Best Eco-Friendly Washing Machines From Consumer Reports' Tests

Our expanded Green Choice designation will help you find a new washer that's easy on the environment—and your wallet

By Keith Flamer

When you’re shopping for a new washing machine, you want one that gets your clothes clean, of course. But what if you could invest in a machine that helps keep the environment clean, too? Consumer Reports’ Green Choice designation identifies the most eco-friendly washers. They’re marked by a green leaf icon in our washing machine ratings.

Washing machines continue to evolve; they’re gentler on clothes and more efficient than ever, and they use 70 percent less energy than they did in 1990, according to the Department of Energy. Today, smart washers can tell us how much detergent to use, what eco settings to use, and even ping our smartphones when our load is finished.

Still, some are greener than others. Among the washers currently in our ratings, the most water-efficient need about 8 gallons to wash our 8-pound test load. The least efficient use about 30 gallons.

We first introduced Green Choice in our washing machine ratings in 2021. In that first iteration, the assessment was a snapshot of an appliance’s environmental impact, limited to operation during its useful life.

“We’re now taking into account many additional big-picture factors,” says Shanika Whitehurst, CR’s associate director of product sustainability. In addition to the use of energy and water in your home, for example, we’re also looking at what happens before your new appliance is delivered, and what happens during disposal. “Sustainability is about minimizing the impact on the environment for any product from cradle to grave—all that is required to make it, use it, and dispose of it.”

This year, we’ve also added the designation to our dishwasher ratings, identifying Green Choice dishwashers that are easier on the environment than the competition.

What Makes a Washing Machine a Green Choice?

CR’s Green Choice icon distinguishes eco-friendly washers from the rest, based on water and energy use, reliability, and many other factors. Models must earn top scores in a variety of key environmental assessments, including:

Water efficiency: We gauge a washer’s total water consumption (hot and cold) per pound of laundry. The most water-efficient models in our ratings use an average of 10 gallons of water, 75 percent less than older models.

Energy efficiency: We calculate how much electricity is needed to run a washer, heat the water it uses, and dry clothes post-wash. (Washers that extract more water while spinning the clothes require less energy during a tumble dry cycle, earning a higher score.)

Brand reliability: Based on information from surveys of CR members who purchased a new machine over the past 10 years, this rating estimates the likelihood that a particular brand and type of washer will break or experience problems within the first five years of ownership. Washing machines that are less likely to break will likely need fewer repairs and may stay in use longer. This is better for the environment because it reduces waste and the environmental impact of manufacturing replacements. They’re better investments, too.

Gentleness: We measure how rough a machine is on washed fabrics. After all, the longer your clothes last, the less likely you are to have to replace them. Global clothing consumption has doubled over the past 15 years, with the proportion of hard-to-recycle synthetic polyester in clothing doubling since 2000. That has triggered microplastic pollution and waste that can harm marine microsystems. And that’s not counting materials and carbon emissions used to make and replace clothes.

Weight and volume: A washing machine’s environmental impact begins way before it reaches a consumer’s home. We assess the weight of the appliance, as well as its dimensions, to estimate how much raw material went into producing the machine. Also, the bigger or heavier a washing machine is, the more it costs to package and ship from warehouses to retail to your home, contributing to carbon emissions en route.

Special features: We credit the washer if its eco settings or extra cycles help the machine run more efficiently, such as automatically minimizing water and detergent use or temperatures.

Green Choices at CR
• In autos, we ID the vehicles that produce the fewest pollutants.
• Only the top tier of efficient washers earn our green leaf.
• It’s part of our efforts to build a more sustainable future for all.
For more, see CR’s Guide to Sustainable Living.

Only washers that score within the top tier for the above criteria earn our Green Choice designation. Of the 100-plus washing machines in our ratings, just 29 earn Green Choice status: 12 are front-loaders, seven are top-loaders, and 10 are compacts.

CR members can read on for ratings and reviews of some of the most eco-friendly washers from our tests. For more information as you shop, see our washer buying guide. And for a look at all the washers we test, see our washing machine ratings.

Best Eco-Friendly Front-Load Washers

Most of our Green Choice washers are highly efficient front-loaders, which use an average of 10 gallons of water per load compared to 13 gallons for HE top-loaders and 20 gallons for agitators. Here are four stellar Green Choice front-loaders from LG and Electrolux.

Best Eco-Friendly Compact Front-Load Washer

Ten compact front-loaders earn our Green Choice designation. The top-rated options in this category cost between $1,000 and $2,000. This model from Samsung retails for far less and is a Green Choice.

Samsung WW22K6800AW

CR’s take: As the lowest-priced compact in our ratings, the Samsung WW22K6800AW is a great value. Samsung compact washers earn an Excellent rating for predicted reliability. This little front-loader impressed in our tests, with Very Good wash performance and Excellent water and energy efficiency. With just 2.2 cubic feet of capacity, this washer measures just 24 inches wide and 34 inches high. Even though it’s fairly quiet, keep in mind that like most compacts, it vibrates a lot. And considering it has a 100-minute wash cycle, that’s a lot of rumble.

Best Eco-Friendly HE Top-Loader

Only three HE top-load washing machines in CR’s ratings earn the Green Choice designation. Here’s the top option, an HE machine from LG.

LG WT7800CW

CR’s take: The LG WT7800CW scores Excellent ratings for predicted reliability, washing performance, water efficiency, and vibration. Worth noting: You’ll hear this washer running, and it’s not as gentle as others. That might mean eventual wear and tear on your clothes, especially if you mix loads or use more aggressive washing cycles. The normal cycle is a fairly speedy 70 minutes. Its 5.5-cubic-foot capacity has you covered for comforters and large family-sized loads. It features WiFi remote access, a steam option, and auto dispensers for detergent, bleach, and fabric softener. It also has an extra rinse cycle which comes in handy to rinse any residue from clothes.

Best Eco-Friendly Agitator Top-Loader

LG snags the title here, too, with the first and only Green Choice top-load agitator in our ratings.

LG WT7005CW

CR’s take: If you want an eco-friendly washer but prefer a top-load agitator, consider the LG WT7405CW. It’s the first and only agitator to earn our Green Choice designation. Like most top-load agitators, it’s a little rough on fabrics but excels where some other agitators flop, earning an Excellent rating in both water and energy efficiency, and a Very Good rating for wash performance. It’s pricier than other agitators, but it’s also the top-rated one in our ratings. And its efficiency will save you money in the long run.

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