Miele is a German manufacturer that has been creating some of the most cutting-edge technology for home appliances for over 100 years. We are going to be taking a look at if Miele washing machines are any good in today’s age.
Before we kick things off let’s start by saying that we think Miele washing machines are fantastic and are probably one of the best washing machines money can buy.
It is also worth noting that before you dive into going ahead and buying a high-end washing machine made by Miele, you should know that they can be very expensive. We will be trying to help you figure out if they are worth that hefty price tag.
What makes Miele washing machines good
We could sit and talk all day about what makes Miele washing machines so good but let’s try and narrow it down a bit.
Here are some things that we think are great about Miele washing machines:
- All of the models that are currently only the market have a washing machine energy efficiency rating of at least B grade and most have an A grade – That’s some of the best on the market
- All Miele washing machines have a minimum spin speed RPM of 1400 – This is important if you want a machine that leaves your clothes are dry as possible
- You can add items that you have forgotten about during a wash cycle – No more stopping and resetting the cycle to add in a few socks
- The new models that are currently being sold are very sleek in design and make your kitchen look really modern – This is important if you have a modern fitted kitchen and don’t want your appliances to stick out like a sore thumb
- The quick wash time is only 20 minutes which is great if you want to freshen up a few T-shirts
Amongst other things, the most impressive thing about Miele washing machines is their build quality.
The build quality of Miele appliances is arguably the best on the market and it’s very rare for them to break down in the first 10 years.
It’s also quite rare for the drum bearings to fail on a Miele machine that’s under 15 years old even if it’s used often. This is typically much longer than other manufacturers like Hotpoint.
Another great feature is the auto dosing technology which is known as the Miele TwinDos system. This is great for people that don’t want to add detergent before the wash cycle and prefer the machine to do it for them.
Some negatives of Miele washing machines
Even though Miele makes great washing machines it doesn’t mean they don’t have a few negatives to discuss.
Here are some of the things we think could be better about Miele washing machines:
- They are typically very expensive and are usually one of the most expensive washing machines on the market with similar specifications
- The drum size of a typical Miele washing machine is very small when you compare them to other washing machine manufacturers like LG – This isn’t great if you plan on doing a lot of washing and you’ll probably end up doing more wash cycles
- They only produce white washing machines which means you have a limited range of washing machines that match up with your home – If you have a black kitchen then you might be looking for a darker-coloured machine which Miele doesn’t cater for
- The spare parts for Miele washing machines are very expensive – This is something to consider if you’re going to get your machine repaired when it’s out of warranty
Another really important point to make is that Miele used to offer 5-year or 10-year warranties as standard on their washing machines.
They now only offer 2-year manufacturers warranties on their machines which is not great when you consider the cost of a Miele washing machine.
We even found that the machines that are over £2000 only come with a 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee. That’s quite disappointing when you think about it.
Where are Miele washing machines made?
As we mentioned before Miele is a German appliance manufacturer that has been operating since 1899.
The oldest production plant that they own is in Gütersloh and was founded in 1907 and impressively still makes washing machines to this day.
They have upheld the famous German build quality in engineering and still make most of their appliances in Germany.
If you buy a washing machine in the UK then there’s a good chance it was built at the Miele factory in Germany.
Miele also has some other factories in Austria, Switzerland and in the Czech Republic where they build and test some of their appliances.
An interesting fact about Miele is that they test all of their washing machines for 20 years of use and make sure that they don’t break down under normal use.
How to reset a Miele washing machine
Even though Miele washing machines are usually jam-packed with technology, most of their machines can only hard reset.
This means that they don’t have a programmatic function that allows you to reset your washing machine.
Here is how you reset a Miele washing machine:
- Go to the dial on the front of the display and turn it to the off position at the top – You can also turn the machine off by using the LCD to power down the cycle
- Unplug the machine from the electrical supply and wait for around 15 minutes for all of the capacitors on the control board to discharge any power – This is so the control board doesn’t store the last cycle and will forget any error codes that might be on the display
- Plug the machine back in and then run the shortest cycle so you can test the machine – This is usually a quick wash and will last around 20 minutes
If you find that resetting your washing machine didn’t clear any errors or faults, then you might want to head over to our Miele washing machine error codes guide where we list all of the errors and what you can do to fix them.
Summary
If you can afford to own a Miele washing machine, then you can expect the best build quality of any appliance on the market.
It’s definitely worth considering if the drum size will be enough for you or your family because Miele washing machines typically have small drum capacities.
In more recent years Miele has dropped the long manufacturer’s warranties that they used to place on their machines and have moved over to 2-year warranties. This is worrying especially if you don’t plan on taking out an extended warranty because Miele washing machine spare parts are very expensive.
It’s also worth noting that if you want a machine with all of the technology that Miele offers then you won’t find it on the cheaper models and you will probably have to spend over £2000 to get a Wi-Fi enabled machine.
