The Bosch Series 4 SMS4HKW00G is, for us, the best all-round dishwasher you can buy right now: spotless cleaning, genuinely quiet running and the kind of build that keeps going long after a cheaper machine has given up. Here's what it does well — and where its limits lie.
Bosch has built its reputation on dishwashers that just work, year after year, and the Series 4 is the model most people should look at first. It doesn't feel like a budget appliance — it feels like properly engineered kit at a sensible mainstream price. That blend of clean results, quiet running and dependability is exactly what makes it our best overall pick in this comparison.
| Model | Price | Type | Place settings | Energy rating | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Bosch Series 4 SMS4HKW00G Freestanding Dishwasher | £549.00 | Full-size freestanding (60 cm) | 13 | D | ★ 4.5 | View → |
£549.00
Full-size freestanding (60 cm) · 13 · D
The verdict from Aisha Rahman, home appliance tester
Our best overall pick. The Bosch Series 4 is the dishwasher we'd put in most kitchens: it cleans superbly, it's quiet enough to run overnight at 46 dB, and Bosch's reputation for lasting a decade is well earned. With 13 place settings it handles a family load, and the ExtraDry option finally sorts out wet plastics. You pay a little more than for a no-name machine, but you get one that keeps washing year after year.
Comes out genuinely clean and dry, and you barely hear it from the next room.
The Series 4 is the right machine if you want a full-size, 13-place-setting dishwasher for a normal family kitchen and you'd rather buy something that lasts than save a little up front on an unknown brand. With 13 settings it comfortably handles the daily output of a household of three to five, and the 60 cm body slots into the standard gap left in most fitted kitchens. For anyone who runs the dishwasher most evenings, the quiet 46 dB operation is the detail you'll come to value most — it can run while you're in the next room or asleep without intruding.
It's less suited to two situations. If your kitchen can only take a 45 cm gap, you'll want a slimline machine such as the Bosch Serie 2 slimline instead. And if you routinely produce enormous loads — a big family that cooks from scratch every day — the extra capacity of a 15-setting machine like the Hotpoint HF5C2615WG may suit you better. For the typical household, though, the Series 4 is the natural fit.
This is where the Series 4 earns its place. On everyday loads it returns plates, glasses and cutlery genuinely spotless, and it copes with the harder jobs — dried-on porridge bowls, greasy roasting tins — far better than the budget machines. The auto programme reads the load and adjusts the cycle, which takes the guesswork out of daily use, while a hotter intensive wash is there for the worst pans. In a normally loaded machine the results are consistent rather than occasional, which is exactly what you want.
Drying is a common weak spot on mainstream dishwashers, and the Series 4 handles it better than most thanks to its ExtraDry option. Switch it on and even plastics — the items that usually come out beaded with water — finish noticeably drier. It isn't quite the flawless drying of a premium Miele, but among machines at this price it's one of the better performers, and for most households it removes the usual chore of hand-finishing the Tupperware.
At 46 dB the Series 4 is genuinely quiet — quiet enough to run overnight or in an open-plan kitchen-diner without it dominating the room. The note is a smooth hum rather than the clattery drone of older machines, so it's easy to tune out. If absolute silence is your priority, the Miele G 5310 SC edges it at 44 dB, but for a mainstream machine the Series 4 is among the most liveable here. The quietest options are ranked in our quietest dishwashers guide.
This is the other half of the Bosch story. The Series 4 feels solid, the racks roll smoothly and adjust where you need them, and the controls are clear and logical. Bosch's reputation for machines that keep running for a decade or more is well earned, and a dishwasher that lasts ten years rather than five is, in real terms, the cheaper machine even if it costs a little more today.
The Series 4's only real drawbacks are that it costs more than a budget 13-setting machine such as the Hisense HS622E90WUK, and that this particular trim doesn't include a height-adjustable middle basket, which some keen cooks like for fitting taller items. Neither is a flaw in the wash — you're paying for build quality and quiet running, and the basket layout is still flexible enough for most loads. If you only need to get a machine into a rented flat for a couple of years, a cheaper model will clean your dishes just as well. If you want one that lasts and runs quietly for a decade, the premium is money well spent.
Yes — in our testing the Bosch Series 4 SMS4HKW00G earns its place on our list. The full breakdown of where it shines and where it falls short is in the review above, and you can see how it compares with the alternatives on our best dishwasher ranking.
The capacity is listed in the specifications above. As a rule, a full-size (60 cm) machine holds 13 to 15 place settings and suits a family, while a slimline (45 cm) machine holds around 9 to 10 and suits a couple or a small kitchen.
Prices change often, so the price shown here is indicative. The current price is always the one on the retailer's own page — use the button above to check it on Amazon before you buy.
The Series 4 is our best overall pick because it gets the fundamentals right: superb cleaning, quiet 46 dB running, better-than-average drying and the build quality to keep going for years. It doesn't reinvent the dishwasher, but it does everything that matters in one well. For a standard family kitchen it's the soundest buy here. If you'd rather spend less for dependable everyday cleaning, look at the Beko DVN05C20W for value or the Hisense on a budget; if you want the very best results regardless of cost, see the Miele G 5310 SC. Before you decide, it's always worth checking our buying guide and getting the size right for your kitchen.