Our Recommendation
The Bosch 300 Series SHE53C85N is a reliable, efficient, and effective dishwasher with a third rack and quiet performance. However, it struggles to fully dry plastic items.
The Bosch 300 Series SHE53C85N is our top pick, offering strong cleaning performance, useful features, and great value. We’ve recommended this model since 2017.
The adjustable, spacious racks of the 300 Series SHE53C85N provide extra flexibility for loading various items, from dishes to taller pots and pans, in one cycle. In addition to its bottom-rack cutlery basket, this dishwasher includes a third rack for cutlery, ramekins, or larger spoons in its deeper middle trough.
When in operation, this dishwasher runs quietly and goes unnoticed, except when standing right next to it.
Like many dishwashers, this model struggles to fully dry plastic items. If completely dry plastic is a priority, this may be a drawback.
The 300 Series SHE53C85N features a recessed handle with a touch-sensitive control panel that performed well in testing, even when wet. This dishwasher is designed to work seamlessly with Bosch’s Home Connect app, allowing you to track cycle timing and save frequently used settings.
Bosch has a strong reliability track record and this model comes with a one-year warranty for parts and labor.
Also Great
The Maytag MDB8959SKZ is a strong cleaner that performs almost as well as our top pick and excels in drying plastic items. However, the heated-dry cycles run long and its racks are not as user-friendly.
The Maytag MDB8959SKZ is a solid machine and a strong cleaner, performing almost as well as our top pick. Importantly, it excels in drying plastic items better than most models, thanks to its optional heated-dry cycles, although this may add 30 to 60 minutes to a wash cycle.
The MDB8959SKZ’s adjustable racks offer a bit more loading flexibility than the racks in our top pick. However, it lacks stemware holders and the racks do not move as smoothly.
This dishwasher’s third rack is significantly deeper than our pick’s, cradling mugs, glasses, bowls, and larger flatware, like spatulas, but with less space for flatware. It comes with only one style of handle.
Manufactured by Whirlpool Corporation, known for reliability and easily replaceable parts, the MDB8959SKZ comes with a one-year warranty for parts and labor and a 10-year warranty for its racks and stainless steel tub.
Upgrade Choice
The Miele G7106 is an ultra-quiet, exceptional, speedy cleaner with upgraded features and known for reliability and durability.
The Miele G7106 is a premium model, nearly twice as expensive as our top pick, but its exceptional cleaning ability and advanced features, along with Miele’s reputation for reliability, make it a worthwhile investment.
It delivers exceptionally clean dishes in the shortest amount of time, thanks to Miele’s QuickIntenseWash technology and the dishwasher’s Express Mode option. This combo resulted in complete cleaning, even of baked-on eggs, a feat unmatched by any other dishwasher we tested.
Its spacious and sturdy racks are easy to load and the G7106 was the quietest model tested, at 43 decibels.
At the end of a cycle, the door automatically opens to expedite drying, including plastic items, with a visual cue. The G7106 comes with a two-year warranty for parts and labor, the longest initial warranty among our picks.
