Beko DVN04X20: should you buy this family-sized, cheap dishwasher?

The Beko DVN04X20 dishwasher is a low budget dishwasher that’s nonetheless capacious enough for a family home, but is it what you need for yours? We’ve lined it up against other dishwashers on the market and checked out the reviews of those who’ve already invested, and have concluded it’s definitely worth putting on to your shortlist.

Beko is a brand known for appliances that don’t cost a fortune but can deliver beautifully when it comes to features and usability. OK, they could be described as appearing functional rather than flashy, but functions are what you want, right? While this may not be the world's most stylish dishwasher, at its low price it could be the best dishwasher for your household.

With space for 13 place settings, and some useful speedy programmes, this machine has the potential to be a successful buy for a family home. And it does make the grade according to the satisfied users. We’ve got all the details on what this dishwasher delivers and what they think. 

Beko DVN04X20: key spec

• Dimensions: H85 x W59.8 x D60cm
• Energy rating: E
• Place settings: 13
• Noise level: 49dB

Beko DVN04X20: features

The most welcome feature of the Beko DVN04X20 dishwasher in our opinion? The fact that you won’t have to resort to washing the dishes by hand when time is of the essence, which wins it a round of applause from us. After all, if you’ve gone to the expense of buying a dishwasher and given up the cabinet space for it, doing a load of plates and cutlery in the kitchen sink because you can’t wait for your machine to sloosh its way through a cycle is just plain annoying.

How quickly can this little number sort out your plate emergency? Well, the Mini 30’ programme promises to deal with a full load of lightly soiled dishes in – you’ve guessed it – 30 minutes. Dirtier versions in need of quick cleaning? There’s the Quick&Shine programme that washes a full load in 58 minutes. 

Also useful is the half load function, which means you can save time as well as energy if you haven’t accumulated a dishwasher full of stuff that needs cleaning, but need to get the job done in any case because what’s in there has to be ready to be used again tomorrow.  

Aside from the Mini and Quick&Shine, there are just two other programmes for a total of four. This isn’t a great deal in dishwasher terms, although the options may be sufficient to meet all your needs; they are an Eco cycle, and an Intensive. The Eco wash takes three hours and 25 minutes to get the job done, while the Intensive is the one to use if dirty pots and pans are part of the load and will use a higher temperature to get baked-on bits and ingredients off your items.

Choosing between cycles is easy: just turn the dial to the programme you need, but aside from the half load, that’s it for options to control the dish-cleaning process. As for when it starts, you can set the delay timer to do the dishes after you’ve gone to bed, for example. Will it disturb you at night or when you’re watching TV come to that? A noise level of 49dB is pretty quiet – think about moderate rain level – so while not considered silent it’s definitely unobtrusive.

If you are up and about when it’s washing, you might like to bear in mind that this dishwasher won’t tell you the time remaining, but it does have the expected rinse aid and salt indicators to prompt you to refill. If you have little ones, the child lock will also prove welcome.

With space for 13 place settings this model has a standard capacity for a full-sized dishwasher. That translates as being suitable for a medium-sized household of three or four. Big households be mindful, though, that the highest capacity machines hold some 16 place settings.

A place setting, by the way, is around 10 items a person including cutlery. In real life, of course, you’ll likely be putting in pots and pans along with cereal bowls, mugs and so on, so use it as a way to compare to get a dishwasher sized to your household.

A flexible interior also makes fitting everything into a dishwasher in one go easier. This model offers this in the form of a cutlery basket that slides along its width, as well as being removable. On the other hand, you can’t adjust the height of the upper basket to accommodate extra large items below, which might matter if you have big platters to put in there from time to time.

Beko DVN04X20: performance

Plenty of the owners of the Beko DVN04X20 dishwasher have shared their opinions on how well the appliance does its job and their verdict is overwhelmingly good with an average of 8.8 out of 10 for its performance. Highest scoring among the criteria is the cleaning performance with 9.2 out of 10, closely followed by value for money with an average of 9.1.

Buyers note that it cleans effectively, and operates quietly. They also mention that it’s easy to load and they like the moveable cutlery holder. Many find it easy to operate although some people are disappointed by the quality of the instruction manual. Other quibbles include that the appliance doesn’t show how much time is left on a cycle, and some people find the compartment for the tablet a bit fiddly. 

Beko DVN04X20: verdict

You can pay anything from around £200 to more then £1,000 for a full-size freestanding dishwasher for your kitchen. The Beko DVN04X20 is among the lowest priced options on offer, and those priced at even less tend to hold fewer place settings to boot. But it needs to do its job well in addition to going easy on your bank balance and it does, according to its satisfied buyers, making it a choice we endorse.

This Beko won’t provide you with the number of different programme options of some more costly machines, but those that are available will meet all needs for many users. Especially noteworthy are the two quick cycles that can help you get the kitchen clear and the dishes sparkling at a lick. It’s not noisy either, purchasers report and the low decibel count makes it a great budget option for open-plan kitchens.