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Home & garden.

3 August 2021

Which dishwasher brand to buy

Our exclusive Which? customer satisfaction and longevity data will help you choose a long-lasting dishwasher. Find out which brands, including Bosch and Miele, have the happiest customers and which develop the fewest faults over time.
Aaron West
Dishwasher salt 2 460838

In this article

Broken drains and leaking door seals are some of the most common faults that plague dishwashers. If you buy from the best brands, you're much less likely to face the hassle of fixing these.

Knowing which brands develop the most faults, and how quickly, is vital when you're buying a new dishwasher. That’s why this year, in our unique longevity and customer satisfaction survey, we've asked more than 5,000 Which? members to tell us whether they're happy with their dishwasher, or if they've experienced problems. 

Our survey data takes into account reported fault rates, the severity of these faults and the speed with which they occurred. 

We've crunched the numbers for the biggest dishwasher manufacturers – including AEG, Bosch, Miele, Neff and Siemens – and have calculated an estimated lifetime and customer score for each, so you know which brands to choose and which to avoid.

The best dishwasher brands

The table below summarises this year’s results. Brands are ranked by their customer score, which reflects whether customers would recommend each brand and their level of satisfaction.

Estimated lifetime is based on how long owners kept their previous dishwasher before replacing it due to a fault. The proportion replaced is the percentage of dishwashers that were replaced due to a fault before their 10th birthday. The less replaced, the better.

Only logged-in Which? members can view which brands are the most and least reliable, and which our members are most satisfied with, in the table below. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Brand
Customer score
Average test score
Estimated average lifetime
Proportion replaced before 10 years
87%
81%
22 years
40%
84%
71%
20 years
64%
82%
73%
22 years
73%
77%
n/a
22 years
51%
70%
61%
14 year
76%
70%
67%
16 years
91%
70%
64%
13 years
69%
70%
72%
n/a
n/a
67%
69%
18 years
54%
67%
67%
17 years
66%
67%
75%
n/a
n/a
65%
61%
16 years
63%
64%
64%
n/a
n/a
63%
66%
18 years
58%
60%
n/a
n/a
n/a
57%
n/a
n/a
n/a
  • Table notes: The customer score, estimated lifetime and proportion replaced are based on a survey of 5,277 Which? members who own dishwashers, conducted in September 2020. Where n/a is reported there is not enough data. Table last updated 14 December 2020. 
  • Average test score is based on results of models tested under the latest test programme and available to buy as of December 2020.
  • Estimated average lifespan in years and proportion replaced is based on Which? members who told us how long they kept their previous appliance before they replaced it due to a fault.

Decided on the brand? Find out the best dishwashers for you.

Best vs worst dishwasher brands

As you can see, there's a big difference between the best and worst dishwashers and the satisfaction score reported by customers.

How long will my dishwasher last?

On average, a dishwasher will last 19 years. This is based on the experiences of Which? members who told us how long they kept their previous appliance before they replaced it because of a fault. 

But, as you can see from the graph below, there’s a big difference between how long the best and the worst brands last. 

Which? members can log in to view which dishwasher brands last the longest before they need to be replaced. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Verdict: dishwasher brands in-depth

We've pulled together our reliability data, customer insight and their average performance in our independent dishwasher tests to give you an in-depth look at each brand. 

Only Which? members can log in to view our verdicts on the brands listed below and whether it's a brand worth buying. 

If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access to the following dishwasher brand verdicts:

  • AEG dishwashers verdict
  • Beko dishwashers verdict
  • Blomberg dishwashers verdict
  • Bosch dishwashers verdict
  • Electrolux dishwashers verdict
  • Hotpoint dishwashers verdict
  • IKEA dishwashers verdict
  • Indesit dishwashers verdict
  • John Lewis dishwashers verdict
  • Kenwood dishwashers verdict
  • Lamona dishwashers verdict
  • Miele dishwashers verdict
  • Neff dishwashers verdict
  • Siemens dishwashers verdict
  • Whirlpool dishwashers verdict
  • Zanussi dishwashers verdict

How to fix the most common dishwasher problems

1. Not draining (11% of all faults reported)

The number one cause of a dishwasher not draining will be that the filter or pump needs unblocking and cleaning. Luckily this is free to do. Check out our guide on how to fix a dishwasher that's not draining .

If this doesn't work then the drain pump itself could be broken and need replacing. These are pretty inexpensive and not difficult to do yourself, so its worth trying before replacing your whole dishwasher.

To prevent this problem happening in future, make sure to clean the filter of large bits of food every week and use a dishwasher cleaner every few months to keep your machine in tip-top shape.

2. Door seal broken (10%)

You'll know your door seal is broken if your dishwasher is leaking at the front of the machine a bit while washing.

Replacement door seals are cheap and most will fit any brand of machine.

You can prevent this problem by cleaning the seal every month and checking if any bigger bits of food are stuck in it, which could cause it to deteriorate. 

3. Electrical fault (9%)

Electrical faults can be mysterious to diagnose. They can be anything from the display not working to the machine not turning on at all.

For these you'll probably want to get a professional in to fix it. But, depending on the price of your dishwasher, you may just think its easier and cheaper to buy a replacement.

How we calculate the best and worst brands

Which? has a wealth of information on Britain's favourite brands. Every year we ask Which? members to tell us about the home appliances they own – from how likely they would be to recommend a brand, to how reliable the products are once they get them home.

This year 7,917 Which? members told us about more than 25,000 individual products. We calculate a brand's estimated lifetime and its customer score based on the results of our annual survey.

Our surveys, combined with our extensive lab tests, mean we can recommend the best dishwashers you should buy.

Head to our dishwasher reviews

Know which dishwasher brand you want? Use the link to go straight to our reviews and find your ideal model for each brand:

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