Which dryer is worth buying for efficiency?
We hold federal certification data for 1,219 dryers. We hold measured width and depth for 457 of them, so measure your opening first and read only the class that fits. Each size and configuration class is ranked separately, on heat-pump technology first, then measured efficiency (CEF) — comparing a compact unit to a full-size one would flatter the small one and tell you nothing. The median costs $114.49 a year to run — and on this one page that gap is the decision, because the spread between vented and heat-pump is the widest of any appliance we hold. We publish no star ratings and no opinion scores, so this is not a list of "best" dryers.
Before you buy anything
This is the one category where efficiency is worth buying for. A typical vented dryer costs $114.58 a year to run against $43.12 for a heat-pump model — a $71.46 yearly gap, the largest of any appliance we hold. On a $500 premium that is roughly a seven-year payback against a thirteen-year service life. Change the technology, not just the machine.
If yours has just broken, work out whether it is worth fixing first — what fails on a dryer and what the part costs. Most of what goes wrong is cheap.
Cheapest dryers to run, certified
Ranked on each machine's own DOE or ENERGY STAR test result at the US average electricity rate, not a manufacturer claim. Only models the registry still lists as current are ranked, and a price is only shown where the listing is in stock today.
We earn a commission on Amazon purchases made through these links. It never changes the ranking — the table below is ordered on certified data, not on what we can sell.
| Model | Per year | kWh | Configuration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventless-Heat-Pump · Under 7 Cu Ft — 58 models certified | ||||
| Asko T5HXLG.U ENERGY STAR | $39.17 | 208 | ventless-heat-pump · 5.2 cu ft | |
| Asko T5HXLT.U ENERGY STAR | $39.17 | 208 | ventless-heat-pump · 5.2 cu ft | |
| Asko T5HXLW.U ENERGY STAR | $39.17 | 208 | ventless-heat-pump · 5.2 cu ft | |
| Ventless-Heat-Pump · 7.4 Cu Ft And Up — 5 models certified | ||||
| LG DLHC3602* ENERGY STAR | $48.39 | 257 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.8 cu ft | |
| LG DLHC4002* ENERGY STAR | $48.39 | 257 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.8 cu ft | |
| LG WKHC252H*A ENERGY STAR | $50.09 | 266 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.8 cu ft | $2599.00 2026-07-19 |
| Ventless-Heat-Pump · 7-7.4 Cu Ft — 2 models certified | ||||
| LG DLHC8402* ENERGY STAR | $48.39 | 257 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.3 cu ft | |
| LG WKHC202H*A ENERGY STAR | $56.30 | 299 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.2 cu ft | |
| Vented · 7.4 Cu Ft And Up — 257 models certified | ||||
| LG DLEX4200* ENERGY STAR | $114.30 | 607 | vented · 7.4 cu ft | $1484.00 2026-07-19 |
| LG SWWE50*4 ENERGY STAR | $114.30 | 607 | vented · 7.4 cu ft | $1999.99 2026-07-19 |
| LG WKE100H*A ENERGY STAR | $114.30 | 607 | vented · 7.4 cu ft | $1899.00 2026-07-19 |
Swipe the table sideways for the price →
Cheapest to run of the ones we can price today
A smaller list, and a different one: these are the models we can currently match to a live listing. It is a subset of availability, not a better ranking — the table above is not sorted to favour anything we earn from.
| Model | Per year | Configuration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG DLHC1455* | $25.04 | ventless-heat-pump · 4.2 cu ft | $1299.00 2026-07-19 |
| Samsung DV25FG62*0** | $29.00 | ventless-heat-pump · 4.0 cu ft | $1199.00 2026-07-19 |
| LG WKHC252H*A | $50.09 | ventless-heat-pump · 7.8 cu ft | $2599.00 2026-07-19 |
| Kenmore 8120# | $59.69 | ventless-hybrid · 4.0 cu ft | $1149.99 2026-07-19 |
| Equator Advanced Appliances CD 4040 ** | $59.69 | ventless-hybrid · 4.0 cu ft | $1099.00 2026-07-19 |
| Avanti FLD40V0W | $59.69 | ventless-hybrid · 4.0 cu ft | $693.99 2026-07-19 |
| GE GFT14ES*M*** | $59.69 | ventless-hybrid · 4.1 cu ft | $1198.99 2026-07-19 |
| Samsung WD53DBA9**H* | $60.03 | ventless-heat-pump · 5.3 cu ft | $2299.00 2026-07-19 |
Swipe the table sideways for the price →
We can price 19 of these dryers against a live listing that is currently in stock; the rest we hold certification data for but cannot currently link to a seller. Prices shown were retrieved on the date beside them and change without notice.
Tools for what you actually need
Enter the model that died. We match on configuration and size, and show what the replacement would save you a year — often nothing, which is worth knowing before you spend.
Certified consumption at your own state's electricity rate, not the national average on the yellow sticker.
Documented failures, the part that fits, and whether the repair is cheaper than the energy a new one would save.