Consumer Reports Names One Of The Worst Dishwasher Brands For 2026

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When buying new kitchen appliances, it's not always easy to know which brand to trust. You may want to support a company that makes its products in the United States, but Viking is a U.S.-based dishwasher brand you may regret buying. In fact, Consumer Reports named them as one of the worst dishwasher brands for 2026. This brand is often known as a luxury line, and has a price tag you'd expect from higher-end products, but it appears that — at least when it comes to dishwashers — Viking just doesn't do well.

One of the products specifically tested was the Viking Stainless Steel Dishwasher (VDWU524SS). Though it scores well in the wash performance of the lower section, the upper one was nothing special. Where it really struggled, though, was the drying, ranking much lower than average. This is pretty disappointing, considering that it has some neat features, including an adjustable upper rack and plenty of flatware room. The device is also simple and doesn't connect to apps or the internet, which can be a positive for some potential buyers. Unfortunately, these benefits don't outweigh the negatives, considering this product has a rating of 3.6 on Best Buy's website.

However, it's not just the one dishwasher from Viking. Consumer Reports also mentioned that this company as a whole has bad reliability and poor owner satisfaction. If you're looking for a good dishwasher, this brand is probably not the way to go.

When looking at Consumer Affairs, it's easy to see that satisfaction for Viking dishwashers is indeed low. The brand has a total of 92 reviews on it at the time of writing, with most of them giving the company one star. "We purchased a Viking dishwasher about a year ago, and for the past two months, it has been breaking down. They keep sending us repairmen to fix it, and after the 4th time, they refuse to accept that the dishwasher is not reparable. We have requested the dishwasher to be replaced, but they only send repairmen," said a one-star reviewer of the brand on Consumer Affairs.

Most of the negative reviews tend to focus on issues with the dishwasher's functionality. Interestingly, while leaks are a common problem, there are mentions of everything from broken door hinges to bad circuit boards. To make it worse, some customers report that even with workers coming to fix the issue, these dishwashers either just break down again immediately, or the problem isn't fixed after the professionals replace parts.

This dishwasher is already pricey at over $2,000, but throwing in the costs of fixing damages caused by leaks and constant service fees, this washer becomes an endless money pit. One commenter on Reddit even mentioned that their Viking dishwasher is, "currently a dish rack next to my sink. It only worked for three years and fixing it would cost more than buying a better quality, much less expensive brand from Home Depot."

Of course, like with every product and brand, there are some good reviews. On Best Buy, one five-star reviewer for the Viking VDWU524SS mentioned that, "It looks sleek, is super quiet, has lots of room for dishes and does great job washing and drying as well. [It's] so quiet, we don't even [know] it's on most of the time. It also has several modes, such as 1 hour wash, etc." Other positive reviews also agree about the quietness of the device. There are a lot of additional features people enjoy in this dishwasher in particular, including an interior light that turns on when you open the door and the layout of the inside. They also like that the dishes look very clean after a load runs.

However, these reviews are seemingly not the majority. On Best Buy, all of the Viking dishwashers are rated 3.9 or lower. Unfortunately, it's not the only brand you may need to avoid when looking for a new dishwasher. Consumer Reports ranks another compact kitchen appliance low in satisfaction – the Frigidaire 18-inch dishwasher (FFBD1831UW).

If you are looking for a better alternative, Bosch is the most reliable dishwasher brand that's worth buying. And, the Bosch Benchmark SHP9PCM5N is a comparable price, if not cheaper, than the Viking VDWU524SS Dishwasher. It even earned a much higher score from Consumer Reports and customers.