Although a hefty financial investment, a dishwasher is one of the best appliances to add to your home. If you work long hours or are constantly busy, then a dishwasher is incredibly time-saving as it allows you to spend less time manually washing up.
Not only time-saving, dishwashers have been proven to use less water in their cleaning process than hand washing, so there’s plenty of incentive to pick out a good one.
With so many different models to choose from on the market however, and some even costing upwards of £1000, it can understandably be difficult to know which dishwasher is the right one for you and your household’s needs. Some dishwashers can even boast an array of additional features, such as Wi-Fi and app connectivity, making them smarter than ever before.
To help make the decision easier, we have tested multiple dishwashers across all price ranges and brands to conclude which ones are actually worth investing in. Our top picks don’t just include the most premium brands – we also highlight the ones that serve as the best integrated dishwasher, best on a budget and the best for tougher stains.
Our thorough testing process is conducted by our expert reviewers. To ensure a comprehensive review, we fill each dishwasher with a typical domestic load and test each wash cycle, including eco and auto.
From a technical level, we measure the amount of water and power used, cycle time and noise level. From a more domestic perspective, we also note whether machines are easy to load, how much space they have and even whether they can successfully clean the dreaded breakfast nightmare – dried-on scrambled egg.
If you’re doing a full kitchen appliance upgrade then be sure to look through our best oven, best microwave and best coffee machine lists too.
Best dishwashers at a glance
How we test
Every dishwasher is plumbed and run in first before we begin our testing. We fill each dishwasher with a typical domestic load of pots and plates, including wine glasses and plastics. We test the standard, main wash cycle and the Eco cycle on all machines, measuring the amount of water used, power used, time to completion and the noise during the fill and washing stages.
Samsung DW60R7040FS
The best overall dishwasher
Pros
- Decent amount of room
- Low running costs
- Excellent cleaning performance
Cons
- Can’t see timer with door shut
- Fiddly to fit in taller wine glasses
Built to be easy to use, the full-size Samsung DW60R7040FS has an automatic programme that will use temperatures of between 45C and 65C based on the level of soiling that it detects. That’s a very clever bit of technology, as while energy use will vary with this mode, the right level of water heat will be selected to get dishes clean.
Does it work? Yes, it does. Using Auto mode, the dishwasher cleaner our wine glasses, ketchup stain, a dirty mug and even got the majority of our tough microwaved egg out of a glass bowl. For the latter, we did have to rinse the bowl manually, but this is our toughest stain to deal with. For the toughest of messes, we re
There are 13 place settings on this model. While the top shelf is pretty standard with two height positions, the bottom shelf is more flexible, with fold-down tines for larger items, and a decent-sized cutlery holder. It did take a bit of reorganisation to get our full test load in place, but this model takes a surprising amount of items.
It’s also one of the most efficient dishwashers that we’ve tested, working out to around 15p per cycle. For set-and-forget convenience, and great looks, this is a top full-size dishwasher.
Full review: Samsung DW60R7040FS
Reviewer: David Ludlow
LG TrueSteam QuadWash DF455HMS Freestanding Dishwasher
The best dishwasher for tough stains
Pros
- Lots of programmes
- Very powerful cleaning with steam
- Smart control
Cons
- Maximum cleaning power is expensive to run
How annoying is it to remove a dish from a dishwasher and find it still covered in residue? Even worse, stains can even seem to be baked on my some dishwashers. That’s where the LG TrueSteam QuadWash DF455HMS Freestanding Dishwasher comes in, as this model uses steam to dislodge stains without the need for scrubbing or rinsing.
Does it work? Absolutely. In our tough dried-on scrambled egg test, the LG TrueSteam QuadWash DF455HMS Freestanding Dishwasher managed to remove every trace of dirt without any scrubbing at all. This shows how powerful the dishwasher is, and makes this a great choice for keen cooks that often have difficult messes to remove.
The slight downside is that with Steam, the cost per cycle is high: we measured this at 71p. However, if you don’t need Steam and are running a regular cycle, costs dropped down to 28p, which is pretty good, although not the cheapest that we’ve seen.
The LG TrueSteam QuadWash DF455HMS Freestanding Dishwasher is nicely designed, with two baskets and a cutlery rack at the top. Neatly, the left-hand-side of the cutlery rack can be dropped down using the slider control to take larger items.
As well as controlling the dishwasher via its front panel, it’s compatible with LG ThinQ, so you can remote control it and choose the additional wash programmes, such s for Casserole dishes or Glassware.
If you want a hassle-free, no-scrub dishwasher for tough dishes, this is a great choice.
Full review: LG TrueSteam QuadWash DF455HMS Freestanding Dishwasher
Reviewer: David Ludlow
Whirlpool WIO 3O33 DEL
Best integrated dishwasher
Pros
- Excellent cleaning results
- Brilliant PowerClean feature
- Super-frugal with water and electricity
- Good selection of programmes
- Effective 1-hour wash & dry
- Very quiet
Cons
- Powerclean heavier on electricity
- Cutlery tray not removable
- No interior light
Whirpool has pulled off a corker in the integrated 14-place WIO 3033 DEL, with astounding energy efficiency, outstanding racking space and unrivalled cleaning.
One of our favourite features is Whirlpool’s PowerClean, a turbo-boosting programme to really power-blast those particularly mucky dishes. It’s one of the quietest machines on the market too – even when it’s not tucked away behind a furniture door.
This model has 6th Sense technology, which senses how dirty each load is and adjusts water consumption and wash duration accordingly. The result is amazing cleaning. Eco 50 did well for most stains, although the tough egg test did leave behind some mess; PowerClean blasted the bowl clean.
Low running costs of around 15p per cycle and amazingly flexible interior space finish the bill. If you’re looking for a built-in dishwasher for under £650, this is the only machine you need consider.
Full review: Whirlpool WIO 3O33 DEL review
Reviewer: Richard and Jackie Stevenson
Indesit DSFO3T224ZUK
The best slimline dishwasher
Pros
- Great cleaning results
- Surprisingly spacious
- Simple to use
- Quiet in use
Cons
- Drying not quite perfect
- Not speedy on Eco programmes
- Pricier than 60cm versions
If you’re after a simple and effective slimline dishwasher, the Indesit DSFO3T224ZUK gets most things right. With excellent wash results, even in our difficult egg test, this slimline model has cleaning results up there with full-sized models.
A few water marks remained on our dishes at the end of the cleaning cycle, so you might need a handy tea towel to clean up the last few drips for a perfect finish. An ‘extra dry’ option would have been nice to avoid this. We can’t complain about the running costs, either, as this model is super cheap to run.
Loading the dishwasher is easy, with the racks sliding in and out neatly. The top rack is height adjustable and can even be removed to let you clean extra tall items. Controls are just as simple with a Push & Go feature where you press and hold the button and a wash starts immediately: to be honest, it’s a bit of a gimmick.
Drying performance could be better, but the overall performance on offer here makes this slimline dishwasher a winner.
Full review: Indesit DSF03T224ZUK review
Reviewer: Richard and Jackie Stevenson
Miele G 7160 SCVi AutoDos
The best high-end integrated dishwasher
Pros
- Cleans brilliantly
- Flexible space inside
- Auto programme and auto detergent dosing
Super flexible and powerful, the Miele G 7160 SCVi AutoDos is the ultimate integrated dishwasher. Open the door and there are three shelves in this model: the two regular ones and a cutlery rack at the top. Normally, this would mean less space below, but the rack is exceptionally well designed, and the left-hand-side can slide open. Doing this, we could fit our long-stemmed wine glasses in. When there are smaller items below, the cutlery rack is huge and will take enough items for a full-on feast.
Using the two baskets, there’s space inside this dishwasher for a huge 14 place settings. It took some loading to get this model full to the brim for testing.
The AutoDos part of the name tells you that this is one of Miele’s dishwashers that takes Power Disk detergent. These cost £9.99 each and last for at least 20 washes, with the dishwasher automatically dosing the correct amount of detergent. Used with the Auto option, the dishwasher will select the right amount of detergent and the best wash settings. There are a huge number of other programmes to pick from if you want manual control.
There’s also a smart app, which lets you set the wash programme. That’s not hugely useful, but it does send notifications when a wash cycle has finished, which is more useful.
Cleaning quality is nothing short of excellent. Even our tough microwaved egg came off the bowl, bar the tiniest trace amounts. If we’d have rinsed the bowl first, it would have come out clean. Running costs come in at around 12p per cycle, which is very low.
Sure, this is an expensive dish washer, but the quality makes it worth it.
Full review: Miele G 7160 SCVi AutoDos review
Reviewer: David Ludlow
Indesit DFO 3T133 F UK
The best budget dishwasher
Pros
- Cleans brilliantly
- Flexible internal space
- Good range of programmes
Cons
- Easy to get items caught on shelf edges
If you don’t want to spend a fortune on a dishwasher but still want good results, the Indesit DFO 3T133 F UK could well be for you.
While it may be cheap, this freestanding full-size model is very flexible, with a large cutlery rack at the top, and two good-size baskets underneath. We managed to fully load the dishwasher, including our long-stemmed wine glasses without any complications. The only thing to watch out for is that the top basket is open at the back, and our mugs would slip off and get caught around the exposed wire shelf: loading more carefully solved that problem.
On Eco mode, the dishwasher managed to clean everything brilliantly, down to the microwaved scrambled egg in a glass bowl. Sure, there were some bits of mess left behind, but we’ve seen more expensive models do much worse. Move up from the Auto setting, and the results are even better.
The downside is that this model is a little more expensive to run than the competition, coming in at around 16p per cycle. However, cheaper-to-run machines tend to cost more, and it would take along time to pay back the difference.
What it lacks in fancy features, the Indesit DFO 3T133 F UK makes up for in quality and a low purchase price, making this our top-choice budget dishwasher.
Full review: Indesit DFO 3T133 F UK review
Reviewer: David Ludlow
FAQs
There are a few varieties of dishwashers. The most common are freestanding dishwashers that are 60cm wide, though there are also slimline dishwashers that are just 45cm wide that are good for small flats. Integrated dishwashers come in similar sizes, but are designed to blend in with your kitchen cabinetry. There are also compact dishwashers that sit on the tabletop like a microwave, which are useful if you don’t have space for anything bigger.
Dishwasher capacity is measured by place setting – a single place setting consists of ten items of various sizes. A 60cm freestanding dishwasher typically takes 11 to 15 place settings. Slimline dishwashers typically hold 8 to 10 place settings and compact dishwashers around 8 to 10 place settings.
Another consideration is plate size. Not all dishwashers can take the largest plates, but some have adjustable racks to accommodate plates as big as 31.5cm in diameter. Check the maximum size a machine can take against your largest plates before buying.
This is a great feature to have. Fold down prongs make it much easier to load large pots and pans when you don’t have any plates to clean. Cheaper machines tend not to have them, but if you can afford one that does, then you won’t regret it.
Another useful feature is a dishwasher with a cutlery tray. This is dedicated tray at the top of the machine that means you have more space for pots and plates in the main part of the machine.
