Top Five Best Cheap Dishwashers For 2021

Aaron West

In this article

A dishwasher is a big purchase, particularly if the old one suddenly needs replacing or you’re installing a whole new kitchen. The good news is that we’ve found Best Buy dishwashers for all budgets.

Our testing has found that price is no indicator of quality – in fact, our most expensive Don’t Buy dishwasher costs over £800 while our cheapest Best Buy dishwasher will set you around £250.

Here we take a look at the best budget machines from our tests, and picked out three to avoid. And keep reading to find out what you might be missing out on by opting for a bargain, and what features to look out for.

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Best cheap freestanding dishwasher

78%

£419.97

Reviewed May 2017

This dishwasher is great at cleaning and drying plates and cutlery, and does a decent job of removing watermarks. It's energy and water efficient on both the eco and auto programs. It's not as easy to use as it could be, though, and quite noisy.

First month only £5, then £9.99 per month, cancel any time

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Best cheap fully integrated dishwasher

75%

£249.00

Reviewed Oct 2018

Apart from being noisy, this dishwasher is fantastic, and it passed our tough cleaning tests with flying colours. It dries well, doesn't leave watermarks and the eco program doesn't use much water or electricity.

First month only £5, then £9.99 per month, cancel any time

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Best cheap semi-integrated dishwasher

69%

£469.99

Reviewed Oct 2017

We were impressed by how well this dishwasher cleaned and dried dishes - it excelled at both, and even did a good job of drying plastic. It's energy and water efficient too. Is it the budget model for you?

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Best budget dishwasher

73%

£289.00

Reviewed Jun 2017

This freestanding dishwasher is good at cleaning, and energy and water efficient on both the eco and auto programs. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better dishwasher for less.

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Best cheap slimline dishwasher

72%

£249.00

Reviewed Jan 2019

For the price you can't get a better slimline dishwasher. It lacks some features pricier ones have, but more than makes up for this in how well it cleans and dries.

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Last updated: January 2021

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our dishwasher reviews.

And here are two cheap dishwashers to avoid

There are some great dishwasher bargains to be had, but we’ve also found plenty of cheap options that simply aren’t worth the money. These models will leave you stuck at the sink rewashing grubby crockery and cutlery by hand, or reaching for a tea towel when unloading wet dishes. These difficult to use Don’t Buy dishwashers are best avoided.

Cheap Don't Buy dishwashers

43%

£319.99

Reviewed Jun 2016

This dishwasher is lacklustre across the board. Key things that are Don't Buy worthy are it being noisy, wasteful with energy and awkward to load.

First month only £5, then £9.99 per month, cancel any time

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What do you miss out on by going cheap?

Cheaper dishwashers often have fewer programs. This has no effect on how well the dishwasher cleans or dries, but it does limit your choices.

For example, some expensive dishwashers have a 'silent' wash, which reduces the noise made by the machine during the rinsing and washing cycles. This makes it ideal to use when you have friends round, or on a timer overnight.

Other programs that are often missed out on basic dishwashers include:

Delicate wash: uses a lower temperature for glassware and china
Higher temperature wash: for an extra hygienic clean, often recommended for items like baby bottles
Two zone wash: where the top or bottom rack will get a more intense wash, so you can wash a baking tray in the same load as glassware

Occasionally very cheap dishwashers even scrimp on the display. This means you won’t be able to check how long you have left before the cycle completes.

Not sure what you do and don't need?

Read our dishwasher buying guide.