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Notice: Big Spring Sale Deal: The Dyson V15 Detect has dropped by $150 on Amazon.com. See all Vacuum Big Spring Sale deals.

The 6 Best Vacuum Cleaners of 2025

Updated Feb 10, 2025 at 10:50 am
Best Vacuums

Depending on what kind of floors you have and the debris you encounter, having the right vacuum for the job is crucial to keeping your space clean. Finding the best option will vary depending on your specific needs. If you have staircases or bare floors, you may want to consider canister vacuums for their portability and range. An upright vacuum can help pick up debris and hair on high-pile textiles if you live in a carpeted home. A lightweight stick/handheld vacuum is also a good choice if you need maneuverability above all else. Of course, there's lots more to consider when buying a vacuum, and these suggestions just scratch the surface; if you want some more help getting orientated, check out our FAQ section below, as it goes into much more detail.

We've tested over 100 vacuums, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuums you can buy. If you're looking for more vacuums, check out our recommendations for the best lightweight vacuums, the best cordless vacuums, and the best bagless vacuums. Alternatively, you can also check out our recommendations for the best vacuum brands.


  1. Best Vacuum

    Big Spring Sale Deal: The Dyson V15 Detect has dropped in price by $150 at amazon.com.

    The best vacuum cleaner we've tested is the Dyson V15 Detect. This high-end cordless stick vacuum isn't the newest kid on the block, having been supplanted by the Dyson Gen5detect as the brand's flagship, but ultimately, it still represents the better buy, with similar performance at a lower price point. It delivers debris-pickup performance that rivals many corded models, but it has the advantage of being remarkably easy to deploy and maneuver. Its surface detection system enables it to automatically adjust its suction power setting depending on the surface that it's on, and it also features a dirt sensor to count and measure the size of particles sucked into the dustbin. The major pain point here is build quality; it feels somewhat fragile, which is disappointing for a vacuum at this price point. Also, it has a relatively basic floorhead with no height adjustment or brushroll off switch, meaning it can get stuck on thicker carpeting pretty often.

    Consider the Samsung Bespoke Jet if you're looking for something sturdier. It has a uniquely designed standup charging rack that doubles as a self-emptying base station for its dustbin, making it easier and more hygienic to dispose of debris. However, its bulkier twin-roller floorhead makes it more difficult to maneuver than the Dyson, and this model lacks the V15's surface detection system. If you're happy to trade being plugged in for superior build quality, keep reading to learn about our pick for the best corded vacuum below, the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium.

    See our review

  2. Best Mid-Range Vacuum

    If you're looking for an all-around solid vacuum that can competently do a bit of everything, then consider the Shark Stratos Cordless. There are a few compromises for its lower price point compared to our top pick, the Dyson V15 Detect. It's not quite as portable or maneuverable as the Dyson, as it has a heavier body and a bulkier twin-roller floorhead, and its suction motor isn't quite as powerful. Nevertheless, it's still packed with features and offers great value. Like the Dyson, it has an automatic power adjustment system, so it can increase its suction power automatically when passing over an area with a significant concentration of debris. Unique to the Shark is an odor-neutralization system in the form of a replaceable cartridge mounted in its floorhead, emitting a laundry detergent-like scent as you clean—though this can quickly become overwhelming if you use the vacuum often.

    Its max battery life of about an hour is fairly long as far as cordless vacuums go, but note that it takes a very long time to recharge, which is inconvenient during longer cleaning sessions. This vacuum's hinged wand makes cleaning under most tables and chairs simple without you having to bend too much. And, unfortunately, its floorhead can easily get bogged down in thick-pile rugs.

    See our review

  3. Best Budget Vacuum

    The Wyze Cordless Vacuum is a good option for those looking to keep to a strict budget. One compromise at this price point is performance; its rotating brushroll can scatter around larger debris on hard floors and has a hard time with fine debris that's been worked deep into carpet fibers. The bundled straight-suction upholstery tool isn't all that effective for dealing with hair on fabric furniture, too. You're better off purchasing the miniature turbo brush tool from Wyze's website if you have a pet that sheds heavily and you want to keep your couches and armchairs clean.

    That said, it's very well-equipped for a cordless vacuum in this price range. It comes with an onboard HEPA filter that's pretty effective in sealing in allergens. Its battery performance isn't bad for a cordless model in this price bracket. While its runtime is very limited in its high-power 'Turbo' mode, it can run for almost an hour in its most energy-efficient 'ECO' setting. Unfortunately, compared to pricier models like the Samsung Jet 75, the Wyze's build quality is somewhat cheap and flimsy-feeling, with a body made mainly from thinner plastic. Its dirt compartment feels particularly fragile, and its floorhead scratches rather easily. The rubber gasket that seals the dustbin door can also fall out when shaking out the dirt compartment if you aren't careful.

    See our review

  4. Best Corded Vacuum

    If you don't mind exchanging the portability and convenience of our top cordless model, the Dyson V15 Detect, for more raw power and sturdier build quality, then get the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium. This high-end canister vacuum, usually only available from specialized vacuum retailers, features an enormously powerful 1250W suction motor, enabling it to easily suck up heavier debris and clear away heavily embedded debris within carpet fibers. The Premium trim of this vacuum comes with both a parquet tool with removable front bristles, which allow the vacuum to pass over larger debris, and SEBO's ET-1 powerhead, which has four levels of height adjustment, enabling it to adapt to a wide variety of carpet pile lengths. This vacuum also offers tank-like build quality, with a body made of thick, high-grade plastic and a heavy stainless steel telescopic wand. It uses high-capacity dirtbags and long-lasting filters, keeping costs of ownership relatively low.

    The inevitable flip side of this heavy-duty build quality is general heaviness, which can make this vacuum a bit of a hassle to maneuver in tight spots. If you want a canister vacuum that's a little lighter and easier to handle, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a worthy alternative. That said, its parquet tool tends to snowplow larger debris, and it uses smaller dirtbags and less long-lasting filters, leading to higher costs of ownership.

    See our review

  5. Best Mid-Range Corded Vacuum

    Check out the SEBO FELIX if you want a mid-range corded vacuum. This bagged upright vacuum isn't quite as powerful as the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium, with a slightly less powerful 1000W motor, but that's still more than enough to handle a wide variety of debris types on most surfaces. The FELIX is bundled with a similar set of attachments to the D4, with a parquet twister head for hard floors and an ET-1 powerhead for cleaning carpets. Its unconventional design allows you to lie the FELIX almost completely flat, which is very helpful for cleaning under tables and couches, or detach its wand and carry around its main canister body separately to vacuum tight spots. Build quality is excellent overall, though it does have a few rougher edges compared to the pricier D4.

    If you'd prefer using a canister vacuum instead, the Miele Classic C1 is worth a look. It's a little lighter and easier to maneuver in tight spots, though you will have to contend with a few downsides. Cheaper variants of the C1, such as the Pure Suction and Turbo Team, lack a power port at the base of their hose, so you can't use a powered floorhead for cleaning denser carpets.

    See our review

  6. Best Budget Corded Vacuum

    The Eureka Mighty Mite is a fantastic choice for something corded and budget-friendly. Compared to a mid-range model like the SEBO FELIX, it doesn't feel as well-built and lacks convenience features like a tool clip. However, it does have a fairly powerful motor. While the straight suction head sits too close to the ground to easily pass over larger debris, it excels in clearing away smaller material. Unfortunately, this head doesn't provide much surface agitation on carpets.

    It's worth noting that some new versions of the Mighty Mite lack the requisite mounting points to use aftermarket HEPA filters, which would help improve its air filtration performance. It also has a short power cable, so you'll probably have to swap outlets when cleaning bigger areas. Thankfully, it's very compact and easy to maintain.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute: The Dyson Gen5detect/Gen5detect Absolute is Dyson's newest flagship vacuum, effectively supplanting the Dyson V15 Detect. While it does have a more comfortable control scheme, an integrated crevice tool, and a brighter laser light for its bundled fluffy floorhead, this isn't enough to justify the substantial price premium over the V15, especially considering both deliver similar performance. See our review
  • Samsung Jet 90 Complete:

    The Samsung Jet 90 Complete is a cordless stick/upright/handheld vacuum representing a viable alternative to the Dyson V15 Detect if you want something marginally cheaper. However, it lacks the Dyson vacuum's automatic power adjustment feature, and the significantly cheaper Samsung Jet 75 has the same 200 AW motor.

    See our review
  • NaceCare HVR 200 Henry:

    The NaceCare HVR 200 Henry is a bagged canister vacuum that feels well-built and uses higher-capacity dustbags than the SEBO FELIX. However, it isn't as effective on carpeted floors.

    See our review
  • BISSELL PowerForce Helix:

    If you plan on cleaning a lot of dense carpeting on a budget, go for an upright with a height-adjustable powerhead for improved surface agitation, like the BISSELL PowerForce Helix. However, the BISSELL takes up more room than the Eureka Mighty Mite, is more challenging to maneuver, especially in smaller rooms, and feels even less sturdy.

    See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Feb 10, 2025

    Replaced the Miele Complete C3 Brilliant with the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium as the 'Best Corded Vacuum' pick and replaced the Miele Classic C1 Pure Suction with the SEBO FELIX as the 'Best Mid-Range Corded Vacuum' pick due to current product availability and to better align with other recommendation articles.

  2. Dec 09, 2024

    We've verified that our picks are all available and represent the best choices and made edits for clarity. We've also expanded our recommendations for the 'Best Corded Vacuum' to better reflect the Miele Complete C3 lineup variants.

  3. Oct 07, 2024 :  We replaced the Samsung Jet 75 with the Shark Stratos Cordless because it offers better value. To declutter our main text, we moved the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium and the BISSELL PowerForce Helix to the Notable Mentions. We also made a clean sweep of edits to improve text clarity.

  4. Apr 16, 2024 :  We've updated the text in this article to reflect findings from version 1.3 of our vacuum test bench. We've also removed less relevant Notable Mentions picks.

  5. Mar 01, 2024 :  Ensured all main picks are still available. Added FAQ section to answer user questions.

FAQ

What is the best type of vacuum cleaner?

This depends entirely on your particular needs. If you have a bigger home with thick carpeting, you should look into a full-size canister or upright vacuum. Their powerful motors and corded design make them ideal for stubborn messes and longer cleaning sessions. You also might want to invest in a higher-end corded upright or canister model with a motorized floorhead if you have thick carpeting and rugs since a vacuum with a beater bar will do a much better job dealing with embedded dirt.

On the other hand, if you live in a smaller home, condo, or apartment and would prefer something smaller, lighter, and more maneuverable, a cordless stick vacuum is worth a look. Compared to a mid-range or higher-end corded vacuum, you'll give up some degree of overall capability. As a general rule, these sorts of vacuums prioritize portability and maneuverability over out-and-out performance, and they'll generally only ship with more rudimentary powerheads that lack a brushroll off switch or height adjustment, so they'll have a harder time cleaning carpets. That said, high-end models, like the Dyson Gen5detect, give some corded models a run for their money in terms of pure power.

If you'd prefer not having to clean, there's no shortage of robot vacuums to suit every budget. Once again, though, there are tradeoffs. Robot vacuums aren't intended for heavy-duty cleaning of large debris and are best suited to low-intensity but frequent cleaning sessions.

How much should you spend on a vacuum cleaner?

Once again, it depends on your exact needs. You don't need anything too fancy if you mostly have hard floors or really low-pile carpets at home. If you want something corded, it's hard to go wrong with a basic canister model like the Eureka Mighty Mite, which features a relatively powerful motor, a compact body, and an easy-to-maintain design, all for a little under $100. If you'd prefer something cordless, you'll probably spend a little more. Still, you can often find the Wyze Cordless Vacuum for under $150, and it delivers a performance that isn't far off of alternatives costing twice or even thrice as much. In both these cases, however, you'll have to contend with less-than-stellar build quality.

Cleaning surfaces like thicker carpeting necessitates a more complex, expensive appliance, but you still won't have to spend a fortune. A bagged upright like the Kenmore Intuition Bagged, or even the Hoover Windtunnel Tempo Bagged, has powered heads for clearing away messes on carpets; both can be found on sale for well under $200. Past this point, you're essentially paying for additional niceties, which, in fairness, can make vacuuming a far more pleasant experience. The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog, for instance, features a powerful yet quiet 1200W motor, a high-grade plastic construction, onboard tool storage, and an allergen-sealed construction, but you'll end up paying well north of $600 for the privilege.

How long does a vacuum last?

As per the results of a Consumer Reports reliability survey, vacuums last for a median of eight years. That's not the end of the story, though. We'd hate to repeat ourselves, but how long a vacuum lasts is only partly down to inherent reliability: how you use it arguably plays a larger part. Consider the difference in long-term wear and tear for a vacuum used to clean a one-bedroom apartment versus one used to vacuum a three-story house with a few heavily shedding pets and kids.

Generally, you can do a few things to ensure you aren't putting additional wear and tear on your vacuum. Clean the vacuum filters according to manufacturer recommendations, ensure the hose or wand isn't clogged, and ensure there isn't a lump of stuck-on debris or tangled hair jamming the vacuum's motorized brushroll (if applicable).

That said, it's worth noting that we're a little more skeptical of long-term reliability for cordless models, mainly those with non-replaceable batteries. Like any cordless appliance, a battery's ability to hold a charge degrades over time, and you'll inevitably have to replace it if you plan on keeping your vacuum around for more than a couple of years. Making this component difficult to replace for most people simply makes it more likely to be tossed in a landfill when its performance degrades. If you're shopping for a cordless model, we recommend purchasing one with a replaceable battery pack.

Are bagless vacuums better than bagged ones?

Each type of vacuum comes with their own strengths and weaknesses. Bagless vacuums tend to incur lower ownership costs in the short term. Some models use filters that are supposed to last the life of the vacuum, and you obviously won't have to think about replacing those disposable dirtbags. However, that missing layer of filtration media (in the form of a dirtbag) does mean that the filters inside the vacuum get really dirty quickly. Emptying debris from a vacuum's dustbin can also release a cloud of dust and debris. Some companies have attempted to get around this with self-emptying docking stations, as seen on the Samsung Bespoke Jet. This concept resembles the self-empty stations bundled with robot vacuums like the Roborock Q Revo. The Samsung's dock sucks out debris from the vacuum's dustbin through an airtight seal and into a disposable dirtbag inside the stand-up station, meaning you don't have to worry about emptying its dustbin manually. Still, these accessories are bulky, noisy, and expensive. They can also offset the advantage in recurring costs that bagless vacuums have over bagged alternatives since these docks use disposable dirtbags that need to be disposed of once they're filled.

In comparison, bagged vacuums are almost always a better option for those who suffer from allergies, especially if you go for one with an allergen-sealed body that uses cloth (as opposed to thinner paper) dirtbags, like the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog. Tossing out a filled dirtbag is a much easier, more hygienic process than shaking out a vacuum's dustbin.

When is the best time to buy a vacuum?

There isn't necessarily a defined 'vacuum season,' in which new models are released simultaneously, and manufacturers synchronize major discounts. Vacuums are just one of those products that you can find on sale at any point in the year. You'll likely find a good deal on Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day. However, it's also worth looking at some manufacturer websites at the end of February or the beginning of March, as some companies will drop prices on a few of their models to sway folks looking to start their spring cleaning routine.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are the best vacuums for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.

If you would like to choose for yourself, here is the list of all our vacuum reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While there's no single best vacuum for every conceivable use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.

Comments

  1. Recommendation

Best Vacuums: Main Discussion

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  1. We’ve just released a new video that mentions the Shark Stratos Cordless here.

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    Hi farticus,

    Testing for dust is definitely something we could consider in the future and I’ve taken note of your idea. Thanks for taking the time to reach out with what you would like to see covered!

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    Could you test how good they are for dusting in the future? Lifting dust off desks, shelves, furniture, and other surfaces. Getting dust off your keyboard and your TV/home cinema. Thanks.

  4. Update: Ensured all main picks are still available. Added FAQ section to answer user questions.

    What do you think of these changes? Let us know

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