A washing machine costs around £17.95 to £60.80 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 41 real models we hold energy figures for (anything under 4.0kg or over 12.0kg excluded, along with any row our own plausibility checks flagged - see below). Checked directly, not assumed: rating correlates with running cost at 0.95 across this sample; capacity correlates at only -0.41.
| Capacity | Rating | Annual cost (label) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | 10.0kg | A | £17.95/year |
| Most expensive | 10.0kg | G | £60.80/year |
| Average | — | — | £31.59/year |
These figures are each model's own EU energy-label rating, built on the current regulation's own basis of 220 cycles a year (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2014) - published UK estimates assume 200-280 cycles a year, so this basis sits inside the normal range rather than below it (unlike our tumble dryer page, no cycle-count correction applies here). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCL | FP1054WA0PL | 10.0kg | A | £17.95 Cheapest | EPREL |
| CORBERO | CLA107S14ARTX | 10.0kg | A | £20.27 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGB256A6CH | 10.0kg | A | £20.27 | EPREL |
| Lincoln | PL8F4AB | 8.0kg | A | £21.42 | EPREL |
| HAMMER | F80231EBHM | 8.0kg | A | £22.00 | EPREL |
| HOTPOINT | HB123WBCAREUK | 12.0kg | A | £22.00 | EPREL |
| Continental Edison | CELL8120IBP | 8.0kg | A | £22.00 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGN24401FG | 9.0kg | A | £23.16 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | EW8TA3562C 913148385 | 6.0kg | A | £24.32 | EPREL |
| Siemens | WG66B2091 | 11.0kg | A | £24.32 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | EW8F348SPIC 914580423 | 8.0kg | A | £24.32 | EPREL |
| Beko | TB6521DAESEE 859991739290 | 6.5kg | A | £24.90 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | EW6T572DA 913138658 | 7.0kg | A | £26.06 | EPREL |
| Siemens | WG56N2MT1 | 10.0kg | A | £26.06 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGE03204FR | 8.0kg | A | £26.64 | EPREL |
| comfee | CFP03EW100W-UK | 10.0kg | A | £26.64 | EPREL |
| HEINNER | HWM-M1014G17IVA10 | 10.0kg | A | £26.64 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGE03201IT | 8.0kg | A | £26.64 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGE03203FR | 8.0kg | A | £26.64 | EPREL |
| Siemens | WM12N223IL | 8.0kg | A | £27.21 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGN26400IT | 11.0kg | A | £27.21 | EPREL |
| DREAME | DWF08S50CARU | 8.0kg | A | £27.21 | EPREL |
| Bosch | WGN26409FG | 11.0kg | A | £27.21 | EPREL |
| WHIRLPOOL | TW622DBFCPL 859991738770 | 6.0kg | B | £27.79 | EPREL |
| INDESIT | TI612EGPGPL 859991738250 | 6.0kg | B | £28.37 | EPREL |
| Siemens | WM14N222IL | 9.0kg | A | £28.37 | EPREL |
| Electrolux | MEW6F9452AP 914932619 | 10.5kg | A | £30.11 | EPREL |
| KONČAR | VM105ME04INV | 5.0kg | C | £30.11 | EPREL |
| KOENIC | KWM 9115 B | 9.0kg | B | £33.01 | EPREL |
| INDESIT | IMA630EE | 6.0kg | D | £37.06 | EPREL |
| Qilive | 600197543 | 6.0kg | D | £37.06 | EPREL |
| KONČAR | VM106E12 | 6.0kg | D | £37.64 | EPREL |
| Laretti | LR-WM3205 | 6.0kg | F | £38.22 | EPREL |
| ZUMAN | MR0710P1 | 7.0kg | D | £39.95 | EPREL |
| INDESIT | BI WMIL 71252 EU N | 7.0kg | E | £45.17 | EPREL |
| Amica | DAW 6103 LSB | 6.0kg | G | £49.22 | EPREL |
| Amica | TAW 6103 LSW | 6.0kg | G | £49.22 | EPREL |
| Amica | WMS714 | 7.0kg | G | £52.11 | EPREL |
| Amica | WA 14690 W | 7.0kg | G | £52.11 | EPREL |
| Amica | WA 14681 W | 6.0kg | G | £57.90 | EPREL |
| Fagor | 3FE-10814 | 10.0kg | G | £60.80 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 - that figure already reflects a realistic annual usage basis for washing machines (unlike tumble dryers), so this is a reasonable starting point rather than a lower bound you need to raise yourself. Washing at a lower temperature is the change most likely to move this number - see "is washing at 30°C worth it" 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 does - the cheapest and most expensive machines in our sample share the same 10.0kg drum size. A larger A-rated machine can easily cost less to run than a smaller poorly-rated one. Capacity decides how much you can wash in one load, not primarily how efficient that load is.
Which? found that switching a weekly 40°C wash to 30°C saves around 38% of the energy for that cycle - about £24 a year for a typical household, with no meaningful difference in cleaning results for everyday laundry. That is not something our own label figures show - it is a real-world usage choice, cited directly rather than blended into the EPREL figures above. For most everyday laundry, a lower temperature gets clothes just as clean.
It's designed to: eco 40-60 runs for longer (typically 2-4 hours against roughly 1-1.5 hours for a normal cycle) so it can use less intense heating for the same effective wash, in principle trading time for energy. How much that actually saves in everyday use is less settled than the marketing suggests, though: we checked three independent sources comparing eco 40-60 against a normal cotton-40 wash and they don't agree, including on which one actually costs less - energybilltoolkit.co.uk, bentasker.co.uk, inthewash.co.uk. We don't show a number for this because the evidence doesn't support one. The wash temperature you choose makes a bigger, better-supported difference than whether eco is selected - see the question above.
Yes. A washing machine uses roughly the same energy whether the drum is half full or completely full, since most of that energy heats the water rather than scales with the weight of laundry inside. Running two half-loads instead of one full load is close to double the energy for the same amount of washing - the EU label's own annual figure above already assumes a full, or near-full, load each time.
On the EU label basis, a typical cycle among the models we hold figures for costs around £0.14. That figure is each model's own eco 40-60 test-cycle rating - a real cycle at a different temperature or programme can cost more or less, see the questions above for the two things that actually move that number in practice.
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 exclude anything under 4.0kg or over 12.0kg rated capacity, and any row our own plausibility checks found internally inconsistent or implausible against its genuine peers, rather than show a reader a registration we don't trust ourselves.
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 temperature comparison above is cited directly to its own sources (Which?, energybilltoolkit.co.uk), not derived from the label figures. Electricity price: 26.32p/kWh, the Ofgem price cap for 2026-10-01 to 2026-12-31.
