Start with the appliance types you actually need
Appliance brands rarely cover the same ground, so the first filter is whether a brand sells the machine you are replacing. Exquisit lists washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, fridges, ovens, hobs and cookers, which makes it a natural fit when you are outfitting a kitchen and a laundry room under one name. Hoover's figures cover a different corner of the home, a washing machine and robot vacuum cleaners.
Write down the appliances you need first, then see which brands cover that list in our home appliance brand rankings. This sounds obvious, but it removes most of the shortlist before you spend time on price or features, and it stops a brand with a strong appliance in one category from hiding a gap in the next.
Price the total you pay on day one
Entry price is the number most shoppers notice, and it only tells you part of the cost. Exquisit lists prices from €45.95, while the brands we track together run from €11.90 to €1,044.80. Read those as a floor for the cheapest item, not as a typical basket, because a fridge and a washing machine are never priced like a small appliance.
Installation is the second line item and it surprises people. Exquisit charges an installation fee of €25, and Hoover charges an installation fee of £20 to £99. Both brands offer installation, so the question is not whether you can have it but what it adds to the invoice. These are one-off purchase and setup costs rather than a monthly plan, so add them together and compare one figure on the day you buy. Measure up the appliance too: Exquisit's compact microwave measures 25.8 x 44.0 x 34.6 cm, and a fridge with a capacity of 161 L needs an alcove with room for the door to open.
Read energy class and yearly use together
Energy use is where brands separate over the life of a machine. Exquisit's fridge example carries an energy class of C and an annual energy use of 132. Hoover's washing machine is rated energy class A with an annual energy use of 40. Across the brands we hold figures for, annual energy use runs 32 to 245, so a gap of a few classes on a machine you use every day can move you a long way inside that span.
Two habits make this number useful. Read the class and the yearly figure together, because the class is only a band and the figure tells you the real running load. And compare like with like: a class C fridge and a class A washing machine are different appliances in different categories, so neither wins on the numbers alone. Pull the class for the specific appliance you are buying, not the brand's best-looking figure.
Check capacity and the numbers that decide fit
Capacity decides whether a machine earns the space it takes up, and it is the easiest specification to check before you fall for a feature. Exquisit's fridge holds 161 L, while Hoover's washing machine takes 9 kg of laundry per load. For a vacuum, Exquisit's upright model moves 320 of air an hour and is rated for rooms of 70, which tells you whether it suits a flat or a larger house.
Hoover's robot vacuum cleaners collect into a bin of 800, so if you have pets or a busy hallway, a larger bin means fewer emptying stops. Storage height matters too: Hoover's cordless stick vacuum measures 8.3 tall. Dimensions are not always listed in the same order on every page, so measure your alcove and check the drawing rather than assuming the first number is the width.
Weigh features against what they cost you
Features are easiest to judge when you ask what work they remove. Hoover has a mobile app, which matters if you want to start or check a cleaning run while you are out, and its robot vacuum mops with a pad. Exquisit's air fryer has dishwasher safe parts, so the cleanup after a meal is a rinse rather than a hand wash, and its replacement filter set for the vacuum uses HEPA and carbon filters, which is the consumable you will reorder.
Two points keep this section honest. Hoover's robot vacuum cleaners are listed without obstacle avoidance, and they do use lidar, so a cleaner that maps rooms well is not the same as one that steers around cables and pet bowls. And power ratings tell you about your sockets: Exquisit's air fryer draws 2,600 and its garment steamer pulls 400, while the washer is larger and the fridge is not. Also note the water tank on the garment steamer, 5.5, since refills interrupt a work morning.
Look at warranty, support and who stands behind the brand
A warranty is a promise about the years you keep the machine, so it belongs next to the price rather than buried at the end. Exquisit's warranty runs 3 years, and the brands we track span 1 to 3 years, which puts Exquisit at the longer end of what we hold figures for. Support for Exquisit runs through email, phone and a help centre, and there is a spare parts shop, so filters and replacement parts can be ordered direct rather than through a third party.
The company details are worth reading before a large purchase. Exquisit is sold by GGV Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, registered in Germany, selling into Germany and Austria, and the business dates back to 1989. Hoover is headquartered in the United Kingdom and delivers in that market, and the brand dates back to 1908. For Hoover, get the warranty terms in writing when you order so the length is on the record with your purchase.
Turn the comparison into a shortlist
Work through the checks in a fixed order: appliance type, then capacity, then energy class and yearly use, then entry price plus installation, then warranty and support, and only then features. That order stops a clever feature from distracting you from a machine that is too small, too thirsty or too expensive to run.
When two brands land close together on those steps, read the detail pages before deciding. The Exquisit review and the Hoover review set out what each brand is like to live with, and the home appliance brand rankings show how the rest of the field fares on the same checks. Comparing against a further name such as this brand review or this alternative review helps you see whether a difference is a genuine gap or just a different appliance at a different price.