Bosch Series 2 Freestanding 8kg Washing Machine - White | WGE03408GB

A Series 2 freestanding washing machine with an 8kg drum, 1400 rpm spin and an energy label A rating, built around Bosch's EcoSilence Drive motor.

The WGE03408GB is a straightforward 8kg washing machine that does the important things properly and does not ask you to learn a menu system. A dial selects the programme, four touch buttons handle the rest, and the display tells you how long is left. For a couple or a small family it covers the week without fuss.

Energy label A is the headline, and it comes from the Eco 40-60 programme using 46 kWh per 100 cycles and 47 litres of water. ActiveWater Plus detects the load size and draws only the water that size needs, so a half-full drum does not cost the same as a full one. SpeedPerfect cuts cycle time when you are in a hurry.

Ideal for

Couples and singles

An 8kg drum and a 65 litre volume suit one or two people washing a few times a week, without paying for capacity that would sit half empty most of the time.

First homes

Simple dial and touch controls, a clear display and a 1400 rpm spin make it an easy first machine, and it slides under a standard worktop at 84.8cm high.

Straightforward washing

Cottons, easy care, delicates and wool hand wash cover the everyday, with Mixed Load and Super Quick 15/30 for the times when speed matters more than anything.

Key features

8kg wash capacity

A 65 litre drum with a 32cm porthole and a door that opens to 160 degrees, held shut by a metal door catch rather than plastic.

Energy label A

The Eco 40-60 programme uses 46 kWh per 100 cycles and 47 litres of water per cycle, which is the top rung of the A to G scale.

1400 rpm spin

Spin speed runs from 400 to 1400 rpm with a spin-drying efficiency class of B, so laundry comes out ready for the line or the airer.

SpeedPerfect option

SpeedPerfect cuts cycle time by up to 65 per cent compared with the same programme run normally, for days when the wash cannot wait.

ActiveWater Plus

Automatic load detection means the machine draws only the water the load actually needs, rather than filling to a fixed level every cycle.

Reload function

Start/pause with Reload lets you open the door mid-cycle and add the item that turned up after the machine had already started.

More to know

What energy label A costs in time

The A rating comes from the Eco 40-60 programme, and that programme runs for three hours and 33 minutes at rated capacity. Low consumption comes from washing longer at lower temperatures rather than driving heat through quickly, so the time is the price of the 46 kWh per 100 cycles and 47 litres per cycle. Run it overnight or while you are out and the duration stops mattering. When it does matter, SpeedPerfect cuts a cycle by up to 65 per cent instead.

Simple controls, deliberately so

There is a fully electronic control dial for all the wash and special programmes, and four touch buttons: Ready In, SpeedPerfect, spin speed reduction, and start/pause with Reload. That is the whole interface. The display shows programme progress, spin speed, remaining time, a load recommendation and up to 24 hours of delayed finish. Plenty of buyers actively want this. Nothing to pair, nothing to update, and anyone in the house can work out how to put a wash on.

The engineering underneath the panel

The EcoSilence Drive motor is paired with AntiVibration Design in the cabinet, which keeps the machine steadier through a 1400 rpm spin. Running noise is 72 dB in noise class A. Sensor electronics monitor load distribution and adjust programme settings to protect clothes, foam detection watches for over-dosing, and Aqua Protection covers the water side. A child lock, an end-of-cycle buzzer and a usage meter that counts completed programmes round it out. At 70.9kg it needs two people to position.

Specifications

What's in the box

• Freestanding washing machine x1
• Installation/user manual x1