7 Best Dishwashers of 2025, Lab-Tested and Reviewed

The seven dishwashers below all received our highest scores. The models have different particular strengths, but they all perform impressively in our lab tests. They all hold Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, which means they meet a higher standard of energy and water efficiency than other dishwashers.

People prioritize different features in a dishwasher, including a third rack, a short wash-cycle time, or a fingerprint-resistant surface. We note these options on each model page from our comprehensive dishwasher ratings and provide the details you need to know about them in our dishwasher buying guide.

There are a few performance aspects that everyone can appreciate, and we test them rigorously in our labs, including:

• Cleaning: The top performers reliably wash away starchy, crusted-on messes and produce great results even with lower-cost (or more eco-friendly) detergents or in hard water, which tends to reduce a detergent’s cleaning ability. Certain extras like additional wash arms and specialty wash zones touted by manufacturers may suggest better cleaning power, but that’s not always the case, as our washing tests have found.
• Drying: In general, CR’s testers have found that dishwashers with heated-dry cycles (which essentially bake moisture off the dishes) tend to do a better job at getting your dishes bone-dry than models that rely on residual heat, but it’s not a guarantee. Larry Ciufo, CR’s head of dishwasher testing, has also noted that dishwashers that automatically open their doors at the end of a cycle to release steam tend to be particularly effective.
• Noise: Certain “quiet” models actually have jarring spikes in volume from time to time while they run, like the sound of the detergent door thwacking against the tub or the churn of a loud drain pump. Our noise ratings take those random spikes into account.
• Efficiency: Our tests have revealed that dishwashers often use slightly more water and energy than advertised, but the difference adds up to only a few dollars in extra utility costs per year. If efficiency and sustainability are especially important to you, opt for one of our CR Green Choice dishwashers, which we think are among the most efficient. They also have the least negative environmental impact compared with other models on the market.

The dishwashers in our ratings can cost as little as $325 or more than $2,000. Here’s what our testers found in each category.

• Less than $500: It’s possible to find a pretty decent machine on a tight budget, but dishwashers under $500 are rarer than they used to be. Those that are still available typically have plastic tubs, which don’t resist stains as well as stainless steel tubs. Consumer Reports’ tests have also found that these dishwashers are relatively noisy.
• $500 to $1,000: Many models in this price range earn our top ratings for cleaning performance as well as predicted reliability, which are two factors we weigh heavily in our ratings overall. They also often have at least a few convenient features, like adjustable racks, a third rack, and quiet operation.
• More than $1,000: Dishwashers above this price have elevated style and are fully loaded with special features, so you don’t have to pick and choose.

When a dishwasher enters Consumer Reports’ labs, we put it through at least 28 hours of tough trials. More than 100 dishwasher models have gone through our labs. We test new models throughout the year and periodically retest machines that have been around for a while.

To evaluate each model’s cleaning prowess, our testers apply a consistent amount of starchy goop to 10 white ceramic plates. (The recipe is a secret, but cocoa is involved.) Then they bake each plate until it’s crusty, load the plates into the dishwasher without pre-rinsing (shown below), and run the default cleaning cycle. Afterward, our imaging software compares before and after photos of each plate to precisely analyze how much gunk is left over.