The cheapest washing machines to run in the UK (2026)

Quick answer: The cheapest current washing machine to run that we found is Samsung’s 9kg Series 8 at 35 kWh per 100 eco cycles, which is 9.1p a wash at 26.11p/kWh. Most A-rated machines sit at 44-51 kWh (11.5p-13.3p a wash), and a typical B-rated machine costs about 14.9p. The A-to-B gap is smaller than the spread inside class A.

We haven’t tested these machines. Everything below comes from manufacturers’ published specification sheets and label data, checked August 2026, costed at the July to September 2026 cap rate of 26.11p/kWh.

How to spot a cheap-to-run machine on the label

Ignore the letter first and find the kWh per 100 cycles figure; it’s measured on the eco 40-60 programme and it’s directly comparable between machines. Divide by 100 for the per-wash energy, multiply by your unit rate for the cost. Water per cycle sits alongside it, and on every machine below it’s the same 50 litres.

Two A-rated machines can differ by 45 per cent in running cost, so the letter alone can’t pick a winner. Our full guide to washing machine energy ratings walks through the rest of the label.

The cheapest washing machines to run in 2026

Worked example for the top row: 35 kWh / 100 = 0.35 kWh a wash. 0.35 x 26.11p = 9.1p. Four washes a week is 208 a year: 208 x 9.1p = £19.01.

The Samsung’s 35 kWh figure is unusually low; nothing else we could verify on sale in the UK gets under 40. The LG and the Bosch are more typical of class A, and the Bosch deserves a size caveat in its favour: it hits 51 kWh with a 10kg drum, so per kilogram of laundry it’s as cheap as anything on this list. The Hotpoint is here as the B-rated reference point, not a recommendation.

What’s the difference between an A and a B rating?

Less than you would guess. The classes come from an Energy Efficiency Index; the UK regulation puts class A at an EEI of 52 or under and class B between 52 and 60. A machine at the bottom of B uses at most about 15 per cent more energy than one scraping into A.

In cash: the B-rated Hotpoint above costs £30.95 a year against £27.70 for the A-rated Bosch. That’s around £3 a year, or £40 over a 12-year life. Meanwhile the gap between the best and worst A-rated machines in the table is £8.69 a year, more than double the A-to-B boundary. Don’t pay a big premium just to move from B to A; pay attention to the kWh number instead.

Is the efficient machine worth its price premium?

At four washes a week, the Samsung saves £11.94 a year over the B-rated Hotpoint (22 kWh per 100 cycles difference: 0.22 x 26.11p = 5.7p a wash, x 208). Over a 12-year life that’s roughly £140 at today’s rate, and premium models usually cost more than £140 extra. On energy alone, a mid-table A machine is the value pick for most households.

The sums change with volume. A big family running eight loads a week doubles every figure above: the Samsung’s saving over the Hotpoint becomes about £24 a year and £290 over the machine’s life, and the efficient drum starts paying for itself properly. The more you wash, the more the low-kWh machine is worth.

Why these four machines?

Because their figures check out. Each row in the table links to the manufacturer’s own specification page or spec sheet, where the kWh per 100 cycles figure is published; we excluded several machines marketed as ultra-efficient whose current UK spec pages we could not verify this month. Discontinued models are out too, however good their numbers were.

A note on washer-dryers: they’re rated on a different label with separate wash and wash-plus-dry figures, and the drying half changes the economics completely. Don’t compare a washer-dryer’s label against the machines above; the drying maths belongs with our tumble dryer guide.

Cut washing costs whatever machine you own

• Run full loads on the eco programme; the label figures assume both, and half loads nearly double the cost per item.
• Wash at 30C when clothes are ordinarily dirty; heating water is most of the cycle’s energy.
• On a time-of-use tariff, shift washes to the cheap window; our guide to Economy 7 and Economy 10 explains the rates.
• Use the fastest spin your fabrics allow: drier clothes out of the washer means less time in the dryer, which costs far more per hour. See the dryer vs washing line comparison.

FAQs

What does one washing machine cycle cost in 2026?

Between 9p and 15p on the eco programme for the current machines above, at 26.11p/kWh. Hot, fast or intensive programmes cost more. Budget around £25 a year for a typical household.

Is an A-rated washing machine worth it over a B-rated one?

Only if the price gap is small or you wash a lot. The boundary itself is worth about £3 a year at four loads a week; the spread between individual models matters more than the letter.

Do bigger drums cost more to run?

Per cycle, usually a little. Per kilogram of laundry, often less: the 10kg Bosch above matches smaller machines once you account for capacity. Buy the size you will actually fill. Our appliance running-costs roundup has the wider picture.