Best Vacuum Brands

Our brand scores are determined by a statistical model that incorporates the vacuums’ Overall Scores from our ratings. We factor in how well a brand’s vacuums perform in our lab tests and how reliable and satisfying they are to the CR members we surveyed. We also consider price. If a manufacturer produces vacuums that perform well at a lower price, it will get a boost in its brand score compared with a company that makes similarly performing models at a higher price.

We currently have brand scores for stick and upright vacuums. For both of those categories, we included only brands with at least three models in our current ratings. We do not have brand scores for canister, robotic, and handheld vacuums because there are not enough models in those categories to provide an accurate analysis.

For stick vacuums, brands that make more lightweight vacuums receive a higher score in our evaluation because portability is important for stick vac users. For uprights, we prioritize vacuums that come with features we find to be important in uprights, such as a full-bag or bin indicator, a HEPA filter, suction control, a retractable cord, and an on/off switch that’s easy to reach. We exclude from our analysis any brand that receives a subpar or abysmal reliability rating from our surveys. That’s because we generally don’t recommend any vacuums that have reliability scores that are lower than midrange.