When your dishwasher dies, you may quickly come to miss this time-saving appliance. Loading a dishwasher and pressing start can save you more than 230 hours a year, compared with washing and drying by hand, according to Energy Star.
Conventional built-in dishwashers, the most widely sold type and what Consumer Reports buys and tests most often, are 24 inches wide. You'll see well over 100 models in our dishwasher ratings from a multitude of brands. But 18-inch dishwashers, which are ideal for small kitchens and apartments, have become more popular lately, possibly because people have been staying home more due to the pandemic. Other dishwasher options include countertop models and stacked dishwasher drawers.
Much like many modern home appliances, dishwashers are growing smarter and more efficient each year, and big brands are introducing smart home technology and WiFi connectivity. Our dishwasher buying guide helps you sort through the many offerings to find the best dishwasher for your budget and needs. Whatever you choose at checkout, consider using a dishwasher detergent that cleaned up well in our tests to get the most from your machine.
Lab-Tested for Your Home
We test dishwashers year-round, spending 28 hours evaluating each one and identifying its features. Our testers load each dishwasher with 10 place settings of white ceramic dishes with baked-on food, then run it on the normal cycle (or its equivalent) with the high-temperature wash and heated-dry options selected, if available. When the cycle is complete, we record cycle time, and the amount of water and energy used. We use a photo-imaging machine to determine precisely how clean each dish is, and we test how well each machine dries plastics. Panelists also judge noise levels.
Dishwashers that perform well but don’t hold up over time aren’t winners. That’s why it’s important to consider our latest reliability and owner satisfaction survey findings. And to make it easier for you to choose the best dishwasher for your budget, we now incorporate lab-test results, predicted reliability, and owner satisfaction into one Overall Score for each model.
A Dish Load of Brands
There are more than 20 brands in our dishwasher ratings. You’ll see familiar names such as Amana, Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool. Ikea is there, too—and no, you don’t have to assemble the dishwasher yourself. Our experts also review the three B’s—Beko, Blomberg, and Bosch.
Manufacturers in the high-end price range include Bertazzoni, Dacor, Electrolux, Fisher & Paykel, GE Profile, Jenn-Air, Kenmore Elite, KitchenAid, Miele, Thermador, and Viking. We work to keep up with brands that you’ll see in stores and online. That’s why we also test models from Equator, Kucht, and Thor Kitchen.
As for dishwasher drawers, Fisher & Paykel is the only brand making drawers at this time, and you’ll see two in our dishwasher ratings. And because of their growing popularity, we’ve tested a handful of 18-inch dishwashers at our lab to see how they perform.
Choose Your Look
Dishwashers are available in white, bisque, black, slate, stainless, and black stainless. Though these kitchen helpers once looked very uniform across brands, that is no longer the case. Some manufacturers have simplified the design, moving the controls to the top of the door so that they’re hidden when the door is closed.
In select models, the brand logo is also gone, and a recessed pocket handle replaces a bar. With brand names and bar handles gone, consumers can select sleek, stainless dishwashers that match seamlessly with stainless appliances from other brands.
If you’re searching for a custom look, you may be tempted to purchase a drawer design to match the functionality of your kitchen. These models typically include two stacked drawers, giving you the option to use them simultaneously or separately. But they’re expensive, and the models we tested haven’t performed as well overall as most conventional dishwashers.
Name Your Price
Though the industry expects availability and pricing to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, the dishwasher market is experiencing low inventory, and we’ve seen that for our recommended models. If you have an immediate need, you may have to make some sacrifices in terms of features or performance.
Dishwashers for $500 or Less
Although they aren’t the top performers in our tests, you can still get a dishwasher that’s excellent at cleaning, and very good or even excellent at drying. Most dishwashers, including lower-priced models, now have a soil sensor. It adjusts the cycle’s time and water use to the load’s soil level, improving water efficiency. And some in this price range even have a stainless interior. So what’s the catch? The features are basic: Adjustable racks and stainless steel tubs are not a given, and most dishwashers in this price range are relatively noisy.
Dishwashers for $500 to $1,000
You can get a quieter machine, superb cleaning, and convenient features that might make it worth spending a bit more, such as adjustable racks and flexible flatware slots, along with a stainless tub, which tends to resist stains better than plastic. A soil sensor is a given.
Dishwashers for $1,000 or More
The styling changes, and the dishwashers are fully loaded. You no longer have to choose among useful features. Innovative accoutrements—such as WiFi connectivity and special wash zones for heavily soiled items—are added.
Pro Shopping Tips
The width and depth of a conventional dishwasher is intended for a cavity measuring 24x24 inches. But fitting your new dishwasher in could be a challenge if you’ve tiled the floor or redone your counters, changing the height of the cavity. So before you make your final selection, carefully measure your space and ask the retailer for the full height range (and don’t forget to account for adjustment of the leveling feet).
When browsing, make sure to also take a close look at how the dishwasher’s interior is configured—the spacing of the tines, and the placement of the silverware baskets and racks. You need a dishwasher that works for how you cook and eat.
If you are shopping in a store, consider taking some of your dishes with you to make sure they fit. Rack designs are not all the same, and dishes might not fit like they did in your old machine.
Find the Best Features
When shopping, look for features that can save you time, money, and effort.
Adjustable (or Extra) Racks and Loading Aids
Racks that move up and down and adjustable tines let you reconfigure the interior of the dishwasher. Silverware baskets with individual slots and a third upper rack help you organize the contents but limit how large an item you can place in the second rack.
Soil Sensor
This adjusts the cycle’s time and water use to the load’s soil level, improving water efficiency.
Rinse/Hold Cycle
This cycle allows you to rinse dirty dishes when you’re not quite ready to start a full cycle (rather than letting a stubborn food mess get even more stubborn). This perk can reduce odors and prevent food from setting while you stack up enough dirty dishes for a full load.
Wash Zones
Some models designate a certain part of the dishwasher for heavily soiled items needing a special cycle. These zones don’t necessarily run the whole time—with certain models, it’s for only a few minutes. In our labs, they seem to work as promised.
Filter
The filter keeps wash water free of food that could be redeposited on clean dishes. There are two types: self-cleaning and manual. With self-cleaning filters, a grinder pulverizes the debris and flushes it down the drain. That’s convenient but can be noisy. A manual-clean filter doesn’t have a grinder, so it’s quieter. But you need to clean it regularly to avoid odors, a job that takes just a few minutes. See “Why Your Dishwasher Filter Makes a Difference” for more information.
Special Wash Cycles
Most dishwashers come with at least three cycles: light, normal, and heavy (pots and pans). Many newer models also include a “quick” or “express” cycle that can clean lightly soiled loads in as little as 20 minutes. Other cycles offered on some models include single-rack, pot-scrubber, soak/scrub, steam clean, china/crystal, and sanitizing. The three basic cycles should be enough for most chores—even for baked-on food. A sanitizing option, which is meant to disinfect the dishwasher interior, raises water temperature above the typical 140° F. It doesn’t necessarily deliver better cleaning for dishes.
Stainless Steel Tub
Typically available in midpriced and higher-end models, stainless steel tends to resist staining better than light-colored plastic. Any plastic tub should last longer than most people keep a dishwasher. Some newer models have hybrid stainless/plastic tubs.
Heated Dry
Budget-priced dishwashers typically dry in the few hours after a wash cycle using just drainage and the residual heat in the tub. Pay more and some models will either heat the water further during the final rinse (to warm up the stainless tub) or use a heating element to dry the dishes—perhaps coupled with a fan to circulate the warm air. These options increase convenience but also raise your electric bill.
Hidden Touchpad Controls
Controls mounted along the top edge of the door (and hidden when the door is closed) are strictly about style. The downside: You typically can’t see cycle progress at a glance. Partially hidden controls are a good compromise. You’ll know when the machine is running and, often, the remaining cycle time. Some have only an indicator light that tells you the dishwasher is on.
The Noise Factor
Some dishwashers sound like an airplane landing, which can be annoying when wash cycles range from 90 minutes to about 3 hours. (By the way, we found no correlation between time and performance.) Manufacturers may display a decibel rating, but they average the sound level of an entire cycle, including the dry cycle, which is usually silent. This averaged decibel rating can be misleading. CR’s panel of judges listens to each dishwasher through its entire cycle, even if that cycle takes 3 hours. The “Quietest Dishwashers From Consumer Reports’ Tests” gives all the details.