GE Vs LG: Which Brand Has The Better Dishwasher?

Unless you just love the look of yellow rubber gloves or meals always served from disposable takeout boxes, a dishwasher is probably part of your daily routine. Maybe you're one of those people who prefer to cram as many dirty dishes into one load as possible. Or perhaps you take a more diligent approach by pre-rinsing and picking the right wash cycle each time. Either way, choosing the right dishwasher for your kitchen can be a challenge. From standard built-ins to compact portable options, there are dozens of dishwasher brands offering countless different models and features. Although you can splurge on luxury dishwashers with high-end features like interior lighting and super quiet operation, brands like GE and LG manufacture more economical options. But which brand has the better dishwasher?

To find out, we decided to dig into both brands to learn more about each company. Then, we did a deep dive into their dishwasher pricing, features, and warranties. Because your household may have different needs than your next-door neighbors, we also looked at the overall number of dishwashing appliance offerings from both brands. Finally, we dug into quality, focusing our research on customer reviews, Reddit boards, and available recall information. 

Founded by Thomas Edison, GE has been manufacturing household appliances since 1907. The company's global headquarters is located in Louisville, Kentucky, where they manufacture popular dishwashers like the GE Dry Boost Dishwasher. This is a mid-priced option that retails at Lowe's for $519. It's one of close to 80 dishwasher models available from GE. They range from a $399 basic plastic dishwasher with a sanitizing cycle to a fingerprint-resistant stainless model with antimicrobial technology that costs $1,439. The vast majority of GE dishwashers are energy-star rated, an important consideration if you're trying to help reduce your energy costs at home. Special features like bottle washing, Sabbath modes, and built-in WiFi are also available on certain models.

Although its parent company is a Chinese multinational corporation, GE prides itself on its commitment to American manufacturing. According to AllAmerican.org, 75% of the dishwashers it manufactures are made of domestically sourced materials at plants in Indiana, Connecticut, and across the Southeast. If buying "Made in America" products is important to you, or you're worried kitchen appliance pricing or availability may be impacted by tariffs, GE is a brand users recommend considering when you're in the market for a new dishwasher. Even its lowest-rated dishwashers still have hundreds of five-star reviews. And, it's been over a decade since the company issued a dishwasher recall. However, it's important to note that GE dishwashers only come with a limited one-year warranty, and you're required to use their technicians if you run into a problem. 

Established in 1958, LG is a South Korean conglomerate that manufactures a wide range of kitchen appliances, including just over 30 different dishwashers. LG's top-rated dishwasher, the $749 24-Inch QuadWash Top Control Dishwasher, is a whisper-quiet appliance that uses steam to eliminate the need for pre-rinsing your dishes or wiping spots off them when the wash cycle is completed. Customer reviews are similar to Consumer Reports, which determined that its energy efficiency and overall quietness are among the best in its class. LG's lowest-rated dishwashers vary widely in price, from a $499 rust-resistant front control model to a top control option retailing for $1,249 that most reviewers gave only one star. On the other hand, hundreds of users gave the $999 Top Control Smart Wi-fi Enabled Dishwasher five-star reviews, appreciating its adjustable racks and quiet operation. Offering several similar features but a 10-year motor warranty, LG's most expensive dishwasher, the LG Signature Top Control, rings up at a whopping $1,699. 

Extended warranties are available on all LG dishwashers, and during some special promotional pricing periods, you can get an extra year of coverage at no additional cost. But before making the investment, be aware that an ongoing class action lawsuit alleges LG's QuadWash-enabled dishwashers have defective LED control panels that have caused several users operational headaches. And we found more than one Reddit board full of comments recommending avoiding LG purchases. 

Whether yours has a weird smell or you've started to spot rust, if you're seeing signs that your dishwasher is too old and needs replacing, investing in a GE dishwasher is probably the better choice. Along with offering a much wider selection with a variety of features to suit different families' needs, GE dishwashers' basic, mid-range, and luxury dishwasher selections are more competitively priced than LG. Although LG does manufacture washers and dryers at one of its plants in Clarksville, Tennessee, it's harder to pinpoint exactly where its dishwashers are made. Because of its domestically based manufacturing plants, GE's pricing may remain more stable over the long term even in the face of tariffs. LG has already announced that it is considering raising prices as a result of anticipated tariffs, according to a news report by Korea JoongAng Daily. CEO William Cho told Seoul-based reporters that the potential establishment of production capabilities in the United States would only be a last resort. Bearing this in mind, we expect LG's dishwashers to remain more expensive than GE's.

But the main reason GE comes out on top is because of what real users say about both brands. GE dishwashers simply receive more four- and five-star ratings than comparable LG models. For example, when we searched for models available at big box stores like Lowe's, the majority of GE's most popular and highly rated dishwashers received hundreds of four- and five-star ratings. In fact, we could only find a few GE dishwashers with less than a 3.5-star rating, and even then, each available model still had dozens of five-star reviews. By comparison, LG's lowest-rated dishwasher received only one-star ratings (even from a promotional reviewer!)