Best Dishwashers of 2025, Lab-Tested and Reviewed
Standouts from CR's new testing include models from Bosch and Miele
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No matter which dishwasher you buy, you should be able to count on it to clean your dishes and dry them well. In our labs, we put each dishwasher through around 30 hours of tough trials to evaluate its performance on both counts.
Best Dishwashers
The dishwashers below have different strengths, but they all performed impressively in our lab tests. Some of them hold Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency, which means they meet a higher standard of energy and water efficiency than other dishwashers.
How CR Tests Dishwashers
Hundreds of dishwashers have gone through our labs. We test new models throughout the year and periodically retest machines that have been around for a while.
To evaluate each model’s cleaning prowess, our testers apply a consistent amount of starchy goop to 12 white ceramic plates. (The recipe is a secret, but cocoa is involved.) Then they bake each plate until it’s crusty, load the plates into the dishwasher without prerinsing (shown below), and run the default cleaning cycle. Afterward, our imaging software compares before and after photos of each plate to precisely analyze how much gunk remains.
Photo: Scott Meadows/Consumer Reports Photo: Scott Meadows/Consumer Reports
Our experts also assess how well each model can dry dishes. They take an especially close look at plastic items, which dishwashers tend to have more trouble drying.
For noise, a panel of judges listens to an entire dishwasher cycle to identify “any annoying noises,” as Larry Ciufo, who oversees dishwasher testing at CR, puts it. The dishwashers that make the least racket throughout the cycle receive the highest scores for noise.
We also incorporate feedback from the tens of thousands of Consumer Reports members who take our annual dishwasher survey. We last conducted our dishwasher survey in 2024, comprising insights from 69,536 members who purchased a new dishwasher between 2014 and 2024. This data helps us predict which brands may be the most reliable and which ones owners would recommend to friends and family members.
How We Picked the Best Dishwashers
There are a few performance aspects that everyone can appreciate, and we test them rigorously in our labs.
Washing: The top performers reliably wash away starchy, crusted-on messes and produce great results even with lower-cost (or more eco-friendly) detergents or in hard water, which tends to reduce a detergent’s cleaning ability. Certain extras touted by manufacturers, like additional wash arms and specialty wash zones, may suggest better cleaning power, but that’s not always the case, as our washing tests have found.
Previously, we judged washing performance based only on how well dishwashers cleaned dishes in the lower rack. We’ve now expanded our testing to factor in washing performance for the upper rack, as well.
Ease of use: For this category, which is newly incorporated into our ratings, we assess the convenience of a dishwasher’s interface and the number of helpful features it has, including a third rack, adjustable racks, adjustable tines, roomy flatware slots, hidden controls, a lighted interior, a delay-start feature, a status indicator, and more.
Drying: In general, CR’s testers have found that dishwashers with heated-dry cycles (which essentially bake moisture off the dishes) tend to do a better job at getting dishes bone-dry than models that rely on residual heat, but it’s not a guarantee. Ciufo has noted that dishwashers that automatically open the door at the end of a cycle to release steam are some of the most effective at drying.
Energy efficiency: Our tests have revealed that dishwashers often use slightly more water and energy than advertised, but the difference adds up to only a few dollars per year in extra utility costs. If efficiency and sustainability are especially important to you, opt for one of our CR Green Choice dishwashers, which we’ve determined have the least environmental impact relative to other models on the market.
Noise: Certain “quiet” models actually have spikes in volume from time to time while they run, like the sound of the detergent door thwacking against the tub or the churn of a loud drain pump. Our noise ratings take these random spikes into account.
Cycle time: We consider the time it takes for the machine to run an "auto" or a "normal" cycle with the high-temperature option selected. With more people running their dishwashers overnight (and cycle length becoming less of an issue), cycle time is weighted less heavily in our ratings than it once was.
Should You Repair or Replace Your Broken Dishwasher?
CR’s interactive tool leverages product costs, depreciation rates, and survey data to help you make the right choice.
How Much Should You Spend on a Dishwasher?
The dishwashers in our ratings can cost as little as $300 or more than $2,000. Here’s what our testers found in each category.
Less than $500: It’s possible to find a pretty decent machine on a tight budget, but dishwashers under $500 are rarer than they used to be. Those that are still available typically have plastic tubs, which don’t resist stains as well as stainless steel tubs. Consumer Reports’ tests have also found that these dishwashers are relatively noisy.
$500 to $1,000: Many models in this price range earn our top ratings for cleaning performance as well as predicted reliability, which are two factors we weigh heavily in our ratings overall. They also often have at least a few convenient features, like adjustable racks, a third rack, and quiet operation.
More than $1,000: Dishwashers above this price have elevated style and are fully loaded with special features, so you don’t have to pick and choose.
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