Dishwasher Buying Guide
When you're shopping for a dishwasher, there are a number of factors to consider. Besides determining how much you're able
to spend, you'll need to decide how many and which options you want and really need, check the quietness and energy efficiency
of the different dishwashers, and look at other aspects, including cycle time.
Dishwasher selector (beta)
Sort our Ratings based on features, brands and other factors.
Types
The greatest differences in dishwashers, beyond results differences in our performance-based tests, are features and costs. There are a few distinct types of dishwashers, however, including traditional models, drawer-type versions, and portable models.
Low-priced dishwashers
They may suit buyers who care more about performance than glitz.
Pros:As a group, they clean dishes as well as premium-priced models.
Cons:They tend to be noisier than the upscale models and less convenient to load.
High-priced dishwashers
Pros:They tend to be quieter.
Cons:They don’t clean dishes any better than the best low-priced dishwashers.
Dishwasher-drawer models
Pros:You can use them simultaneously or individually, and you don’t have to bend to load a single- or, sometimes, a double-drawer
model.
Cons:They can be expensive, and three versions of one model we tested had significant problems. What’s more, models from Fisher
& Paykel, which introduced these products to the U.S. market, have been repair-prone.
