If you’re shopping for a new clothes dryer, you probably have a lot of questions. What features should you look for? How much should you spend? Which model offers the best mix of options at the lowest price?

Consumer Reports’ performance and reliability ratings for more than 140 electric, gas, and compact dryers can help answer some of those questions. But for all the models in our ratings, there may be dozens more available at your local retailer or online. So we created brand scores for electric and gas dryers to help you find the exact model you need from a manufacturer that consistently produces high-performing, reliable dryers. 

“According to our ratings, a great dryer brand typically has a group of high-performing, energy-efficient machines with a variety of prices and features—like an effective moisture sensor—that consumers can rely on for a decade or more without a lot of repair issues,” says Rich Handel, CR’s lead test engineer and laundry expert.

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As you shop for a new dryer, check CR’s ratings to see how the model you’re considering performed in our lab. If that specific model isn’t listed in our ratings, look for a similar washer from the same brand that may have a slightly different design. 

Manufacturers sell models with different finishes or features added in or stripped out. If you don’t think you’ll need a feature, don’t overpay for a dryer that has it. Seriously consider if you’ll actually use features like a dewrinkling steam option or a drying rack. “Drying performance is more important than smart features that brands tend to promote more,” says Allie Chilicki, CR’s market analyst for dryers.

If your preferred dryer has a different finish than the one you see in our ratings, check the model numbers—they may indicate a similar machine that simply has a different look. Often, these machines perform the same, but their model numbers vary by a few letters that indicate a different finish or color. For example, the tested white Samsung DVE45T6000W electric dryer in our ratings has a sleeker cousin, the DVE45T6000V, in black stainless steel. And the CR-tested Electrolux ELFE7537AW has a version in titanium. Those stylish models tend to be more expensive than the white dryers we typically test, Chilicki says.

If test results aren’t available for a machine similar to your preferred model, you can rely on our dryer brand scores, which will give you an idea of how well the dryer will perform. You can also check CR’s guide to the most and least reliable dryer brands, which estimates how long a particular manufacturer’s dryer should last before it develops problems. Our reliability data is based on our members’ feedback on 62,755 clothes dryers purchased new between 2014 and 2024.

CR’s brand scores are based on a statistical model that incorporates survey data, CR’s lab test results, and the breadth of each brand’s product line across price and performance tiers. The scores are determined on a scale of 100, with 100 signifying that every model that the brand makes has a perfect score in our ratings. CR doesn’t currently have enough data to calculate these scores for every standard dryer brand or for compact dryer brands. 

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