Which? Don't Buy tumble dryers

Buy a bad tumble dryer and you could end up with a mix of still damp and over-dried clothes in the same load, or clothes that simply take ages to dry. 

​The worst tumble dryers use loads of energy and are expensive to run, too.

Join Which? to find out which tumble dryers we've named as Don't Buys

What makes a Don't Buy tumble dryer?

Which? has tested the latest tumble dryers, including models by AEG, Beko, Bosch, Hotpoint, Miele and Samsung, to help find the best tumble dryer for you. Our comprehensive testing allows us to recommend only the dryers that offer excellent drying performance and energy efficiency, as well as letting you know which ones will leave your clothes soggy and creased.

• Every single tumble dryer we review goes through the same set of tests, including drying quality, speed, noise and energy use – so you can compare our reviews with confidence.
• Each tumble dryer gets a Which? test score so you can immediately see, at a glance, which are the best and the worst. And you can compare models on their different features and specifications. 
• Our tests cover all price ranges and brands of tumble dryer and include all the latest vented, condenser and heat pump tumble dryers, both integrated and freestanding.

Our Best Buy tumble dryers will get your clothes perfectly dry without costing a fortune to run. But we've also found plenty of dryers that fail to impress in our testing - including models that end the cycle with half the load still sopping wet.

Which? is independent - our focus is you, the consumer, so you can rest assured the products we recommend are influenced solely by our test results. We're not influenced by third parties and we won't accept free products from manufacturers or retails. We buy all of the products that we test ourselves, so we can provide advice that helps you make the right choice and avoid costly mistakes.

Find out how we test tumble dryers