A dishwasher costs around £39.80 to £69.27 a year to run in the UK on the EU label basis - and the difference comes down to the energy rating, not the size of the machine.
Based on 28 real models we hold energy figures for (rated between 8 and 16 place settings). Checked directly, not assumed: rating correlates with running cost at 0.89 across this sample; capacity correlates at only 0.10.
| Capacity | Rating | Annual cost (label) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | 14 settings | A | £39.80/year |
| Most expensive | 13 settings | E | £69.27/year |
| Average | — | — | £51.98/year |
These figures are each model's own EU energy-label rating, built on the current regulation's own basis of 280 cycles a year (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2017). We checked whether an independent UK figure exists to compare that basis against, the way we could for washing machines - it doesn't: every UK source we found restates the same 280 figure as "typical" rather than measuring it separately. See "is 280 cycles a year realistic" below. Figures are at today's Ofgem price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh (effective 2026-10-01 to 2026-12-31).
Sorted cheapest to run first by each model's own EU label figure. Models with a live EPREL registration link straight to it. Model numbers are each product's own energy-label registration code - manufacturers don't always use the same name shown in shops.
| Manufacturer | Model | Capacity | Rating | Annual cost (label) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrolux | E92LA212T 911474055 | 14 settings | A | £39.80 Cheapest | EPREL |
| THOMSON | TDW1444AWH | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | E62LA200T 911572203 | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | E72UA210SW 911484025 | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| KOENIC | KDW 6051-2 A FI | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| AEG | GI6200A2TN 911572210 | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| Siemens | SN65YX07CE | 14 settings | A | £39.80 | EPREL |
| Continental Edison | CELV1044CB | 10 settings | C | £40.53 | EPREL |
| Proline | PRIMO45CFULL | 10 settings | C | £43.48 | EPREL |
| Amica | GSP 539 460 W | 9 settings | D | £46.43 | EPREL |
| AEG | GT6200B1EXM 911562120 | 13 settings | B | £46.43 | EPREL |
| AEG | GF8200B2SNM 911453005 | 14 settings | B | £47.17 | EPREL |
| Etna | VW542B | 14 settings | B | £47.90 | EPREL |
| Haier | XI 4B4T1B-80 | 14 settings | B | £47.90 | EPREL |
| MERLIN | M-LV1047-B | 10 settings | D | £49.38 | EPREL |
| AEG | NG62IC10SK 911572151 | 13 settings | C | £54.54 | EPREL |
| AEG | GF6200C2SNW 911552112 | 14 settings | C | £55.27 | EPREL |
| LOFRA | DB0615E/0 | 15 settings | C | £55.27 | EPREL |
| Siemens | SX63HX03VE | 14 settings | C | £55.27 | EPREL |
| WHIRLPOOL | WH2ITD14C6N6UK | 14 settings | D | £62.64 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | E62ID220SX 911562135 | 14 settings | D | £62.64 | EPREL |
| Bosch | SMU4HMW07E | 14 settings | D | £62.64 | EPREL |
| HOTPOINT | HP2ITD14C6N60 | 14 settings | D | £62.64 | EPREL |
| WHIRLPOOL | W3FFD634W | 14 settings | D | £62.64 | EPREL |
| Wiggo | WD-B60126E | 12 settings | E | £66.33 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | E52LE110S 911571157 | 13 settings | E | £69.27 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | E52LE100S 911570105 | 13 settings | E | £69.27 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | KL52E120S 911571155 | 13 settings | E | £69.27 Most expensive | EPREL |
No account needed. Adjust the figures below for your own machine and usage - the defaults are the EU label basis above.
Your machine's energy-per-cycle figure is on its EU energy label, or in the manual. Switching a normal cycle for eco is the change most likely to lower this number - see "does running the eco programme actually save money" above. Want a full breakdown across your whole home? Try the free calculator.
Not really, on this evidence. Across the models we hold figures for, the energy rating explains the running-cost spread far more than capacity (place settings) does - the cheapest and most expensive machines in our sample are 14 and 13 place settings, almost the same size. A larger A-rated machine can easily cost less to run than a smaller poorly-rated one.
Yes. Which? found that switching from the main programme to eco saves around 30% in running costs over a year - in their own 2026 snapshot test (five washes a week, their January 2026 price cap basis of 27.69p/kWh), the main programme cost £71.01 a year against £52.13 on eco, with quick wash the most expensive of the three at £73.93.
There is no published figure for how many people actually choose eco over another programme, so this is our own inference, not a cited finding. Which?'s own test gives a plausible clue, though: eco mode took 3 hours 55 minutes on average in their test, against 2 hours 30 minutes for the main programme - nearly 90 minutes longer. A near-90-minute jump in cycle time is a reasonable explanation for why people stick with the faster programme, even though eco costs noticeably less to run.
Per item washed, yes. A dishwasher uses roughly the same energy and water whether the racks are half full or completely full, since most of that energy heats the water rather than scales with how many plates are in it. Running two half-loads instead of one full load is close to double the energy for the same amount of washing up - the EU label's own annual figure above already assumes a full load each time.
On the EU label basis, a typical cycle among the models we hold figures for costs around £0.19. That is each model's own standard test-cycle rating - switching to eco, or running a shorter programme for a lightly-soiled load, moves that number in practice, see the questions above.
We checked rather than assumed it. 280 cycles a year (roughly 5.4 a week) is the EU energy label's own test basis (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2017), and it is what every UK dishwasher-running-cost figure you will see quoted is actually built on. Unlike our washing machine page, where 220 cycles sat inside an independently published 200-280 range, we could not find an independent UK household-usage figure to check 280 against - the UK sources we found either repeat the same 280 label figure as "typical" rather than measuring it separately, or give usage-frequency scenarios (daily, every other day, weekly) rather than a household average. The nearest independent figure, 215 cycles a year, comes from a US dataset of 601 models, not a UK survey, so it is not a confident substitute either way.
Some models in the table have a live registration with the EU's EPREL energy-label database - those link straight to their EPREL page. Every label figure is a real, named model's own test-cycle rating - never an estimate or an average standing in for a real product. We only show models rated between 8 and 16 place settings, drawn as a deliberate line between tabletop, slimline and full-size machines rather than fitted to what happens to be in our data today.
Label figures above are sourced from the EU's EPREL product registry. WatchYourWatts is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPREL or the European Commission. The eco-programme comparison above is cited directly to its own sources (Which?), not derived from the label figures. Electricity price: 26.32p/kWh, the Ofgem price cap for 2026-10-01 to 2026-12-31.
