By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Eco vs quick wash - which dishwasher program is cheapest and best?
The vast majority of dishwashers have three core cycles – main/auto, eco and quick wash. Our snapshot test in 2024 of three big-brand models exposed the limitations of quick wash (also known as 'fast', 'rapid' or 'express').
A common misconception with the quick wash program is that, since it's quicker, it costs less to run. But in fact, it doesn’t clean and dry as well as the main program, uses more energy and water, and actually costs more to run. It only realistically saves you time.
Eco mode doesn't clean and dry quite as well as the main cycle, but it uses less energy and water and is much cheaper to run over a year.
Read on for the full results, and to see which program you should be using in your dishwasher.
For a machine that cleans well and works efficiently on the main program, take a look at our best dishwashers
Eco mode vs quick wash
We test all dishwashers primarily using their main or auto program, so any Best Buy or Eco Buy dishwasher will clean and dry well using this program, and be affordable to run.
In our snapshot test, we pitted the main wash against the eco program and the fast wash on three big-brand dishwashers.
The test revealed that quick wash cleaned less effectively than the main program (74% efficiency versus 83%). It also did a slightly worse job of drying the dishes, scoring 76% efficiency versus 82%, and left more watermarks on items after a cycle.
Eco mode also didn't clean quite as well as the main program (79% compared with 83%), and didn't dry the dishes as effectively, either (76% versus 82%).
However, eco modes typically use considerably less energy and water – we estimate you'd save around 30% in running costs over a year by switching to eco on your machine.
To discover our recommended models, visit our dishwasher reviews and use the 'Best Buy' or 'Eco Buy' filters
Is it cheaper to run a dishwasher on eco or quick wash?
Based on five washes per week using the main wash program exclusively, it would cost £71.01 a year, on average, according to our snapshot test.
By contrast, exclusively using quick wash would cost a bit more – £76.93 on average.
This is where switching to eco really starts to pay off, as you would pay just £52.13 in annual costs.
Over five years, eco mode would save you £94.40 over the main program and £109 over quick wash.
| Dishwasher program | Annual cost | 5-year cost | Cleaning score | Drying score |
| Main | £71.01 | £355.05 | 83% | 82% |
| Eco | £73.93 | £369.65 | 79% | 76% |
| Quick | £52.13 | £260.65 | 74% | 76% |
Based on the data from our 2024 snapshot test. All running costs based on a typical scenario of five washes per week, and calculated using the January 2026 price cap of 27.69p/kWh.
The best cheap dishwashers give an impressive clean for a budget-friendly price
How long do dishwashers take?
Based on the dishwashers we've tested, the main program takes, on average, around 2 hours 30 minutes to complete.
Eco mode does take longer, at 3 hours 55 minutes on average, so you'll wait another 1 hour 25 minutes on average for the load to finish compared with the main cycle.
Quick washes vary in length by manufacturer (some offer multiple fast-wash options, including cycles that complete in just 15 minutes) but typically take around an hour to complete.
Based on our analysis, it appears that the shortened time window means the machine has to shift more rapidly between temperatures and water use.
This is potentially why the quick wash in fact uses more energy and water on average, despite it being a shorter cycle. Think of it a bit like comparing a sports car to a family saloon based on fuel efficiency.
Why does eco mode take longer?
Just as the quick wash has to produce enough water for the wash and reach the required temperatures in a short amount of time, eco mode does the opposite. It has a longer duration, so the machine can reach the required temperatures slowly and gradually.
While you might think that a longer duration would mean more water being used, our snapshot test actually showed the opposite.
In our test, the eco mode used 8.88 litres of water during a wash cycle, whereas the main program used 10.79 litres and the quick wash used the most, at 10.46 litres.
With some inefficient dishwashers, the main wash can use over four litres more than the main wash, potentially driving up your bills. Choose an Eco Buy dishwasher to ensure that doesn't happen.
Discover the most energy-efficient dishwashers we've tested or use our dishwasher running cost tool to find the models that cost the most and least over their lifetime
Which dishwasher program is best?
We've ranked eco, main and quick wash from best to worst:
- Main program - when it comes to cleaning, drying and balanced efficiency, the main program remains a very good cycle to choose with any dishwasher (as long as it's well rated in our test lab). The main wash is also generally an auto program, meaning it will automatically sense how dirty your daily dishes are, and then adjust the temperature and spray jet intensity to ensure you get the optimum level.
- Eco mode - although performance varies by dishwasher, the eco program typically won't clean quite as well as the main program. It also generally takes much longer to run. However the running cost savings you'd make by switching to eco make it well worth considering – both for the environment and your wallet. You may even want to vary up usage of the eco and main wash, so you get the best of both worlds.
- Quick wash - this program is worse at cleaning and drying, uses more energy and water, and will cost more to run. Only use it when you're in a real hurry.
To find out more about the various cycles and what they do, read our guide to dishwasher programs explained
