Vacuum cleaner reviews: Reliability
Every year we survey thousands of Which? members about their home appliances to find out which brands are the most reliable. This year, we've compiled the experiences of 5,700 members to bring you reliability ratings for the top vacuum cleaner brands.
A vacuum cleaner can qualify as a Best Buy if its brand scores at least three stars in our survey of thousands of owners - in which we ask how often their appliances have broken down - or it has a free 5-year warranty. But as cylinder vacuum cleaners are generally reliable, we also allow models to be Best Buys if they don’t yet have a reliability rating, unless we know this brand has a poor track record for similar appliances.
Upright vacuum cleaners tend to be less reliable than other appliances so the reliability rating is a key part of the decisions we make about which models deserve Best Buy status. An upright vacuum cleaner can qualify as a Best Buy only if the brand has scored at least three out of five stars for reliability or if the model has a free 5-year warranty.
Upright vacuum cleaner reliability
We've got reliability scores for eight famous vacuum cleaner brands including Hoover, Electrolux and Dyson, in our reliability table below. You'll see that reliability scores for upright vacuum cleaners are generally lower than for cylinder models.
There’s a big gap between the scores of the most and least reliable brand of upright vacs, too. The top brand received an impressive reliability score of 94%, while the least reliable scored just 73% - so you'd be wise to choose your brand of vacuum cleaner carefully to best avoid problems further down the line.
Over half of the respondents to our survey owned a Dyson, making it the most-owned brand in the table. We’ve tested models from Dyson and all the brands in the table below – to find out how well they perform see the Which? vacuum cleaner reviews.
Only logged in Which? members can view full scores in our vacuum cleaner reliability table below. If you're not already a member, you can sign up to try out full access for one month, for just £1.
Common upright vacuum cleaner problems
We asked which members about the faults and problems they'd encountered with their upright vacuum cleaner. The most common problems are:
- Drive system (also called the drive belt) 10%
- Suction 7%
- Blocked filters 7%.
The drive belt transfers power from the motor to the brushbar, and can break from natural wear and tear or unnecessary strain if the brushes can’t turn freely.
| Upright vacuum cleaner Which? reliability index | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Rating | Score |
| Dyson |  | |
| Electrolux | | |
| Hoover | | |
| Miele | | |
| Oreck | | |
| Panasonic | | |
| Sebo | | |
| Vax | | |
Table notes
Sample sizes: Dyson (1483), Electrolux (92), Hoover (154), Miele (128), Oreck (52), Panasonic (157), Sebo (232), Vax (215). The total sample size was 2513.
Cylinder vacuum cleaner reliability
We received more responses from upright vacuum cleaner owners than cylinder owners, but our survey results show that cylinder vacuum cleaners are the more reliable type of vac.
We've got reliability verdicts for a host of familiar vacuum cleaner brands, including Miele, Bosch and Dyson. We’ve tested models from all of these brands – to find out how well they perform see the Which? vacuum cleaner reviews.
Of those who responded to our survey, more than half have a Miele cylinder vacuum cleaner in their home. Dyson is the next most commonly owned brand. You can compare a range of cylinder vacs by visiting our compare prices and features page.
Overall reliability for this kind of cleaner was very good. Several brands returned excellent scores of more than 90% and only one received a poor score.
Only logged in Which? members can view full scores in our vacuum cleaner reliability table below. If you're not already a member, you can sign up to try out full access for one month, for just £1.
Common cylinder vacuum cleaner problems
We asked which members about the faults and problems they'd encountered with their cylinder vacuum cleaner. The most common problems are:
- Suction 4%
- Accessories 4%
- Broken filters 3%
| Cylinder vacuum cleaner Which? reliability index | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Rating | Score |
| Bosch | | |
| Dyson | | |
| Electrolux | | |
| Hoover | | |
| Miele | | |
| Numatic (including Henry/Hetty) | | |
| Vax | | |
Table notes
Sample sizes: Bosch (173), Dyson (339), Electrolux (80), Hoover (53), Miele (1242), Numatic (including Henry/Hetty) (239), Vax (89). The total sample size was 2215.