For most people cost is going to be a major consideration when purchasing a new dishwasher. You want to buy something that will meet your needs, look great and last for years without bankrupting yourself in the process. Prices range, at the time of writing, from £185 for a slimline Beko model to more than £2000 for an all-singing-all-dancing Miele. The majority of machines will set you back between £200 and £800 and you can get some really great models in that price range. You’ll pay a little more for an integrated (built in) machine than for a freestanding one. Slimline (narrow) dishwashers are cheaper than their standard-sized counterparts but not as much as half price (which might seem logical as they are almost half the size). Semi-integrated machines also tend to come at a bit of a premium (possibly because the cheaper manufacturers don’t tend to make them).

The key is to make sure that you get the best product you possibly can for your budget and that is where we’ll try to help. We aim to make recommendations taking into account ‘typical’ budgets that people tend to have. The vast majority of people will spend less than £500 on a new machine so we tend to focus our attention on the £200-£500 range.

When you buy a new dishwasher, especially a built in one, you want to be sure it’s going to be trouble-free and not need replacing any time soon. The last thing you want is to find out that your dishwasher’s packed up and the kitchen units you spent a fortune on have now been discontinued so you suddenly have a gaping hole under your sink. The aim of the game is many years of tradesman-free living.

The good news is that machines are getting better all the time and, as long as you choose wisely in the first place, you can reasonably expect 5-10 years hassle-free service from most decent machines. Does this mean you can’t buy a cheap dishwasher? No, not at all. There are some budget models, especially from Beko, that have excellent feedback from buyers who say they’ve been going strong for years. Will a more expensive machine last longer? Well, the old saying that “you get what you pay for” is never completely redundant. If you spend £500 on a Bosch or similar you can be pretty confident that the machine will last.

But what about breakdowns? Well, the simple fact is that any machine can experience problems, sometimes it’s just the way it goes. The key from a buyer’s point of view is one, to check the warranty – the longer the better obviously! And two, to make sure that you choose a brand that has generally received positive feedback over the years. As we tend to focus our reviews on the best-selling and top rated machines on the market at any one time, you can be pretty confident that we won’t show you any models that will turn out to be lemons.

When choosing your new appliance it definitely make sense to check the length of the warranty offered by the manufacturer. The vast majority of dishwashers come with either a 1 year or a 2 year guarantee. There are a few models that come with a 5 year warranty (at the time of writing we can name 3, two from Siemens and one from AEG) but, as you can imagine they aren’t the cheapest! Chances are the model you buy will come with either one or two years cover – and obviously the latter is better. When you make your purchase we suggest you double-check the details as some warranties cover parts and labour, some just cover parts. Parts cover is better than nothing but ideally you want to make sure that, in the event of a breakdown, the manufacturer will send someone out to your house to fix the problem and there won’t be a bill attached!

As with any appliance it’s always worth working out in advance how much the new addition will increase your energy bills by. As a rough guide a dishwasher will cost you somewhere between £30-£50 a year to run – which seems pretty reasonable if you hate washing up as much as we do. Most (efficient) slimline models will be in the £30-£40 range with standard sized models coming in somewhere between £35-£45. As most people don’t use water meters we don’t tend to factor in the cost of the extra water used but, if you do have one installed, you may also want to consider this. Your new machine will probably use somewhere between 2,500 to 3,500 litres of water per year which you just need to multiply by the cost per unit your water supplier charges you. Do bear in mind though that this needs to be off-set against the water you would ordinarily use washing up by hand.

The dimensions of standard sized UK dishwasher are 85 cm high, 60 cm wide and 55-60 cm deep. The dimensions of a slimline model are the same except for the width which is normally 45 cm.

If you’re replacing an existing machine you can be pretty confident your new one will fit as long as you make sure you get the depth right. Bear in mind that the pipework is located at the back of the unit so, when you measure you need to take into account any obstructions which will stop the machine being pushed fully back into the available space.

If you’re buying a machine for the first time or are having a whole new kitchen fitted you (or your builders) will need to make sure you have enough room for the unit. Height shouldn’t be an issue as the majority of kitchens worktops are fitted at 87 cm high leaving you a couple of centimetres to spare. Width and depth are the measurements you’ll really need to pay attention to. This is especially true if you’re planning on an integrated model as the depth must be adequate or the fascia panel won’t line up with the other units which will ruin the nice clean lines of your kitchen.

When you’ve made up your mind which machine you want to buy you’ll need to decide on a retailer that offers the best prices and also delivers quickly for free (or at least for a reasonable price). We recommend AO.com as they have a choice of free delivery (your order will take 2 or 3 days to arrive), next day delivery at cost of £9.99 or even same day delivery for an extra £19.99 (if you really, really can’t bear the thought of washing up even one more plate by hand).

If you’re replacing an existing dishwasher you’ll either need to disconnect it yourself or have someone do this for you. The process is pretty straightforward to do although we tend to recommend using AO.com’s disconnection service as it only costs a fiver and saves you the headache of figuring out how to do it yourself (please note, they won’t disconnect integrated appliances, presumably because they don’t want to be responsible for for trying to save the existing door panel for re-use on the new machine as this can be hit and miss depending on the fittings).

If you’re a little more hands-on and fancy disconnecting your existing machine yourself it’s not hard to do. Please see the video below for step-by-step instructions

When it comes to installation the vast majority of people will choose to have a professional do the work for them. That’s not to say the process is that difficult but most people just aren’t that confident when it comes to plumbing.

The key questions are

Our advice would be as follows 

1. If you’re replacing an existing unit

2. If you’re installing a freestanding unit for the first time

3. If you’re replacing an integrated model

4. If you’re fitting a new integrated model

DIY Instructions

If, on the other hand, you fancy giving it a go yourself check out this video below for simple step-by-step instructions (there are plenty more on YouTube if this one isn’t quite right for your needs).

If you’re replacing an existing appliance you’ll need to find a way to dispose of the old unit that complies with the Government’s WEEE Regulations. The gist of these is that appliances (especially large ones like washing machines and dishwashers) need to be disposed of carefully and recycled where possible. You can’t just stick the old unit outside your house and hope for the best (well, you’r not supposed to anyway).

We recommend buying your new machine from a retailer who will also (for a small charge) take away the old unit and dispose of it in a way that complies with the govt regulations. AO.com for example charge £9.99 to recycle your old machine which seems like a reasonable price to pay to avoid the hassle of doing it yourself. That said, if you want to save the money, most local refuse centres will accept old appliances, you just need to make sure you drop them off in the correct place rather than putting them in with general waste. Local councils do also offer a service where they will collect unwanted electrical appliances from you but they may (and probably will) charge a fee for doings so.