Bosch 500 Series SHPM65Z55N Dishwasher Review

The Bosch 500 Series SHPM65Z55N is a great addition to Bosch's dishwasher line-up. On the wash cycles we ran, we encountered no problems as dishes came out spotless (or nearly spotless). Each rack has tines that can flip down, the middle rack has wine glass holders and can be reoriented vertically, and the outer edges of the third rack can be lowered to better fit larger bowls. On top of it all, this dishwasher is whisper-quiet, running at about the same decibel level as the ambient noise in a library.

About the Bosch 500 Series SHPM65Z55N Dishwasher

• Dimensions: 33.88" x 23.56” x 23.75" (H x W x D)
• Capacity: 16 place settings
• Finish: Stainless steel, black, white
• Cycles: Heavy, Auto, Normal, Speed60, and Rinse
• Cycle options: Delay, SpeedPerfect (increases energy consumption for a faster cycle), Half Load, Delicate, Sanitize, AutoAir (automatically opens the door at the end of the cycle to let dishes dry), ExtraScrub (increases water temperature and pressure in the lower rack)
• Special features: Flexible third rack, EasyGlide rack system, adjustable tines and rack positions, quiet operation

What we like

Normal and Heavy cycles remove food well

When we were testing its Normal and Heavy cycles, the Bosch SHPM65Z55N handled just about every dirty plate we threw at it. The Normal cycle blasted through meat, egg, milk, and oat remnants, only stumbling slightly on our notoriously difficult spinach test. The puréed spinach is a nightmare for dishwashers because the fine particles don’t always get filtered out of the grey water, instead ending up redeposited on your dishes. In this case, however, we saw no signs of redeposit, only minor bits still stuck to the dishes. Likewise, the Heavy cycle erased just about all the stains it encountered, including cheese, lasagna, meat, egg, burned-on sugar, milk, oats, and even the dreaded spinach.

Racks are highly customizable

Typical dishwasher racks aren’t really anything special, mostly latticework and tines. But the Bosch SHPM65Z55N crams a ton of extra usability into its three racks. For starters, all three racks have adjustable tines, which can be folded down to better allow for bulky items, like pots or large ceramics. The middle rack can also be adjusted vertically to accommodate bulky or oddly shaped items, and it has wine stem holders for your glassware.

The third rack has an interesting design where the bottom edges of its sides can be lowered down to help make space for deeper bowls. Typically third racks are pretty shallow, and those with adjustable sections can make space for ladles, ramekins, or small and shallow bowls. This Bosch’s third rack and its bowing edges can make room for significantly larger bowls, incorporating all of the rack innovations in the dishwasher space and adding even more functionality.

Dries dishes well

One of the most common complaints among dishwasher owners is that dishes—especially plasticware—is still wet enough after a cleaning to require towel-drying before they can be put away. That’s not the case with the Bosch SHPM65Z55N’s Normal cycle, where we found 87% of dishes were bone dry upon completion, and the remaining 13% were mostly dry. This is thanks to the Bosch using very hot water during the last rinse in conjunction with its AutoAir system, which pops open the door after a cycle to allow water vapor to dissipate much more easily.

What we don’t like

Uses a lot of water and energy

While it might get your dishes clean, the Bosch SHPM65Z55N isn’t quite as energy-efficient as other dishwashers we’ve tested. According to our measurements, the average dishwasher uses about 152 kWH over the course of a year. We measured the SHPM65Z55N at a little over 204 kWH, which is roughly an extra $6.86 per year. So it’s more than average, but not by much. It’s a bit more wasteful with water, using an average of 1,138 gallons per year, or about twice what the average dishwasher uses. If you're looking to reduce your household’s footprint, there are more efficient options out there.

What owners are saying

The overwhelming majority of owners love their Bosch 500 Series SHPM65Z55N, which has a 4.7-star rating out of 5 across major retailers. Owners praise its cleaning efficacy, its looks, its high capacity, and its quiet operation.

A few users have complained about dishes not getting 100% clean or dry, both issues we saw to very minor degrees in our testing. On certain cycles we did see instances of specks left on dishes with particularly difficult stains. While the majority of dishes in our test cycles came out bone dry (or pretty close), the SHPM65Z55N seemed to have difficulty completely drying certain styles of cups or plasticware that were able to pool water.

Warranty

The Bosch SHPM65Z55N comes with a limited one-year warranty, which includes parts and labor. Parts for the circuitry and racks are covered for five years. The stainless steel interior is covered by a lifetime warranty. Typically we only see a standard one-year warranty, so we’re very pleased Bosch stands by its products to this degree.

Should you buy the Bosch SHPM65Z55N dishwasher?

Yes. The Bosch SHPM65Z55N is an exemplary combination of pleasing design, performance, and price. This dishwasher checks all our boxes in terms of cleaning ability and usability and has enough extra design considerations to get bonus points. Our complaints are all fairly minor. The SHPM65Z55N is a top-10 dishwasher and further proof that Bosch is the brand to beat in this product space.

If you don’t mind spending a bit more to get a boost in cleaning performance and features, we’d recommend checking out Bosch’s 800 Series, which is currently our top-rated dishwasher.