Buying LEGO Mindstorms EV3 new in 2026?
Our position, and other voices worth reading before you decide.
Our position
Do not buy Mindstorms EV3 new in 2026. LEGO discontinued the Mindstorms consumer line at the end of 2022 and retired MINDSTORMS Education EV3 from the US shop earlier. The Education edition no longer ships from LEGO Education. Any "new" EV3 you find today is old stock or grey-market.
If you already own working EV3 sets, keep using them. The firmware still runs. FLL Challenge teams have moved to Spike Prime, but EV3 is still a capable robotics platform for non-competition classrooms. The question is whether to put new money into it. Answer: no. Put new money into Spike Prime.
Other voices
Reputable sources worth reading before you decide. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance, not direct quotes.
LEGO Education EV3 retirement FAQ
Broadly agreesLEGO Education's own retirement notice explains the transition away from EV3. Software support is in maintenance mode; there is no active development.
Brickset - LEGO discontinues Mindstorms
Broadly agreesIndependent LEGO news outlet confirmed the end-of-life for the Mindstorms product line in late 2022.
TCEA TechNotes - the case for keeping EV3
Pushes backSome veteran robotics coaches argue EV3 is still a fine teaching platform for schools already bought in, and that the switch costs (retraining, new curriculum) outweigh chasing the current model.
r/mindstorms retirement discussion
Nuanced / mixedThe Mindstorms hobbyist community has worked out ways to keep EV3 running indefinitely, including unofficial firmware forks. Robust for hobbyists, thin ice for a school that needs official support.