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A washing machine is a big investment, so it pays to do your homework before you buy. The good news is, we've done the hard work for you!
Through rigorous testing in the CHOICE labs, we find the models that:
We also tell you how much each model will cost you to run over 10 years, and our Recommended list will help you quickly identify the best washing machines we tested.
This review includes a number of washers that are now discontinued but may still be available second-hand. To include them in your search, select 'Discontinued' under 'Related products'.
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List of brands we tested in this review.
The manufacturer's recommended retail price. Prices are generally flexible, so shop around both online and in bricks-and-mortar shops for options.
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CHOICE recommends currently available front loaders that score at least 80% overall and 80% for dirt removal. For those who prefer top loaders, we recommend currently available models that score at least 70% overall and 70% for dirt removal. We don't recommend machines with less than 55% in any score. There are other performers in the table that are good options.
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In Australia the main types of washing machines are front loader and top loader. Twin tubs exist but have a tiny market share.
This is the claimed capacity. We find people rarely fill their washer to full, so base your decision on how heavy your common load is. Weigh it on your scales.
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We measure dirt removal with a spectrophotometer, a machine that's more accurate than the human eye and can detect differences of about 6%.
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Designed for lightly soiled and small loads, a fast-wash option reduces the length of the selected program or is a faster cycle in itself. How fast is fast varies from machine to machine – as does the terminology. You might see it referred to as "fast", "quick", "rapid" or something else. Some machines also offer temperature variations in conjunction with faster washes. If this is a feature you're likely to use, be sure to clarify with sales staff how fast is fast – and what it's called.
Time remaining display will give you a rough estimation of how long the load will take to wash. This can often fluctuate wildly as some washers use sensors to detect how dirty your wash is, the type of load you've put in and how much you've put in, then adjust the timing.
'Delay time' or 'time delay' is a feature that lets you program the wash to start at a specific time in the future. If you're on off-peak energy, you can take advantage of this feature.
You can change the spin speed on some programs. A higher spin speed will result in drier clothes, but you might want a lower speed for delicates or easily creased fabrics. The higher the spin speed, the more likely your clothes will be stiff when they come out of the wash.
The amount of time the program cycle we selected took – this can range from under an hour to over three hours.
This is an estimate of how much it will cost over 10 years for water and electricity if you wash a daily equivalent of one load on a 'normal' cycle. Costs are based on 25c/kWh for electricity and $2 per 1000L for water. Cost doesn't include detergent which can make up a third of the running cost. A washer generally makes up around 0.53% of annual household energy usage. Look for the smallest number in this column so you aren't paying as much in the long run.
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.
Manufacturers must declare how many litres of water are used per wash cycle of a dishwasher or washing machine, 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.
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Energy star rating based on a formula that incorporates the energy used per wash and the claimed capacity of the machine in kg.
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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.
Some machines need both hot and cold water to operate; others can connect to cold water only and might need a special connector or sealing cap for the hot water inlet. A machine with a heater (front loaders only) can be particularly useful if you connect to cold only, as it still gives you the option of a warm wash occasionally. Check the maximum temperature recommended for the hot water inlet. Many manufacturers recommend a lower temperature than most hot water systems deliver – particularly solar hot water systems. You may need a tempering valve to reduce the temperature.
This score measures how long your clothes are going to last compared to other machines using the program we test on. To check for fabric wear, we attach swatches of easily frayed fabric to the garments in each load. The area of the swatch is measured before and after the wash – the less fraying, the gentler the machine is assessed to be and the higher the score it's given.
