Best Washing Machine Brands in 2022: Which to buy for eco friendliness, budget and more

Buy now, Currys

Samsung Washing Machines

Almost inexplicably para-harking back to Romeo and Juliet again: “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Korea, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny. Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” Indeed, almost uncannily akin to all that but on the scene of Asian innovation, South Korea is king, and the Capulets and the Montagues, dignity-alike in this awful Seoul-based simile, are undoubtedly LG and Samsung. Both produce a staggeringly vast array of varying products for the domestic market, from phones to fridges to flatpanel TVs and, more importantly right now, award-winning washing machines.

Samsung has an excellent reputation in this arena, renowned for the reliability of its models, alongside the company’s vast investment in staying ahead of the cleansing curve when it come to innovation. What’s more, Samsung’s machines are also designed with one eye on aesthetics, which may seem a little beyond the remit of a clothes-churner, but adding rather than detracting from the décor of your kitchen is always a good thing.

As far as I can work out, there are currently about 25 different Sammy models available to the UK market, with prices starting at a quid under £400 for the 7kg capacity Series 5 WW70TA046TE/EU Ecobubble, rocketing up to the £970 for the Bespoke AI 11kg Washing Machine Series 8 featuring more bells and whistles than the annual International Morris Dancing Convention, so quite a bit of choice for those with moderately deep pockets.

Now, going back to ‘innovation’, with the introduction of SmartThings Home earlier this year, Samsung are striving to tick all the green boxes with helping punters achieve a truly energy-efficient home – something useful to people in the UK right now. Indeed, by combining its connected appliances with services such as SmartThings Energy with AI Energy Mode, Samsung’s 2022 mix of machines are able to maximise energy savings, through optimised laundry cycles featuring technologies such as AI Ecobubble which cuts energy by producing powerful cleaning even with cold water.

And that’s not all on that eco-friendly front, Sammy’s latest washing machines, will also be able to reduce microplastic pollution from laundry by a whopping impressive 54 per cent, with all of its connected washers being remotely upgraded to become equally eco-capable by the end of the year.

In some kind of summary then, Samsung is a brand that breeds innovation in all it does, and one which offers washing machines that come packed with cutting-edge cleaning tech, ample eco-credentials and, yes, slick styling in equal measure.

Available at:

- AO

Buy now, Samsung

Hotpoint Washing Machines

Very much the budget-friendly end of the washing machine spectrum, despite Hotpoint’s parent company having to recall over half a million machines (comprised of Hotpoint and Indesit models) in the UK back in 2019 over safety concerns, Hotpoint has long been a trusted name in this country when it comes to otherwise offering reliability value for money and efficiency.

With prices for its most basic (and least energy efficient) models starting in the low to mid 300s for an 8kg capacity machine, rising to just shy of £700 for its most advanced 10kg capacity front-loader, and £500 for the Hotpoint 7kg Aquarius top-loader, keeping your clothes clean is hardly going to break the bank; but does low-price equal lower-lifespan?

Well, on average, with equally ‘average’ household usage, you can expect to get seven- to eight- years’ worth of washing out most Hotpoints, rising to up to 10-years for the higher-end models. Okay, that may not sound like much in the way of longevity, but given the lower entry price, it’s a fair trade-off.

Offering a UK range that’s 20 models strong, the bulk fall under the ‘A’ or ‘B’ energy efficiency classification, with four rated ‘C’ and one each coming in at ‘D’ and ‘E’. Spin speeds also vary, between 1200- and 1600rpm, while the cleaning tech employed in many models is impressive, particularly since Hotpoint benefitted from having the plentiful purse-power of Whirlpool behind it. Two such innovations in this area are Active Care, which works to wipe out 100 different types of stubborn stains at just 20°C, Steam Hygiene, which eliminates 99.99 per cent of laundry lurking everyday bacteria, and Steam Refresh, which – as it sounds – lets you refresh your clothes via the magic of steam rather than having to endure a whole new wash.

So, more economically accessible than many other brands, boasting a solid reputation for reliability (glossing over that aforementioned recall incident), durability and cleaning technology, Hotpoint is very much still a hot brand in the UK and definitely worthy of consideration if your cash is tight but your level of laundry results longing remains high.

Available at:

- AO

- Very

Buy now, AO

Whirlpool Washing Machines

As you might imagine, I mean, if you’re prone to imagining such things, the popularity of brands can differ quite wildly depending on where you are in the world. For example, countries, perhaps out of some national loyalty if little else, tend to buy into the ‘home team’, if they have one. This is why, thanks to research conducted by Statista, I can throw out the facts that LG is the biggest seller of washing machines in its native South Korea, Brastemp likewise in Brazil, Haier in its home of China, Electrolux in Sweden and so on and so on. USA-born and -based Whirlpool, however, can claim the biggest market share not just in Merica, but also Canada and Mexico, while also enjoying both a righteous reputation and more than reasonable sales in many other regions around the world.

Headquartered in Michigan, which I believe was the setting for 90s’ Tim Allen-starred DIY-based hit comedy series Home Improvement, Whirlpool was founded in 1911 and dabbled in the early development of what evolved into the automatic washing machine for many years before launching its first Whirlpool brand-model in 1948. And from that point on, it was awards, accolades, garnered gongs and public praise all the way, building Whirlpool into the planet-straddling brand-Brobdingnagian that it is today.

Ranking – along with another brand we’ll get to shortly – at the top of reliability ratings and for customer satisfaction, Whirlpool make machines mainly aimed at the mid- to higher-incomed around the world, but the handful of models available from the manufacturer in the UK consists of six standalone model and two integrated options, the machine coming in at just shade over £300 and the top-dog 10kg capacity, 1600rpm W8 W046WR UK costing just £700.

Whether this model supply/price strategy results from Brexit issues or caution around the cost or living crisis that’s currently crippling us is – and shall remain – unclear, but with all available options offering Whirlpool’s unerring eye for design, alongside the firm’s famous 6th Sense Tech, which utilises intelligent sensors to automatically adapt resources according to the size and type of load, thus saving time, energy and water, what models we can access don’t fail to deliver.

With energy efficiency options covering ‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘D’, drum capacities at 7-, 8-, 9- and 10kg, and all of Whirlpool’s world-renowned innovation in effect, Whirlpool may not be as big a deal over here as it is across The Pond, but with an almost unshakable rep for robustness and reliability married to much admired engineering, and it’s clearly we Brits that are missing out.

Available at:

- AO

- Nisbets

Buy now, Argos

LG Washing Machines

The second of the big tech Houses of Seoul (as over-alluded to earlier), in terms of build-quality and reliability, LG is generally regarded as being on a level pegging with Whirlpool – and washing machine accolades don’t come any higher than that. Starting life as a chemicals company back in 1947 before realising there was good money to be made in this new-fangled ‘plastic’ stuff in 1952, LG traded as ‘Lucky Goldstar’ from 1983 right up until 1995 when it shortened its name to its initials to stop sounding like a dodgy takeaway.

Offering a general lifespan of between 10- and 15-years, depending on usage, obviously, LG advertise a massive 59 different models available on the UK market, with prices ranging from around £500 to well over a grand, but – and it’s a big but – that all depends on what’s actually in stock. Indeed, at time of writing, only 15 models were available from LG’s official UK website, these being the newest and, yes I’m going to say it, sexiest models made by the South Korean colossus. Out of this far more manageable to write about collective, many are Wi-Fi-enabled so that you can monitor your machine via the LG ThinQ smartphone app, while most offer Auto Dose to save you the bother of having to work out how much detergent you need to use, some also come packing Steam wash to keep clothes absolutely allergen-free, and then there are other innovations on offer too, such as AI DD technology which automatically adjusts the wash motions based on fabric. Naturally, the tech options expand upwards with price, but even the entry level model is a work of washing machine ingenuity.

Rev rates also vary, kicking off at 1360rpm and ramping right up to 1560rpm, out of the machines in stock energy efficiency is ‘A’ or ‘B’, while drum capacity is at 9-, 10.5- or 12kg, so the actual options are plentiful. And for those keen to make sure all their appliances match aesthetically, you can choose from White, Graphite or even Black, if you’re some kind of kitchen Goth.

So, LG, a solid brand with an enviable reputation amongst its washing machine manufacturing peers, if your pockets run a little deeper, you’ll ever be pleased with every extra pound you spent.

Available at:

- AO

- Very

Buy now, LG

Bosch Washing Machines

Cliché or not, German engineered stuff is just generally better. And before anyone rings in to argue (you can’t actually do that, by the way), as a manufacturer with a reputation for making washing machines that a both built like tanks and highly efficient when it come to energy and water, Bosch consistently ranks in top brand ratings all around the world, so it must be doing something right.

And it is, it’s whacking out washing machines for prices starting at around £300 for a Series 2, 7kg capacity, 1440rpm machine that, despite the low price, will be your solid washing workhorse for over 10-years, up to the best part of a grand and a half for a Series 8, Wi-Fi-connected, all-singing all dancing, i-DOS-featuring, 10kg capacity model that does absolutely everything for you save loading and unloading… and Bosch’ll probably figure out a way to do that soon too.

With roughly 23 different models currently available to punters in the UK, energy efficiency ratings run the gamut from ‘A’ to ‘D’, capacity from 7- to 10kg, rpm from 1400 to 1600, and advanced innovation runs across the entire range, but varying according to price points, obviously.

Even the absolute entry level model comes with Efficient SilentDrive which keeps operation noise to a bare minimum, a boon to anyone in a small or open plan apartment or flat, while the big guns come flexing washing machine muscle that include automatic detergent dosing (i-DOS), some seriously clever stain extermination that eliminates 16 specific stubborn stains, plus smart connectivity to let you monitor and control your Bosch from the comfort of your backside.

Finally, for those fancy types who like their homes kept free from visible appliance acne, there are even two integrated options available within the UK range.

So, in short, looking for an efficient, almost unbreakable washing machine that will keep your clothes clean for years? Bish, bash, Bosch.

Available at:

- AO