Candy CF 5C6F0W (dishwasher 15-place-setting family dishwasher with automatic drying): our review

The school holiday gathering has ended, the cousins have disappeared and the kitchen still looks fully occupied. With 15 place settings, this dishwasher offers a large capacity that leaves room for dishes and saucepans. Place settings are a standardised measure covering plates, glasses and cutlery, though, rather than a promise about how many people you can feed before loading up.

The height-adjustable upper basket and foldable tines make the space more adaptable. Those are useful provisions when bowls and larger cookware interrupt the neat rows of plates. A cutlery basket provides somewhere for forks and spoons, while also occupying basket space. Your serving bowl has apparently booked the entire afternoon. We like the loading flexibility here: generous capacity matters more when you can rearrange the space around awkward shapes.

Open-plan kitchen and living room, an evening film and a dishwasher waiting to start: will the soundtrack have company? The declared eco noise level of 46 decibels sits around the average. Sound is therefore a reason to consider your room layout carefully, especially when the sofa is close to the kitchen.

For a household that usually switches the dishwasher on just before bedtime, the practical question is where the kitchen sits relative to sleeping spaces. The declared figure is a reference for planning when to run it. We would give the layout of your home real weight before making an immediate start after dinner part of the routine. A separate kitchen gives you a different decision from a studio flat where the sofa and washing-up share the same space.

The eco programme lasts 237 min, a long stretch familiar across most dishwashers. Taking its time helps the programme conserve resources; a lengthy cycle is part of that approach. For the couple who wait until the machine is full, starting after dinner and unloading later is a sensible rhythm.

Still, the consumption figures temper our enthusiasm. Eco electricity use is 75 kWh/100 cycles, among the highest declared figures, while water use of 10.9 L/cycle exceeds the declared average. A full load makes the capacity useful, but it does not erase those figures. Its energy label carries class C. Half load is available for smaller collections, although that option should not be read as a promise to halve consumption. The declared consumption figures here belong to eco, rather than every programme you might select.

The wine glasses left after dinner with friends can wait until morning, but unloading wet items is a less welcome start to breakfast. This model combines condensation drying with automatic door opening. By letting steam escape at the end, the opening door helps drying; plastics may still need attention with a tea towel.

That automatic finish is a practical attraction. It suits households happy to leave the load until later, without making promises about every item emerging dry. There is also a broad selection of 8 programs, giving people who enjoy adjusting settings more choice. Programme variety offers flexibility, but the number alone cannot tell you how well a particular load will come out. We would put the adaptable baskets and drying arrangement ahead of the programme count when deciding.

The kitchen recess whose measurements you know by heart still needs a fresh check before ordering. This is a freestanding appliance with its own visible front. Its width is 59.7 cm, height is 85 cm and depth is 59.8 cm: compare those dimensions with the intended position, rather than relying on width alone.

Check the delivery route too. A suitable position in the kitchen is only useful if the appliance can reach it. Before ordering, confirm delivery arrangements, removal of the old machine, warranty cover and returns with the retailer. The published repairability index is 8.6 out of 10, a useful reference when thinking beyond the initial installation. It does not tell you how quickly a repair appointment will be available, so local after-sales support is worth checking alongside the practicalities of arrival.

The CF 5C6F0W is well placed in our overall assessment. Its capacity and adjustable loading arrangement give it a clear role in a busy kitchen, but different household habits can shift the recommendation.

The Whirlpool W7FHS51X is better suited to a kitchen open to the living room, with a lower declared eco noise level of 41 decibels. The Whirlpool W7FHS51X has similar capacity at 15 place settings, so choosing it need not mean giving up loading space.

The Bosch SMV4EVX02F for lower water use uses less water, with eco consumption of 9 L/cycle. The Bosch SMV4EVX02F has lower capacity at 14 place settings, which matters when comparing consumption: you are also choosing how much washing-up each load can accommodate. Let your usual pile of dishes guide that choice.