Bosch Series 4 SMS4EKI06G Review: The 17p Wash, if You Can Wait 3h35m
This is the Bosch Series 4 freestanding dishwasher that Bosch, Currys and Marks Electrical all sell new today, in brushed steel. It is B rated, holds 13 place settings and is listed at 42 dB. Buyers rate it 4.8 out of 5. The figure that decides it is the energy one: about 17p for an Eco wash, against about 24p for Bosch’s cheaper Series 2.
Where the reviews line up
Our evidence comes from three places. Which? has lab-tested this model, but its scores and verdict are for members only. Bosch publishes a full programme table from its own lab tests, and its UK shop shows owner ratings. Buyers have rated it at Currys and Marks Electrical: 4.8 out of 5 from 340 reviews at Currys. On the points they share, they agree.
Three things come up again and again. It is efficient for a freestanding machine at this price. B is a good rating, and Bosch’s figure of 0.635 kWh per Eco wash works out at about 17p a wash at the 26.32p/kWh price cap (our sum). It is quiet: Currys, Euronics and Marks Electrical all list 42 dB. It is well liked: 4.8 out of 5 at Currys, Bosch and Marks Electrical alike.
The catch is time. To use that little energy, the Eco programme takes 3 hours 35 minutes. That is shorter than the Series 2’s 4h48m, but it is still long. The 1-hour Express programme uses about twice the energy. The Silence programme, which you might run overnight, uses more energy than Eco too. And there is no AquaStop flood protection, according to Bosch and Which?.
Our verdict: at £499 it is a sensible step up from the £399 Series 2 if you run your dishwasher most days. The energy saving is about £20 a year on our sums, so the extra £100 pays for itself in about five years. If you only run it twice a week, the cheaper machine is still fine.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Which?Lab-tested; first reviewed July 2024, last checked August 2026. The score is behind the paywall, so we only use the facts Which? shows publicly.
- BoschThe maker’s lab programme table (EN 60436) and its UK shop: 4.8/5 from 109 reviews on this colour, checked 9 Oct 2026.
- Currys & Marks Electrical4.8/5 from 340 reviews at Currys, checked 9 Oct 2026. Marks Electrical also shows 4.8.
Before the review: which Series 4 is this?
You will still find the older SMS4HKI00G in search results. It was D rated, used 84 kWh per 100 cycles and was listed at 44 dB, according to John Lewis, whose listing no longer shows a price. Bosch’s UK shop now sells the SMS4EKI06G instead. It is the same size and has the same 13 place settings, but it is B rated and quieter. The SMS4EKW06G is the white version of the same machine. AO sells the white one. The SMS4EMI06G at £599 is a better-equipped Series 4 with a Rackmatic basket. This page covers the brushed-steel SMS4EKI06G.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Energy rating | B | Bosch's UK product page; Currys and Euronics agree |
| Energy per 100 Eco cycles | 64 kWh (0.635 kWh per Eco wash) | Currys and Marks Electrical; Bosch’s quick reference guide gives 0.635 kWh |
| Cost per Eco cycle | About 17p (0.635 kWh × 26.32p) | Our calculation, using the Ofgem cap for Oct–Dec 2026 |
| Cost per year | About £47.17 over 280 Eco cycles. Which? says £60.50 | Ours uses the energy label’s 280 cycles. Which? does not publish its assumptions |
| Water per Eco cycle | 9.0 litres | Bosch's product page and quick reference guide |
| Noise | 42 dB, noise class B | dB from Currys, Euronics and Marks Electrical; Bosch’s page gives the class only |
| Place settings | 13 | Currys, Euronics, Marks Electrical, Which? |
| Eco programme length | 3h35m (215 minutes) | Bosch’s quick reference guide; Currys agrees. Which? quotes a 125-minute “main programme” but does not say which one |
| Programmes | 6 (Bosch, Currys) or 7 (Which?) | Bosch lists Machine Care separately, which may be how Which? reaches seven |
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 845 × 600 × 600 mm (Bosch). Which? gives 85 × 60 × 61 cm | Allow for Which?’s extra 10 mm of depth |
| Depth with door open | 1,155 mm | Marks Electrical only |
| Weight | 50.1 kg | Marks Electrical only |
| Drying | Heat exchanger with Efficient Dry; Extra Dry option | Bosch; Currys and Euronics mention Extra Dry |
| AquaStop / Home Connect | No / Yes | Bosch. Which? also lists no anti-flood technology |
| Warranty | 2 years; 5 years if bought 1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2027 and registered within 3 months | Bosch’s product page. Which? lists a two-year manufacturer guarantee |
| Price | RRP £549; £499 at Bosch, Currys and Marks Electrical; £549 at Euronics | All checked 9 Oct 2026. Which? lists £549 at 13 retailers |
Which?
Who they are: Which? is a not-for-profit consumer charity funded mainly by member subscriptions; it takes no advertising or sponsorship, buys almost every product it tests and runs the same lab tests across each category, so its results carry the most weight here.
Which? is the only independent lab test of this model we found. Its score, its pros and cons and whether it is a Best Buy are all for members only, so we don't know what the testers concluded. We are not going to guess. The public page does give some useful facts. It lists the machine at £549 at 13 retailers. It gives an annual energy cost of £60.50, a 125-minute “main programme” and seven programmes.
Two of its figures differ from other sources. Which? gives the depth as 61 cm against Bosch’s 600 mm, and it says 125 minutes where Bosch says the Eco programme runs for 3h35m. Which? doesn’t say which programme its 125 minutes refers to. Which? also confirms what the machine has and lacks. It has an auto-open door, a delay timer, a height-adjustable top rack, sensor washing and app control. It has no anti-flood technology and no delicate wash programme.
Watch: Bosch SMS4EKI06G Series 4 Freestanding Dishwasher in Silver
The one video whose title names this exact model and colour. We confirmed it from two search listings rather than by playing it.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Bosch
Who they are: Bosch is the manufacturer, so its page gives the official specification and claims rather than an independent test; we use it for figures and treat performance claims as claims.
Bosch is selling this machine, so read its marketing with care. But its quick reference guide has the most useful table we found anywhere: each programme’s time, energy and water, measured in a lab to the European standard. Eco 50° takes 3h35m and uses 0.635 kWh and 9 litres. Auto 45–65° takes 1h40m to 2h45m and uses 0.9 to 1.5 kWh. Express 65° takes an hour but uses 1.3 kWh, which is about 34p a wash on our sums. Intensive 70° uses up to 1.4 kWh.
One detail from that table is worth knowing. The Silence 50° programme, which Bosch suggests for running at night, takes 4 hours and uses 1.05 kWh, about 28p a wash. That is more than Eco. If you set it going overnight to save money, Eco is the cheaper choice. Bosch does not publish a separate dB figure for either programme. On owner feedback, Bosch’s own shop shows 4.8 out of 5 from 109 reviews for this colour and 4.8 from 238 for the white SMS4EKW06G. Those reviews are hosted by the maker, so we give them less weight than the retailer reviews below.
Watch: Bosch SMS4EKW06G Series 4 Freestanding Dishwasher in White
This video shows the white SMS4EKW06G. It is the same machine in a different colour. Confirmed from two search listings, not by playing it.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Currys and Marks Electrical
Who they are: Both retailers collect ratings through Feefo: Currys emails buyers an invitation and offers no incentives, and Marks Electrical, a Leicester appliance retailer founded in 1987, has Feefo invite only customers with proof of purchase — buyer experience, not an independent test.
These ratings are hosted by shops that sell the product, so we use the numbers, not a verdict. 4.8 out of 5 from 340 Currys reviews is a high score from a large sample. Marks Electrical also shows 4.8. Neither page showed us the text of any reviews, so we can’t tell you what buyers praise or complain about. That is a real gap, and it is listed below.
Both retailers give the numbers that matter. Currys lists 64 kWh per 100 cycles, 42 dB, 13 place settings and a 215-minute Eco programme. Marks Electrical adds two useful figures: the machine needs 1,155 mm of depth with the door open, and it weighs 50.1 kg. Both had it at £499 against a was price of £549, and Currys offers a five-year guarantee if you register it. Currys was not offering store collection when we checked, only delivery.
Watch: Bosch SMS4EKW06G 13 Place Freestanding Dishwasher
Another look at the white version of the same machine. It came up in three separate searches, but we did not play it.
Watch on YouTube ↗ Independent YouTube video — not made by or for Shopbam.Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- B rated: about 17p an Eco wash and £47 a year on our sums.
- Quiet at 42 dB, class B, according to three retailers.
- 13 place settings in a standard 60 cm space.
- Eco takes 3h35m, more than an hour shorter than the Series 2’s.
- 4.8 out of 5 from 340 Currys buyers.
- Five-year warranty if you register within three months.
What to watch for
- No AquaStop flood protection.
- The 1-hour Express programme costs about twice as much per wash as Eco.
- Silence 50° uses more energy than Eco, so it is not the cheap overnight option.
- The five-year warranty is lost if you forget to register.
- Which? and Bosch give different depths: 61 cm and 600 mm.
- £100 more than the Series 2, which takes about five years to win back.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you run a dishwasher most days and want a quiet, efficient, full-size freestanding machine from a big brand. It also suits open-plan kitchens, where 42 dB matters. If you are kitting out the same kitchen, our Bosch Series 6 washing machine review uses the same three-source approach. If you want to wash big pans like a 24cm Le Creuset casserole in it, check the maker’s care advice first; we have not checked how large pans fit in the lower basket.
Look elsewhere if you only run it a couple of times a week. In that case, the £399 Bosch Series 2 SMS26AW08G costs about 7p more a wash and £100 less to buy. Look elsewhere too if you want flood protection, or if you need more than 13 place settings. If you are replacing several appliances at once, our Beko CFG4582W fridge freezer review covers a cheaper kitchen basic.
What we could not check
- What buyers actually say. None of the retailer pages we could read showed review text. We have ratings and counts, not comments. AO’s review page for the white model did not load for us, and Argos and Feefo did not load either.
- Which?’s verdict. Its score, pros and cons and Best Buy status are for members only. We have not guessed at them.
- Any hands-on review outside Which?. We found no trade, repair or national title review of this model. One review website rated it 9 out of 10, but it shows no sign of testing and says the machine has no half-load option, which Euronics’ listing contradicts. We have not used it.
- The depth. Bosch says 600 mm. Which? says 61 cm. We could not settle it. If your space is exactly 600 mm deep, ask the retailer.
- Place settings. One retailer’s web address mentions 14 place settings. Every page we read says 13, so we have used 13.
- The Marks Electrical “338”. It sits next to the 4.8 rating, but the page doesn’t say what it counts.
- Which?’s £60.50 a year. Which? does not publish its electricity price or number of washes, so we can’t say why it differs from our £47.17.
- Long-term reliability. This model was first reviewed by Which? in July 2024. No source we found has repair data on it.
- The videos. We confirmed all three by search listings, not by opening them, and no listing named a channel. Two show the white SMS4EKW06G.
- The older SMS4HKI00G. John Lewis no longer shows a price, and Bosch’s shop lists the SMS4EKI06G instead. We could not find a statement from Bosch that the older model has been discontinued.
Sources last checked 9 October 2026. Prices and energy costs change — check them against the listing in front of you before ordering.