. Either way, labor on this repair is a smaller share of the bill than on a coil or a compressor, because no refrigerant work is involved and no licence is needed to handle it.
Fixr also prices blower motor repair at $200 to $900, against replacement at $300 to $2,000. On the low end those overlap almost completely, which is our usual sign that a cheap repair is worth asking about before agreeing to a swap.
It might not be the motor
This is the most useful table Bob Vila publishes, and the reason we would not accept a motor quote without a diagnosis:
| Part | Cost |
|---|---|
| Blower belt | $5 to $100, part only |
| Blower bearing | $20 to $150, part only |
| ECM repair kit | $40 to $60, part only |
| Blower shaft | $50 to $200, part only |
| Blower pulley | $50 to $250, part only |
| Blower housing | $100 to $300, part only |
| Blower capacitor | $150 to $450, including labor |
| ECM motor module | $230 to $830, part only |
| Blower wheel, the squirrel cage | $100 to $750, including labor |
| Inducer motor | $400 to $1,100, including labor |
A capacitor at $150 to $450 including labor and a motor at $515 average are close enough that the diagnosis is the whole decision, and our AC capacitor page covers that part on its own. A belt at $5 to $100 is not close to anything.
Our reading: a blower that hums but does not turn, or starts and stops, is the classic capacitor symptom rather than a dead motor. We are not qualified to diagnose your furnace and we are not going to pretend otherwise, but you are entitled to ask which of these parts was tested before the expensive one was quoted.
When to stop replacing parts
Fixr puts blower motor life at about 20 years, against compressors at 10 to 15. Fixr's furnace guide puts a new furnace at a national average of $4,800, and our furnace page has what two other publishers say about that.
Our arithmetic. At the $515 average the motor is roughly a tenth of a new furnace, which is an easy yes. At the $2,000 end it is closer to two fifths, which on an old furnace is not. The useful question is the same one as everywhere in this section: how old is the rest of it, and is the inducer motor at $400 to $1,100 or the heat exchanger next.
Before you authorise the work
- Ask the horsepower. It is on the motor's label and it decides which of the two published ranges applies to you.
- Ask whether the capacitor was tested. At $150 to $450 fitted, it is the cheap thing that mimics the expensive thing.
- If the complaint is noise rather than failure, read our noise page first: a belt or a bearing makes a similar sound for a fraction of the price.
- Ask whether it is a PSC or an ECM motor. The ECM module alone is $230 to $830 as a part, and a repair kit is $40 to $60.
- Ask for the labor separately. Two or three hours at $75 to $140 should come to roughly the stated $150 to $410, and anything far above that needs explaining.
- Ask when the furnace was installed. A 20-year part failing at year 19 is telling you something about the other parts.
Sources
- Bob Vila, How Much Does Furnace Blower Motor Replacement Cost?, updated November 28, 2022 (the $250 to $900 range, the $515 average, prices by horsepower, speed type and brand, labor and hourly rates, and the table of related blower parts)
- Fixr, AC Repair Cost, updated January 29, 2026 (blower motor replacement at $300 to $2,000, blower motor repair at $200 to $900, the roughly 20-year component life, and the note that blower work is one of the longer jobs)
- Fixr, Furnace Replacement Cost, updated January 28, 2026 (the $4,800 national average for a new furnace, used only for the is-it-worth-it comparison)
Price figures are national US ranges from the sources above as of the date shown. Your local price depends on labor rates, permits and site conditions. Read how we get our numbers.