Izzy says, “The Hoover H-Wash 500 was very easy to set up. We connected the pipe ourselves and have not had any issues with the connectivity.” With 14 different cycles to choose from to suit your needs, with run times ranging from 14 minutes to 330 (and a variation in maximum load depending on what cycle you choose), the Hoover H-Wash 500 is a versatile machine well suited to family life. I have no concerns about the rest of the build, however: the H-Wash 500 feels tough, and the porthole door closes neatly and securely. Read next: The best steam irons to buy What's the Hoover H-WASH 500 9kg Freestanding Washing Machine like to use day-to-day?

Admittedly, this job will need to be done only once – and likely by the person who delivers the appliance – but less fiddly bolts would have been appreciated. Hoover washing machines have a one-year guarantee as standard. You must register your appliance with Hoover. The test strip included (left to right) red wine, orange juice, ketchup, vegetable oil and gravy stains. On the 30ºC wash, the image below shows that stain removal was pretty good, although you can still see a clear outline of the red wine stain, plus a mark from the ketchup. It’s decent performance, but more expensive machines – such as the LG V9 F4V909BTS – clean better, albeit at a higher cost. The wash took just over two hours to complete.With an ‘A’ energy rating, the Hoover H-Wash 500 is one of the most energy-efficient washing machines on the market, using 0.49 kWh of energy per cycle. The H-Wash also uses less water than most (46 litres per cycle). In the UK, the average water consumption for a washing machine is 48.8 litres. Our tester, Izzy, and her husband have been using the Hoover H-Wash 500 twice per week on average for the past three years. In terms of technical design, it has an LED touchscreen display that’s easy to read and operate alongside a spin dial for selecting the 14 different programmes.

Next, to work out accurate running costs per year, I take the average number of UK cycles per year (274) and multiply this by three different load sizes – high (6kg), medium (4.5kg) and low (3.5kg) – to get a total amount of washing per year. In this instance, high users would have to make 164.4 full loads to complete all the washing, rather than the 274 UK average. Our tester Izzy says, "The washing machine is very energy-efficient, which delivers good value for money. As there were very limited options for affordable machines this size when we were looking to buy, we felt this represented the best value for money in comparison to the others available." About the author KG Mode weighs the laundry within the first 4 minutes of the program, adapting the water, energy consumption, and time of cycle with scientific precision.The H-Wash 500 is very quiet, though. I measured it at 51.2dB when running the main part of the wash, increasing to 68.3dB on the spin cycle. At all points, the H-Wash 500 stayed still with little vibration. Should you buy it? The Hoover H-Wash 500 is a rather standard-looking washing machine, with a traditional control panel layout. There’s a programme selector dial at the centre, with a secondary control panel used to fine-tune programmes. This secondary control panel is brimming with symbols, not all of which are particularly clear. I had to keep the manual to hand at first to work out what everything meant.