Our Green Choice designation will help you find a great dishwasher that’s also easier on the environment
Beyond water and energy consumption, the materials used inside your dishwasher can also factor into its environmental impact.
By Pang-Chieh Ho
Updated by Justin Krajeski and Quentyn Kennemer
Modern dishwashers are impressively efficient. Unless you’re employing the most scrupulous hand-washing technique, machine-washing your dishes generally saves both water and energy. Some dishwashers use as little as 4 gallons of water per cycle, whereas hand-washing can require up to 27 gallons.
But there’s more to environmental protection than energy and water use. Consumer Reports’ Green Choice label identifies dishwasher models that not only use less energy and water during operation but also have a lower environmental impact based on the resources used in their manufacture and transportation to market. The Green Choice designation also takes into account how reliable these dishwashers are and how effectively they clean dishes. (We’ll go into further detail on what goes into our Green Choice dishwasher scoring below.)
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly dishwasher, below are six of the highest-performing models in our ratings that have also earned CR’s Green Choice leaf. For a wider selection, CR members can view all Green Choice models in our complete dishwasher ratings. And if you’re interested in pursuing a green lifestyle beyond dishwashers, check out CR’s Guide to Sustainable Living.
Best Eco-Friendly Dishwashers
Here are six of the most noteworthy Green Choice dishwashers, which received strong scores in our performance tests and are sold by brands that received great feedback in our member surveys.
Bosch Benchmark SHP9PCM5N
The Bosch Benchmark SHP9PCM5N earns the highest Overall Score of all CR’s Green Choice dishwashers. Its motorized wash arm cleans dishes very well on both the upper and lower racks, and it nets similar high scores for drying and energy use (it’s also Energy Star certified). Features include a stainless steel interior, adjustable tines, a third rack, WiFi, and a lighted interior. Equipped with a manually cleaned filter, it’s also exceptionally quiet. Functions like eco mode, delayed start, and half load are available only through an app. Like its brandmates below, this dishwasher comes from the strong Bosch brand, which earns top marks for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR’s member surveys.
The Bosch Benchmark SHV9PCM3N and the Bosch Benchmark SHX9PCM5N are two variations that offer different door styles, but we expect them to perform similarly.
Bosch 800 Series SHX78CM5N
The Bosch 800 Series SHX78CM5N is an ideal combination of eco-friendliness and great performance. It earns a very good score in our energy use test and also scores points for being relatively lightweight, which means it requires fewer raw materials to produce and has a smaller shipping carbon footprint compared with larger, heavier dishwashers.
The dishwasher is very good at both washing and drying dishes while remaining extremely quiet. It scores a near-top-level rating for its ease of use. Convenient features include an adjustable upper rack, a third rack, a light that illuminates when the dishwasher is running, and a delay-start feature. By connecting to an app, you can also customize your dishwasher’s washing intensity and start it remotely. Like the Benchmark model above, cycles and functions such as delayed start and eco mode are accessed through an app. Our tested cycle time for this machine is 155 minutes.
The Bosch 800 Series SHV78CM3N and the Bosch 800 Series SHP78CM5N are similar Green Choice machines that feature different door styles, and we expect them to perform comparably to the Bosch 800 Series SHX78CM5N.
Bosch 800 Series SHX78DM5N
The Bosch 800 Series SHX78DM5N matches its brandmates in the 800 Series and the Benchmark Series in our washing and drying tests (in which all scored near the top). But it fell behind in ease of use, which was judged merely mediocre. And while quiet, it wasn’t quite as quiet as those other machines, which got a top score in our noise test. Like the others, it has a third rack, WiFi, a stainless interior, an adjustable upper rack, and adjustable tines. Its wash cycle, at 150 minutes, matches that of the other Benchmarks. Functions such as delayed start, eco mode, half load, quick rinse, and self-cleaning are available only with the app.
Miele G7196SCVISF
The Miele G7196SCVISF earns high scores for upper- and lower-rack cleaning performance similar to those of the Bosch models above, but its drying performance slips to middling. Like those other models, it features a third rack, ample flatware slots, and adjustable tines, but it has a longer cycle (190 minutes). Still, it earns our top score for energy use, and like Bosch dishwashers, it receives an outstanding rating for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction, based on our member surveys. The dishwasher’s most unique feature is its detergent dispensing system, which automatically releases the right amount based on how dirty your dishes are.
LG Studio SDNTHS72S
The LG Studio SDNTHS72S tapped excellent scores for both upper- and lower-rack wash performance in our tests, and its drying ability was also very good. Its features largely match those of the Bosch models above, and its cycle time matches that of the Bosch 800 Series (155 minutes). Nice additions include special wash zones and a light that projects cycle status on the floor. While predicted reliability for LG dishwashers is very good based on our surveys, owner satisfaction is just so-so.
Bosch 500 Series SHX65CM5N
Though we haven’t tested the Bosch 500 Series SHX65CM5N, we did test the Bosch 500 Series SHP65CM5N, a similar dishwasher that currently has limited distribution. We expect the SHX65CM5N to perform similarly. The main difference between the two is in the handle: The former has a bar handle, while the latter has a pocket handle.
The dishwasher is one of the most eco-friendly in our ratings, largely due to its energy efficiency. It also cleans dishes effectively and runs quietly, though its drying performance is just adequate. It features sensors that detect how dirty your dishes are and adjust the water accordingly, and its interior is durable stainless steel. Its cycle time of 150 minutes matches that of the models in Bosch’s Benchmark Series.
What Makes a Dishwasher Eco-Friendly?
Over 600 dishwashers on the market have earned Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency, indicating that they meet a federal benchmark for energy efficiency. Thanks to features like soil sensors and efficient jet and rack designs, a dishwasher with the certification costs around $50 a year to run and can save up to 5,800 gallons of water over its lifespan.
But appliances affect the environment beyond the water and energy they consume. Consumer Reports’ Green Choice designation indicates that the dishwasher model uses less energy during operation and that the process and materials used in its manufacture have a lower environmental impact. “Sustainability is about minimizing the impact on the environment for any product from cradle to grave—all that is required to make it, use it, and dispose of it,” says Shanika Whitehurst, CR’s associate director of product sustainability.
What Makes a Dishwasher a Green Choice?
To earn CR’s Green Choice designation, dishwashers must stand out in a variety of key environmental assessments, some of which affect the Green Choice score more heavily than others. Here are the key factors:
Product Design
We examine the weight, dimensions, and materials used in manufacturing the product to assess the resources required and, in some cases, the durability and recyclability.
Resource Usage
We measure how much water a dishwasher uses to assess resource (water) consumption, as well as the energy needed to heat that water. (Energy required to heat water is one of the largest contributors to a dishwasher’s overall environmental footprint.)
Performance
A dishwasher that fails to clean dishes effectively can lead to the need for rewashing, resulting in increased water and energy consumption. “A dishwasher isn’t very ‘eco-friendly’ if its cleaning performance is subpar and you have to constantly rewash or hand-wash dishes after you put them through the dishwasher,” Whitehurst says.
Reliability
We base our reliability scores on annual surveys of dishwasher owners, enabling us to calculate the likelihood that a particular dishwasher brand will experience issues or breakdowns within the first five years of ownership. “Poor reliability can lead to the premature removal of an appliance from the home,” says Whitehurst, increasing its chances of ending up in a landfill.
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