Wirecutter - An industry-defining dishwasher

Michael Hession

Liam McCabe

A dishwasher’s job is pretty simple in theory—spray a bunch of hot water and detergent at the dishes until all the food comes off.

But most people want a dishwasher that’s also quick, and durable, and good-looking, and affordable, and that gets the dishes dry. It will have to work well in hard water and soft water alike, as well as meet—and ideally surpass—the federal efficiency requirements.

For my money, Bosch dishwashers do the best job of threading that needle. They consistently beat or match other brands by almost every meaningful, measurable metric: cleaning, quietness, rack versatility, speed, reputation for reliability, style options, and others. The newest models even (finally) got good at drying plastic.

Beyond the raw stats and specs, Bosch dishwashers are packed with unexpected optimizations and elegant engineering that you won’t find with other brands. Instead of heating the wash water with a ceramic rod, like most dishwashers, Bosch models use an in-line heat pump that works faster and uses less energy. The unique sealed base both muffles the sound of the pumps and provides an extra line of leak defense.

There’s even a little detergent-dissolving nook on the upper rack, where a tablet or pod can get broken down, steadily and completely, by a targeted jet from the warm arm—rather than falling to the bottom of the tub, where dissolution isn’t as predictable.

The distinguishing feature that really ties the Bosch design together is, of all things, the layer of asphalt (also called bitumen) wrapped around most of the stainless steel wash tub.

Seriously! Asphalt insulation isn’t exactly high tech, but it’s a sneaky-effective upgrade over the cellulose insulation and plastic tubs that most dishwashers use. It’s much better at muffling sound, and it helps the dishes dry super-efficiently.

Here’s how it works and why it’s significant: The final rinse segment of a dishwasher cycle uses very hot water, and the bitumen in a Bosch absorbs more of that heat than other common types of insulation. That extra retained heat helps the moisture left on the dishes to evaporate faster than it would in a tub with less retained heat.

A typical heat-dry dishwasher, on the other hand, dries dishes by turning on a ceramic heating element at the bottom of the tub until the dishes are baked dry. This is a perfectly good strategy, and it does have some advantages. Even cheaper heat-dry dishwashers are really good at drying plastic, while Bosch (and other passive-drying brands) struggle with this.

Take your pick, but I find Bosch’s approach particularly satisfying because it tickles that part of my brain that wants everything to be as fully integrated and streamlined as possible. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Bosch dishwashers always rank right near or at the top of every cleaning test from Wirecutter and nearly every other outlet that actually tests dishwashers.

Is Bosch a life-changingly good dishwasher? I mean, any dishwasher that works is pretty excellent. I’ve used a Bosch for the better part of a decade at this point, and I’m perfectly satisfied with it. (It just doesn’t bother me that plastic comes out a little damp sometimes.)

I can’t pretend to be certain that I’m happier with my Bosch than I’d be with a Whirlpool or whatever. If I inherited some other dishwasher brand in a new house, for example, I wouldn’t throw it away. But when it came time to replace it, I’d probably buy another Bosch—perhaps one of the models with an upgraded drying system, because why not. Maybe I’m just a sucker for this type of story about clever engineering. But my actual, real-life experience with a Bosch machine gives me reason to believe it.

Bosch was founded in 1886 in Stuttgart, Germany, and produced its first dishwasher in 1964. According to company lore, the first Bosch-branded dishwasher was imported into the US in 1991.

Compared with the typical American model at the time, the Bosch-made dishwashers were quite different in their design and operation. Consumer Reports, an authority for appliance reviews, even separated them into a distinct “Euromodels” category in a 1993 review.

Bosch’s popularity grew quickly after the company opened a stateside dishwasher factory in North Carolina in 1997, and new environmental regulations reshaped the way that modern dishwashers needed to work. Traits like soil sensors and non-heated drying cycles, which had previously made Bosch dishwashers seem unusual, suddenly became ordinary. Since 2000, Bosch has consistently been one of the top-rated dishwasher brands.

Bosch dishwashers have been our top pick since 2014. Here’s why we love them:

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• In 2020, we tested 17 current models—at least one from every major brand—and the Bosch models were the best at cleaning the toughest stains.

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• They’re as quiet, spacious, and fast as any dishwasher you can get for less than $1,000. And they seem to be more reliable than other brands, too.

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• The cleaning performance is excellent across the Bosch lineup. Even the low-end 100 Series cleans as well as the premium 800 Series.

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Read more in our guide to the best dishwashers.

Deals on dishwashers are rare right now. We’ve seen some deals around Black Friday and an occasional sale during late spring and early summer.

We have guides to getting the best results from your dishwasher. But the gist of it is relatively simple.

Experiment a bit to find the right brand and amount of detergent and rinse aid, for the best results today and less trouble tomorrow. Rinse the main filter from time to time, and maybe scrub it with a sponge if it’s very gunky. Wipe the edges of the door and tub, including the rubber gasket.

Run a self-cleaning cycle with a dishwasher-cleaning powder (or just citric acid) from time to time, in addition to checking the spray arms and sump area for clogs.