4Rank 04 of 8 · Best Dishwashers 60 cm
Bosch Bosch Serie 8 SMD8TCX04E
Bosch's flagship, with both zeolite and auto-opening drying, TimeLight floor projection and a touch panel. ETM scored it 93.4% sehr gut — behind the AEG, which costs €45 more and is more efficient.
8.5BPR score
- €804Price
- 54 kWh/100 cycles — class AEnergy use, kWh per 100 eco cycles
- 4 of 8in Best Dishwashers 60 cm
- 8.5BPR score 0–10
Review
What this product is
Written after the analysis, from the same sources the score is built on: the manufacturer's documentation, available studies and verified owner feedback.
The fully loaded machine, and a useful reality check on what flagship money buys.
ETM Testmagazin scored it "sehr gut" at 93.4% in issue 2/2026, in a four-week test of more than 100 cycles per machine, placing it third of three behind the AEG at 95.1% and the Siemens iQ300 at 94.1%. ETM praised its out-of-box usability, the touch panel and the floor projection. Its criticism is the one that matters for this whole category: "consumption is notably higher than the AEG model in many programs" — that is, outside eco, where no label figure applies.
The equipment is the most complete here. It has both drying systems — Perfect Dry zeolite and Efficient Dry automatic door opening. It has VarioSchublade Pro, TimeLight which projects a countdown onto the floor rather than just a dot, a touch control panel, eight programmes including a separate "Intelligent" mode, AquaStop with the lifetime water-damage guarantee, and Home Connect with an app-only Silence on Demand function.
The awkward comparison is with Bosch's own Serie 6. Same class A, same 54 kWh, same 42 dB — and the Serie 6 costs €125 less and uses less water (9.0 versus 9.5 litres) with a shorter eco cycle (4 h 30 versus 4 h 55). Everything the extra €125 buys is convenience and finish: zeolite on top of a drying system that already works, a nicer display, and a projected countdown.
On zeolite specifically, two facts should temper the marketing. It is not what earns the class A rating — the Serie 6 achieves the identical figure without it, and the older Serie 8 SMV8YCX03E has zeolite and is only class B at 65 kWh. And Stiftung Warentest has published owner reports of zeolite systems on Bosch, Siemens, Constructa and Neff machines failing to dry properly after a few years, including one cartridge found full of brown sludge, with repair quoted around €350.
Technical data
Specification
Figures from the manufacturer's documentation, verified against available outside sources. Values we could not confirm are marked as declared.
- Type
- Fully integrated, 815 x 598 x 550 mm
- EU energy class
- A
- Energy
- 54 kWh per 100 eco cycles
- Water
- 9.5 litres per cycle
- Noise
- 42 dB(A) eco, 41 dB Silence - noise class B
- Place settings
- 14
- Eco programme duration
- 4 h 55 min
- EPREL registration
- 1951361
- Programmes
- 8 - Eco 50, Auto 45-65, Intelligent, Intensiv 70, Express 60, Glas 40, Silence 50, Favorit
- Third rack
- Yes - VarioSchublade Pro
- Drying
- Perfect Dry zeolite AND Efficient Dry auto door opening
- Leak protection
- AquaStop with lifetime water-damage guarantee
- Connectivity
- Home Connect with Silence on Demand
- Other
- TimeLight projected countdown, touch panel
- ETM Testmagazin 2/2026
- sehr gut, 93.4%, 3rd of 3
- Estimated running cost
- approx. EUR 54/year
- European price
- EUR 804-834
Component scores
Where the score
comes from.
Four components, equal weight, each on a 0–10 scale and each resting on a named source. The overall score is their mean — the full procedure is in the methodology.
What we liked
- ETM Testmagazin 93.4% sehr gut in a 100-cycle, four-week test
- Class A at 54 kWh
- Both zeolite Perfect Dry and Efficient Dry auto-opening door
- TimeLight projects a countdown onto the floor, not just a dot
- VarioSchublade Pro cutlery drawer, touch panel, 8 programmes
- AquaStop with lifetime water-damage guarantee, Home Connect
Worth knowing
- €125 more than the Serie 6 for the same class, same kWh and more water
- 9.5 litres per cycle — worse than the Serie 6's 9.0
- 4 h 55 min eco cycle
- ETM found consumption notably higher than the AEG outside the eco programme
- Zeolite carries a documented long-term failure mode, around €350 to repair
- Beaten by the AEG on every label metric for €45 more
Comparison
How it compares
within the category
All values come from the same analysis and are comparable only within the category Best Dishwashers 60 cm.
| Product | Score | Energy use, kWh per 100 eco cycles | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEG 9000 GI9210X2TFTop score | 9.1 | 49 kWh/100 cycles — class A | €849 |
| Bosch Serie 8 SMD8TCX04EThis product | 8.5 | 54 kWh/100 cycles — class A | €804 |
| Category average8 products analysed | 8.3 | — | — |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does zeolite drying actually work?
Yes — zeolite is a mineral that adsorbs moisture and releases heat as it does so, drying and warming the air without a heating element. The physics is real. What is not true is that it earns a better energy class: this machine is class A at 54 kWh, and so is the Serie 6 with no zeolite at all. Stiftung Warentest has also documented owner reports of zeolite cartridges degrading after a few years, with repairs quoted around €350. Auto-opening door drying achieves the same result with nothing to fail.
Should I buy this or the Serie 6?
The Serie 6 on the numbers — same energy class, less water, shorter cycle, €125 cheaper, and a joint test win from KONSUMENT. Choose the Serie 8 if you specifically want the touch panel, the projected countdown timer and the second drying system, and you value those at €125.
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