Best dishwashers to buy 2024 UK

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This article was updated in January to add three new dishwashers, check the latest prices and ensure all energy prices are in line with the new price cap.

Stacking wars aside, if you aren't a fan of washing up (who is?) and have the space, there are plenty of compelling reasons to add one of the very best dishwashers to your kitchen.

While an investment at first, they can be a real time-saver and provide a more thorough clean than hand-washing, thanks to their higher operating temperatures and stronger detergents, which will kill more bacteria.

They can even save you money in the long run; research suggests they use less water when tackling a whole meal’s worth of dirty dishes.

We’ve tested a range of dishwashers at the Good Housekeeping Institute to find the best buys. Here they are at a glance:

If you’re replacing an existing dishwasher, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.

When shopping for a dishwasher, there are two questions you need to ask yourself: how often are you going to use it, and how much space do you have? This will inform whether you pick a full-size or a slimline dishwasher.

As a guide, slimline models should fit into a 45cm-wide gap, while full-size dishwashers are about 60cm wide. In terms of how much washing up these can manage, a slimline model will fit between eight and nine place settings and a full-sized one should accommodate at least 12 – that’s around 120-150 items of crockery and cutlery.

If you want a dishwasher that fits the design of your kitchen, go for an integrated model. This will be installed within a kitchen unit and have a door that matches your cupboards. Generally, the control panel is hidden on the top lip of the door.

All dishwashers are rated for energy efficiency. The scale runs from A to G, with A being the most economical. Even models with lower ratings will still be fairly efficient though, as the scale was updated in 2021 to allow for new technological innovations.

Note that the cycle you use at home will impact your machine’s energy consumption too; while an eco wash runs for a longer time, it uses much less water than a standard or intensive wash, and therefore requires less energy to heat up.

Scrape your plates before you stack them to get the most out of your dishwasher, but don’t rinse them, as this also uses a lot of water. Soaking stubborn stains before washing can also help.

With minimal settings, dishwashers are generally simple to use. Normal, eco and intensive cycles come as standard, but it’s worth knowing the specific purpose of each to optimise your dishwasher’s cleaning potential.

Normal: Best for daily use, this cycle removes standard dirt and food stains using water that’s around 60 to 65C.

Eco: Best for lightly soiled plates and cutlery, economy cycles take longer to complete but uses less water than other ones. The water is still hot too, at between 50 and 55C.

Intensive: Best for tackling stubborn baked-on food (and cleaning your dishwasher), this runs at temperatures of up to 70 degrees.

Delicate: Best for glassware and delicate china, the water temperature will be lower than normal.

Quick wash: Best for when your dishes aren’t too dirty and you need them cleaned speedily.

Hygiene: Best for items that need sterilising, such as baby products or chopping boards. This programme will wash at a high temperature.

Sensor wash: Found on dishwashers with built-in sensors, the programme time, temperature and amount of water will adjust according to how dirty the dishes are.

Now you know what cycles you’d like access to, it’s time to decide which additional features you want. Here are the ones we’d consider.

Adjustable racks: Giving you extra flexibility, these racks can be moved up or down to accommodate larger plates on the bottom rack, or tall glasses on the top.

Automatic open-door drying: The door automatically opens at the end of a cycle to allow fresh air in and moist air out.

Child lock: This stops curious children from fiddling with the buttons or opening the door mid-cycle.

Delay start: Allowing you to start the dishwasher at a set time, this feature is ideal for running the cycle during off-peak utility hours.

Fold-down tines: Tines are the prongs that keep your dishes upright and spaced out. Look for ones that fold down flat if you often need room for larger items.

Salt and rinse aid indicators: These alerts tell you when it’s time to top up dishwasher salt and rinse aid – both essential for successful cleans.

Smart features: Some dishwashers connect to WiFi, so you can control them via an app and start, stop or put a delay timer on remotely. With some, you can also download extra programmes, adjust the intensity of a wash and run diagnostic tests.

At the GHI, we rate each dishwasher on its performance across a standard, economy and intensive cycle.

To do this we stain a range of glassware, crockery, cutlery, pots and pans using common and notoriously difficult to remove substances – think lipstick on a glass and burnt pasta sauce on a pyrex dish – to judge how well each appliance cleans. Each stain is weighed and applied precisely, and we use the same detergent for every cycle to ensure consistent results.

For normal and economy cycles, we make sure the maximum number of place settings claimed by the manufacturer actually fit in the dishwasher, while we use fewer in intensive programmes.

We record the water and energy consumption for every cycle, before finally considering the controls, settings, design and instructions in our overall assessment.

Our top-scorer was by far the most economical machine on test to run when looking at its average energy and water consumption across three cycles. Its economy cycle used just 0.55 kwh – that’s about 16 pence a wash based on the 29p/kwh energy price cap.

That said, some spinach, egg and porridge stains were left on our plates after that cycle, so it’s worth ensuring the programme suits your dishes. On a normal and intensive cycle, it excelled, with the latter proving particularly adept at lifting baked-on jam, rice and scrambled egg.

It's thoughtfully designed too; it has an auto-dosing system to release just the right amount of detergent for your load, the door automatically opens at the end of a cycle and it connects to an accompanying app. Both racks are adjustable, and its digital display is responsive.

Overall, this is a reliable, top-of-the-range buy.

Another standout dishwasher from Miele, this freestanding design has ample room inside and the adjustable top rack gives you additional flexibility when stacking your dishes and crockery. Testers found its normal cycle the most effective – it left nearly everything sparkling. The economy and intensive cycles performed well but some dried-on food proved a tad too stubborn.

Everything was left fairly dry, and it’s easy to use, from programming to salt refilling and filter cleaning. Note that the intensive cycle wasn’t very energy efficient, using 1.49 kw per hour on test, equating to 43p per wash. But if you’re only using it occasionally, this shouldn’t add too much to your bills, and the economy cycle used less than half the amount of energy.

Using steam to blitz dirt and leave your dishes immaculate, and featuring LG’s ThinQ technology, which connects all the brand’s appliances to your phone, this is one snazzy dishwasher. It’s intuitive to use, from loading to emptying, and the door automatically opens when the wash is finished to dry your dishes.

It was a solid cleaner too, earning full marks for each of its standard, economy and intensive cycles. Testers praised the way it tackled day-to-day stains, such as tea and washed soiled pots and pans, with ease. Glassware was left glistening too. But burned rice proved too stubborn for the intensive cycle to fully clear.

Its energy and water efficiency were notably better on the economy cycle (using 50% less energy than the normal cycle), so to keep bills low, we’d suggest making that your go-to programme.

This dishwasher stood out for its economy wash cycle, dropping just one point on test and producing gleaming results. It used little water too (9.5 litres) and roughly 20 pence-worth of electricity – only the winning Miele used less.

We were treated to sparkling glassware across every cycle and the intensive programme did a stellar job with our pans; there was no trace of rice or scrambled egg. Some burnt-on pasta sauce did withstand the wash though.

We liked the versatile set-up; there’s an easy-to-load cutlery basket and drawer, with the latter ideal for larger utensils. The top tray is also adjustable and both trays boast collapsible racks.

The sleek design will suit if you own other Smeg appliances, and our tester also found it quiet in use.

With room for 14 place settings and three drawers, this integrated dishwasher is cavernous in comparison to many – and it still fits into a standard sized bay. Testers liked the way it shines a light onto the floor so you can easily see that it’s running, and were fans of the soil level sensor, which adjusts the length of the cycle to suit the crockery that’s being cleaned.

Luckily, the extra features and capacity didn’t dim its cleaning prowess; food residue was banished from most items across all three cycles our experts trialled. In fact, the intensive cycle did a stellar job lifting even the most stubborn burnt-on stains from our dishes.

At just under £300, this dishwasher is a great value buy. It fits 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.

Of the three cycles we tested, the intensive wash scored the highest, successfully cleaning burnt-on pasta sauce, which many machines struggled with. The normal cycle also left our dinner plates in pristine condition.

When it came to the economy setting, there was some residue left – spinach proving the most stubborn. It also used more electricity than the normal cycle, but its water consumption was lower.

While not the most advanced dishwasher we tested, it’s a trusty buy that should suit most homes.

Generally, for a more energy-efficient dishwasher, you’ll have to splash out, but this affordable model is rated D and impressed with its economy cycle. It used just one kwh of electricity – 29 pence’s worth – and 10.5 litres of water. What’s more, it performed well; our crockery was as clean as after a normal wash.

Both the normal and economy cycles struggled to leave our dishes dry, unlike the intensive cycle. The latter cleaned well too, with just some burnt-on pasta sauce and scrambled egg remaining on our pans.

The design is flexible, with detachable wine glass and sharp knife holders, and the upper basket is adjustable too, while the bottom basket has collapsible racks. The cutlery basket is also large.

Our tester found the programmes easy to select and liked the time delay options. It will also remember your most-used cycles.

To a certain extent, your washing up habits will determine whether it’s more economical to use a dishwasher or not.

Using a washing up bowl, for example, will require much less water than if you leave the tap running. If you do the latter, you’re likely washing much more than a dishwasher-load's worth of water down the drain.

But, using a dishwasher is undoubtedly a time-saver and will give your dishes a more thorough clean. This is because they reach higher temperatures than your hot water tap and use stronger detergents than washing up liquid, helping to kill bacteria.

To be as efficient and economical as you can, only run the dishwasher when it’s fully loaded. Scrape residue from your dishes into the bin beforehand, and soak heavily soiled pans. All this will help maximise your dishwasher’s cleaning power, without wasting water.

Salt and rinse aid serve different purposes but produce the best results – aka sparkling dishes – when used together.

Salt: If you live in a hard water area, salt is a must. It softens the water, helping to prevent limescale build-up. It’s worth keeping topped up in soft water areas too, as it helps with rinsing.

Rinse aid: Designed to prevent streaks and leave glasses and other items shining, rinse aid stops water from forming into droplets, which can cause streaks. Instead, it makes water run off your crockery in thin sheets.

Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.

Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.

Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.

Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.

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