LG is the value pick: 14 place settings, 44 decibels, 11.5 litres a cycle and a ten-year motor warranty for around $800, with more owner reviews than any dishwasher sold in Australia. Bosch Series 4 costs around $200 more for the same fourteen settings, a two-decibel noise penalty and better basket adjustment, but comes with AquaStop leak protection and 400 reviews of its own.
These two are the best-selling dishwashers at The Good Guys, with more than 1,100 owner reviews between them. They are also very close on paper.
LG 14 Place QuadWash
Fourteen place settings, 44 decibels, four energy stars, five water stars, 11.5 litres a cycle and 230kWh a year. Seven programs, dual-zone washing, half load, an adjustable upper rack on three heights and ThinQ app connection. Owners rate it 4.5 from more than 730 reviews at The Good Guys, the largest pool of any dishwasher there.
The headline for longevity is the ten-year parts warranty on the Inverter Direct Drive motor, on top of the two-year machine warranty. Leak protection is a simple Aqua Stop valve rather than Bosch's full AquaStop Plus system.
What We Like:
- 44 decibels at this price
- 10-year motor warranty
- 730+ owner reviews
What We Don't Like:
- Basic leak protection
Bosch Series 4
Fourteen place settings, 46 decibels, four energy stars, four water stars, 13.5 litres a cycle and 230kWh a year. Six programs, a top basket adjustable on three levels, folding plate racks in both baskets, and AquaStop Plus with lifetime anti-flood protection. Owners rate it 4.6 from more than 400 reviews.
It is two decibels louder than the LG and uses two more litres a cycle, for around $200 more.
What We Like:
- AquaStop Plus lifetime leak protection
- Folding racks in both baskets
- Hundreds of owner reviews
What We Don't Like:
- 13.5 litres a cycle
Side by side
| LG QuadWash | Bosch Series 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $700–800 | $900–1,000 |
| Place settings | 14 | 14 |
| Noise | 44dB | 46dB |
| Energy rating | 4 stars | 4 stars |
| Energy use | 230kWh/yr | 230kWh/yr |
| Water rating (WELS) | 5 stars | 4 stars |
| Water per cycle | 11.5L | 13.5L |
| Programs | 7 | 6 |
| Upper rack | 3 heights | 3 levels |
| Leak protection | Aqua Stop valve | AquaStop Plus, lifetime |
| App | LG ThinQ | No |
| Motor warranty | 10 years | 2 years |
| Machine warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
| Owner rating | 4.5 (738) | 4.6 (408) |
Owner ratings are from The Good Guys.
What actually differs
Water. 11.5 litres against 13.5. Two litres a cycle, roughly 540 litres a year, and a full WELS star in LG's favour.
Noise. 44 decibels against 46, also LG's way. Both are quiet; neither will interrupt a conversation.
Leak protection. Bosch's AquaStop Plus is a double-walled hose with a shut-off valve and a base tray sensor, warranted for the life of the machine. LG fits a simpler valve. For an upstairs laundry or a kitchen over a finished floor, that is a genuine difference in what happens on the worst day.
Motor warranty. LG covers its direct drive motor for ten years. Bosch covers the whole machine for two. The motor is not the part that usually fails on a dishwasher, but it is the expensive one.
Price. Around $200, and both go on sale regularly.
What doesn't change: the same 230kWh a year, the same 600mm cabinet, the same fourteen settings, the same two-year machine warranty.
FAQs
What is QuadWash?
LG's name for four spray arms rather than the usual two, each spinning on its own axis to cover more angles. In practice both machines clean a normal load well; QuadWash helps most with awkwardly stacked bottom baskets.
Does the ten-year LG motor warranty cover labour?
It covers parts. Labour is covered by the two-year machine warranty, after which a motor replacement means paying a technician even if the part is free. Read the terms on the LG listing before treating it as ten years of cover.
Which is more reliable?
Neither brand's reviews support a clear answer. Both sit between 4.5 and 4.6 across hundreds of Australian owners, which is as close as this evidence gets.
