Thomson TDW4510SL2 (dishwasher 45 cm freestanding): our review

The Thomson TDW4510SL2 makes sense when kitchen space has to work hard. Its 10 place settings describes a standardised load of plates, glasses and cutlery, rather than a promise about how many people you can feed. This is a compact format intended for a narrow kitchen or small loads. We like the height-adjustable upper basket: changing its position gives you some flexibility when the contents of dinner refuse to line up neatly.

Sunday roast with relatives coming round? Serving dishes and the crockery from a larger gathering will probably need separate loads. That is the compromise to settle before choosing this model. For everyday mugs, bowls and dinner plates, the loading arrangements look useful. The basket adjustment gives you room to organise; it cannot make the appliance grow. Sadly, the roasting tin has no intention of shrinking either.

The eco programme runs for 215 min, so an evening load belongs in a routine that can leave the dishes alone for a while. A long eco programme is common: taking more time helps reduce the resources needed for washing. Start it after dinner when the next demand for clean crockery is breakfast, and the duration becomes easier to accommodate.

Its declared eco electricity consumption is 67.4 kWh/100 cycles, around the average. Water use is also around the average at 9 L/cycle, while the energy class is D. These consumption figures belong to eco, rather than the Hygiene programme or every other setting. We would judge consumption alongside machines of similar capacity; a compact dishwasher using less water overall does not automatically use less for each plate. The half-load option gives you a setting for a partially filled machine, but it does not promise to halve either consumption figure.

Will the dishwasher be running while you catch up on a favourite series? The declared 44 decibels on eco sits around the average, so we would approach it as an ordinary kitchen sound rather than a promise of near silence. In a separate kitchen, closing the room door may suit your evening routine. In a shared kitchen and living room, think about when you actually want the machine running.

A bedtime start also brings the end of the cycle into the picture. The door opens automatically to let steam escape, helping drying without promising that plastic containers will emerge dry. Those little hollows in food tubs can still have the last word. For someone who prefers to unload in the morning, automatic opening is a useful feature on paper: the cycle can finish without you waiting nearby to open the door yourself.

As a freestanding appliance, this dishwasher has its own front rather than needing a kitchen furniture door. Its width is 45 cm, with a height of 85 cm and depth of 60 cm. Those measurements give you a starting point for checking a narrow kitchen space, but measure the route in, the connections and the space needed to open the door before ordering. A narrow cabinet still needs a workable place to stand.

There is a typical choice of programmes at 6 programs, including Hygiene. That named programme offers another setting to choose from; it is no reason to assume every item in the kitchen can go inside. Check the care instructions for your dishes and utensils. For the purchase itself, confirm delivery, removal of the old appliance, warranty cover and returns arrangements with the retailer so that replacing the machine is organised before delivery day.

The TDW4510SL2 earns its well placed standing through useful everyday features in a compact format. The adjustable upper basket, half-load option and automatic door opening give it a clear purpose beyond simply occupying less kitchen width. For a household working around a narrow space, that combination makes a persuasive case. The alternatives become more relevant when your priorities change.

The Hisense HS693A90XAD is better suited to large loads of dishes, with its higher capacity of 16 place settings providing more loading scope. The Miele G 7980 SCVi AutoDos K2O is better suited to a kitchen open to the living room because its lower noise level of 41 decibels gives it a stronger case during conversation or television. Choose around the problem your household actually needs to solve. A compact footprint matters in a cramped kitchen; room for a gathering or a lower declared sound level may matter more elsewhere.