1. The list in brief
2. Best vacuum cleaner overall
3. Best Dyson
4. Best robot vacuum
5. Best Dyson alternative
6. Best vacuum mop
7. Best for large homes
8. Best for small homes
9. Best mid-range Dyson
10. Best for smart homes
11. Best 3-in-1 vacuum
12. Best barrel vacuum
13. Best hard-floor specialist
14. FAQ
The best vacuum cleaners will not only keep your floors clean, but also make cleaning less of a chore. Ideally they should speed up the process, so you spend less time cleaning and more time doing other things you like.
However, different homes have different needs and, depending on your budget, finding the right vacuum for you could be a major chore in and of itself. For example, if you don't want to vacuum at all, you might want to considering getting a robot vacuum cleaner. If you need more versatility, one of the best cordless vacuum cleaners in Australia might be a better option. Don't want to worry about a battery running out mid-clean? Opt for a traditional barrel vacuum instead.
No matter what kind of vacuum might suit you, you'll want one that performs well and possibly offer some extra features that can help tailor your cleaning experience specifically to your household.
Here at TechRadar we’ve tried and tested several vacuum cleaners, from larger barrel vacuums to little robots that do it all, to curate a list of the best vacuums you can buy in Australia. Every entry on this list will help bust the dust and keep your floors free of dirt, fur and more.
From Dyson to Miele, Samsung to Shark, we’ve collected the best vacuums you can find right here in Australia.
Recent updates
February 2024: We've added a new vacuum cleaner to this list that we think is best for small homes and apartments, and changed our pick for the best wet-and-dry vacuum too. We've also double checked the availability of the others on this list.
Best vacuums: the quick list
Best overall
The Samsung Bespoke Jet can vacuum and mop, making it one of the most versatile vacuum cleaners out there. It comes with a stack of features worthy of its price tag, including two interchangeable batteries, the ability to self clean and a selection of accessories to pick up all the dust in your home and powerful suction that rivals even Dyson.
Best Dyson
Dyson is arguably the most popular vacuum cleaner brand in Australia, and rightly so. While not the latest model, the Dyson V15 Detect is a powerhouse of a vacuum with quality features that will help give your home a thorough clean. It’s a little top heavy, but it glides well on the floor and sucks up plenty from carpets too.
Best robot vacuum
Delegate the chores away with the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni. This little robot vacuum will map out your home, vacuum and even mop hard floors on its own, so you can kick back and relax while still keeping your floors clean. It’ll even empty out its dirty water all on its own, though all these features do come at a premium price.
Best Dyson alternative
More accessories might take up more space, but they do allow for a wider range of cleaning options. The Tineco Pure One S12 Platinum comes with a wide selection so you can get into every tight corner and pick up every dust bunny in your home.
Best wet-and-dry mop
What we really like about the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is that is mops remarkably well. The new velvet roller has its flaws, but despite that it's a great mop. And that comes at no compromise to the vacuuming prowess – Dyson is still doing well in that department. If you can spare the cash, this is a good all-rounder.
Best for large homes
Larger homes need bigger vacuums, and if you don’t want to compromise for a barrel vacuum, the Dyson Outsize is your best option. Packing a large bin into a stick vacuum adds a bit more weight, but the larger cleaning head helps to speed up the chore so you won’t have to vacuum for too long.
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Best for small homes
It's small, lightweight and does a remarkable job of sucking up dust latching onto the edges of your rooms. Shark has done well with this cordless vacuum, adding an auto-empty functionality that doesn't even need replaceable dust bags. It's not the most powerful vacuum, but it can be found often at a discount.
Best mid-range Dyson
Dyson’s range of vacuums often come at a premium price, but there are a few options that are a little more affordable, and they’re typically found in older models. The Dyson Cyclone V10 still features great design and powerful suction, but as it's getting on in age it’s been delegated to Dyson’s midrange line with a lower price point than what it was launched with.
Best for smart homes
The iRobot Roomba i7 is compatible with both Google Assistant and Alexa, so you can use your smart home hubs to help control this little robot vacuum. Plus, the i7 will easily avoid obstacles and make its way around your home with one of the best navigation abilities we’ve seen in a robot vacuum.
Best 3-in-1 vacuum
The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro can transform between three different vacuums so you can give your whole home a thorough clean. Between reach and compact mode, you’ll be able to get into hard-to-reach places, including spots up high and under deep couches, then comfortably go over your floors in its default comfort mode as a standard stick vacuum.
Best barrel vacuum
While cordless stick vacuums are much more common, the old barrel vacuum can still be a great option for homes that need more than an hour to clean. The Shark Bagless Barrel Vacuum is a great example of fine tuning an older design for modern homes, by offering a barrel vacuum that can still take tighter turns.
Best hard-floor specialist
No carpets? No worries – the Roborock Dyad Pro isn’t suitable for them anyway, but it will halve the time needed to keep your hard floors clean. Vacuum and mop at once, so you can have shiny, dust-free floors without having to pull out an extra gadget or the mop and bucket.
Best vacuum cleaner overall
The best vacuum cleaners in the business aren't just competing in terms of suction power, but also in design and feature set. While Dyson has been a market leader for a very long time, Samsung has stepped up to the challenge with its Bespoke Jet. Everything about the South Korean brand's latest vacuum cleaner is well thought out, doing a lot more than what any Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner can do.
Firstly, it self-cleans thanks to its Clean Station (also a free-standing charging dock) that sucks out the gunk from the dust canister at the push of a button. Secondly, it comes with four power modes, with the highest – called Jet – able to suck up a whole load of matted hair and fur off a piled carpet in a single pass. And then there's its ability to mop and... well, sweep (sort of) too.
Importantly, it comes with two batteries, each with up to 60 minutes of runtime, and a plethora of accessories to get at any kind of dirt you need to. And when not in use, it looks pretty darn neat just standing up in a corner somewhere. All the tools and accessories have their own little cradle, which admittedly requires extra floor space but also provides a charging dock for the second battery (so it also needs it own power socket).
All this for a price that competes with the Dyson V15 Detect (see below) that can't do as much means there's value for money here if you're willing to make the initial high investment and take into consideration the ongoing cost of purchasing the disposable dust bags for the Clean Station.
Read our full Samsung Bespoke Jet review
Best Dyson
Dyson's newest flagship floor cleaner is, beyond a doubt, one of the best vacuum cleaners we've tested. Not only is the improvement in suction power impressive, it's also adaptive. That means, when using the High Torque cleaning head, the V15 Detect can automatically increase suction when it detects a carpet or rug, and reverse back when it's back on a hard floor.
Then there's the headline feature of the laser light on the redesigned Slim Fluffy tool for hard floors. Sure, it's a little gimmicky and you can still get a good clean without really using it, but watching it illuminate dust, dirt and hair strands on a floor is... well, a little mesmerising. It's great to watch it all get sucked up, something you normally wouldn't be able to see with the naked eye.
And if you want more proof the vacuum cleaner is a good sucker, then the built-in piezo sensor 'listens' to the particles going through the handstick and gives you a graphical representation of what's getting pulled in.
Needless to say it truly is an engineering marvel and definitely worth the upgrade... if you can afford it. The V15 Detect is the most expensive Dyson yet.
Read our full Dyson V15 Detect review
Best robot vacuum
The main reason to get yourself a robot vacuum cleaner is so you can either put your feet up and get something else to do all the hard work for you, or so you get more time to do more important things – or perhaps both. And that's exactly what the X1 Omni will do, and do way better than most other robot vacuum cleaners... if you're willing to splurge a little.
There’s not much we can fault with this little droid: it vacuums, it mops – although mopping isn't as good as you may like but it's got no elbows to apply grease – then empties its own bin and cleans out its dirty mop water. It will also clean the mopping pads all by itself. Yes, you read that right – if there was a machine to do it all and make you lazy, then this is it. No wonder it costs an arm and a leg.
You are going to need some decent amount of floor space to stow it, though, as the docking station is large. That's understandable as it's got two tanks in there.
While its mapping and obstacle avoidance tech is quite impressive, it will plow over or thin cables and socks (or other smaller items), so you'd still need to make sure you pick up bits and bobs before the X1 Omni does its thing.
There's also a camera on board that can act as a security device for you. Since you can control the bot remotely via the companion app, you can send it on 'patrols' around your home and keep an eye on your pets if you need to.
If you really want to outsource your floor cleaning, this is the way to go.
Read our full Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni review
Best Dyson alternative
You'd be forgiven if you haven't heard of Tineco before, but select models of vacuum cleaners from the brand have made appearances on Amazon AU. You can also purchase them from Godfreys. And our pick of the bunch – albeit an expensive proposition – is the Pure One S12 Platinum.
Our colleagues in the UK tested the Tineco Pure One S12 Pro EX – which is absolutely the same thing just with a different name – and they had high praise for it. Like other, more expensive cordless handsticks out there, the S12 Platinum can dynamically increase suction if it senses more dirt on the floor. And it's pretty powerful too.
The staggering number of accessories that you get in the box with this model... well, it honestly adds to the value proposition here. You'll get an attachment that will likely clean every single surface in your home – there are 10 in total in the box.
It also comes with two batteries, giving you a total maximum runtime of up to 100 minutes, so it's great for larger family homes.
There's a display to keep an eye on things, plus a touch-sensitive slider to change suction power – a design element you won't find elsewhere. It's also quite light, making it easy to manoeuvre and use as a handheld unit.
The main downside to this is the extra storage space you're going to need to stow away the accessories. We could wish the bin capacity was a little more than just 0.6L, but this is average for most cordless vacuums in the market today.
Read our in-depth Tineco Pure One S12 Platinum review (albeit the UK model)
Best vacuum mop
It's admittedly hard to recommend a vacuum cleaner that costs you well over a grand, but that's quite standard with a lot of Dyson's latest vacuum cleaners. And, honestly, if you're getting an attachment that can also mop, it could well be worth every penny you spend.
The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is an excellent vacuum, as you'd expect from the British brand, but the new Submarine wet roller attachment is the headline act here. It's made from velvet and it's more than capable of cleaning up wet and dry spills – if it's wet, it mops your floor dry; if it's a dry spill, it can be wet enough to clean up dried-up stains.
What it isn't great at is keeping the dirty water inside the compartment when it starts filling up. It's not sealed so, when full, and you're moving the appliance, it can create its own spills. It's not a deal breaker but can be annoying, despite coming with a spill tray.
If you can spare the extra cash for the Dyson-exclusive Complete model, then you also get an upgraded Fluffy Optic that has an LED light that shines brighter and with a broader beam than the original laser-lit one that came with the older V15.
As both a vacuum and mop, the V15s Detect Submarine does well along room edges too, but be wary of the mop leaving dirty water stains on the walls if you're running it perpendicular to the edge. All in all, it's a good all-rounder for all kinds of floors, with up to 60 minutes battery life.
The only downside to this Dyson is its uneven weight distribution that makes it slightly harder to use as a handheld.
Read our full Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review
Best for large homes
If you’ve got a bigger home, a larger dust canister is a necessity if you want to ensure your floor cleaning session isn’t interrupted, and thankfully the Dyson V11 outsize offers just this. At 1.9 litres, it can hold 150% more debris than the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute (above), and the wider-than-usual cleaning head, means you’ll be able to vacuum your floors quicker than ever too.
On test, it offered powerful suction that whipped away discarded biscuit crumbs, ground-in dirt, and even cereal and cat biscuits, almost instantly. However, we found the larger size made the vacuum cumbersome to use in handheld mode.
Performance is top-notch but it’s also the most expensive vacuum we’ve tested, putting it out of reach of some.
Read our full Dyson V11 Outsize review
Best for small homes
It might have a small bin canister of just 0.4L on the handstick itself, but the Shark Cordless Detect Pro with Auto-empty System has another 2L bin that can store up to 30 days of dust, dirt and dander. Better yet, there's no ongoing costs here to buy replaceable dust bags as Shark has designed its charging dock to house a rectangular washable bin instead. And this dock barely takes up any space.
To make sure this larger bin doesn't cause a stink, you have the option to use a deodoriser – what Shark calls odour-neutralising technology. Purchasing this is optional, of course, but you will need make sure you clean out the dock regularly.
Speaking of the technology here: it doesn't have the most powerful suction, but there's dynamic suction here that effectively vacuums different floor types. Importantly, it has sensors on the motorised cleaning head that knows when a wall is near and automatically boosts suction to clean edges.
Like the Fluffy Optics from Dyson, this vacuum also has a light on its main attachment, but it only lights up dark spaces like under furniture, as opposed to showing up invisible dust on the floor as the Dyson does.
The machine is remarkably light and easy to manoeuvre, there's plenty of suction to clean out the small bin on the handstick and there's up to 60 minutes of runtime on a single charge that's more than enough for an average two-bedroom home, or maybe even a little larger.
While we haven't tested this vacuum yet, TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor did so for sister site Tom's Guide and is a big fan of the Shark Cordless Detect Pro.
Best mid-range Dyson
With the arrival of the newer Dyson models, the older V7 and V8 will slowly start fading away into obscurity. After all, they can't match what the newer models do. And that brings us to the Dyson Cyclone V10.
It's now the midrange model in Dyson's stick vacuum arsenal and is often discounted, so it's possible to suck it up for a lower price than its current RRP. So you'll be getting a lot more bang for your buck here.
It's the first Dyson cordless to offer a maximum of 60 minutes fade-free battery life – provided you're on the lowest suction mode and using a non-motorised attachment – and all those marvellous innovations that we're seeing carried forward to the V11 and V15 ranges.
The V10 introduced us to the 0.76L bin canister, that's far better than the 0.54L bin in the V8 models. It also proved to us that cordless vacuum cleaners are more than capable of competing with traditional corded ones, like the Miele listed above.
Even the motor Dyson used in the V7s and V8s underwent a massive upgrade, with the V10 digital motor capable of an impressive 125,000 rpm (or 2,000 revolutions per second) as compared to the 108,000 rpm on the older handsticks. That means far superior suction, even on the lowest setting – 30% more than the V8 to be precise.
It's also easy to handle while cleaning ceilings, and quickly converts into a smaller handheld option for cleaning cars or furniture upholstery.
Read our full Dyson Cyclone V10 review
Best for smart homes
iRobot is arguably the most popular robot vacuum brand in the world. Most people would have heard about a Roomba at some time, and they're getting smarter by the iteration. The i7 range has two models – both are identical in every way, with the sole exception of a self-emptying base available with the i7+ model.
The Roomba i7, even when bought on its own, is frightfully expensive, yet we can't leave it out of this round-up. It's got one of the smartest navigation systems on a robot vacuum and it cleans a lot quicker than most advanced models. It's perhaps the only robovac that uploads maps of individual rooms in a house to iRobot's servers. This smart map can take a few tries to complete but once done, you can tell the Roomba to clean any specific room via the app.
If you've got smart speakers with with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, then you'll be able to control the i7 with a simple voice command. And, if you can spare the coin for purchasing the Clean Base (which is essentially the i7+ model), then you won't even need to worry about emptying the i7's bin. Only when the Clean Base is full – perhaps once a month – you'll need to empty it. However, the Clean Base uses bags which become an additional ongoing cost.
Read our full iRobot Roomba i7+ review
Best 3-in-1 vacuum
Packing a punch, the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is the brand’s most powerful vacuum cleaner yet. It follows the Miele Triflex HX1’s 3-in-1 design, so it can be transformed between a handheld vacuum cleaner, a standard stick vacuum and one with an extra long arm to squeeze into tight spaces.
The overall build of the Miele HX2 Pro is a showcase in design quality, and its function follows suit with the ability to automatically detect when it’s moving from carpet to hard floors. However, the dust canister is quite small and its battery is extremely lacklustre, with our reviewer only being able to squeeze out 28 minutes max, though Miele does include a spare battery with it, so you can continue to clean for a total time of 56 minutes between charges.
It’s a pricier offering than most of Miele’s other vacuums, sneaking in just under the AU$1,200 mark here in Australia, but with its overall performance and design that’s both versatile and feels like it’ll last, it’s well worth it.
Read our full Miele Triflex HX2 review
Best barrel vacuum
This barrel vacuum has a worthy spot in this guide for so many reasons. Shark is a renowned brand of vacuum cleaner that rivals Dyson with its cordless range, whilst offering something different with the corded vacuums. Because it's a Shark it comes with an anti hair wrap brushroll – always useful to have on a vacuum cleaner.
Performance wise we found that pick-up and manoeuvrability was good on the floors, and equally as impressive reaching overhead and on upholstery. The 1.6 litre dust canister capacity is a large size that we feel will suit bigger homes or indeed, homes with pets, very well.
However the wand hose makes this a bulky vacuum cleaner to store. We also found that the wand can be cumbersome when cleaning overhead and unlike some other Shark vacuum cleaners, the brushroll can't be switched off.
Read our full Shark Bagless Bagless Vacuum CZ250 review
Best hard-floor specialist
While most of the vacuums on this list will tackle hard floors, there is a cheaper alternative that will do the mopping at the same time. The Roborock Dyad Pro isn’t suitable for carpets, but if your home is mostly hard floors it’ll do the job for less than the majority of other entries on this list.
What makes it a hard floor-only option is that you can’t separate the two functions – mopping and vacuuming happen at the same time, plus anything the vacuum picks up ends up in the same canister as the dirty water. You’ll need to empty and wash out the dirty water tank after every clean, but you’re already halving your chores, so it’s a small time sink considering.
Our reviewer was able to squeeze out around 43 minutes of runtime which, given that you’re doing two chores in one, is a pretty decent battery life. It will cover a range of up to 3,230sqm, so the Roborock Dyad Pro will easily tackle a large home in one go.
Its floor-drying mode was a bit disappointing for our reviewer, but beyond that they were impressed with the overall job it did on their floors as well as its ease of use. Plus, the Dyad Pro is simple to clean out and can use specific detergents to make sure your hard floors get a really good clean.
Read our full Roborock Dyad Pro review
Best vacuum cleaner FAQs
What to consider when buying a vacuum cleaner
As we’ve mentioned already, knowing which type of vacuum to choose can end up leaving you confused. However, considering the type of property you have will help you decide.
These days, cordless vacuums are some of the most powerful vacuums when it comes to suction and they ensure you’re not restricted by the length of the wire. However they can also be some of the most expensive too. Check how long the battery will last between charges, and whether the battery is swappable, so you can simply replace it and carry on vacuuming, rather than the floor cleaner being out of action completely while it recharges.
Corded vacuums are often more affordable than cordless models, and many have wider floor headers, which can ensure vacuuming is a much quicker task. Although if you have nooks and crannies the vacuum may not be able to reach them. For those with stairs, consider models with extra-long hoses so you can clean the stairs without moving the vacuum.
Robot vacuums are good for regular cleans, however with suction that can’t match the best cordless vacuums they’re not suitable for a deep clean, and struggle to suck up dust embedded in carpets.
Households with pets will need a vacuum that can handle pet hair and if you want to use it to clean more than just floors, you’ll need one that converts to a handheld cleaner and comes with plenty of useful attachments.
And if you have hard floors, look for a vacuum cleaner that comes with a dedicated cleaner head, which has a softer brush roll to ensure the flooring isn’t damaged when vacuuming.
Whichever style you select, consider whether the dust canister is large enough to clean all of the floors in your home, without needing to stop and be emptied half way through.
How often should you vacuum?
“When the floor looks dirty” we hear you cry, but to keep your home allergen-free and your floors as clean as possible, you’ll need to vacuum more regularly than this.
We recommend vacuuming most floors once a week while increasing this to twice a week in high-traffic areas such as hallways and doorways. Especially, if you have carpet, as the longer dust is left, the more it becomes embedded in the fibres making it hard to thoroughly clean.
While this may seem like a lot, vacuuming this regularly will ensure there is less dust to suck up each time, making cleaning your floors a quicker process.
For more on this, head to our full feature on how often should you vacuum?
How we test
How we test vacuum cleaners
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
To find the best vacuum cleaner, we’ve assessed how well each model collects everything from fine dust and dirt to larger debris such as cookie crumbs and cereal. As well as evaluating how well floors are cleaned, we’ve also compared how easy the vacuum cleaners are to manoeuvre on carpet and hard floors, as well as whether dust pickup is evenly distributed across the cleaning head or concentrated in one area.
We rated each design on how durable it is, as well as simplicity of emptying, how loud it is during use and how long the battery lasts (if it has one). For each model we wanted to know whether it was easy to convert into other modes – such as a handheld vac – the useful tools and accessories it came with to clean edges or remove pet hair, and that it didn’t require reading a thick instruction manual before use.
