Most of the best top load washers have large capacities, new features and smart functionality. That’s not always a good thing, as you’ll learn.
In this article, you’ll learn all about the best top load washers to consider, along with their features and reliability ratings from over 40,000 service calls completed by a service department last year.
Most are high efficiency, with larger capacities and better cycles and spin speeds to ring out the water in your clothes for less drying time.
It’s a nice balance of the better features of a front load, with the advantages of a top load being less expensive to buy and fix, along with not having a mold issue of a front load washer.
Table of Contents
Reliability
All the machines you’ll see are under 9.5% average service rate for appliances in general, with LG being one of the lowest ever recorded at 1.7%.
Most Reliable
LG has become the most reliable brand over the last few years. Their top load washers have a service rate, as we said, at 1.7%, far lower than any other brand, and the lowest we’ve ever measured.
They’ve been one of the most reliable for availability as well and the two are related because LG manufactures more of its appliances than most other brands.
So they’re less reliant on outside suppliers, which is a huge benefit during the pandemic and subsequent supply issues.
Their size is large at 4.8 cubic feet. LG has smart functionality with their ThinQ app. Most of the machines on the list are WiFi enabled except Speed Queen.
Smart technology allows you to turn the machine on or off and see the time remaining. You’ll also receive push notifications when the cycle is complete.
You like that laundry because you’ll never have to trudge to your basement again to see the machine still running.
LG also has tons of cycles. Our parents had 3, you have 8 cycles and 16 options in this washer.
Triple 360 employs high pressure sprays to turn any cycle into 20 minutes.
Best Dispenser
The GE profile is new and interesting. GE has successfully deployed microban antimicrobial surfaces in the dispenser tub to resist mold and mildew.
Top loads typically do not have the mold problem of a front load washer.
They do have the best dispenser of any kind of liquid, detergent or pods. You can even customize your own.
SmartHQ, their WiFi app, allows you to customize cycles and dispense detergent remotely. You also have downloadable cycles. You can even have one specially designed wash cycle to sterilize with oxy detergent.
You also have a range cycle to minimize tangled loads.
Profiles top load washer is amongst the largest with an agitator at 4.9 cubic feet and it’s a 12 cycle, 7 option machine with more downloadable cycles.
Best For Colors
I wash everything and never separate whites and colors either. I probably should.
However, Maytag solves this problem with their extra power button. Effectively allowing you to wash both better than just in cold water.
Cycle starts in the cold and gradually warms the wash for a better clean.
Maytag is 4.7 cubic with 11 cycles and 6 options.
The Quietest
The TR7003 is 43 decibels, so it’s quieter than most dishwashers designed to be quiet in your kitchen. The agitator moves with the water so it’s not tied to the motor. It floats with the water flow.
Speed Queen is American made like Maytag with a commercial heritage and offers the best seven year full warranty.
The capacity is a bit smaller than the others at 3.2 cubic feet and doesn’t have smart functionality.
Best Wash Cycles
The TC5003 is Speed Queen’s older, classic clean. The TC5003 is known for its aggressive, agitation and deep fill to clean clothes.
Is it quiet? No way, not on this machine.
Do you have grimey, dirty work clothes? Do your kids always have mud and grass on them?
Then the TC5003 is a good machine to consider. It has 6 cycles and is 3.2 cubic feet.
Impeller vs Agitator
You have washers over 5 cubic feet without agitators. The machine employs an impeller or part that cycles the clothes and washes.
Unfortunately, the agitator is what cleans the clothes, so the cleaning is questionable in these machines.
Consequently, none of these impeller machines are on this list. The larger GE, Maytag and LG have smaller, better engineered agitators, so they should work better in theory.
Key Takeaways
You have lots of options in top loads. Unlike years past, GE, LG and Maytag will give you different cycles and larger sizes.
Perhaps you want to stay with a more traditional machine like Speed Queen.
Top loads, like laundry in general, have unique features with no one brand or model with every possible option.
So pick the brand, the type that fits your lifestyle and as always, find the service for when problems do occur.