Where this list comes from
The government's own energyrating.gov.au registration database lists every dishwasher model registered for sale in Australia under the mandatory energy-label scheme, each tested the same way, on the same standard. Our star-rating guide already found the right group to compare within: 14 place settings, the single largest capacity group in the whole registry at 377 currently registered models, real machines tested against each other rather than against a different-sized machine the star rating alone can't fairly rank. This table ranks all 377 by their labelled kWh-per-cycle 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). The same ranking method now covers 8kg dryers and 400–500 L fridges, the third and fourth appliance classes treated this way.
Smaller and larger capacity classes exist too, compact models up to 8 place settings and slimline models at 9 to 10, and mixing those classes into this list would repeat the exact star-rating trap that guide already warns about: comparing machines the regulator's own test doesn't treat as equivalent. This list stays inside the fair comparison.
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-cycle 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. Only the dollars below are NSW's.
What it actually costs
The 10 cheapest-to-run 14-place-setting dishwashers currently in the government's registry, at 5 cycles a week on New South Wales's reference rate.
| Option | kWh per cycle | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| V-ZUG 41009 | 0.30 kWh/cycle | $25.34/year |
| V-ZUG AS6T-41173 | 0.31 kWh/cycle | $26.18/year |
| V-ZUG AS6T-41171 | 0.47 kWh/cycle | $39.70/year |
| V-ZUG 41006 | 0.50 kWh/cycle | $42.23/year |
| ASKO HDBI344I Series | 0.52 kWh/cycle | $43.92/year |
| MIELE G 5210 SC | 0.52 kWh/cycle | $43.92/year |
| V-ZUG AS2T-41162 | 0.55 kWh/cycle | $46.46/year |
| V-ZUG 41010 | 0.58 kWh/cycle | $48.99/year |
| MIELE G 5000 | 0.60 kWh/cycle | $50.68/year |
| ASKO DBI343ID Series | 0.61 kWh/cycle | $51.52/year |
Ranked by the registry's own kWh-per-cycle 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 list actually shows
The 10 cheapest models span $25.34 to $51.52 a year, a real but modest gap next to the several-fold spread our star-rating guide finds once the full 377-model group is considered. The two figures that bracket it are that guide's, not this page's own pull: it puts the median across all 377 registered models at $61.66 a year and the least efficient at $103.89, both converted here to NSW dollars at the same rate this table uses. 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.
V-ZUG holds six of the ten cheapest spots outright, which says more about that one manufacturer's engineering at this capacity than about brand prestige generally: ASKO and MIELE, both premium names, fill out the rest, and no budget or mid-market brand appears in this particular top 10. That's the opposite pattern to our washing-machine league table, where household names and lesser-known brands tied on identical numbers. At 14 place settings specifically, the cheapest-to-run models this run are concentrated in a narrow band of premium manufacturers, not spread evenly across the market. Our brand-concentration guide compares this pattern against the washer list's directly.
Common questions
Why rank on kWh per cycle instead of the star rating?
Because the star rating can't be compared across sizes. A star count only ranks a dishwasher against others with the same place-setting count, so a 5-star compact and a 5-star 14-place machine are not making the same claim, which is the trap our star-rating guide sets out in full. The labelled kWh-per-cycle figure is an absolute number on the same test, so it ranks real machines against each other. Holding capacity fixed at 14 place settings and sorting on kWh is the comparison the label actually supports.
Does this list tell me which dishwasher 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, so a model near the top of this table could be the dearest on the showroom floor. Treat it as the running-cost half of the decision and check the purchase price yourself before you buy.
Does switching the wash program matter once you've bought an efficient dishwasher?
Yes, on top of whichever model you buy. See our companion guide on eco vs normal dishwasher cycle costs for what switching programs alone saves, a smaller lever than model choice but a free one.
Sources
Per-model kWh-per-cycle and place settings for the 14-place-setting comparison: the same energyrating.gov.au registration database (July 2026 snapshot) our dishwasher calculator's own model finder and star-rating guide both already use, filtered to the 377 currently registered 14-place-setting models. Electricity rates: AER Default Market Offer and NSW's regulated reference tariff, current for 2026–27. This guide is general information, not a recommendation to buy any specific model; check current retail availability and price before deciding. All fetched July 2026.