How to choose a washer-dryer

Washer-dryer, or a washing machine and a separate dryer?

A washer-dryer is the answer when there is room for only one appliance; with space for two, a separate washing machine and dryer is more flexible and worth comparing on cost.

The combined machine saves floor space, a second power socket and a second purchase. What it cannot do is wash the next load while the last one dries, and it dries less than it washes, so a full drum often has to be split. Households that dry most of their washing feel both limits every week.

Before you decide, put numbers side by side: the full-cycle cost of a washer-dryer here, against a washing machine plus a heat pump dryer from our tumble dryer guide. Stacking kits let a dryer sit on top of many washing machines where floor space is the issue.

Why can’t it dry everything it washes?

Because laundry needs room to tumble in warm air, a washer-dryer’s drying capacity is lower than its washing capacity, and the label shows both.

The EU rules define a wash-and-dry cycle: eco 40-60 for washing, followed by drying to cupboard-dry. Some machines run it as one continuous cycle with a single rated capacity. Where the machine needs you to take out part of the load or start drying separately, the rated wash-and-dry capacity is simply the lower of the two values. Either way, that is the figure to plan around: it tells you how much of a normal wash comes out dry in one go.

We group washer-dryers by washing capacity, the size buyers search for, and show the drying capacity on every model page. The table gives the typical yearly cost in each group on the EU register, and the washer-dryer overview links each group to its ranking.

How do you read a label with two energy classes?

The left half of the label rates the complete wash-and-dry cycle, the right half washing alone, and each has its own A–G scale.

Spin class and spin noise are given once, for the washing cycle. The two classes are calculated against different reference values, so a machine can be B for washing and D for washing and drying; there is nothing contradictory about that. We rank by the complete cycle, because it is the expensive half; our washer-dryer label explainer covers every field. Since March 2024 the complete cycle of new models above 3 kg must also meet a stricter ecodesign minimum.

A good washing class says little about drying. If you will dry regularly, the left-hand class and kWh figure are the ones to compare.

What will a washer-dryer cost to run?

It depends mainly on how many of your washes you also dry, because a complete cycle uses several times the energy of washing alone.

Our yearly figures assume 160 complete wash-and-dry cycles; change the number in the bar at the top of each page. If you dry only some loads, a more realistic estimate is: washes without drying × the wash-only figure, plus washes with drying × the wash-and-dry figure, each divided by 100 and multiplied by your price per kWh. Our model pages show both figures so you can do this in a minute.

Electricity prices differ widely between EU countries, and with an appliance this energy-hungry the gap shows. Prices by country has the figure for yours.

The most efficient washer-dryers ranking sorts by the complete-cycle figure within each washing capacity.

Does drying use water too?

Look at the two water figures on the label: the difference between the complete-cycle value and the wash-only value is what the drying stage adds.

Both are weighted values measured under the same EU method, so they can be compared between models directly. If you pay for water by volume and dry often, the complete-cycle figure belongs in your comparison next to the kWh.

Which buying mistakes are easy to avoid?

The costliest is buying on washing capacity and washing class, then discovering how little dries in one go and what drying costs.

• Choosing by the bigger number. An advertised 10 kg drum with a much smaller drying capacity is a 10 kg washing machine with a smaller dryer attached.
• Comparing the wrong class. Compare the wash-and-dry class and kWh when you will dry regularly; the washing class only matters if you rarely dry.
• Overloading the drying cycle. More than the rated drying load takes longer, dries unevenly and costs more.
• Ignoring the cycle time. The label states how long the complete cycle takes at rated capacity; check that it fits your day.
• Skipping the filters. Clean them as the manual says; blocked filters can lengthen drying and raise consumption.

How repairable is a washer-dryer?

Washer-dryers fall under the same ten-year spare-part rule as washing machines, including the parts used for drying.

Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 requires professional repairers to be able to obtain the motor, pumps, drum and bearings, heating elements and heat pumps, hoses, valves and filters, circuit boards, sensors and software for at least ten years after the last unit is placed on the market. Doors, hinges, seals, door locks and plastic parts such as the detergent drawer are available to you directly. Delivery has to take no more than 15 working days.

EU countries must also apply the right-to-repair directive (EU) 2024/1799 from 31 July 2026, so the manufacturer has to repair on request, free or at a reasonable price, also after the legal guarantee.

When does replacing an old washer-dryer pay off?

When the saving on the cycles you actually run, over the years you will keep the new machine, is clearly larger than its price.

1. Measure one wash-only cycle and one complete cycle on the old machine with a plug-in energy meter.
2. Take both figures for the new model from its label or our model page and divide by 100.
3. Multiply each difference by how many cycles of that kind you run a year, then by your electricity price.
4. Compare the yearly saving with the purchase price in the total cost of ownership calculator.

If you would replace the washer-dryer with two separate appliances, run the same sums for that pair; the price of the second appliance belongs in the comparison.

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