Where this list comes from
The government's own energyrating.gov.au registration database lists every clothes dryer model registered for sale in Australia under the mandatory energy-label scheme, each tested the same way, on the same standard, whichever technology sits inside the drum. 8kg is the single largest capacity class in the whole registry, 286 of the 853 currently registered models, the same “biggest fair-comparison group” rule our washing machine and dishwasher league tables already use for their own capacity classes. This table ranks 260 of them by their labelled kWh-per-load figure and lists the 10 cheapest, one row per genuinely distinct model (a handful of colour-code SKU variants of the same physical design are shown once, not repeated).
Washer-dryers are not in this ranking, and here is what they cost
The register files combination washer-dryers under clothes dryers, so 26 of those 286 machines wash as well as dry. They come out before anything above is ranked or medianed, for the same reason our washing machine league takes them out of its own class: a machine that does both jobs is not the one you are shopping for when you want a dryer, and the 8kg on its dryer entry is how much it will dry, while the same drum washes several kilos more.
Leaving them out is not a way of flattering the list, because they were never near the top of it. It works the other way. A washer-dryer is tested on a real drying program and lifts the same water out of the load as a standalone dryer does, so its figure is directly comparable, and it is roughly double: the 26 combination machines at this capacity run a median 5.85 kWh a load against 2.88 kWh for the standalone dryers beside them, $395.30 a year against $194.61. Mixed in, they dragged what this page calls the median 8kg dryer from 2.88 kWh up to 3.04. If you are weighing a washer-dryer against a separate washer and dryer, that gap is the running-cost half of the answer, and it is not on either machine's energy label, because a label only ever compares a machine to others of its own kind.
Every model in the top 10 happens to be a heat pump dryer, which will not surprise anyone who has read our vented vs condenser vs heat pump guide: the same technology that recycles its own heat instead of manufacturing it fresh sits at the top of this list too, real registered models rather than the type-level averages that guide compares.
One thing worth knowing before you read the table, because it decides how much of this page applies to you: the order never changes from state to state. Rank comes from the registry's own labelled kWh-per-load figure, and your state only sets the price of a kilowatt-hour, so a different tariff moves every dollar figure by the same proportion and leaves the ranking exactly where it was. These are the cheapest models to run wherever you live, and every dollar on this page is priced for whichever state the header’s location control is showing.
What it actually costs
The 10 cheapest-to-run 8kg dryers currently in the government's registry, at 4 full loads a week on New South Wales's reference rate.
| Option | kWh per load | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTROLUX EDH812R7WC | 1.79 kWh/load | $120.96/year |
| MIELE TCE 630 WP | 1.81 kWh/load | $122.31/year |
| BOSCH WQB235B8AU | 1.88 kWh/load | $127.04/year |
| SIEMENS WQ35B2A8AU | 1.88 kWh/load | $127.04/year |
| BOSCH WQH235B8AU | 2.12 kWh/load | $143.26/year |
| HISENSE HDF5S80H | 2.12 kWh/load | $143.26/year |
| MIELE TCD 660 WP | 2.12 kWh/load | $143.26/year |
| SIEMENS WQ35H2A8AU | 2.12 kWh/load | $143.26/year |
| MIELE PDR1108HP | 2.13 kWh/load | $143.93/year |
| AEG T858M6OBC | 2.15 kWh/load | $145.28/year |
Ranked by the registry's own kWh-per-load test figure, cheapest first. Same-design colour-code variants of one model are shown once. Running cost only: purchase price isn't priced here.
What the ranking shows
The 10 cheapest models span $120.96 to $145.28 a year, a tight band next to the registry's full spread at this capacity: the median 8kg dryer runs $194.61 a year, and the least efficient runs $467.61, nearly 3.9 times the cheapest model in this top 10. The lesson here isn't which single model is marginally cheapest within the top 10; it's that avoiding the expensive end of the class matters far more than chasing the cheapest one inside it, and a heat pump badge alone doesn't guarantee a place in this list, since plenty of registered heat pump models sit well above the registry median too.
MIELE fills three of the ten cheapest spots, more than any other single brand, but nowhere near the kind of sweep our dishwasher league table finds for V-ZUG. ELECTROLUX, BOSCH, SIEMENS, HISENSE and AEG each hold at least one spot, so the cheapest-to-run 8kg dryers this run are spread across six manufacturers rather than concentrated in one. That is closer to the washing-machine list's pattern than the dishwasher list's.
Common questions
Why rank on kWh per load instead of dryer type?
Because two dryers of the same type can still land far apart. Our dryer-type guide already shows heat pump models use less energy than vented or condenser ones on average, but “on average” hides real spread inside each type. The labelled kWh-per-load figure is an absolute number on the same government test, so it ranks real machines against each other rather than against a type-level average. Holding capacity fixed at 8kg and sorting on kWh is the comparison the label actually supports.
Does this list tell me which dryer is cheapest to buy?
No, and it isn't trying to. Every figure here is running cost: what the machine adds to your power bill, from the registry's own labelled test. We hold no retail prices, and heat pump dryers in particular carry a real purchase-price premium over vented models, a trade-off our heat pump dryer payback guide works through in full. Treat this list as the running-cost half of the decision and check the purchase price yourself before you buy.
Is a heat pump dryer always the cheapest to run?
Not as a rule, but at 8kg it is close to one. Every model in this top 10 is a heat pump, and so is the whole cheap end of the class: the 53 standalone 8kg dryers on the register that are not heat pumps run from 6.27 to 6.92 kWh a load, a band that starts at 3.5 times the cheapest model here and never reaches the top 10. The cheapest of them is a Eurotech vented model, registered as 361320, at 6.27 kWh, $423.69 a year. A heat pump dryer still costs more to buy, and our heat pump dryer payback guide works out how long that extra purchase price takes to earn back at typical running-cost savings.
How close are the top two models?
Closer than the brand names suggest. The Electrolux EDH812R7WC in first place costs $120.96 a year; the Miele TCE 630 WP in second trails by just $1.35 a year, a gap small enough that either is a genuinely competitive pick. Several more models sit within a few dollars of these two, so the real decision is avoiding the pricier end of the class, not chasing the single cheapest row.
Sources
Per-model kWh-per-load and capacity for the 8kg comparison: the energyrating.gov.au registration database (August 2026 snapshot) our dryer cost per load calculator's own model finder uses, filtered to the 286 currently registered 8kg models. 26 of those are combination washer-dryers, which the register files under clothes dryers, so the 260 standalone dryers are what this page ranks and medians. Electricity rates: the AER Default Market Offer, the Victorian Default Offer and each remaining state's regulated reference tariff, current for 2026–27. The page is served on New South Wales' rate and switches to yours when you set a location, from the same rate table every calculator on this site uses. This guide is general information, not a recommendation to buy any specific model; check current retail availability and price before deciding. Rates fetched July 2026, appliance data August 2026.