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Will your new dishwasher leave you with egg on your plates - and your face? We test and review the latest and most popular models, including conventional, drawer, slimline, and compact sizes, to help you find the right model for you.
In our specialised CHOICE labs, we load up the machines with piles of dirty dishes, cutlery, glassware and cookware to thoroughly test each model so we can tell you which dishwashers:
Our interactive tool also gives you vital stats like 10-year running costs, ease of use and special features to help you choose a model that's right for you. And our Recommended list will help you quickly pick the best-performing dishwashers of the lot.
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List of brands we tested in this review.
The manufacturer's recommended retail price. Prices are often flexible, so shop around both online and in bricks-and-mortar shops for options.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 249 and 4599
We recommend currently available dishwashers which score at least 75% overall, 75% for washing performance and 80% for drying. We don't recommend any dishwasher with any weighted score under 60%.
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Type refers to the way the dishwasher is built into the cabinet. Freestanding, with a worktop – can generally be built-in as well because the worktop can be removed. Built-in – might not have top or side panels; must be enclosed and anchored to prevent it from tipping forward when fully loaded and dish racks are pulled out. Semi-integrated – a built-in type that allows you to fit a panel to the door under the control fascia to match the rest of your kitchen cupboard doors. Fully integrated – built-in with the whole front matching your kitchen and the controls inside the door. Compact – refers to the height. These tend to be built in (like an oven) or benchtop dishwashers. Slimline – a full height dishwasher, but they tend to be a good deal narrower to suit narrow margin installs.
These are taken straight from our brand reliability survey, but do not add to the overall score. These scores refer to the brand only, not that particular model. If you see "Not available" as the outcome, that's because we haven't gotten enough people who own the brand to reply with their findings – we need at least 50 to make the outcome statistically significant.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 0 and 0
Reflects how dry the dishes are 30 minutes after the normal cycle has finished. During this time the doors are left closed (unless the dishwasher has an automatic door opening function that is activated at the end of the program).
We assess how well the dishwashers can remove food such as oats, spinach, egg yolk, baby cereal, butter, and tea stains that have been dried overnight without being rinsed first. Our test is based partly on the current Australian standard and partly on the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) draft standard.
Measured from one metre away from and one metre above the dishwasher, which is placed within cabinetry. The noise level varies depending on kitchen layout, but our reading gives a comparative measure. For reference, a normal conversation is around 60dB and a whisper is between 20 and 30dB. A difference of 3dB is noticeable to the human ear.
Whether the dishwasher comes in: conventional or standard size (tends to be 12–15 place settings and around 60cm wide, 80cm high and 60cm deep) slimline (around 8–10 place settings and around 45cm wide) drawer or compact (usually about six place settings and is fitted in a drawer, 60cm wide) benchtop (also about 60cm wide, but sits on top of a bench).
This describes what system the dishwasher has to clean the cutlery. These usually take the form of a basket, tray or both.
The number of place settings a dishwasher claims to be able to fit. A standard place setting refers to one of each of the following: dinner plate, bread and butter plate, soup bowl, small bowl, small saucer, tea cup, drinking glass, knife, fork, teaspoon, dessert spoon and soup spoon. A dishwasher that claims to have 12 place settings essentially claims to be able to fit 12 standard-sized items of the above into the dishwasher.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 6 and 16
Where possible, we've listed the white model code and price. Most models are available in other colours, finishes or types – usually at a higher price. Stainless steel indicates any metallic or metallic-look finish; not all models are actually stainless steel. Where there is a 'Not applicable', the model is fully integrated and designed to match cabinetry (you'll need to buy fronts for these). If you wish to filter models by colour (on the report landing page), you may need to select categories under Related products (also in filters) to see all models and their colours.
Fold-down or removable tines are useful for loading larger items like pots, pans and baking dishes.
For washing lightly soiled or rinsed dishes more economically in a faster cycle.
Auto sensing or dirt sensor wash can be a useful feature as it claims to sense the dirt and adjust the wash to suit the amount of soiling on load in the dishwasher.
This will show, usually in digital format, how long a program has to go. However, this may change during the wash, as the dishwasher uses sensors to detect just how dirty a wash is. It can be annoying to see the count get down to 5 minutes, then flip back up to 15 minutes as the dishwasher changes its mind.
Half-load or load sensing half-load adjusts the water and program times for a much smaller load, while load sensing adjusts them according to the soil in the dishwasher. Both let you wash smaller loads more economically.
Delay time, delay start or time delay is a feature that lets you program the machine to start the wash at a selected time in the future. You can load it with dirty plates and detergent and program it to start in the middle of the night. Consumers who are on off-peak energy can take advantage of this feature.
Manufacturers must declare the energy use (in kWh) of their product, and an energy star rating is derived from this information. Both the energy use per year and the star rating are displayed on the Energy Rating Label.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 1.5 and 4.5
Manufacturers must declare how many litres of water are used per wash cycle of a dishwasher or washing machine; per drying cycle of a washer/dryer or condenser dryer; per minute for a tap; or per full and half flush for a toilet. A WELS water star rating is derived from this. The water use and the star rating are displayed on the product's WELS label.
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 1.5 and 6
A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.
A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.
These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A.
An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.
These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.
Scores are taken from our product reliability survey, but do not add to the overall score. The score refers to the brand, not a particular model. For satisfaction score, we ask owners to tell us what they think of the products they own, rating them from excellent to terrible. We've used this information to give each brand an owner satisfaction rating so you can see what people who use the brand day in, day out think of it. The higher the score, the better. If you see "Not available" as the outcome, that's because we haven't gotten enough people who own the brand to reply with their findings – we need at least 50 to make the outcome statistically significant.
Scores are taken from our product reliability survey, but do not add to the overall score. The score refers to the brand, not a particular model. Service score refers to how the manufacturer responds and helps you with any issues, which can make all the difference to your experience and trust in the brand. For large appliances that you might be more likely to get repaired, we asked members about their experience with the manufacturers' service and support. We have given each manufacturer a service rating so you know how well they support customers when they need it. We need enough feedback to report fairly so in some cases we can't report this for all brands, but we'll tell you where we can. The higher the score, the better. If you see "Not available" as the outcome, that's because we haven't gotten enough people who own the brand to reply with their findings – we need at least 50 to make the outcome statistically significant.
