Cecotec Bolero Aguazero 6620 (dishwasher designed for 15 place settings): our review

The gravy jug is empty, somebody has rescued the remaining roast potatoes, and the kitchen counter is disappearing beneath crockery. With 15 place settings, the Bolero Aguazero 6620 offers a large capacity with room for dishes and saucepans. Place settings are a standardised measure covering plates, glasses and cutlery, though, rather than an exact guest count. Bulky cookware still needs its share of the space.

The loading arrangements give that capacity practical support. A height-adjustable upper basket lets you change the available clearance when the contents demand it, while a cutlery drawer provides a dedicated home for forks, knives and smaller utensils. Would your usual mixture of mugs, dinner plates and cooking pots make good use of that flexibility?

We like the combination: generous loading space matters more when you can organise it around the washing-up you actually produce. The saucepan collection has not earned its own postcode just yet.

An open-plan kitchen can put the washing-up within earshot of everything else: a film, a conversation, the final chapter before bed. The declared eco noise level of 42 decibels sits among the lowest figures, giving this dishwasher a persuasive advantage when kitchen and living space overlap.

That is a reason to shortlist it for a noise-conscious household. It is not a promise that you will hear nothing. Room layout and the position of your sofa still shape how welcome any appliance sounds, and the declared figure belongs to eco rather than every available programme.

For the familiar routine of clearing supper and switching on before bedtime, the specification makes sense. Automatic door opening also means the appliance can release steam at the end without waiting for you to return. That could make the morning unloading routine easier to organise, although the drying result needs a little more qualification.

Eco electricity consumption is 72.1 kWh/100 cycles, around the average: a middle-ground figure for the energy used across repeated loads. Water consumption is 10.2 L/cycle, also around the average for each eco cycle. Average eco water use is the main drawback here, particularly if reducing the water used for washing-up is your priority. The energy class is C.

The programme takes 215 min, a long stretch much like most models. That slower pace helps conserve resources; it is not a fault. Plan it around a gap when the clean plates will not be needed immediately, rather than the interval between supper and an unexpected round of pudding.

For an alternative, the Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O uses less water on eco, at 8.4 L/cycle. The Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O has lower electricity consumption too. Choose the Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O when lower eco water use matters most.

A closed dishwasher leaves warm, damp air inside. Automatic door opening lets that steam escape at the end of the cycle, giving drying a helping hand without requiring you to hover nearby. Expect assistance with drying, not a promise of dry plastics. Lunch boxes may still need attention before they return to the cupboard.

The 8 programs provide a broad choice for people who like to adjust the settings to suit the load. Eco is confirmed, and a half-load option is available for evenings when the machine is only partly filled. Half load does not mean you should assume consumption falls by half.

After dinner with friends, the useful combination is flexibility at the start and less intervention at the finish. Select the appropriate programme according to the instructions and the items you are loading. The roasting dish you are unsure about still needs its own care guidance checked before it joins the plates.

The Cecotec Bolero Aguazero 6620 is freestanding, with its own front rather than a kitchen furniture door covering it. Its width is 59.5 cm, height 84.5 cm and depth 58.5 cm. Those are the measurements to set against the available kitchen space before ordering; a familiar-looking gap is no substitute for checking the actual dimensions.

Think about the whole routine, too. You need to load the baskets comfortably, unload the cutlery drawer and accommodate the door opening at the end. A kitchen can have generous storage and still make an open appliance door awkward.

Our overall assessment places this model well. The large capacity, adaptable loading and low declared noise give it a clear role in a busy home. We would put it on the shortlist when everyday washing-up includes cookware as well as crockery, and when an appliance with its own visible front suits the room.