Are Hisense washing machines actually any good?

The short answer: the best Hisense washing machine in our database is the WF3S1043BW3 — a WAC Score of 90 at £336, the highest-scoring budget machine in this comparison. Across its full 30-model freestanding range, Hisense now averages a WAC Score of 80 — the strongest average of any brand with a genuinely deep, full-price-range line-up. Only two much smaller brands, Gorenje (3 models) and Candy (10 models), average higher.

Aldi and Lidl built their UK reputations on a straightforward proposition: quality you wouldn't expect at a price you didn't think possible. The own-brand olive oil sits next to the Waitrose equivalent at half the price and regularly wins blind taste tests. The difference is that Aldi and Lidl don't pretend otherwise — they let the product speak, and increasingly the product wins. Hisense washing machines follow the same pattern. The 3S Series doesn't need a Samsung badge to justify the purchase. The data says it outperforms most of what Samsung, LG and Beko offer at the same price. The honest nuance is that when Hisense moves into specialist territory — the counter-depth KitchenFit range, priced at £549 and above — the value case weakens sharply. You are paying for a specific form factor (a shallower drum that sits flush with kitchen worktops), not for better washing performance. The WAC Score drops while the price rises, which is the signal to check what else is available before committing.

Hisense has 30 active freestanding models in our database, covering every price point from £239.99 to £999. The question this guide answers is where in that range the brand actually earns your money.

How Hisense compares to other brands

We compared Hisense’s average WAC Score against the other major brands in our database, using every freestanding model currently available to buy. Hisense now sits ahead of every other brand with a genuinely deep range — the only two names that average higher, Gorenje and Candy, have far thinner samples (3 and 10 models respectively), and neither covers the price range Hisense does.

The takeaway is not that Hisense sweeps the board — Gorenje and Candy both post higher averages. It is that neither of those brands has anything close to Hisense's range: Gorenje's average rests on just 3 models, and Candy's 10 do not stretch across budget, mid and premium the way Hisense's 30 do. Among brands you can actually shop across every price point, Hisense now leads outright — a stronger position than in our last review, when it sat level with LG and just behind Samsung.

Where Hisense wins — the budget tier

Under £400, Hisense is the strongest brand in our database, and it is not close. The top 3S Series machines score 88–90 on WAC Score — higher than any comparable Samsung, LG or Beko at the same price — and the WF3S1043BW3 at £336 is the highest-scoring machine under £400 anywhere in our data, at a display score of 90. WiFi and app-controlled programmes appear on machines that undercut rivals’ stripped-back models, which is why Hisense’s feature scores in this tier routinely reach the mid-90s while its prices sit at the bottom of the band.

The pattern is consistent across the 3S range: strong efficiency (90), class-leading features (up to 98 on some models), and value scores that hold up well against the mid- and premium-tier machines further down this page. The one number to keep in perspective is reliability, which sits around 80–82 in this tier — solid, but reflecting a UK track record measured in years rather than decades. For a buyer replacing a machine every eight to ten years, that trade is easily worth making.

Our top picks in detail

Where the range gets thinner — mid and high tier

Above £400 the Hisense case gets more selective. The 5S machine remains strong, but the specialist 5i and 7i KitchenFit models — built for a counter-depth, integrated-style fit — raise the price without a matching rise in score, so their value sub-scores fall sharply. The 1Q and 1i entry ranges sit at the other end: cheaper, but with thinner feature sets. The table shows where the value logic bends.

The 7i KitchenFit is the clearest case of the counter-depth premium not paying off: at £999 it is the single most expensive Hisense we track, yet its WAC Score of 62 is the lowest in the range, dragged down by a value score of just 24. Unless the integrated-style fit is a genuine requirement, a standard 3S or 5S model scores far higher for meaningfully less money.

Frequently asked questions