Bosch – everyone knows the name. One of the ‘big three’ worldwide when it comes to the home appliance market, Bosch is the market leader in its native Germany, and over here, despite tough market conditions, Bosch UK & Ireland alone posted 2024 sales of a whopping £3.3 billion.
So, with a history that stretches back to 1886, active sales in roughly 150 countries, and a solid reputation for reliability and innovation, how come you don’t already own a Bosch washing machine?
Okay, a more top-tier player with a range of 14 washing machines each with suitably top-tier price tags attached, Bosch can be seen as a more ‘aspirational’ brand, which can often send people in the direction of more traditionally affordable names, but the fact of the matter is, with pricing running from as little as £429 up to a top-end of just shy of a grand, the performance Bosch machines offer over the 10- to 12-years of solid service you get out of them actually makes them excellent value for money.
With a series of Series, from entry level Series 2 moving up through Series 4, Series 6 and Series 8, the models I’ve selected here I’ve done so based on a combination of performance and capacity at varying price points, the first three being freestanding and the final pick being the best of Bosch’s built-in options.
So, a bit of something for all Bosch clothes spinner seekers, starting with a sub-£500 model and building to an epic option for Mr or Mrs Moneybags. Bish, bash and, indeed, Bosch…
Best Bosch washing machines at a glance:
- Best for small capacity: Bosch Series 2 WGE03408GB - £429, John Lewis
- Best for medium capacity: Bosch Series 6 WGG244ZCGB - £599, John Lewis
- Best for large capacity: Bosch Series 8 WGB256A2GB - £999, John Lewis
- Best for all the benefits of built-in: Bosch Series 8 WIW28502GB - £749, AO
Bosch Series 2 WGE03408GB
Best for: small capacity
Coming in at a mere £429, while the Series 2 WG03408GB may be the entry level machine, it’s important to remember that this a Bosch entry level washing machine, so feel free to expect far more from this affordable little freestander than similarly priced models from lesser brands.
Offering an 8kg capacity, making it perfect for smaller households with less to wash, it also comes rated ‘A’ for energy efficiency, meaning that it will cost considerably less to run, saving you vital money on those seemingly ever-inflating electricity bills.
With an operation volume of 72dB, the Series 2 is – within the world of washing machines – almost silent, all thanks to the EcoSilence Drive, a 1400rpm brushless motor that reduces sound, energy consumption, and wear and tear to elongate the machine’s lifespan.
Featuring 14 programmes, including all the essentials such as Delicates, Easy-care, Whites and Coloureds, Woollens hand-wash, Cottons, and Super Quick 15/30 for those in a real rush, the Series 2 WG03408GB may not come app connected for smart, remote control, but not everyone needs or even wants that level of intimate digital involvement with their appliances, so the clearly labelled front panel with cycle selection dial and LCD display should prove control enough.
Throw in a convenient TimeDelay function and for those of us who are forever dropping the odd sock en route from washing basket to washing machine drum, the Bosch’s very helpful ‘Reload’ function lets you add or remove items during live cycles, and the featured-packed, decidedly sub-£500 Series 2 laughs out loud at the notion of ‘entry level’.
Buy now £429.00, John Lewis
Bosch Series 6 WGG244ZCGB
Best for: medium capacity
Leapfrogging Series 4 to settle on Series 6, here we up our capacity game to a fulsome 9kg of dirty kit, making the WGG244ZCGB the ideal Bosch washer option for medium-sized mucky families.
Operating at a – relative to washing machines – whisper-like 71dB, this class ‘A’ for energy efficiency rated revolver features an EcoSilence Drive that, as the name suggests, is both ‘eco’ and ‘silent’ thanks to a brushless motor which not only cuts down on all the clanging but also reduces leccy consumption while extending the lifespan of the machine in general.
With 14 featured programmes covering the same essential cycles as the Series 2 above, also on offer here is a Sportswear programme, Cold Wash option, and Automatic Stain Removal, and a very handy Iron Assist that, as the name suggests, keeps things as crease-free as possible to save you time slaving over a hot board.
And for those in a hurry, the Series 6 comes with a quartet of speed options, comprised of VarioSpeed, Super Quick Wash, super15, and Speed Perfect, this latter function allowing you to wash up to 4kg with most programmes, while cutting cycle time by up to 65 per cent, without compromising on the clean.
Packing a lot of top tech, the Series 6 WGG244ZCGB also eschews any form of smart app connectivity, favouring a self-explanatory selector dial and a nicely sharp LED display to keep you in the laundry loop. And the icing on the aesthetic cake, it comes finished in a resplendent ‘Graphite’ that lends an extra slice of style to the most modern of kitchens.
Buy now £599.00, John Lewis
Bosch Series 8 WGB256A2GB
Best for: large capacity
Are you a serious person with a serious amount of laundry and no time for any unserious non-all-singing-all-dancing nonsense? Then Bosch has just the magisterial washing machine for you: the Series 8 WGB256A2GB.
A class ‘A’ energy efficient rated machine with a colossal 10kg capacity to cope with the laundry loads of large families, this Bosch comes fully armed with the whole array of features and functions, including 14 programmes running the whole garment gamut, including Silk, Cotton, Wool, Mixed, Delicates, Sports, Eco, Hand-wash, and Quick Wash, with VarioSpeed, super15, Super Quick, and Speed Perfect all present to accelerate your choice of cleaning action.
Then there’s all the other stuff that the advanced 8 comes with, such as the iDOS automatic dosing system for detergent and softener, a loading senor, self-adjusting water level to load, drying progress indicator, digital countdown indicator, Reload function to alter a load during a cycle, and even an interior light so you don’t lose so much as a single sock when emptying the drum afterwards.
Naturally, this Series 8, like its stablemates, also comes blessed with a brushless EcoSilence Drive, so the motor lasts longer, while continually saving your bank account and your ears.
Finally, the WGB256A2GB being the pinnacle of Bosch washing machine perfection, naturally it also comes Wi-Fi enabled to allow for full monitoring and control over your smartphone or tablet via the Bosch Home Connect.
So, specced to the gills with all the very latest in laundry innovation, keeping consumption of resources down and, in doing so costs, plus providing the utmost in convenience while, ultimately, delivering the finest clean your clothes will ever know, the Bosch Series 8 WGB256A2GB is the last word in washing machines.
Buy now £999.00, John Lewis
Bosch Series 8 WIW28502GB
Best for: all the benefits of built-in
As promised in the intro, for those looking for a level of visual and audible stealth that freestanding washing machines simply cannot achieve, behold: the Bosch Series 8 WIW28502GB built-in.
An 8kg capacity model that’s commodious enough for small to medium families, while this integrated option is only rated ‘C’ for energy efficiency, it does come with the built-in benefit that it can be hidden away behind kitchen cabinetry, leaving the lines of design unblemished by appliance acne. The other advantage is that, as it is secured away behind closed doors, the already low-level 66dB model is even more muffled, making for a decidedly quiet kitchen. Add to that Bosch’s brushless Eco Silence Drive and Anti Vibration Sidewall, and you’ll virtually forget it’s there at all.
With 14 programmes and wash optimisation options covering Down Wear, Dark Wash, Shirts, Drain / Spin, Mixed Load, Sportswear, Single Rinse, Super Quick 15/30, Ready in, start/pause with Reload function, Temperature selection, Speed Perfect, Pre-wash, and Spin speed reduction at hand, stained and soiled stuff is a thing of the past, and all can be accessed and observed via the dial and LED display.
Built-in at its Bosch best, the Series 8 WIW28502GB may not have an ‘A’ energy efficiency rating, but ‘C’ rated machines still save a moderate amount of power and water, so you’ll still see a saving. Plus, what price peace, quiet and unblemished décor aesthetics? Exactly. And that’s why integrated machines exist.
Buy now £749.00, AO
