Bosch Series 2 SMV2HTX02G

Is the Bosch Series 2 SMV2HTX02G worth buying?

The Bosch Series 2 SMV2HTX02G is worth buying at £408.98 if you want a 60 cm fully integrated dishwasher with a proven owner base behind it, and it suits the buyer who trusts 4.4 from 107 ratings more than a headline price. You get 13 place settings, a 46 dB wash, 9 litres of water a cycle and a two year manufacturer warranty from BSH.

It is the wrong choice if you are shopping on value per cover. At £408.98 for 13 settings the machine asks more for each place at the table than any other full size model under £500 here, and two of them hold more dishes for less. Buy it for the app control, the auto programmes and the confidence of a brand with service behind it, not for the last pound of saving.

What does 13 place settings at £31.46 each actually mean?

Divide £408.98 by 13 and each place setting costs £31.46, which is nearly double the £16.58 of the COMFEE' 12 Place Settings at £199 and £6.86 above the £24.60 of the 15 place setting Hotpoint H7I Maxi Space at £369. Put another way, the Bosch charges £209.98 more than the COMFEE' for one extra cover and four fewer decibels.

A place setting is one full cover: a plate, a bowl, a glass, a cup and the cutlery for one person, so 13 covers clears a family of four's day and a half of washing up in a single run. The machine sips 9 litres of water per cycle, about 2 litres less than the 11 litres of the Hisense HV623D15UK Silver, and it turns itself to the right programme through the auto settings rather than making you choose.

What comes in the box and how does it fit?

The Bosch Series 2 SMV2HTX02G measures 59.8 cm wide, 55 cm deep and 81.5 cm high, which is the standard 60 cm x 82 cm housing a kitchen run is built around, and it weighs 29.9 kg. It runs on 220 volts. The box holds the machine and a vapour barrier plate, the sheet that shields the underside of your worktop from steam, and nothing else: a fully integrated model is designed to sit behind a cabinet front that your kitchen supplies.

A red InfoLight shines on the floor while a cycle runs, which is the only signal you get with the door closed. Bosch rates the machine for everyday dishware and glassware, delicate china and heavily soiled items, and the Polinox interior is the tub that takes the heat of a hygiene wash cycle after cycle.

Where does the Bosch Series 2 SMV2HTX02G fall short?

The cost per cover is the hard number. At £31.46 a setting the Bosch sits £8.46 above the Samsung Series 6 at £299 and £6.86 above the Hotpoint H7I Maxi Space at £369, and both of those put more settings in the basket for the money.

It is also not the quiet machine Bosch sells. The 46 dB wash is the loudest full size figure on this page apart from nothing, 4 dB above the 42 dB Hotpoint, and the Silence on demand setting that trims the noise only lasts up to 30 minutes at a time through the Home Connect app.

Drying is handled by the ExtraDry option rather than by a door that swings open at the end of a cycle, so plastics and awkward shapes still want a hand with a tea towel. There is also 13 covers here against 15 in the Hotpoint, which matters to a household that fills the basket every day.

How does it compare with the Hotpoint H7I Maxi Space and the COMFEE' 12 Place Settings?

Against the Hotpoint H7I Maxi Space at £369, the Bosch asks £39.98 more for two fewer place settings and a 4 dB louder wash. The Hotpoint runs at 42 dB and holds 15 covers at £24.60 each, so it is the better buy for a busy family that wants the largest load on the page and the quietest run.

Against the COMFEE' 12 Place Settings at £199, the Bosch costs £209.98 more for one extra setting, a 1 dB quieter wash and app control. The COMFEE' carries 864 owner ratings at 4.0 and works out at £16.58 a setting, so anyone buying on pure value should take it over the Bosch.

Keep the Bosch if the Home Connect app and the brand's service network are what you want to live with for the next decade. Take the Hotpoint when load and quiet matter, and the COMFEE' when the budget is £200 and the dishes are the same.