BEKO DEN48530X freestanding dishwasher, 60 cm, 15 place settings, class D, stainless

A freestanding dishwasher has its own cabinet and top, so it does not have to be built into kitchen furniture. You can place it wherever there is a water supply, a drain and a socket: in a rented flat, a summer house or a kitchen whose units are already fitted with no dishwasher module left free. When you move, the machine simply goes with you, because it is not tied to the furniture.

Fifteen place settings is a large capacity for a 60 cm machine: one load handles a whole day of dishes or the plates, glasses and pans from a dinner with guests. Running full loads means starting the machine less often, which saves time and uses less water and electricity than several half-empty cycles. The manufacturer's data does not describe how the baskets are laid out.

The dishwasher has eight wash programmes, one of them a quick wash. The short programme suits lightly soiled cups and glasses you will need again soon, while the longer programmes handle everyday and more heavily soiled dishes. A wider choice lets you match the cycle to the size of the load and how dirty it is. Salt and rinse aid indicators tell you when either needs topping up.

On the EU energy label scale from A to G, the DEN48530X is rated class D, with consumption of 86 kWh per 100 wash cycles. This is the figure to look at when comparing models: the lower it is, the less electricity the same number of washes takes. The noise level is 43 dB, noise class B on the A–D scale, which matters when the kitchen shares a room with the living area or the machine runs in the evening.

The dishwasher is 60 cm wide, 60 cm deep and 85 cm high and weighs 49.8 kg. The cabinet comes in a stainless steel finish that sits well next to other steel-coloured kitchen appliances. Before installing, measure the space and leave room in front for the door to open fully. If you plan to put it under a worktop, check that the 85 cm height and 60 cm depth will fit there.

The BEKO DEN48530X suits a household that washes a lot of dishes but has no furniture module for a built-in machine. It also fits rented flats and summer houses where the kitchen units cannot or should not be rebuilt. A capacity of 15 place settings and eight programmes cover everyday washing as well as the pile of dishes after a bigger get-together.