Washing Machine Buying Advice

[KonkyWonky]

Our old Hotpoint washing machine has finally given up and its time to source a replacement.

Can anyone in the know advise on which brands to avoid and which are generally accepted as being decent quality at the lower end of the market, our budget will be around £300?

There are only two of us in the house so we don't do many loads.

Many thanks in advance

 

[KonkyWonky]

I should add that I have already had a look around and the machines I have so far shortlisted are:

Zanussi
Whirlpool
John Lewis
Hotpoint
Indesit
Samsung

Any of these I should avoid?

 

[zipper]

Hotpoint/Indesit (much the same same machines made by the same company).

 

[JohnD]

Bosch make a very good and reliable washing machine. The John Lewis service and extended warranty is very good and they offer Price Match.

I have looked up the most recent "Which" Best buys for you later, up to a list price of £350 in case you get a special offer anywhere. They are listed here "best first" by highest test scores, not in price order. All of the ones in the list are Best Buys.

Hotpoint
WMF 760 P Aquarius+
£289.00

Hotpoint
WMF 760 A Aquarius+
£322.00


Zanussi
ZWF16581
£348.00


Hotpoint
WMF 760 G Aquarius+
£270


Indesit
PWE8148
£321.00

Hotpoint
AQ9L29I
£344.00


Bosch
WAE24164GB Classixx
£331.90

Beko
WME7247
£231.00

Whirlpool
AWO/D 5526
£229.00

Candy
GO482 GrandO
£269.99

Indesit
PWC8128
£299.00

Beko
WM7335W
£195.00

Hotpoint
WML 560 G
£254.99

Hotpoint
WML 560 P
£269.98

Whirlpool
AWO/D 6927
£320.00

 

[zipper]

I agree entirely with JohnD on both points. But if you do go for a Bosch try to get one that is actually built in Germany...some are not.

 

[KonkyWonky]

Thanks for the replies guys

JohnD - Do the Which reviews take into account build quality/reliability? I'm not overly bothered if the machine has lots of features, just want a well built reliable machine and noticed there were quite a few Hotpoints/Indesits in the Which list.

 

[JohnD]

I looked up "Best washing machine brands " on "Which", too much to quote here, but:

Bosch:
Brand reliability Above average
Pros They are typically very reliable
Some models offer very fast 'easy care' wash cycles

Cons Not all models score well for 'easy care' wash cycles
Some models are quite noisy

Hotpoint
Brand reliability Average
Pros They score well for energy use, water use and annual running cost
They are available in four different colours

Cons Some models are very noisy
Some models score below average for the quality of cotton washes and 'easy care' washes


Indesit
Brand reliability Average
Pros They generally score well for standard cotton washes
Most score above average for annual running cost

Cons Some models score poorly for the quality of the 'easy care' wash
They are often quite noisy

If you have a particular model in mind I can look it up for you; otherwise go to your local library and ask to consult their reference copy of the Which tests.

 

[KonkyWonky]

Thanks JohnD!!!

Pretty much narrowed it down to a toss up between a Zanussi and a Bosch, more than likley a Zanussi as they are a little easier on the wallet and seem to be fairly reliable

 

[JohnD]

Zanussi
Brand reliability Average
Pros Most models score well for water use and annual running cost
Some models achieve excellent scores for standard wash quality

Cons Some models score quite poorly for standard wash quality
Some models score quite poorly for energy and water use

 

[Leccy758]

Personally after working on various machines from different manufacturers I would recommend Zanussi as the best for price to performance.

The parts are generally better quality than most and cheaper than the likes of Bosch.

Indesit/Hotpoint tend to have some dodgy electronics (I see far too many blown PCB's on machines less than 5 year old)

The price difference between the different WMF760 A/P/G is quite outstanding as they are the same machine just a different colour.