Maytag MVWP576KW Top-Loading Washing Machine Review

When it comes to overall aesthetics, the MVWP576KW is reminiscent of older model washers, featuring just three knobs with a few settings each. This washer definitely doesn’t come with any extraneous bells or whistles. And, while that’s often a good thing, in this case we couldn’t help feeling like maybe it needed a bell or two.

By far, the MVWP576KW’s biggest standout is its 10-year warranty. Only a few manufacturers offer a warranty program this robust—if you’re really looking for peace of mind, the Speed Queen TR5000WN offers a lifetime guarantee. Unfortunately, it’s a tough call on whether this washer is worth the investment.

The MVWP576KW’s price point means it’s competing with washers that, quite frankly, offer a lot more for your dollar. In some cases that’s superior washing performance, great features, or both.

In terms of cleaning performance, the MVWP576KW falls shy of average: It’ll get a normal load of laundry clean, but isn’t particularly great at fighting tough stains. It also tends to leave laundry a bit soggy after its spin cycle, which means your dryer will need to work a lot harder.

About the Maytag MVWP576KW washer

Dimensions: 44” x 27” x 26” (H x W x D) Capacity: 3.5 cu. ft. Finishes: White Cycles: Bulky / Towels, Powerwash, Delicates, Mixed, Normal, Rinse & Spin, Drain & Spin Cycle options: five temperature settings, presoak, extra rinse Matching dryer: Maytag MEDP576KW Product page: Maytag MVWP576KW washer product page User manual: Maytag MVWP576KW manual Warranty: Maytag MVWP576KW warranty info, Lowe's exclusive warranty info

What we like

It boasts fast cycles for cleaning clothes quickly

The Maytag MVWP576KW’s control dial doesn’t have a dedicated quick wash. Fortunately, that isn’t much of a problem—the Normal / Warm setting gets your clothes clean fast. At 28 minutes, this is one of the speediest normal cycles we’ve ever tested.

Even when compared to other washers’ quick cycles, it’s still slightly faster than average.

What we don’t like

It offers subpar cleaning for its price

The Maytag MVWP576KW might be a bare-bones washer, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. For a washer in its higher-than-average price range, especially one that eschews modern features, we’d expect it to exhibit a solidly above-average cleaning performance.

Unfortunately, across the board, the Maytag MVWP576KW underperformed. We’re not mad, just disappointed.

After analyzing our test results, we see that its Normal cycle—while impressively fast—resulted in laundry that was 5–8% less clean than the average washer. This is a small margin, but it is a margin nonetheless.

The gulf was larger on the Bulky / Towels cycle, which ended up with laundry 6–13% less clean than average. And, the Delicates cycle was closer to the mark at 2–5% less clean than average.

If you’re using the MVWP576KW’s fast Normal cycle as a stand-in for a quick wash cycle, you’ll get a pretty average wash: 1–2% less clean than the average washer.

If the MVWP576KW were cheaper, we wouldn’t be as critical of its subpar performance. But in this case, you are not getting what you pay for. For many consumers, the purchase price is more important than getting your clothes 10% more clean of tough stains each wash.

On a less expensive machine, we wouldn’t consider this cleaning performance disqualifying by any stretch. But, it is expensive, so we do think you may want to research different washers that can offer you more for your initial investment. If you’re loyal to the Maytag brand, look into the MVWB865GC or MVW7232HW, both of which have comparable prices but better performance and features.

The spin cycle leaves laundry slightly soggy

The spin cycle is another area where Maytag MVWP576KW dipped below average.

Most of its cycles left laundry decidedly damp, and several cycles retained around 10% more water than the average washing machine. Spinning out water from your clothes in a washing machine is significantly more energy efficient than trying to evaporate that water in a dryer later on, so for us, this is a problem.

Which leads to our last point.

It’s expensive to run

Not only will the MVWP576KW end up costing its owners more by not spinning out as much water as other washers, it uses more water and electricity than the average washer to begin with.

For context, the average washer typically costs you somewhere between $34 and $58 each year, assuming normal use, whereas the MVWP576KW costs almost $83 per year.

In the scheme of things, this isn’t a huge additional cost, but considering the MVWP576KW has below-average cleaning, this additional resource cost seems to indicate the machine isn’t particularly efficient.

This likely won’t be a purchase-defining quality for you, but it is something to consider while you’re researching your new washing machine.

What owners are saying

Owners are generally pretty happy with the MVWP576KW washer, awarding it an average of 4.6 stars out of 5. Praise often centered around the product’s intuitive interface, and that it got laundry clean quickly and quietly.

One of the most common complaints, however, is concerning. Quite a few owners claim the machine barely adds any water at all to the tub, to the extent that their laundry wasn’t getting completely wet.

We didn’t experience this in our testing, and, while sometimes desired, “more water” doesn’t translate to “cleaner”.

This being said, we saw pretty extreme claims of this problem from multiple different sources, which could indicate a common manufacturing problem.

Given this, if you do buy a Maytag MVWP576KW, we’d recommend lifting the lid to check things out after starting a cycle. While it’s true that modern washers use less water than older models, your clothes shouldn’t still be partially dry after the first few minutes of agitation. If you run into that issue, it’s possible you’ve received a lemon.

Warranty

Maytag typically offers a 5-year warranty for parts and labor and up to 10 years for the drive motor and stainless steel wash basket. The one exception is if you buy this washer from Lowe's, which only offers a 1-year warranty for parts and labor instead of the 5-year version (the same specific parts are still guaranteed for up to 10 years, however). If you do want to buy this washer, it's highly recommended you purchase from another vendor.

Assuming you don't buy it from Lowe's, this is one of the better warranties in this product category—most manufacturers stop coverage after the initial year. Chances are, if you’re buying the MVWP576KW, this warranty is your main reason for doing so.

Should you buy the Maytag MVWP576KW washer?

No. The Maytag MVWP576KW, like many products, falls into the uncomfortable valley of “average and over-priced.” Compared to washers of a similar cost, the MVWP576KW doesn’t clean particularly well and lacks common, useful features like steam or app support.

What this commercial-grade washer does offer, which most of its competitors don’t, is a fairly extensive warranty. Both the drive motor and stainless steel tub are covered for up to 10 years, so it’s possible that some of the purchase price is reflecting that this washer is an investment: You’re buying a washer that you won’t need to replace for for at least a decade. And that might be enough to justify its performance and price if there weren’t also other Maytag washers out there with the same 10-year warranty and fewer of the problems.

For example, Maytag also makes the MVWB865GC, which is currently our top-rated top-loader with a pole agitator. Not only does it have better cleaning performance, features, and warranty, it’s also much less expensive.

If you aren’t particularly attached to the top-loader-with-agitator design, the LG WM3700HWA is about the same price, is both gentle and tough on stains, and comes packed with extra features.