Consumer Reports Names The Top Electric Clothes Dryer Brand For 2026

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Washing and drying clothes and towels is nobody's favorite activity, and it can be a real drag if your laundry is taking forever to dry. An inefficient dryer not only adds to your electric bill, but it often results in wrinkly clothes that nobody wants to wear or mildewy smells that make your linens musty and gross instead of fresh and clean. In some cases, you can improve your results by cleaning your dryer and maintaining it properly. In others, the machine is the issue. If you're consistently dealing with lackluster results or long drying times, it might be time for an upgrade. Consumer Reports recently named the best dryers of 2026, and one brand dominated the electric dryer category: LG.

LG has been a top name in consumer electronics and appliances for years, and this Korea-based company sells a variety of electric dryers at multiple price points, based on capacity, style, and the high-tech features they include. CR evaluated not only LG's offerings but tested nearly 150 clothes dryers on the market, including those from household names like GE, Whirlpool, Maytag, and Samsung. But it was LG that took the top 17 spots in CR's rankings! In particular, LG dominated in the category of brand reliability, which, according to CR, means there is a lower likelihood of an LG dryer to have a problem within the first five years compared to other brands. Reliability is key when you are investing in a large home appliance you use frequently, rely on heavily, and don't want to replace often. LG was also tops in CR-tested categories of noise, convenience, and efficiency.

When choosing a washer and dryer for your home, matching the features to your laundry needs is key, and LG's top-ranked dryer models have plenty of options. According to CR, the top three performers were all front-loaders with different capacities, features, and price points. At the top is the 7.4-cubic-foot LG DLE3400, which CR calls a smart buy at around $730, a mid-range price for dryers on the market today. This dryer outranked most other dryers tested in the noise category, and online reviewers like its quiet operation and large capacity.

In second place is the LG DLEX4000, a large-capacity dryer that retails for $1,199, reflecting the addition of technology like a steam function and sensors that pick the right drying settings for your laundry. These features are loved by Home Depot purchasers, who gave the model over 1,500 five-star online reviews. Both of the top two LG dryers are also considered a "Green Choice" by Consumer Reports, meaning they are energy efficient, more eco-friendly, and durable. 

Third place on CR's list is the more luxurious Signature DLEX9900, which is a sleek-looking dryer with a higher price of around $2,000 due to its huge 9-cubic-foot capacity, modern style, and a lot of added bells and whistles, like an LCD touchscreen and a stainless steel drum. But as the experts at YouTube channel Don's Appliances caution in a positive review of this dryer (and its matching washer), you need to make sure you have the door width to even fit this huge machine in your house.