What Dishwasher Should I Buy

In 2020, we surveyed more than 1,000 households to find out what dishwashers people currently own, why they chose them, what features they find most useful and whether they would buy them again. But a lot has happened since that survey.

what dishwasher should i buy

To help you navigate making such an investment purchase, we've spoken to domestic white goods experts from Quiet Mark, AO.com, Currys.co.uk, and Appliances Direct and independent advisors from UK Whitegoods to bring you trusted advice and recommended dishwasher suggestions, and help you make an informed decision about what dishwasher to spend your money on.

Our reviews experts test hundreds of products a year to bring you impartial advice on the products worth your money. Discover how we test products or visit our reviews section to find 400+ round-ups of everything from the best dishwasher tablets and best microwaves to the best slow cookers and best food processors.

This Samsung dishwasher is a versatile choice for medium-sized households, offering both flexible storage and easy height adjustment. Its eco credentials, however, are the standout. Even under the new energy rating classification system it scores a B, and its half-load option enables lower energy usage when you have fewer dishes to clean.

Flexibility-wise it scores highly, with an adjustable upper basket and folding plate that allows more room for large dishes and pans. The cutlery tray is at the very top, offering up more space elsewhere, and there's a self-dry function that lets air into the dishwasher after the programme has finished. Another nice touch is the bright interior light, so you can easily check what's inside without having to pull an entire drawer out.

This Siemens iQ300 can be connected to home WiFi, voice activated and controlled remotely from your smartphone through the brand's app. It'll also keep track of how many dishwasher tablets you have left.

Love them or hate them, drawer dishwashers give you the option to set one half running while you load the other and choose a different wash cycle for each half depending on the contents. Grimy dishes in one, delicate glassware in another.

With 11 place settings and a flexible interior, it has a nifty third cutlery tray and time-remaining indicator. There's also adjustable water softener, so those in hard-water areas shouldn't need to add extra limescale protection.

It has low-water usage at just nine litres per cycle, too, and the self-cleaning filter and rinsing system mean you won't need to clean the dishwasher as often. The two-year guarantee is another nice bonus, providing great value for a decent price.

If you're limited on space and want a dishwasher that slots easily into your kitchen, an integrated slimline model will help you achieve that seamless look. At 45cm across, this Indesit dishwasher fits neatly into tighter spaces, and because it's more compact than a regular-sized dishwasher, it typically uses less water and energy, too.

Clever additions like anti-slip grippers and cup shelves should help stop your contents from sliding. There's also a silence programme adapted from an eco 50C cycle for running when you don't want all the noise.

In 2020, we rallied the BBC Good Food community with a survey distributed across our website, newsletter and social media channels to establish your favourite dishwasher brands, usage and purchase drivers, and received 1,264 responses.

When choosing a dishwasher, the top two most important factors by a clear margin are value for money and high energy rating. Water usage and product guarantee were the next important factors in people's decision making.

When it comes to dishwashers, experts at Currys and AO.com advise looking for a machine with an eco setting. This can help you reduce energy and water use quickly, particularly if your dishes only need a light wash.

If you're going to be producing lots of dirty dishes and glasses throughout the day, it's much more eco-friendly to run a larger dishwasher once than a smaller dishwasher several times, adds Currys. Similarly, you shouldn't buy a dishwasher that's bigger than your needs, as it will be at its most efficient when run at full capacity.

"Learning how to use your dishwasher efficiently in terms of load, detergent and general use will prove more effective in the way of savings," he adds. "There are also guides on the UK White Goods' website that show you how to run your machine correctly, and even getting halfway there can make a monumental difference."

Keep your dishwasher as clean as possible, too, says Joe Close. "This stops dirt building up, which can cause problems down the line. Hand-washing items such as oily pans instead of putting them in the dishwasher can also prevent your appliance from working overtime and clogging up drains."

As a result, many dishwashers which previously boasted A+++ ratings now loiter around the C-E area; a move that's hoped will re-ignite competition between manufacturers when it comes to sustainability.

"The annual water consumption quoted for dishwashers is based on 280 wash cycles a year," Trigg tells us. "That works out as 5.38 wash cycles per week. So if you use your dishwasher more or less than that, your costs will vary accordingly."

"The new energy label has not changed the noise assessment of appliances," says Simon Gosling, CMO at at Quiet Mark. "Along with the decibel level, it now shows an A-D rating, with models in 'A' being amongst the quietest and 'D' being some of the loudest, but this compares all dishwashers together. At Quiet Mark we compare freestanding models separately from built-in models to ensure we can certify the quietest in each category."

An independent scheme, Quiet Mark tests dishwashers every year to certify the quietest 10-20% across sub-categories and re-evaluates them annually to reflect and include the advances in performance of new models coming onto the market.

"The dB sound output from dishwasher models currently on the market this year range between 39dB right up to 54dB," says Gosling. "The difference of 15dB may not look much on paper but as the decibel scale is logarithmic, 10dB is a doubling of the subjective volume, so this means the models at the louder end of the scale would sound more than twice as loud at the quietest ones"

Cutlery trays allow for extra washing room between each piece and offer more flexibility for utensils such as spatulas, tongs and sharp knives to also be washed safely. Sometimes, large dishwashers have both. A separate cutlery tray leaves you with additional room for plates in the lowest dishwasher rack.

Smart dishwashers connect via WiFi to an app on your phone, allowing you to control them remotely through that app. You no longer have to pay through the nose for them but Andy Trigg suggests approaching these with an air of caution.

"Think carefully before paying extra for smart features," says Trigg. "You should never run a dishwasher when no one is present in the house. They are a potential fire risk. If you can see that there are genuinely useful (and not just novel) functions on a smart dishwasher then you will no doubt be happy to pay extra for one."

Nine in 10 said they would also buy the dishwasher again (4% said they would not). The next most popular dishwasher brands were Beko and Hotpoint, with 9% and 8% respectively owning their dishwashers.

Using the results of this survey, suggested models from Quiet Mark Technical Manager, Richard Wilkinson, AO trading director, Lauren Clark, Currys PC World white goods specialist, Karl Beasant, and advice from Kenneth Watt of UK White Goods, we bring you a selection of highly rated dishwasher models from top brands to consider for your household.

You will often find annual running costs provided in dishwasher product descriptions, which comes in useful when deciding what dishwasher to buy. However, many reviews and product retailers quote the energy usage of dishwashers in pound sterling rather than kilowatt hours. When comparing the running costs of dishwashers, take these with a pinch of salt and remember that as energy prices change, so will the annual running costs of the dishwasher.

Thankfully, there are a lot of great options out there, from traditional built-in appliances to portable models that connect to your sink. Ready to see what works for you? Based on our extensive research and expertise, here are the best dishwashers you can buy right now.

The best dishwasher for you is one that does the best job meeting the needs of you and your family. That means it has the ideal capacity to allow you to hit that sweet spot of running your dishwasher enough (but not too much) and the right dimensions to fit into your designated area. Our top choice is the Bosch Ascenta 24-Inch Stainless Steel Front Control Dishwasher, which has a 14 place-setting capacity, smaller load option and meets most needs.

At just under 300, this dishwasher is a great-value buy. It will house 16 place settings and has plenty of handy features, including removable glass racks, collapsible tines, a two-part divisible cutlery basket and a connected app for remote control.

Rivalling our winner when it comes to user-friendly features, this 16 place-setting dishwasher makes stacking and loading seamless, thanks to an adjustable upper basket, removable glass racks and collapsible tines in the lower basket.

Happy Samsung customers said that this dishwasher was remarkably quiet, effective at cleaning, and convenient to use with its mobile app. Dissatisfied reviewers expressed dissatisfaction with the drying function and wash cycle length.

Positive reviews praised the KitchenAid dishwasher for its near-silent operation, sturdy construction, and thorough cleaning. Conversely, some critical reviewers felt that the design of the racks was cumbersome and limiting.

Many models offer intelligent features such as DishSense technology, which automatically adjusts cycle time and water usage. Additionally, its dishwashers can hold up to 14 place settings, making them perfect for large families. 041b061a72