Quietest Dishwashers of 2025

There are more than 130 models from over 30 brands in our dishwasher ratings. The ones below stand far above the rest in our noise tests while also delivering solid performance.

All of a dishwasher’s activity can produce a lot of noise. CR’s Larry Ciufo ticks off a list of sources, including splashing water, draining water, and the sound of the drain pump in action.

On top of those sounds, which are common to most dishwashers, some models may have particular features that add even more noise. “Dishwashers with a self-cleaning filter tend to be noisy when the grinder is busy pulverizing food,” he says. “So if you don’t mind the extra chore of cleaning the filter, a manual-clean filter is a good option. Cleaning it takes a minute or two.”

You may have come across claims that dishwashers with stainless steel tubs are quieter, or that the stainless steel helps dampen noise, but data from our tests doesn’t bear that out. “Stainless steel tubs don’t really do anything for noise,” Ciufo says. They can, however, help dishes dry better because stainless steel cools down quickly and can help draw moisture away from dishes at the end of a cycle.

Manufacturers report a model’s noise level in decibels, averaging the readings over the dishwasher’s full cycle. But that isn’t necessarily the best indicator of noise output. So CR’s panel of judges sits and listens to each dishwasher we test through its entire cycle—even if it takes 3 hours.

“People remember a noise when it’s at its loudest,” Ciufo says. “An average doesn’t capture that, but our score does by taking into account the peak noises noted by our judges.”

As for other critical dishwasher components, our lab technicians run tests to assess how well a model washes and dries dishes and how energy-efficient it is. They load each dishwasher with 10 place settings of white ceramic dishes with baked-on food, plus some plastic items on the top rack, and then run the load through a standard cycle.

Once the cycle is done, they use photo-imaging software to compare before-and-after photos of the dishes to determine how clean they are. To assess drying performance, our testers look at how much water remains on the dishes at the end of the cycle. They take an especially close look at the plastic items, which dishwashers have a harder time drying than ceramic or glass. For energy efficiency, our testers measure how much water and energy are consumed in a standard cycle.