Fully integrated, semi-integrated, under-counter, freestanding: these are the four entries in every catalogue filter and the first fork in the road for anyone buying a dishwasher, often before they even look at running costs. At PortosEunostos we started from a case that settles the question in one go: Smeg sells the same machine in three different formats. We downloaded all three EU product fiches and lined them up.
The short answer
The installation format does not change how the machine washes. It changes the space you need, what it costs to finish the job (panel, plinth, kit) and whether the controls stay in sight. Fitted kitchen and an unbroken run of doors: fully integrated. Want to read the programme and the time left with the door shut: semi-integrated or under-counter. Renting, moving, or no fitted kitchen at all: freestanding, the only one you can take with you and set up somewhere else.
The four formats, one line each
Fully integrated: it disappears behind the kitchen door, controls included. The buttons sit on the top edge of the door and are only visible when the door is open.
Semi-integrated, listed in catalogues as «visible control panel»: the kitchen door covers only the lower part, the control strip stays outside and you read it with the machine closed.
Under-counter: no kitchen door, the front is the manufacturer's own. It slides under the worktop and is ready as it comes.
Freestanding: finished top and side panels, it stands on its own even away from the fitted units.
Width is a separate question and cuts across all four: if that is your doubt, we settled it in our comparison between 45 and 60 cm dishwashers.
Three identical EU fiches: the proof
Smeg lists its 292 series in three formats: LSP292DN under-counter, PL292DN semi-integrated, LVS292DN freestanding. They are three separate EPREL registrations, so three separate product fiches, each published by the manufacturer as Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2017 requires.
| Parameter | LSP292DN under-counter | PL292DN semi-integrated | LVS292DN freestanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPREL registration | 436456 | 436400 | 436433 |
| Rated capacity | 13 place settings | 13 place settings | 13 place settings |
| Energy class (A-G) | D | D | D |
| Energy efficiency index | 49.9 | 49.9 | 49.9 |
| Energy, eco programme | 0.835 kWh | 0.835 kWh | 0.835 kWh |
| Water, eco programme | 12.0 litres | 12.0 litres | 12.0 litres |
| Cleaning / drying index | 1.125 / 1.065 | 1.125 / 1.065 | 1.125 / 1.065 |
| Programme duration | 4:10 | 4:10 | 4:10 |
| Noise | 49 dB(A), class C | 49 dB(A), class C | 49 dB(A), class C |
| Minimum guarantee | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 82 x 60 x 57 cm | 82 x 60 x 57 cm | 85 x 60 x 60 cm |
Out of twenty-four comparable entries only two change: the Type field and the dimensions of the LVS alone, three centimetres taller and three deeper because it carries a top and side panels. Everything else, from the tenth of a kWh to the decibel, is the same document. There is also a cross-check worth more than the table: all three Smeg product pages download the same instruction booklet, code 19296001800, and the same programme chart. One manual, three formats.
Where the format really does change things
This is where the similarities end. The under-counter model has a door «with frames», the finished front from the manufacturer: slide it under an unbroken worktop and you are done. The semi-integrated one has a door without frames and its technical sheet carries a line that costs real money: kitchen panel not supplied. The door has to come from your kitchen maker and it is not in the price you are reading. The plinth changes too, 100-170 mm on the under-counter against 100-215 mm on the semi-integrated, and so does the adjustable height: the two built-in models run from 820 to 890 mm, while the freestanding has feet for levelling only because it stays fixed at 848 mm.
The most underrated point is reversibility. The official booklet says the top of freestanding machines can be removed so they can go under a worktop, but it takes a separate kit, listed by Smeg at 59.00 euros, and the job «must be carried out by authorised personnel». A built-in model, on the other hand, does not go back: without side panels and without a top it cannot stand in the middle of a room. It is the same reasoning we applied to the built-in or freestanding washing machine, with one difference: there the built-in version is a niche, here it is the norm. One constraint from the manual, finally, is not an opinion: it is forbidden to install a dishwasher under a hob, and built-in machines must go only under unbroken worktops, screwed to the adjacent units.
What the format costs: 22 euros, plus what you cannot see
On 15 October 2026 the 292 series stood like this on OpportunityCommerce: 664.26 euros for the white under-counter, 673.21 for the semi-integrated, 681.42 for the black freestanding, 686.43 for the black and stainless steel under-counter. Three formats, three finishes, 22.17 euros of total spread; at the same black finish the gap is 13.22.
The listed price, though, is not the finished price. On the semi-integrated you have to add the kitchen panel, which Smeg does not sell and which depends on your units: get it quoted first. On the freestanding, if one day you want it under the worktop, budget the 59.00 euros of the kit plus authorised labour; the plinth kit for the two built-in models is listed at 69.00 or 99.00 euros. And there is a variable that is not measured in euros: today the black and stainless under-counter is in stock for immediate delivery, the other two are quoted at 10 to 15 working days.
The format the market has already picked
We counted the listings in the catalogue, because real availability is part of the choice. Out of 261 dishwashers, 200 are fully integrated, that is 76.6%. Then come 28 with a visible control panel (10.7%), 13 under-counter (5.0%) and just 10 freestanding (3.8%). With the fully integrated format you are picking from three models out of four, so more competition on price and a better chance of finding the energy class and the noise level you want; with freestanding the field narrows to about ten listings. That is not a flaw of the format, it follows from the fact that almost every kitchen sold today is a fitted one.
The trap that comes right after
The risk is choosing the format and stopping there. In the same catalogue a fully integrated Samsung DW60M6050BB costs 449.00 euros against the 686.43 of the Smeg under-counter, and it is class E against D: 95 kWh per 100 cycles against 84. At 260 cycles a year, with the fourth-quarter 2026 ARERA tariff of 0.4343 euros per kWh, that is 107.27 against 94.29 euros, so 12.99 euros a year: the 237.43 euros saved at purchase are clawed back by the electricity bill in eighteen years, beyond the useful life of the machine. And the worse class does not lose on everything, because the Samsung declares 14 place settings instead of 13, 10.5 litres instead of 12, 225 minutes instead of 250 and 44 dB(A) in class B against 49 in class C. Per place setting washed it uses 5.8% more energy and 18.7% less water.
These are two different platforms, not the same product in two outfits, and that is exactly the point: pick the format first, then set it aside. On how to read those numbers we have written how to read the energy label and how much a dishwasher really consumes.
PortosEunostos advice
What to check on the product. Measure the recess first: usable height, depth and plinth height, because the declared ranges (100-170 or 100-215 mm) are binding. On a semi-integrated model get the panel quoted straight away; on a freestanding one you plan to slide under the worktop, check that the kit exists for that model. And always open the EU product fiche before paying: it states consumption, water, duration and noise without adjectives. On spare parts Smeg declares 7 years for pumps, heating elements and boards and 10 years for hinges, seals, baskets and the filter unit.
How to judge the seller. On a built-in machine delivery is part of the project: between immediate delivery and 10 to 15 working days you can miss the kitchen installation slot. Check that shipping is included, that returns are handled on bulky packaging too, and that the guarantee is the manufacturer's.
The Portos choice
Choose the format with the kitchen in front of you, not with the spec sheet, and do not pay for it thinking you are buying performance: the three Smeg machines in the 292 series prove it line by line. You can see the four formats side by side in the dishwasher category on OpportunityCommerce, compare the under-counter LSP292DN with the semi-integrated PL292DN and the freestanding LVS292DN, or keep an eye on real offers with the SniffaPrezzi comparison tool.
Once the format is settled, the rest remains: our guide to choosing a dishwasher starts there, and once the machine is running you will need filter cleaning and the answer to when it is worth running it half empty.
Sources
Product fiches under Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2017 for Smeg LSP292DN, PL292DN and LVS292DN
Technical sheets and instruction booklet on the official pages of Smeg LSP292DN, PL292DN and LVS292DN
Registrations 436456, 436400 and 436433 in the European product registry EPREL, where the Samsung DW60M6050BB is registered under number 346785
Prices, availability and listing counts recorded on OpportunityCommerce on 15 October 2026; electricity tariff 0.4343 euros per kWh, the ARERA reference for the fourth quarter of 2026 for vulnerable customers on the regulated market
