Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus Review
A dishwasher that cleans brilliantly and is quite cheap to run
Verdict
The Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus is a straightforward dishwasher. It’s not the most exciting inside, with fixed plate holders and tines, but it does feel robust, and the plate holders are brilliantly designed. Most importantly, although this dishwasher is quite expensive, it cleans brilliantly, and I found it quite cheap to run.
Pros
- Low running costs
- Simple to use
- Cleans brilliantly
Cons
- Limited flexibility in baskets
- Expensive
Key Features
- CapacityThis full-size freestanding dishwasher has 14 place settings.
Introduction
The Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus is a more basic dishwasher, in terms of layout, than some of the competition.
This dishwasher might not be that exciting, but it has a useful layout, cleans well, and there’s an option for hot water input on the rear. After a week of testing, here are my thoughts.
Design and features
- White and stainless steel versions
- Adjustable cutlery rack
- Can be connected to hot water
I’ve got the white version of the Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus on review, but there’s also a stainless steel version that looks a bit neater, but costs £100 more. If you’ve got a nice-looking kitchen and other stainless steel appliances, it may be worth paying the extra fee. Other than that, both versions are the same.
Unusually, the Miele G 5310 SC Active Plush has an optional hot water inlet so that you can hook it up to your main hot water supply, with a maximum temperature of 60°C. Doing so saves on the electricity costs of heating the water, but whether it is worth it depends on how your home is set up and what you want to do.
For example, if you’ve got gas heating, then using hot water from here will be cheaper, but it’s not as good for the environment. If you’ve got a heat pump, then this is a more efficient way of heating water, and it’s clean, so that could work.
This dishwasher is easy to use, with a choice of four cycles selectable from the outside. These include the Eco cycle for the lowest running costs, an Auto mode that detects load and dirt, a 45°C wash for glasses, a 65°C quick wash and an intensive 75°C wash for the dirtiest of dishes. In addition, there are buttons to reduce the programme’s run time and to delay the start of a wash.
With a wash mode selected, the LCD shows a timer on the screen, so you can see exactly how long is left.
Inside, the Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus has a fairly standard layout. The bottom basket has big plate holders, which extend to the high sides. This is a very good idea, as it holds plates away from their neighbours and means that larger plates can’t hit the side of the dishwasher as they’re inserted.
A few fold-down tines to provide a bit more flat space for casserole dishes and the like would have been nice.
The middle shelf is similarly straightforward, with wine glass holders on the left, tines in the middle for smaller plates, and space around for mugs and the like.
As with all dishwashers, this basket has two height positions, adjustable from the side. I found that it worked in its higher position, and I had space to fit in my tall wine glasses, although I did have to be careful that they didn’t hit the side of the dishwasher as I closed the rack.
On the top shelf is a large cutlery rack, which has a dip in the middle that will take bigger knives and utensils.
As there’s a chance that items below will hit this rack, either the left- or right-hand sides of the cutlery rack can be slid out of the way. It’s a nice design and makes this dishwasher flexible, although the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK has even more space inside, thanks to its larger tub.
Once installed, the Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus has to be filled with salt and rinse aid, and the water hardness level set. That’s straightforward to do, and the dishwasher is then ready to go.
Performance
- Very good cleaning
- Good running costs
Putting the dishwasher into Eco mode, I loaded it up with a selection of dirty dishes. I then measured the power and water use to see how much it used. After finishing the cycle, I worked out that this Eco programme would cost around 21.8p to run, which is pretty cheap.
Given that the Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus has enough place settings for 14, that works out to a cost-per-place setting of 1.56p.
This cycle cleaned well. I found that it managed to remove the red wine stains from my glass, leaving it sparkling and fresh.
My dirty coffee cup was restored to its original pristine condition, with no streaks.
I had a plate covered in congealed mac and cheese, but this was all removed and the plate was left shiny and new-looking.
The toughest test is the bowl used to make microwaved scrambled eggs. Eco mode alone wasn’t enough to clean this, so I switched to the Auto mode.
This increased the cost per cycle to 33.5p, which is pretty good compared to the competition and lower than I’d expect from a C-rated appliance.
Here, Auto mode was enough to clean off all of the egg and leave my bowl shiny and clean. That’s impressive, as many dishwashers either struggle here or have to use much higher power settings.
At the end of each cycle, a motor gently pushes the door open, to leave dishes to dry without forming streaks. It’s a quiet system that works well.
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Should you buy it?
You want great results and straightforward operation
Very easy to use, with just a few cycles to choose from, this dishwasher cleans well and feels tough.
You want more flexibility inside
No fold-down tines means that the racks in this dishwasher don’t have much flexibility.
Final Thoughts
The Miele G 5310 SC Active Plus is not particularly exciting to look at, and the inside is relatively straightforward and not as flexible or as large as with the Hotpoint HF7HP33UK. It is also quite expensive for a basic freestanding dishwasher.
That said, this model was cheap to run in its Eco mode according to my tests, and it was excellent at cleaning even the toughest of dishes. Well made and rugged, this is a very good choice if you want a reliable option. If you want something with more space or flexibility, check out my guide to the best dishwashers.
How we test
We test every dishwasher we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We measure water and energy usage for each dishwasher to see how efficient they are.
We use real-world mess to test a dishwasher’s ability to clean.
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FAQs
This full-sized dishwasher has space for 14.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
