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21 October 2021

Top five cheap tumble dryers for 2021

Find a bargain Best Buy with our pick of the best cheap tumble dryers to buy this year.

Matt Stevens

We’ve selected five of the cheapest Best Buy tumble dryers, whether you’re after a spacious dryer if you do a lot of washing, one that'll get your clothes dried in good time, or just the very cheapest Best Buy tumble dryer we've tested.

Some inexpensive dryers aren’t quite the bargain they first appear, as they can be awkward to use, guzzle energy and leave your clothes damp. To help you avoid the dodgy dryers, we've also highlighted some of the worst tumble dryers you should steer clear of. Scroll down the page to see them.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which?.

Top five cheap tumble dryers

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76%
£529.00
This is a very good heat-pump tumble dryer. In our tests it dried clothes well, and did so without using much energy. That's why we've made it a Best Buy.
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75%
£369.00
This Best Buy tumble dryer is a great all-rounder; it dries clothes evenly, accurately, and leaves most items crease-free. The condenser is extremely effective at trapping moist air – so it won’t leak out and cause problems elsewhere – and as you’d expect from a heat-pump dryer, it’s also energy efficient.
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74%
£479.00
We were impressed with this tumble dryer. It dries accurately and evenly, the condenser works brilliantly, and as you might expect from a heat pump model, it’s economical to run. It’s a Best Buy.
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74%
£399.00
This dryer does exactly what it says on the tin, so when you choose the cupboard-dry cottons setting, they will come out of the drum dry enough to go straight into the cupboard – something that not all dryers can manage. Its condenser works well and it’s very energy efficient, too. All of these factors combine to make it a Best Buy.
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69%
£229.00
This is a fantastic condenser dryer, and it would be a great choice for those who don’t want a hi-tech control panel with an array of fancy programs. A top scoring machine, this one gets the job done well without any fuss.
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Pricing, recommendations and test scores correct as of October 2021.

Not found the tumble dryer for you? Browse all of our tumble dryer reviews.

Three cheap tumble dryers to avoid

When tumble dryers can cost the best part of £1,000, it can be tempting to go for the cheapest deal you can find.

Watch out though, as great, inexpensive dryers are a rare breed.

Although it's perfectly possible to get excellent drying on a tight budget, some cheap dryers are poorly made, won't dry your clothes properly, and will run up your energy bills so much that you might as well have paid more up front to start with.

Worst cheap tumble dryers

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40%
£251.00
We're not impressed with this dryer – clothes aren't dried evenly, it uses a lot of energy, it's not very easy to use and it's loud.
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39%
£277.00
We’re not impressed with this condenser dryer. While clothes come out well dried, it doesn’t dry evenly across all the clothes in the drum. And it uses a huge amount of energy, making it around three times as much to run as an energy-saving heat-pump machine. We’ve made this machine a Don’t Buy.
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34%
£280.00
This dryer can hold 10kg of clothes and has a handy smartphone app, but don’t be fooled by this cheap tumble dryer. It’s inefficient, noisy and leaves your clothes full of creases. Don’t buy this disappointing dryer.
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Pricing, recommendations and test scores correct of October 2021.

How to get the best deal on a tumble dryer

Getting a cheap tumble dryer isn’t just a case of picking the right model. Use our top tips to keep costs low when you’re buying a new machine.

Wait for the sales

Most of us buy a tumble dryer in a rush to replace a broken machine or to kit out a new home. If, however, you want to upgrade and can afford to wait a little while, you may find a cheaper deal at another time of year. January sales and around spring are the best times to keep an eye out for a deal, as these are the times most brands discontinue older models and look to sell them through at reduced prices.

It pays to shop around

Once you’ve selected the right tumble dryer for you, search for the model number online. Retailers often have different prices for exactly the same machine, sometimes by £100 or more, so compare stores to make sure that you’re not missing a promotion or deal price.

Check for additional costs

Your new bargain tumble dryer might come with some nasty surprises on the bottom of the receipt if you’re not careful. You should consider delivery charges when you’re shopping around, and installation fees if you’re not setting up your dryer yourself. Manufacturers may have deals with different retailers, so double check to make sure that everything you expect is included in the price. It's a good idea to check the warranty and the returns policy too, in case you're unfortunate enough to be landed with a faulty dryer.