Hisense 3S DH3S802BW3 (8kg heat pump, WiFi)

For a smaller household, the Hisense 3S is the lowest-cost route to heat-pump running costs. It covers the essentials — an Auto Dry moisture sensor, a Quick Dry 30 programme, ConnectLife WiFi and a reversible door — and round-ups flag it as the cheapest credible heat-pump, with cycle quality unaffected if you skip the smart features. It's also a useful reality check on energy labels: it reads class C on the current UK/EU scale, a concrete reminder that the older 'A+++' claims still printed elsewhere are the pre-2021 label. The compromises are real: an 8kg drum rather than 9kg, the weakest app of this group, and a 2-year warranty against AEG and Bosch's five. Versus the Hoover, you save around £20 and gain a slightly smaller footprint, but give up 9kg capacity and dependable off-peak scheduling.