Best washing machines

At just over £1k, this LG Inverter Direct Drive FH4G1BCS2 is the most expensive washer in the list, but you get a lot for your money. For starters, it connects to your phone so you can track a wash or even start a cycle remotely. The drum is 12kg, which easily fits a double duvet. There’s a pause function that allows you to chuck in that dropped sock and more mid-cycle. It has steam and hand wash settings, among many others and, considering the size, it’s super quiet and has an impressive A energy rating.

Indesit make some of the cheapest washing machines around and therefore tend to be rather small, no-frills, clinical white boxes. However, if these points don’t bother you, then save yourself a huge wad of cash with the Indesit EcoTime, which retails around the £200 mark. It’s a bit noisy and can only manage a 7kg load, but that’s why it costs so much less than other models. The upsides are that it has 14 programmes, including wool, eco, three sports settings and a 20-minute quick wash cycle (or ‘refresh’), as well as a delayed start button, which you can activate up to 24 hours in advance.

Got a big brood? You’re going to need a big washer. This Hoover H-Wash 500 is available from 10kg all the way up to a whopping 14kg drum – that’s around 70 adult t shirts or a king-size duvet and pillows. In other words, you can clean a heck of a lot in one go. Like the LG above, this H-Wash can also connect to your phone for live updates and end of cycle alerts, but you can’t control it remotely. It’s surprisingly quiet on a full spin cycle, claiming 80db, which is just below the levels of a typical alarm clock, and the energy rating is A.

What passes for standard these days is a huge step up compared to machines of yore, but compared to some of the high-end washers on our list, this Hotpoint NM11 945 is relatively basic. Having said that, you get a good machine for under £400. It has 14 programmes for delicates, wool, anti-stain and the like. There’s a ‘steam hygiene’ setting to give your clothes a 20-minute refresher, as opposed to a full wash, and a 30-minute quick cycle. It handles washes at low temperatures well and is super simple to use thanks to a clearly labelled dial, couple of buttons and a large digital countdown.

Like most city-dwellers, space in any home is going to be at an absolute premium, which means you’ll need to find a compact washing machine. Cue the Indesit BIWMIL71252, this modest 7kg model is designed to integrate with your kitchen and stow away neatly in a cupboard. It’s the perfect size for someone living on their own or two people max. It’s also one of the easiest machines on the list to master, thanks to its ‘Push&Go’ blue button, which provides a 45-minute cycle at 30ºc when held for a couple of seconds. There are also 15 programmes including hand wash, wool, eco and sports.

The Miele GuideLine WDD 131 is special. Not only because it’s the only washer created in conjunction with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, but because it’s also a top washer. Its energy rating is A, there are 12 programme settings, an ‘Add Load’ function so you can pause to add items, and the 8kg drum adopts Miele’s trademark honeycomb design for a gentler wash. As for the rest, there’s a tactile control panel with highly contrasting labelling, braille and audible sounds that change in pitch as you move through the settings. It costs just shy of £1k, but that includes delivery, installation and a two-year warranty.