Compare the Best Vacuum CleanersSeptember 2021

There is a huge variety of vacuum cleaners available today. Buyers have a choice between upright and cylinder vacuum cleaners for average cleaning tasks and more specialised hoovers designed to pick up dog hairs or help allergy sufferers.

Finding the right vacuum cleaner may sound daunting but understanding what advantages and disadvantages the different technologies and features provide goes along way in finding the best hoover for your needs.

Upright Vacuum Cleaners

Upright vacuums are ideal for cleaning larger spaces and are particularly suited for cleaning carpeted areas. A rotating brush in the vacuum’s head combs the carpet to loosen dirt and dust. They are also very effective in picking up pet hair. Most models have a carpet height selector to adjust the cleaning head according to the carpet pile.

Uprights allow you to work in a comfortable position without the need to bed over a lot. They are ideal for those with lower back pain. Most models are very easy to manoeuvre and come with a set of tools for corners and stairs. Most upright vacuums are bagless as the bin is more accessible and easier to remove than in cylinder cleaners.

Cylinder Vacuum Cleaners

Cylinder vacuum cleaners are usually smaller and lighter than uprights and therefore easier to move around. They are ideal for smaller spaces and the flexible hose and removable head let you clean corners and hard to reach spaces with ease. Because the distance between the cleaning head and dust bag is longer compared to upright vacuum cleaners, cylinder cleaners require a higher motor power in order to generate the same amount of suction.

Cylinder cleaners can be bagged or bagless. Bagless cleaners will be slightly more expensive but will save you money in the long run.

Wet & Dry Cleaners

Usually aimed for use in workshops, garages and environments that can get dirtier than the average household, wet & dry vacuum cleaners are robust and can handle a variety of cleaning tasks. They can hoover up sawdust, leaves, wet mud and even water.

Wet & dry vacuums are available from a number of manufacturers like Karcher, Vax, deWalt and Bosch. These multi-purpose vacuum cleaners have a robust construction and a large container volume. Filters can usually be washed and tools and accessories are stored within the industrial vacuum cleaners.

Cleaning Efficiency

In a drive to ensure greater energy efficiency, the EU banned vacuum cleaners with a motor power above 1600W in 2014.

It is important that a vacuum cleaner’s power rating is not the only factor affecting the amount of suction it produces.

Less powerful models regularly outperform those with a higher power rating. Design, how full the bag is and how often filters are cleaned all contribute to how good a vacuum clear is at its job.

Look out for independent reviews that measure a vacuum cleaner’s suction power in relation to how full the dust bag or container is to get a better understanding of the suction power it produces.

Attachments & Accessories

Most vacuum cleaners come with a number of accessories to clean upholstery and to reach narrow spaces and corners. Some models car store accessories inside the vacuum cleaner while some cylinder models have a holder attached to the telescopic tube.

Pet accessories

Pet hair can be difficult to remove from carpets are upholstery. To make cleaning after your furry friends easier, pet models are specifically designed to make lifting cat and dog hair easier.

Pet vacuum cleaners come with cleaning heads that include rotating brush bars, sometimes called power tools. They also use strong suction power to tackle even the most stubborn hair.

Vacuum Cleaner Prices

The price range of vacuums is from $41 to $3,000 and in total we found prices for 260 vacuums. The average price of a new vacuum cleaner is $310 and the 80% of vacuums are priced between $67 and $699. The Dirt Devil BD30015 is the cheapest vacuum at only $42, and Oreck XL2100RHS is the most expensive at $3,000.

Vacuum Brands - Price Range

The average price of Oreck vacuum cleaners is $3,000 which is the highest average price of all vacuum brands. Oreck vacuum cleaners range in price from $3,000 to $3,000.

The average price of Samsung vacuum cleaners is $1,500 which is the second highest average price of all vacuum brands. Samsung vacuum cleaners range in price from $1,500 to $1,500.

The average price of Sebo vacuum cleaners is $724 which is the third highest average price of all vacuum brands. Sebo vacuum cleaners start at $437 and their most expensive vacuum costs $999.

Vacuum Cleaner Brands - Average Ratings

We have evaluated 1,701 expert reviews and 98,324 user reviews for vacuum cleaners and used this data to evaluate the average rating for each brand of vacuum. The top rated vacuum brand is Miele with an average rating of 88%. The second best brand is Bosch with 81% and the third best brand is Hoover with 81%.

Biggest Vacuum Retailers

The biggest vacuum retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 233 current vacuum offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Overstock with 46 offers. That means eBay is over 5 times bigger than Overstock when it comes to vacuum cleaners. Adorama is the third biggest retailer with 5 current offers.

When Are Most New Vacuums Released?

The most common period for new vacuums to be released in is between June and August. 19 new vacuums were released in June 2020 making it the biggest month that year for new vacuum cleaner releases. In August 2019, 30 new vacuums were released making it the biggest month that year for new vacuum releases. Also the biggest month in 2018 for new vacuum releases was August, with 90 new vacuum cleaners released that month.

How Fast Do Vacuum Cleaner Prices Drop After Release?

On average vacuums drop in price by 4% in the first 6 months after release.

That means a saving of $14 on a typical $313 new vacuum if you wait 6 months before buying.

Capacities

The space that the product e.g. vacuum cleaner,vacuum cleaner bag has for dust or dirty water.

The capacities of vacuums range from .035L to 450L. The capacities of the majority of vacuum cleaners range from 0L to 2L. The vacuum cleaner with the largest capacity is the Ecovacs DEEBOT, which is a 450L dust capacity vacuum cleaner and currently retails for $84.99. The Eufy HomeVac H11, which is priced at $51.00, has the smallest capacity and is a 0.09L dust capacity vacuum cleaner.

Weights

The weight of the vacuum cleaner, including all attachments that fit onto the device.

Across the range of vacuums, the weights range from 100g to 90kg. The weights of most vacuum cleaners range from 4.5kg to 5.5kg. The Rug Doctor Mighty Pro X3, which sells for $499.95, has the heaviest weight and is a 15.4kg heavy vacuum. The vacuum cleaner with the lightest weight is the Eufy HomeVac H11, which is a 544g heavy vacuum and currently retails for $51.00.

Maximum Input Powers

'Maximum Power' measures the power level of the vacuum cleaner, rated in watts.

Comparing all vacuum cleaners, the maximum input powers range from 10W to 4,200W. The maximum input powers of the majority of vacuums range from 600W to 800W. The vacuum with the highest maximum input power is the Vacmaster VOC1210PF, which is a 3,728W vacuum cleaner and is priced at $95.38. The vacuum cleaner with the lowest maximum input power is the Kärcher WV2, which is a 10W vacuum and is on sale for $812.11.

Types

The type denotes the design of the vacuum cleaner - whether it is an upright model, a small handheld design, or something different.

Amongst new vacuum cleaners, the most frequently found type is cylinder. We found 1,267 vacuum cleaners that are cylinder vacuums. Upright is the second most common type amongst new vacuums. We found 580 vacuums that are upright vacuum cleaners.

Cleaning Types

Way in which device cleans something or itself.

Dry is the most popular cleaning type amongst new vacuums. We found 2,251 vacuums that are dry vacuums. We found 225 vacuum cleaners that are wet & dry vacuums, making wet & dry the second most popular cleaning type amongst new vacuum cleaners.

Energy Efficiency of Vacuum Cleaners

The Energy Efficiency Class of a vacuum cleaner shows how well it uses energy, and how much is unnecessarily wasted. Products are ranked from G to A++ in terms of how little energy they use compared to the norm.

The most common energy efficiency rating amongst new vacuum cleaners is A. We found 849 vacuum cleaners that have an energy efficiency rating of A. The second most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new vacuum cleaners is B. We found 136 vacuum cleaners that have an energy efficiency rating of B.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Vacuum Cleaners?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying vacuum cleaners. For each retailer it shows the total number of vacuum cleaners where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying vacuums. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 221 of their vacuum cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Vacuums for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for vacuum cleaners by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of vacuum cleaner prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's vacuum cleaner prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 94.8% of their vacuum cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.