MeacoDry ABC Review: 10L or 12L, and Is It Still Worth It? (UK 2026)

The MeacoDry ABC is Meaco's entry-level compressor dehumidifier, and on Amazon UK it is one of the most-reviewed in the category: 4.7 out of 5 from 6,380 ratings, and number 27 in Dehumidifiers. It comes in two capacities, 10 litres and 12 litres a day, each in silver or black.

This review covers what the ABC actually is, what it costs to run, which size to buy, and two Amazon listings that no longer sell what their titles say. Prices were checked on Amazon UK on 28 October 2026.

At a glance

What the ABC is

A small, plain compressor dehumidifier. A digital display shows the room's relative humidity, you set a target, and the unit switches itself off when it gets there and back on when the humidity climbs. That humidistat is the feature that matters most for running cost, because a dehumidifier that stops when the job is done uses far less than one that runs flat out all day.

The rest is the expected kit for this price: a 24-hour timer, auto-defrost so it keeps working in a cool room, a child lock, two fan speeds, and a dedicated laundry mode that runs for six hours and then switches off.

What it does not have: no Wi-Fi or app, no HEPA filter (just a dust filter), and no ioniser. If you want air purification as well, Meaco's own Arete range or the Avalla X-350 cover that, at a higher price.

How quiet is it?

35dB, with a Quiet Mark award. That is the ABC's real selling point, and the reason it keeps turning up in bedroom recommendations. For comparison, the EcoAir DC12 MK3 quotes 39dB. Decibels are logarithmic, so 4dB is a noticeable step.

Bear in mind the 35dB figure is for the low fan speed. A compressor also makes a low hum and an occasional click as it cycles on and off. Fine in a living room or hallway; light sleepers may still want it outside the bedroom door overnight.

What does it cost to run?

The ABC 10L draws 158W and the 12L 160W. At the 24.5p per kWh Meaco uses on the listing, that works out at:

Meaco's own listing says "3p an hour". That is lower than the arithmetic above because the compressor cycles off once the humidistat target is reached, so the real hourly draw is less than the rated wattage. Treat 3p to 4p an hour as the honest range, and check your own tariff, since most UK unit rates in 2026 sit above 24.5p.

Either way it is a fraction of a tumble dryer, which is the comparison that matters if you are drying washing indoors.

10L or 12L?

The 12L is the same machine with two more litres a day of extraction, 2W more power and 0.7kg more weight, for £20 more. Same case, same tank, same noise rating.

• Buy the 10L for a flat, a single damp bedroom, or a small house with a condensation problem rather than a damp problem. At £129.99 it is the one most people should look at first.
• Buy the 12L if you dry washing indoors most days, have a three-bedroom house, or the room you are treating is cold. Rated extraction is measured at warm, humid lab conditions, and every compressor unit pulls less in a cold room, so the extra headroom helps.

Neither suits a cold garage, unheated conservatory or caravan in winter. Compressor dehumidifiers struggle below about 10°C, however good the auto-defrost. For those spaces a desiccant unit is the right tool; we cover the options in our dehumidifier comparison by room size.

Watch the listing before you buy

The ABC range has several Amazon listings, and two of them no longer sell what their titles say. On 28 October 2026:

• The "ABC 12L Silver" listing (B07FN1Q8VC) now shows the 10L silver, model ABC10W, at £129.99. If you want the 12L, this is not the page to buy from.
• The "ABC 12L" listing B07FN8RMHT now shows the 10L black, and it had no buy-box price at all.
• The 12L black listing (B07FN4F7SM) is the genuine 12L, rated 12 litres a day and 160W, at £149.99. Its own spec table also says "Dehumidification capacity 10 litres per day" and a "12 litre tank" in other rows. The bullets are right: 12 litres a day of extraction, with a 2.6-litre tank.

The 6,380 ratings are shared across all of these listings, so they tell you about the ABC range as a whole, not about one size. Check the capacity in the listing's title and bullets, and the price, before you add it to the basket.

How it compares

On price alone the ABC is not the bargain. The Honeywell 12L at £119.99 gives you 12 litres a day for £30 less than the ABC 12L, and £10 less than the ABC 10L. The Avalla X-300 is cheaper again and quotes a lower noise figure, but on 23 reviews against the ABC's thousands.

What the ABC buys you is the track record. A 4.7 average across more than six thousand ratings is hard to argue with in a category where cheap units often fail inside two years, and Meaco is a UK company that does its own parts and repairs.

Verdict

Buy the MeacoDry ABC 10L if you want a quiet, proven dehumidifier for a flat, bedroom or small house and do not need app control. At £129.99 it is a fair price for the most reliable-looking option at this size.

Step up to the ABC 12L at £149.99 only if you dry washing indoors most days or are treating a whole house.

Skip it if price is the deciding factor: the Honeywell 12L does more for less right now. And skip it for a cold garage or caravan, where any compressor unit is the wrong choice.

FAQ

Is the MeacoDry ABC 10L or 12L better? The 12L removes two more litres of water a day for £20 more, in the same case with the same 35dB noise rating. Choose the 10L for a flat or single room, and the 12L for indoor laundry or a whole house.

How much does the MeacoDry ABC cost to run? It draws 158W (10L) or 160W (12L), which is about 3.9p an hour at 24.5p per kWh if the compressor runs continuously. With the humidistat switching it off at your target humidity, 3p to 4p an hour is a realistic range.

Is the MeacoDry ABC quiet enough for a bedroom? It holds a Quiet Mark and is rated at 35dB on its low speed, which is quieter than most compressor dehumidifiers at this price. Light sleepers may still notice the compressor clicking on and off overnight.

Can the MeacoDry ABC dry clothes? Yes. Laundry mode runs the unit for six hours and then switches it off, and it uses a fraction of the electricity of a tumble dryer.

Does the MeacoDry ABC work in a cold garage? Not well in winter. Like every compressor dehumidifier it loses most of its extraction below about 10°C. A desiccant dehumidifier is the better choice for cold, unheated spaces.

Can I drain the MeacoDry ABC continuously? Yes. It has a drain spout that takes a standard garden hose, so it can run without emptying the 2.6-litre tank.

Prices and ratings were checked on Amazon UK on 28 October 2026 and will change. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.