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The 6 Best Vacuums For Carpets - Fall 2024

Updated Aug 26, 2024 at 11:33 am
Best Vacuums For Carpets

Cleaning carpeted floors can be a difficult task for many vacuums. Carpeted floors tend to hold on to various types of foreign material, so it's crucial to have a vacuum with plenty of suction power and a brushroll that can dig its way into this type of surface and lift away debris. The best vacuum to clean carpet should also be maneuverable enough to navigate furniture and shelves without getting stuck on shaggy surfaces.

We've tested over 155 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuum cleaners for carpets. We selected these picks based on their low- and high-pile carpet performance and design, feature set, and price. For more recommendations, look at our list of the best vacuums, the best vacuums for high-pile carpet, and the best cordless vacuums.


  1. Best Vacuum For Carpets

    The SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium is the best vacuum for carpets we've tested. This model isn't always available from larger online retailers, but you can find it directly on SEBO's website. Even with a basic straight-suction floorhead, this high-end canister vacuum does a very good job dealing with pet hair and solid debris on low-pile carpets. However, if you need to clean thicker carpets, the ET-1 powerhead bundled with the top-range D4 Premium model is one of the most effective attachments on the market. It features four levels of height adjustment, an automatic brushroll cutoff switch, and an indicator light to let you know if the brushroll is set too high to touch the ground or if its bristles have been worn down. You can precisely control the vacuum's suction power using the rocker switch on its handle, letting you quickly adapt to different types and lengths of carpeting.

    The SEBO also feels remarkably well-built, and its three-stage S-Class filtration system is incredibly effective in keeping allergens sealed away as you clean. User maintenance is remarkably simple, and this model incurs low recurring costs for a bagged vacuum thanks to its high-capacity dirtbags and long-lasting filters. Looking for something more maneuverable? Consider the Miele Complete C3, which is a little smaller and lighter. However, it uses smaller dirtbags and less durable filters, resulting in higher ownership costs. Like the SEBO, it's best to purchase a C3 model with a powerhead, like the C3 Cat & Dog, C3 Kona, or C3 Brilliant, if you plan on cleaning a lot of very dense carpeting.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Vacuum For Carpets

    Check out the Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog PowerLine if you're shopping at a slightly lower price point. This canister vacuum isn't as sturdily built as the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium and has a shorter power cable, so you'll likely need to swap outlets when cleaning larger areas. It also lacks an onboard tool storage compartment, though you can mount its upholstery tool, crevice tool, and dusting brush to an included clip that can be attached to the base of its hose. With all that said, it's notably cheaper than the SEBO, and its 1200W motor puts it in a similar ballpark to the SEBO regarding real-world performance. This Cat & Dog variant of the C1 comes bundled with Miele's SEB 228 powerhead, which features five levels of height adjustment, allowing you to quickly adapt to many carpet types, from low-pile to plush carpeting, along with a parquet head for cleaning hard floors as well as a mini turbo brush for cleaning fabric furniture. You can adjust the vacuum's suction power using the six-level rotary dial at the back of its body if you're having trouble pushing the head around on thick carpeting.

    This vacuum is also smaller and lighter than the SEBO, making it easier to maneuver in cluttered areas. It's easy to maintain, with an easily accessible dirtbag and filters. Unfortunately, it incurs higher ownership costs; it uses 2.5L dirtbags instead of the SEBO vacuum's high-capacity 4.5L bags. These smaller bags will fill up much faster and thus need replacing more often. The Miele also uses filters with a much shorter lifespan.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Carpets

    The best mid-range vacuum for carpets is the Dyson Ball Animal 3. Being a bagless upright, it's a different proposition than the Miele Classic C1, with a substantially less durable plastic chassis that creaks and flexes while in use, but it does just as good a job when cleaning debris on carpets. It's a substantial upgrade over its predecessor, the Dyson Ball Animal 2. It has a redesigned floorhead with built-in plastic combs to trap and prevent hair from getting tangled around the brushroll and three manually adjustable surface settings. This makes it much easier to maneuver on carpets than the older model, which formed a very tight seal with the ground and could even tear up longer carpet fibers. The Ball Animal 3 also has an onboard HEPA filter and an allergen-sealed body, so it does a good job of trapping most fine particles as you clean. That said, shaking out its dustbin can release a cloud of dust, making for a less hygienic means of debris disposal than throwing out the Miele's sealed dirtbags.

    This vacuum's ball-shaped wheel mechanism makes it more maneuverable than a traditional upright, but it's still a bulky, heavy appliance. Due to its substantial length, you'll also need to manually wind back its power cord at the end of every cleaning session, which can be a nuisance.

    See our review

  4. Best Lower Mid-Range Vacuum For Carpets

    The Kenmore Intuition Bagged is a good option if you want to spend less on an upright vacuum for cleaning carpets. This bagged upright vacuum delivers impressive overall debris pickup performance on low and high-pile carpet despite its lack of a floorhead height adjustment system. This omission can make it somewhat hard to maneuver on shag carpeting, but its performance is more than adequate on any other carpet type. It might not feel as well-built as higher-end models like the Miele Classic C1, and its upright form factor makes it a little more unwieldy in tight spots, but its design isn't without niceties. Its motor unit can be lifted free of the floorhead, making it much easier to clean tight spots. It also has a brushroll off switch. It also uses high-capacity dustbags that seal shut when they're removed, making disposal a breeze.

    Still, if you'd rather not have to replace a dirtbag every now and then and don't mind the messier debris disposal process that comes with a bagless vacuum, you could also consider the BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Turbo. While it's also easier to maneuver than the Kenmore on shag-pile carpeting, its debris-pickup performance on shorter-pile carpeting is notably inferior.

    See our review

  5. Best Budget Vacuum For Carpets

    The best budget carpet vacuum we've tested is the Eureka FloorRover. This bagless upright is less sturdily built and incurs higher maintenance requirements than the Kenmore Intuition Bagged. However, it isn't without its upsides, and that's without including its cheaper price tag. While you can't change the brushroll's height for improved maneuverability on thick carpets, you can turn the brushroll off to more easily free it from carpet fibers if it gets stuck. It also comes with a wide assortment of attachments, especially for a vacuum at this price point, including a miniature turbo brush for cleaning fabric surfaces.

    Unfortunately, its overall build quality is mediocre, with the mainly plastic body feeling quite fragile and a rather flimsy brushroll mechanism. If you're looking for something a little lighter that still does well on carpets, the BISSELL PowerForce Helix is a good option. However, it feels even more cheaply built, does an awful job of sealing in allergens, and still gets stuck pretty easily on thick carpeting.

    See our review

  6. Best Cordless Vacuum For Carpets

    If you'd rather not deal with a power cord when vacuuming carpets, the Dyson V15 Detect is a solid option. Compared to a high-end canister vacuum with a powerhead like the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium, this flagship stick vacuum has a less potent suction motor and a more rudimentary floorhead with no height adjustment and no brushroll cut-off. This means it tends to get stuck in thick carpeting, forcing you to turn it off to free it. Still, this Dyson's 230 AW suction motor is remarkably powerful for a cordless model. It allows the vacuum to suck up debris embedded in low- and medium-pile carpeting within one or two passes. The Dyson's design also has the added benefit of grab-and-go convenience compared to a bulkier corded machine. Additionally, it has a surface sensor that lets the vacuum raise its suction power automatically when passing over carpeted floors.

    If you want a cordless machine with a bit more of a premium feel but fewer parts requiring periodic maintenance, the Miele Triflex HX2 is a solid alternative. It's also a bit more maneuverable and lightweight in hand, though it does have a bulkier floorhead, which can be an issue for cleaning under low furniture. It also delivers less raw performance than the Dyson and has a significantly smaller dustbin.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away: The Shark Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away is a cordless upright vacuum that's lighter and slightly more portable than the Dyson Ball Animal 3, but it has a harder time dealing with debris on shag-pile carpets. See our review
  • Shark Stratos Upright [AZ3000, AZ3002]: The Shark Stratos Upright is Shark's flagship corded upright vacuum and does a great job of cleaning low- and high-pile carpets. Its floorhead is slightly more rudimentary than the Dyson Ball Animal 3, with no height adjustment and no brushroll off switch. See our review
  • Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away: The Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away is a mid-range bagless upright vacuum. It does quite well on carpeted floors, but unlike the Dyson Ball Animal 3, it lacks any sort of floorhead height adjustment and consequently gets bogged down on thicker rugs. See our review
  • Shark Stratos Cordless: The Shark Stratos Cordless is an upper mid-range cordless stick vacuum that performs well on low- and medium-pile carpets, but it tends to get seriously bogged down on plusher carpeting. It's also heavier than the Dyson V15 Detect and has fewer attachments. See our review
  • Samsung Jet 90 Complete: The Samsung Jet 90 Complete is a cordless stick vacuum that performs pretty well on carpets and is available with a unique mopping floorhead to deal with stains on hard floors. However, it lacks the Dyson V15 Detect's automatic power adjustment feature. See our review
  • Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute: The Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute is the brand's newest flagship, effectively replacing the Dyson V15 Detect. While it brings in a few minor quality-of-life upgrades, they aren't enough to justify the substantial price premium over its predecessor, especially considering the two vacuums deliver very similar performance. See our review
  • Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute : The Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute is effectively an enlarged version of the Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute and delivers similar overall performance. However, it's even pricier than the smaller Gen5detect, let alone the Dyson V15 Detect, and its larger size makes it far more cumbersome to use in tight spots. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Aug 26, 2024: Replaced the BISSELL Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Plus with the Kenmore Intuition Bagged as the 'Best Lower Mid-Range Vacuum For Carpets' pick due to new performance data from Test Bench 1.3.

  2. Mar 12, 2024: Updated the 'Best Cordless Vacuum For Carpets' category to mention the new Miele Triflex HX2 instead of the older Triflex HX1 because the HX2 has a more efficient motor and better battery life.

  3. Feb 12, 2024: Added the Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away to the Notable Mentions.

  4. Jan 11, 2024: Added the Dyson Gen5outsize/Gen5outsize Absolute to Notable Mentions.

  5. Dec 08, 2023: Removed the Shark APEX UpLight from Notable Mentions due to current availability.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best vacuums for cleaning carpet. We don't just base our results on overall performance but also on factors like availability, price, and reader feedback, so it isn't as though there's a single best vacuum cleaner for carpets to suit all needs.

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our vacuum reviews, ranked by their performance on carpet. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.