A best-selling freestanding dishwasher costs 14.48p to 24.74p a cycle on its eco programme at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. We read the energy label for each of the 20 most popular models on AO. Unlike washing machines, where every best-seller is now A rated, dishwashers still run the whole range from A to E, and the letter shows up on the bill.
Among full-size models, the thirstiest uses 94 kWh per 100 cycles and the most frugal 55, so one costs 71% more to run than the other. At five cycles a week that is £26.69 a year. And the efficient one is not always dearer: the A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK was £10 cheaper at AO than the E-rated Bosch SMS26AW08G.
What we found, 9 November 2026
- Grades: 2 A, 5 B, 4 C, 2 D and 7 E. E is the most common rating among the best-sellers.
- Per cycle: 14.48p (Hotpoint H8FHS61BSUK and Hisense HS663A90BXUK) to 24.74p (Beko DVN04X20W).
- Per year at five cycles a week: £37.64 to £64.33.
- The A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK (£389) is cheaper to buy than the E-rated Bosch SMS26AW08G (£399) and saves £25.32 a year to run.
- Two Comfee listings show a factory print drawing of the label, with production notes, instead of the label itself. Five AO spec tables give no energy figure per 100 cycles.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 9 November 2026 · next check 1 January 2027 · how we picked
All 20, cheapest to run first
| # | Model | Type | AO price | Class | Place settings | kWh per 100 cycles | Per cycle | Per year | Per place setting | Water per cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hisense HS663A90BXUK | Full size | £389 | A | 16 | 55 | 14.48p | £37.64 | 0.90p | 9.4 L |
| 2 | Hotpoint Hydroforce H8FHS61BSUK | Full size | £599 | A | 15 | 55 | 14.48p | £37.64 | 0.97p | 9.9 L |
| 3 | Hisense HS523C15WUK | Slimline | £319 | C | 10 | 59 | 15.53p | £40.37 | 1.55p | 8.5 L |
| 4 | Hisense Hi4 HS642B90B | Full size | £349 | B | 14 | 64 | 16.84p | £43.80 | 1.20p | 8.9 L |
| 5 | Beko BDFN26451W | Full size | £379 | B | 14 | 65 | 17.11p | £44.48 | 1.22p | 9.5 L |
| 6 | Bosch Series 4 SMS4EMW06G | Full size | £499 | B | 14 | 65 | 17.11p | £44.48 | 1.22p | 9 L |
| 7 | Bosch Series 6 SMS6ZCI10G | Full size | £699 | B | 14 | 65 | 17.11p | £44.48 | 1.22p | 9 L |
| 8 | Hisense Hi4 HS643B90B | Full size | £429 | B | 15 | 65 | 17.11p | £44.48 | 1.14p | 9.5 L |
| 9 | Hoover H-DISH 300 HF3C7L0B | Full size | £299 | C | 13 | 73 | 19.21p | £49.96 | 1.48p | 10.9 L |
| 10 | Hotpoint HP2FFC14BN6BUK | Full size | £319 | C | 14 | 75 | 19.74p | £51.32 | 1.41p | 8.9 L |
| 11 | Midea MDWEF1433D(W)-WG-UK | Full size | £289 | C | 14 | 75 | 19.74p | £51.32 | 1.41p | 9.8 L |
| 12 | Beko DVS04X20W | Slimline | £249 | E | 10 | 76 | 20.00p | £52.01 | 2.00p | 11.9 L |
| 13 | Comfee CDWEF1034BW-UK | Slimline | £199 | E | 10 | 76 | 20.00p | £52.01 | 2.00p | 9 L |
| 14 | Hisense HS523E15BUK | Slimline | £279 | E | 10 | 76 | 20.00p | £52.01 | 2.00p | 9 L |
| 15 | Beko BDFN26431W | Full size | £259 | D | 14 | 85 | 22.37p | £58.17 | 1.60p | 10.9 L |
| 16 | Candy RapidO CFP 4D9F0B-80 | Full size | £249 | D | 14 | 85 | 22.37p | £58.17 | 1.60p | 11 L |
| 17 | Bosch Series 2 SMS26AW08G | Full size | £399 | E | 12 | 92 | 24.21p | £62.96 | 2.02p | 9.5 L |
| 18 | Comfee CDWPF1201PW-UK | Full size | £219 | E | 12 | 92 | 24.21p | £62.96 | 2.02p | 11 L |
| 19 | Hisense HS622E90BUK | Full size | £269 | E | 13 | 93 | 24.48p | £63.64 | 1.88p | 11 L |
| 20 | Beko DVN04X20W | Full size | £279 | E | 13 | 94 | 24.74p | £64.33 | 1.90p | 12.9 L |
Here the letter matters
For washing machines the energy letter has stopped meaning much, because nearly every model on sale is an A. Dishwashers are different. Seven of these 20 best-sellers are E rated, and the gap between grades is wide: the two A-rated full-size models use 55 kWh per 100 cycles, the B-rated ones 64 to 65, and the E-rated full-size models 92 to 94.
The best-selling cheap models are mostly E rated. That is where the running cost catches up with the price. The Comfee CDWPF1201PW-UK is £170 cheaper to buy than the A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK, but costs £25.32 a year more to run at five cycles a week, so the gap closes in about 6.7 years. Against the Beko DVN04X20W, £110 cheaper than the Hisense, it closes in about 4.1 years.
Slimline machines, which hold 10 place settings, cost 1.55p to 2.00p per place setting a cycle. Every full-size machine here rated C or better costs less per place setting than any of the slimlines, between 0.90p and 1.48p. A full-size D or E-rated machine does not: 1.60p to 2.02p.
Cheapest to own over ten years
| Model | Class | AO price | Ten years of electricity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisense HS663A90BXUK | A | £389 | £376.40 | £765.40 |
| Hisense Hi4 HS642B90B | B | £349 | £438.00 | £787.00 |
| Hoover H-DISH 300 HF3C7L0B | C | £299 | £499.60 | £798.60 |
| Midea MDWEF1433D(W)-WG-UK | C | £289 | £513.20 | £802.20 |
| Beko BDFN26451W | B | £379 | £444.80 | £823.80 |
| Candy RapidO CFP 4D9F0B-80 | D | £249 | £581.70 | £830.70 |
The A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK comes out cheapest to own, ahead of every cheaper E and D-rated machine. This is an illustration at today's cap; the rate changes every quarter.
Listings that do not show the label properly
- Comfee CDWPF1201PW-UK and Comfee CDWEF1034BW-UK: the image AO shows as the energy label is a factory print drawing, with dimension lines, a title block and production notes in Chinese around a small copy of the label. The figures are readable, 92 kWh and 76 kWh, but it is not the label a buyer should be shown.
- No figure per 100 cycles in AO's spec table for five best-sellers: the three Bosch models and both Comfees. For the Comfee CDWPF1201PW-UK the table instead gives an "annual" figure of 213 kWh that appears nowhere on the label.
In every case we used the energy label image, which is the document the manufacturer is responsible for.
What the label figure leaves out
The label figure is for the eco programme only. It is slow: 3 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 10 minutes on these machines. Intensive or quick programmes use more, so these costs are the floor for each dishwasher, not an average for every load. Water is extra and depends on your water company; these machines use 8.5 to 12.9 litres a cycle.
Which to choose
- For the lowest running cost among the best-sellers, the A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK (16 place settings) or Hotpoint H8FHS61BSUK (15).
- For a lower purchase price with a smaller running-cost penalty, the B-rated Hisense HS642B90B at £349 uses 64 kWh per 100 cycles, against 92 to 94 for the E-rated full-size models.
- If you are tempted by an E-rated machine to save on the price, work out how many years the saving lasts. At five cycles a week it is usually four to seven.
- Check that the model code on the energy label matches the one you are buying.
How we worked it out
| Item | What we did |
|---|---|
| Which models | AO's freestanding dishwasher range, sorted by "Most Popular", 60 per page. We took the first 20 distinct models and skipped colour variants of a model already counted. |
| Energy, water, capacity | Read from the UK or EU energy label image on each AO product page. |
| Electricity rate | 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, direct debit, Great Britain average. Standing charge excluded. |
| Cycles a year | 260, five a week. This is our illustration. Scale it to your own use. |
| Payback | Price difference divided by the yearly running-cost difference at 260 cycles. |
| Prices | AO's non-member prices on 9 November 2026. Black Friday prices change daily. |
| Rounding | Pence rounded once, at the end of each sum. |
What this audit could not check
- We have not used or measured any of these dishwashers. Every figure is from an energy label.
- How much each uses on programmes other than eco. Makers do not publish that in a comparable form.
- Cleaning and drying results or reliability, which matter as much as the running cost.
Common questions
How much does a dishwasher cost to run per cycle in the UK?
On the eco programme, the 20 best-selling freestanding dishwashers on AO cost 14.48p to 24.74p a cycle at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh, using each one's energy label. That is £37.64 to £64.33 a year at five cycles a week.
Does a dishwasher's energy rating make a difference to the bill?
Yes, more than for washing machines. The 20 best-sellers run from A to E, and a full-size E-rated model uses up to 94 kWh per 100 eco cycles against 55 for an A. At five cycles a week that is £26.69 a year.
Is an A-rated dishwasher worth the extra money?
Sometimes it costs no extra. The A-rated Hisense HS663A90BXUK was £389 at AO on 9 November 2026, £10 less than the E-rated Bosch SMS26AW08G. Against the cheapest E-rated full-size model, the Comfee CDWPF1201PW-UK at £219, the Hisense's lower running cost repays the £170 difference in about 6.7 years at five cycles a week.
Which dishwasher is cheapest to run?
Among AO's 20 best-sellers, the A-rated Hotpoint H8FHS61BSUK and Hisense HS663A90BXUK, both 55 kWh per 100 cycles or 14.48p a cycle. Per place setting the 16-place Hisense is cheapest at 0.90p.
Why does the eco programme take so long?
The eco programme is the one the energy label is measured on, and it saves energy by washing longer at a lower temperature. On these 20 dishwashers it runs from 3 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 10 minutes.
Compare more
This audit is one of five. The energy label audit puts all 100 best-sellers side by side and shows where the letter on the label stops matching the bill.
More from the same label audits: freezer running costs (all 20 best-sellers E rated, £41 to £66 a year) and TV running costs (£10 to £50 a year, HDR more than doubles some sets).
- Washing machine running costs UK: 20 best-sellers, all A rated
- Fridge freezer running costs UK: 20 best-sellers, £48 to £68 a year
- Repair or replace calculator
- UK Running Cost Index
Sources
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026
- AO, freestanding dishwashers sorted by Most Popular, the 20 product pages in the table and the energy label shown on each
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