Best budget washing machines UK 2026
The best washing machines under £400 — ranked by WAC Score across reliability, efficiency, features and value. Every pick is A-rated for energy. Running costs at the July 2026 Ofgem rate of 26.11p per kWh.
The best budget washing machine in the UK is the Hisense WF3S1043BW3 at £299 — a WAC Score of 92, which is the highest score we award and the same mark earned by machines costing over £800. Under £400 you are not buying a compromise: 3 machines in this band score 90 or above, from a field of 109. The best value of the five is the Candy GD 298-80 at £239, scoring 86 with a value sub-score of 79.
How we chose these
Every currently available freestanding washing machine under £400 — 109 of them — ranked on WAC Score, with colour variants of the same model collapsed so one machine cannot take several places. Ties are broken on the underlying raw score, then on price. No more than two machines from any one brand.
At a glance — the best budget machines ranked
| # | Machine | Drum (kg) | WAC | Reliability | Value | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hisense WF3S1043BW3 | 10.5 | 92 | 85 | 71 | £299 |
| 2 | Hisense WF3S9043BB3 | 9 | 92 | 83 | 62 | £289 |
| 3 | Haier HW120-BP14357UUK | 12 | 90 | 86 | 73 | £339 |
| 4 | Candy GD 298-80 | 9 | 86 | 80 | 79 | £239 |
| 5 | Haier HW9BP14357AEGTU | 9 | 85 | 86 | 48 | £350 |
Also worth a look: Candy EY 410B8-80 (WAC 85, £249); Hoover HBR 412BL10-80 (WAC 85, £379). Just outside the five, and worth a look if drum size or price decides it for you.
The picks in detail
Hisense WF3S1043BW3
10.5kg · 1400rpm · A rated
The best score in the band at 92, with features at 95 and a 10.5kg drum for £299 — our top mark, at budget money. It uses 43 kWh per 100 cycles, the most of the five. If the purchase price is what matters, nothing under £400 does more.
Hisense WF3S9043BB3
9kg · 1400rpm · A rated
The highest features score anywhere on our site at 98, with our top score of 92, a 9kg drum and 34 kWh per 100 cycles. If 9kg suits your household, this is the pick of the band.
Haier HW120-BP14357UUK
12kg · 1400rpm · A rated
Twelve kilos for £339, the most capacity anyone sells at this price, with the best reliability here at 86 and a score of 90. If you wash large loads and want a machine that keeps going, this is the one.
Candy GD 298-80
9kg · 1200rpm · A rated
The best value score on the page at 79, and the cheapest machine here by £50. A 9kg drum and reliability of 80 for £239 is a lot of machine for the money. The spin is 1200rpm rather than 1400, so clothes come out a little wetter. If you are happy with that and want to spend as little as possible, this is the one.
Haier HW9BP14357AEGTU
9kg · 1400rpm · A rated
The most efficient machine in the band at 32 kWh per 100 cycles, with reliability of 86 matching the best here — cheap to own as well as to run. Worth knowing that the 12kg Haier above costs £11 less and scores five points higher, so choose this one specifically for the running costs.
What £400 does and does not buy
It buys the top score. The Hisense WF3S1043BW3 matches anything on the site on measured performance. What it does not reliably buy is the build, the noise level or the projected lifespan of a machine costing three times as much — things our score, drawn from owner reviews, captures only indirectly. If those matter most to you, our premium guide sets out what the extra outlay actually returns.
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