Choosing the perfect dishwasher for your needs can be tricky. It needs to be able to hold the crockery, cutlery, and pans for everyone who has food there, without having to empty it out again three times a day.
But, if you were to go by that criteria alone, you could risk getting your dishwasher home only to find that it doesn’t even fit in your kitchen.
This is why I put together this article, so you can view my shortlist of the best dishwashers in Australia, and view my honest reviews on them. Then I’ve got a buying guide for you that will walk you through the key points to consider when shopping for a dishwasher.
Then for the icing on the cake, I’ll also be answering all of your most frequently asked questions on the subject.
And without further ado, let’s get straight to it!
(The following dishwasher reviews aren’t listed in any particular order.)
Danby 18 Inch Built In Dishwasher
This sleek, all black built-in dishwasher has an 8-place setting capacity, which means it can accommodate the dishes of a large family, or of a smaller family plus dinner guests as well.
And despite its large capacity, it’s actually rather slimline, measuring just 17 11/16″ by 22 13/16″ by 32 8/16″ inches, and thus is easy to fit into most kitchens. It comes with a handy basket for your silverware for easy retrieval, and there are 6 washing programs to choose from for each wash.
This includes a normal wash, an eco wash for even lower energy and water consumption, a rapid wash cycle for when you’re in a rush and need those dishes done quickly, one especially for glass, a heavy wash cycle for dried-on food, and a quick rinse cycle as well.
Other conveniences include push button controls, an LED display, and a delay start, so you can schedule your dishwashing according to the time of day when your energy bill is charged at a lower rate – very handy!
If you wish, you can also buy an installation kit to go with it. And it’s surprisingly quiet, at just 52 decibels you can easily hold a conversation over it and hear every word spoken.
My experience with it: I tried all the wash cycles on this machine, and I was particularly impressed with how well it performed on both the eco and the rapid cycle, leaving all the dishes pristine.
Pros
- Large capacity – with 8 place settings, it can suit a large family or dinner parties
- Slimline – At little more than 17 inches wide, it should fit most kitchens
- 6 convenient wash cycles – handy wash cycles, such as rapid, glass, and eco
- Delay start feature – time your washing according to when electricity is cheapest
Cons
- Requires a plumber to install it
Also available to buy at:
COMFEE’ Countertop Dishwasher
Not everyone has room in their kitchen for a freestanding dishwasher, so if you have a relatively cramped kitchen, then a dishwasher that can be fit onto your kitchen countertop could be exactly what you need.
This portable dishwasher measures just 20.6 by 21.6 by 17.2 inches, which means it strikes the perfect balance between having a really good inner capacity, coming in at 6 place settings, yet at the same time it’s also relatively compact.
It can fit up to 70 pieces of crockery, and plates of up to 10 inches in width. This means that the kids could bring their friends over and there will be enough space in the dishwasher for their dishes too.
There are a staggering 8 washing programs to choose from. There’s normal, for day-to-day use, heavy for dried-on muck, eco for low energy consumption, one for glass, one for baby items, speed for when you’re in a hurry, and even a mini-party setting as well.
Its washing ability is incomparable – the dishes get sprayed with hot water from 360 degrees, for incredible cleaning even on heavily soiled dishes.
And its wash cycles are very quiet, at just 49 decibels, this is significantly quieter than that of a typical conversation, which is about 60 decibels.
It’s also energy-star compliant, meaning it adheres to national standards for low energy usage, and its water consumption can be as low as a mere 2.77 gallons a time depending on the cycle you choose.
My experience with it: This dishwasher stands the tests I set it, it left all my dishes looking great whatever program I set it to.
Pros
- Great capacity – It can fit up to 70 items at any one time
- Compact – doesn’t require any floor space, just countertop space
- 8 great washing programs – you can choose eco or speed washes and more
- Low water consumption – water consumption can be as low as 2.77 gallons a time
Cons
- While the cycle runs fairly quietly, when it is getting rid of dirty water, it’s a bit louder
Also available to buy at:
SPT Built-In Dishwasher
Here we have an energy-star rated stainless steel dishwasher that’s a prominent bestseller with the leading online retailers.
It has a very generous 8 place setting capacity, yet isn’t too big, and at just 18 inches wide is sufficiently slimline to fit in most kitchens. Suitable for both large families and dinner parties.
It has 6 different wash programs in total, namely normal, heavy, energy, glass, quick, and rinse. And it will dry all the dishes for you as well. It also has a handy silverware basket.
There’s also a handy time delay feature, which enables you to set exactly when you want it to run, which is perfect once you know what time of day your electricity tariff is at its lowest.
My experience with it: I just loved the glass program on this dishwasher – the glass came out clear as crystal. And the other programs were equally good. The drying function was especially good.
Pros
- Generous capacity – fits 8 place settings in total
- 6 wash programs – normal, heavy, energy, glass, quick, and rinse
- Delay start feature – time your washing according to when electricity is cheapest
Cons
- The instruction manual can be hard to follow
Also available to buy at:
COMFEE’ Portable Dishwasher
Few dishwashers are more convenient than a small, portable one that doesn’t require calling a plumber out. And you can even take it camping or in your RV. perfect for a dorm room.
Of course being portable means it doesn’t have many place settings, but on the plus side, it’s very compact, taking up minimal space, and it’s just the ticket for anyone living on their own or as a couple.
It measures 16.5 by 17.1 by 17.1 inches, which is large enough to fit 2 place settings in at a time.
It’s also very easy to use – you simply pour the required water in at the top, and attend to the touch panel on the front to control the washing.
If you did want to hook it up to your kitchen faucet you can, but as stated earlier this is not necessary.
There are 6 different programs to choose from, including normal, steam, rapid, a glass one , and one for washing fruit. And it will even dry the dishes for you as well, removing both moisture and odour using the Air Refresh function.
The high temperature steam wash is particularly powerful because it can be used to easily remove any food that has been dried onto the plate or dish.
It features low energy and water consumption, which is great if you’re environmentally conscious or want to keep down your energy bills.
It also has a child lock and is great for cleaning baby bottles.
My experience with it: I found that this dishwasher was more than adequate for washing my dishes, and it even got off some really dried-on food when I set it to steam.
Pros
- Compact and portable – take it anywhere, doesn’t take up much space
- No plumbing required – simply pour the water in from above
- Environmentally friendly – low energy and water consumption
- Steam wash setting – gets rid of dried-on muck
Cons
- Not so good for medium or large size families
Also available to buy at:
Midea Benchtop Dishwasher
If you don’t have the space for a tall, freestanding dishwasher, but you do have countertop space, then this option is certainly worth considering.
It’s 51 cm deep, 55.5 cm wide and 60.5 cm high, and it sprays hot water a full 360 degrees around the inside to ensure that all your dishes get a good, thorough clean, and it will dry them all for you too.
It can hold up to 6 place settings at a time, which means that it has enough capacity for a large family.
It offers 6 different types of wash programs, and this includes a strong wash, for those caked on foods, extra drying for bone dry items that won’t need any towel drying, and an express wash for when you need your dishes washed in a hurry.
It runs quite quiet at a mere 49 decibels, so you will hear it, but it shouldn’t be at all disruptive. What’s more, Midea is so confident in their products that they get backed with a lengthy 12-month manufacturer warranty that includes both parts and labour.
My experience with it: I was more than happy with this one – it cleaned all my dishes perfectly, and they came out bone dry.
Pros
- Cleans up to 6 place settings in one go
- 6 great wash programs to choose from
- Comes backed by a 12-month warranty
Cons
- Not great for large families, you’d probably need to use it at least once a day
Also available to buy at:
Buying Guide
As promised, here’s your buying guide. Let me walk you through the key points to consider when shopping for a dishwasher.
Dishwasher Dimensions
As mentioned in my introduction, you don’t want to buy a dishwasher only to find that it doesn’t even fit in your kitchen. For this reason, I made a point of including the dishwasher dimensions in each of my reviews.
Capacity (Number Of Place Settings)
The more people using the dishwasher, the more place settings you’ll need your dishwasher to be able to hold.
Similarly, the greater the number of place settings, the more you can fill it before having to turn it on. The less frequently you fill it and use it, the more energy, and electricity you will save, and the lower your bills will be.
Freestanding Dishwashers Vs Bench Top Ones
If you have the room for a freestanding dishwasher, then this is recommended, because it means you get much greater capacity, and more place settings.
And even if you won’t use all the place settings at every meal, this is still preferable because it means you can usually wash the dishes for two or three multi-place setting meals.
For example, you could put your breakfast and lunch dishes on together for one wash, followed by putting the dishes for the next evening meal and the next breakfast in together the next day.
Of course, if you don’t have the room for a freestanding dishwasher, this doesn’t mean that you have to go without a dishwasher altogether, because you can also get ones that fit on your kitchen countertop.
And some of them can be quite small, which is perfect if you don’t have a lot of space.
Special Wash Programs
If you’re interested, you can also look out for special wash programs, such as an economy wash, which costs little money per wash, or a low energy wash that will wash your dishes on a cooler wash so as to use less energy, or a low water consumption wash in order to save water, or an intensive wash for hard to remove debris, or a quick wash if you want your dishes washed in a hurry because you’ve got hungry mouths to feed.
Brand
I looked at several brands of dishwashers for this article, but Midea was an easy favourite for me. Well established brands have a reputation to maintain, and this makes them a more reliable option.
Value For Money
If you’re going to spend hundreds of Australian dollars on something, you want to get your money’s worth. You can expect to pay a minimum of $400 for a good quality dishwasher, but the best ones can often cost more than $1,000.
For this reason, we recommend that you check prices as you go along, learn what your money can get you, and set your budget accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Top 5 Best Dishwashers?
Which Is The Best Brand For Dishwashers?
My favourite brand for dishwashers has to be Comfee
