New dishwashers are much more efficient than old ones. They perform better and use less water and electricity at the same time, which is a big plus in every large family.
Large families need a great dishwasher to keep up with the stacks of dishes forming throughout the day, but luckily there are plenty of good options to choose from.
In order to identify the best dishwashers suitable for a large family, we’ve analyzed thousands of user reviews to learn what real buyers liked and disliked, and on top of that we’ve spent hours reading through expert reviews to get an understanding of the critical technical aspects of a dishwasher.
After carefully reviewing what we believe to be the best lineup of dishwashers, we selected a few models that stood out as the best options for a large family.
Below are the best dishwashers for a large family, summarized:
The top picks
Editor’s choice: Bosch SHXM78W54N
With a capacity of 16 place settings and unparalleled dishwashing performance, the Bosch 800 Series dishwasher is our top pick for a large family. It is also Energy Star certified, and at just 42 dBA it’s as silent as a gentle breeze.
Best value: GE GDT665SSNSS
GE offers the best value with this dishwasher. Loved by thousands of users and an overall good brand reputation, this is our top value pick. It features a stainless steel tub, Energy Star certification, and a hard food disposer that’ll chew up any large food particles so they won’t clog the machine.
Most quiet: Samsung DW80R9950US
At just 39 dBA, this is one of the quietest dishwashers on the market. With a capacity of 15 place settings it suits a large family very well, and it’s a perfect choice for open floor plans where you don’t want to listen to your dishes being washed while entertaining your guests.
Also great: Bosch SHEM63W55N
With the control panel conveniently located at the front panel, you can always keep track of the wash cycle and change settings midway through. It’s also a very popular dishwasher among users, and particularly great for a big family.
Questions? Ask our experts:
The breakdown
How did we find the best dishwashers for a large family?
At ConsumerJar we independently select the products we consider the best in each category. Besides reviewing the products ourselves, here’s a breakdown of the entire process:
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Products reviewed
This is the total amount of products we’ve reviewed, before carefully selecting the ones featured in this guide. We’ve listed all products in the “Honorable Mentions” section at the bottom of this buying guide.
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Expert reviews analyzed
As part of our extensive research process, we’ve studied reviews from reputable expert sources such as Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce, and more.
47157
User ratings analyzed
User ratings indicate the short-term satisfaction with a select product, and give us valuable insights into the advantages and disadvantages from a consumer perspective. We’ve analyzed user ratings from Home Depot, Appliances Connection, Abt, AJ Madison, RC Willey, and Build.com.
In-Depth Reviews of the Best Dishwashers for a Large Family
Below are in-depth reviews of the dishwashers considered the best options on the market right now.
Bosch SHXM78W54N
- Super flexible racks and 3rd rack for cutlery
- Quiet: 42 dBA rating
- 6 cycles + 5 add-on options
This 24-Inch family friendly dishwasher is as good as it gets. Bosch is commonly known as one of the best dishwasher brands all over Europe, and this 800 Series dishwasher comes packed with features.
For a large family this is a great choice. The versatility is out of the world with 6 cycles spanding from Auto to Eco and Quick cycle, with 5 add-on options available as well: Extra Dry, Delicate, Sanitize (increases the time and temperature of the final rinse), and more.
It has a third rack for cutlery, an adjustable upper rack, and an additional cutlery/utensil basket at the bottom rack.
Available in: Black Stainless Steel, Black, or White.
GE GDT665SSNSS
- Hard food disposer breaks up large food particles
- Third rack for cutlery and small utensils
- 46 dBA operation
This GE dishwasher has a few features, that are particularly useful for large families. First of all, the Piranha Hard Food Disposer breaks down large food particles to ensure they aren’t just circulated inside the tub and getting stuck somewhere, which is really neat if you don’t want to manually check all dishes to see if there’s any large food particles left.
Besides the food disposer you’ll also enjoy a quiet operation at just 46 dBA, and a reduced utility bill since it’s a certified Energy Star product.
Along with 5 different cycles you’ll find 9 options, that will customize the cycle in order to sanitize your dishes (NSF 184 certified), boost the drying process, wash only the upper/lower zone and preserve electricity, and much more.
Available in: Black, Black Slate, Black Stainless Steel, Slate, Stainless Steel, or White.
Samsung DW80R9950US
- Super quiet – only 39 dBA
- Suitable for a large family – 15 place settings
- Energy Star rated – uses 239 kWh/year
None of us like the sound of a dishwasher running a cycle, but with this technological wonder from Samsung there’s no need to postpone the cycle until you and/or your guests leave the kitchen/dining area.
With a super quiet 39 dBA operation you may not even notice it while it’s running, and you can easily entertain your family and spend time in your kitchen without bothering with any noise from the dishwasher.
Although it’s a super quiet dishwasher, it has a lot more to offer besides being among the quietest models on the market: The super flexible third rack grants you additional space for your cutlery and small utensils, while your upper rack is super easy to adjust according to your needs.
Keeping track of the washing is also easy. You can either connect through Wi-Fi and see the remaining time on your smartphone, or read off the projected display at the front of the door.
Available in: Black Stainless Steel, Stainless Steel, or Tuscan Stainless Steel.
Bosch SHEM63W55N
- Third rack for cutlery and small utensils
- Adjustable upper rack
- 4 useful wash options to customize the cycle
This Bosch dishwasher is reasonable priced, and has a lot of positive user ratings online. It’s part of the 300 Series, and as such it offers great value and lots of features.
Along with tall stainless steel tub you get 5 different cycles to choose from, 4 options to enhance the cycles with additional drying or sanitizing, as well as extra speed and delayed start.
At just 44 dBA you may not even notice this dishwasher while in operation, because of how quiet it is. We could easily sit and watch TV or work on our laptop next to the dishwasher, without feeling distracted by the water splashing around inside.
There’s a full control panel at the front of the door, granting you access to all settings even when the dishwasher is running.
Available in: Black, Stainless Steel, or White.
Honorable Mentions
During our initial research, we gathered all the dishwashers with the most positive user ratings online. To keep this buying guide digestible, we only.
- ASKO DBI675THXXLS
- Bosch SHE3AR75UC
- Bosch SHP865WD6N
- Bosch SHPM78Z55N
- Bosch SHPM88Z75N
- Bosch SHX3AR75UC
- Bosch SHX68T56UC
- Bosch SHXM63WS5N
- Bosch SHXM88Z75N
- Whirlpool WDTA50SAHZ
- Frigidaire FGID2466QF
- GE GDF640HSMSS
- GE GDP665SYNFS
- GE GDT605PGMWW
- GE GDT630PSMSS
- GE GDT695SMJES
- GE PDT715SYNFS
- KitchenAid KDFE104HPS
- KitchenAid KDPE234GPS
- LG LDF5545ST
- LG LDP6797ST
- Whirlpool WDF520PADM
- Whirlpool WDT970SAHZ
- Zline DW-304-24