Compare the Best Tumble DryersMarch 2019

Tumble dryers take damp, clean clothes and rotate them in a heated drum, removing the moisture from the clothes to dry them quickly and effectively. There are two main types of dryers - condenser and vented. Here are the main advantages and differences between them:

Condenser Tumble Dryers

These dryers work by taking the moisture from the damp clothes and storing it in a water trap, which must be emptied after every couple of cycles. These dryers have no need for hoses or vents to remove the moisture, and so are more suitable for smaller apartments, or places where setting up an outside vent would be troublesome. However the tradeoff is a need to empty the water trap frequently, otherwise you may find the dryer not working as effectively.

Vented Tumble Dryers

These tumble dryers work by separating the moisture from the damp clothes, then venting the damp air outside via a hose. The venting means that there is no need to empty water traps after every cycle, making it simpler to use. However the dryer may require specialist installation, especially if the vent needs to be placed through an exterior wall.

Sensor Drying

Some more advanced models of tumble dryer will have a moisture sensor installed. This sensor detects the dampness of the clothes, and automatically adjusts the cycle to give just enough time for the clothes to be completely dried. This saves both time and money, since the dryer will automatically stop once the clothes are dry.

Capacity

The capacity of the drum in your tumble dryer will determine how many clothes you can fit in a single cycle. Drum capacity is measured in Kg, with a single Kg being equivalent to a single outfit. Bigger dryers have bigger capacities, which may be necessary for families - single people and couples may find it far cheaper and more energy efficient to buy a smaller dryer.

Programs

Most models of tumble dryer contain several different programs for clothing of different material, as well as different temperatures and spin levels for more delicate pieces of clothing. While not all of these programs may be necessary, more programs is generally a good sign of a higher-end and more capable tumble dryer.

Many dryers also contain an anti-crease setting - this causes the the drum to rotate unheated at the end of cycles, in order to minimise wrinkling on laundry. This setting is extremely helpful if you plan on leaving laundry tumbling while you go out, or overnight. If left unmoved, your cleaned laundry will develop unsightly creases, as the clothing is all jumbled up and folded at strange angles from the spin drying. However periodically rotating the drum causes the laundry to shift anew, stopping creases developing.

Tumbler Prices

Tumble dryers range in price from £59 to £13,499 and in total we found prices for 382 tumble dryers. On average, a new tumble dryer costs £483 and 80% of tumble dryers are priced between £175 and £820. The most expensive tumble dryer that we found is the Gorenje DE82 at £13,499, and the cheapest is the White Knight 28009W at only £60.

Tumbler Brands - Price Range

Gorenje laundry dryers range in price from £299 to £13,499, and the highest average tumble dryer price out of all brands is Gorenje laundry dryers with an average price of £3,067.

Miele tumble dryers start at £599 and their most expensive tumble dryer costs £2,000. The average price of Miele tumble dryers is £1,051 which is the second highest average price of all tumble dryer brands.

The average price of Siemens laundry dryers is £722 which is the third highest average price of all tumbler brands. Siemens laundry dryers range in price from £399 to £1,210.

Tumble Dryer Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 23 expert reviews and 15,374 user reviews for laundry dryers and used this data to determine the average rating for each brand of tumbler. The top rated tumble dryer brand is Samsung with an average rating of 93%. The second best brand is White Knight with 91% and the third best brand is Candy with 91%.

Biggest Tumbler Retailers

We found 273 current offers for tumble dryers from eBay making it the biggest tumbler retailer. That is more than twice as big as the second biggest retailer, Appliances Direct for whom we found 113 current offers for tumble dryers. The third biggest retailer is AO with 113 current tumbler offers.

When Are Most New Laundry Dryers Released?

We couldn't see any noticeable trend in the release dates for new tumble dryers over the last 3 years. Last year most new laundry dryers were released in April, with 39 new laundry dryers released that month. January was the biggest month in 2017 for new laundry dryers, with 56 new laundry dryers released that month. 160 new tumble dryers were released in September 2016 making it the biggest month that year for new tumble dryer releases.

How Fast Do Tumble Dryer Prices Drop After Release?

New tumble dryers drop in price by an average of 3% in the first 6 months after they wer first released. If you are prepared to wait then you could save an average of £15 on a typical £484 new tumbler by waiting 6 months before buying.

Drum Capacities

The drum volume denotes the capacity of the dryer, measures in kilograms.

Across the range of laundry dryers, the drum capacities range from 3kg to 20kg. The drum capacities of most tumble dryers range from 8kg to 8.5kg. The tumbler with the biggest drum capacity is the Hoover DXWH11A2DCEXM, which is an 11kg capacity tumbler and is available at £465.97. The White Knight C37A, which is on sale for £119.00, has the smallest drum capacity and is a 3kg capacity tumbler.

Drying Systems

The drying system shows the technology used by the tumbler to dry clothes. Different systems have both positives and negatives.

Heat pump is the most common drying system amongst new laundry dryers. We found 389 laundry dryers that are heat pump tumble dryers. We found 379 laundry dryers that are condenser tumble dryers, making condenser the second most popular drying system amongst new laundry dryers.

Noise Levels

'Noise Level' denotes how much noise the dryer makes when it's running, measures in decibels (dB).

Comparing all tumble dryers, the noise levels range from 40dB to 75dB. The noise levels of most tumble dryers range from 65dB to 67dB. The Indesit ISDG 428, which can be purchased for £179.00, has the loudest noise level and is a 75dB noise level tumble dryer. The tumbler with the quietest noise level is the Montpellier MTD25P, which is a 57dB noise level tumble dryer and is on sale for £134.99.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Laundry Dryers?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying laundry dryers. For each retailer it shows the total number of laundry dryers where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying laundry dryers. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 161 of their tumbler prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Tumble Dryers for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for laundry dryers by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of tumbler prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's tumbler prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 59% of their tumble dryer prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.