Compare vacuum brands in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Dyson, Bissell, Miele, Panasonic, LG, Electrolux, Anko, Bosch, Hoover and Living & Co were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Design, Ease of Use, Features & Functionality, Performance and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Dyson vacuums clean up in our latest award, winning Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers | Vacuums Award.
Our review compares vacuum cleaners on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared vacuum cleaner brands before you go ahead and make a purchase. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends which vacuum cleaner brand they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 1189 Kiwis who had bought a new vacuum cleaner over the past two years for their feedback on the heater they bought.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their vacuum cleaner brands from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Dyson is a brand well-known for innovative products that merge great design with outstanding performance. And it’s this focus on quality that has secured Dyson back-to-back award wins in our vacuum cleaner ratings.
For the second year in a row, Dyson is the only vacuum cleaner brand to earn a top 5-Star Overall Satisfaction rating from consumers. It’s a top score that it also earns for Design, Ease of Use and Features & Functionality, as well as 4 Stars for Performance. Given Dyson is one of the more expensive brands on the market, it’s perhaps understandable that it earns its lowest rating for Value for Money. However, 3 Stars is far from a measure of dissatisfaction. Rather it shows Dyson customers are happy with the levels of value offered by their vacuum choices.
Dyson’s range of vacuums breaks down into two types: with cords and without.
Dyson’s corded vacuum range comprises three Big Ball models: the Cinetic Big Ball Multi Floor Extra ($799), the Cinetic Big Ball Absolute ($849) and the Cinetic Big Ball Animal+ ($1049).
Dyson has a wide selection of cordless stick vacuums. There are 15 to choose from, ranging from the top-of-the-line Dyson Gen5detect (from $1649) and Dyson V15 Detect (from $1549 ) models, to its mid-range Dyson Cyclone V12 vacuums (from $999) down to V8 and V10 machines (from $549). Dyson’s stick vacuums also include a wet-and-dry model, the V15 Detect Submarine, and the Omni-glide hard floor vacuum cleaner, a small, light model.
Bissell is a big name in cleaning, and rates highly with Kiwi consumers. Sitting second on our awards table, Bissell is the only vacuum brand in our ratings to earn multiple 4- and 5-Star ratings. It earns top 5-Star ratings for Performance and Features & Functionality, and 4 Stars across all other categories.
Bissell has been a trusted name in cleaning products for over 140 years. It sells a wide range of stick vacuums, handheld vacuums, canister vacuums, upright vacuums and cordless vacuums. Prices start from around $199, for the Featherweight Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner, and move up through the Bissell Powerforce mid-priced range. For those with a bigger budget, the Bissell CrossWave Max Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner is a revolutionary multi-surface cleaner that washes and vacuums floors simultaneously. It retails for $769.
Third-place Miele is one of only three brands on our awards rating table to achieve multiple 5-Star ratings, for Performance and Features & Functionality. It earns its lowest rating, 3 Stars, for Value for Money, and 4 Stars across all other categories.
German company Miele has been making vacuum cleaners since 1927, and is renowned for its quality engineering. In NZ it sells five types of vacuums: bagged and bagless cylinder vacuum cleaners and cordless stick vacuums, mini upright cleaners and robot vacuums.
Bagged: the five-models include the Classic and Compact C1 vacuums ($479) and three C3 models: Family All-rounder ($699), Cat & Dog Ecoline ($879) and the Total Care Ecoline ($999).
Bagless: Miele sells four bagless models. The cheapest is the Boost CX1 ($499), which is also available in a Cat & Dog model, which features a HEPA AirClean filter and additional TurboBrush ($849). And there are two Boost CX1 models: the Parquet ($599) and the Cat & Dog ($649).
Cordless stick vacuums: each of the seven stick vacuums in the range features a 3-in-1 design, allowing you to easily use the vacuum on furniture, upholstery and curtains. There’s one Triflex HX1 model ($699) and six HX2 models, starting with the basic Triflex HX2 ($799) and rising to the top-of-the-line Triflex HX2 Pro ($1199).
Robot vacuums: there are three cleaners in Miele’s Scout RX3 series of robot vacuums, prices range from $999 to $1299.
It’s clear that consumers who have bought Panasonic vacuums are extremely happy with the performance of their purchases. Across all of our award categories, Panasonic scores top 4-Star ratings, including for Overall Satisfaction.
Panasonic sells five bagless canister model vacuums and four bagged models. Its bagless models range from 1600W up to 2200W. Each features Clean Air Exhaust technology, and all of them, except the least powerful model, have HEPA filters. Panasonic’s bagged vacuums include 1300W and 1400W models.
LG sits midway on our award table having earned a 4-Star score for Overall Satisfaction. It’s a rating it achieves across all award categories, except for Ease of Use, for which it achieves a great 5-Star rating, indicating that LG vacuums are very user friendly.
In New Zealand, LG sells three types of vacuums: cordless handstick units, all-in-one tower vacuums, and one bagless canister vacuum:
Canister vacuum: featuring a multi-step filter that captures up to 99.99% of dust particles, LG’s Kompressor corded canister vacuum features a compression system that fits more dirt into its dust bin, meaning less emptying.
Cordless handstick: there are six models to choose from, offering some great features, including powerful suction, variable brush attachments, dust compaction and easy emptying, wi-fi connectivity, mopping functions and up to 120mins runtime.
All-in-one tower vacuums: LG’s innovative tower systems enable you to store accessories, charge your vacuum cleaner and automatically empty the vacuum dust bin whenever you dock the device. There are three models to choose from, including the CordZero Auto Emptying Handstick + Power Mop Vac, which features a hot-water mopping function.
Electrolux is a brand that has a long tradition of making vacuum cleaners. And it also rates highly with Kiwi consumers. Across all categories measured it earns very respectable 4-Star ratings.
Electrolux’s NZ website features a huge range of vacuums comprises two robotic models, nine stick models, including one handheld device, and 19 canister machine, incorporating bagless and bagged models. However, it seems not all models are currently available in NZ. Popular models available at major retailers include:
Anko is a budget brand produced by Kmart. Because of Anko’s low price point, it’s no surprise that it is one of only two vacuum brands in our awards survey to earn a 5-Star rating for Value for Money. While Anko earns a 4-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction, it does earn three 3-Star ratings, for Design, Features & Functionality and Performance, which, once again, is understandably given the brand’s focus on affordability.
Anko offers a complete range of budget vacuums that covers all household needs, including:
Bosch is a newcomer to our vacuum awards table and scores its best rating for Design, and its lowest consumer rating for Value for Money. Across all other categories, including Overall Satisfaction, it achieves great 4-Star ratings.
Bosch has a small range of cordless and cylinder models:
Hoover is a brand that’s so synonymous with cleaning that its name has become a vacuuming verb. While Hoover achieves 4-Star ratings across most of our awards categories, including for Overall Satisfaction and Value for Money, it scores less highly, 3 Stars, for both Features & Functionality and Performance.
Hoover’s range of machine covers:
Bagged cylinder: There are four bagged models in the range. Two are budget models: the Hoover Performer and the Hoover Smart, and two are more expensive, the Allergy and the Regal
Bagless cylinder models: Hoover’s bagless range has eight models. They start at the budget Dog & Cat Bagless and extend to the premium Hoover Regal Bagless
Upright models: the two models are the Complete Upright and the Essential Upright
Cordless stick vacuums: there are four cleaners in Hoover’s ONEPWR series: the Emerge and Emerge Pet, and the Evolve Pet and the Evolve Pet Elite.
The Warehouse’s own brand Living & Co is known for its budget appliances. While the brand sits at the bottom of our awards table, Living & Co customers are still content with the products they have bought, awarding the vacuum brand almost a clean sweep of 3-Star ratings. Reflecting the brand’s focus on affordability, Living & Co scores its best rating for Value for Money: 4 Stars.
All of the vacuums in Living & Co’s range are aimed at the budget conscious.
It features two stick vacs, one cordless and one with a cord, three bagless cylinder models, a bagged cylinder, plus one 900W upright model.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
Although Black+Decker is best known for its range of tools, it also produces household cleaning products, including steam mops and vacuums.
It sells three stick vacuums, two upright machines, a bagless cylinder vacuum and a large range of 18 models of its iconic Dustbuster hand-held vacuum cleaners.
Samsung it renowned for its quality and innovative household electrical goods. Its vacuum range features seven stick models and one robot machine, the Bespoke Jet Bot AI+.
There are three stick models in Samsung’s Bespoke range, which feature integrated cleaning stations. The four models in the Jet range include three 150W models, each delivering up to 40mins of cleaning time, and one 200W stick vacuum, the Jet 90 Pet 200W Turbo Action Brush, which boasts an hour of super-strong suction.
Shark produces a range of stick, upright, handheld and cylinder vacuums.
The range comprises one cylinder bagless vacuum, eight cordless stick vacs, four upright corded vacuums and three handheld units.
Wertheim is an old Australian vacuum cleaner brand that is now owned and stocked by Godfreys. In NZ, there are just three models available, two stick vacuums and one bagged cylinder model.
There are many things to consider when choosing the right vacuum to match your home and budget. However, it’s essential to consider certain key factors when making your purchase.
Few people enjoy vacuuming, but to spend time pushing a vacuum cleaner around, only to find that your floor is still covered in dust, dirt and grit – well, it sucks … unlike your vacuum! That’s why ensuring you purchase a vacuum cleaner that’s up to the task really matters.
And it’s clear that most Kiwi consumers agree. In our awards research, Performance is cited by well over a third of respondents (38%) as the biggest influencing factor in their satisfaction with their choice of vacuum.
And while Value for Money is a concern for just under a fifth of consumers (17%), it still rates less highly than the Features & Functions (20%) offered by their choice of cleaning appliance.
Here is the full rundown of what the vacuum cleaner consumers in our survey said were the main things they considered when rating their purchases:
This report was written by Canstar’s Editor, Bruce Pitchers. Bruce has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in the UK and Australasia, including ACP, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. Prior to Canstar, he worked as a freelancer, including for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority, and for real estate companies on both sides of the Tasman.
We asked those in our survey a few more questions about their vacuum cleaner choices:
Use a bagless vacuum: 53%
Have a cordless vacuum: 37%
Prefer buying vacuum cleaners in a store for the specialist advice: 42%
Loyal to same brand of vacuum cleaner: 15%
Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter due to health concerns: 16%
Prefer buying vacuum cleaners online: 10%
Use a robot vacuum cleaner: 8%
Always buy the most expensive vacuum cleaner they can afford: 9%
Canstar Blue surveyed 2502 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who have purchased and used a vacuum in the last two years. In this case, 1189 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s vacuum cleaner ratings:
Appliances - March 28th
Why do I need to clean my water bottle/travel mug?
Cleaning your water bottle or travel mug regularly is essential for several reasons:
Hygiene: bacteria, mould, and other microorganisms can accumulate in your water bottle or …
– Read moreBarrel Vacuum Cleaners - March 26th
What is a top fridge-freezer?
A top fridge-freezer refers to a type of refrigerator-freezer unit where the freezer compartment is located at the top of the appliance, above the refrigerator compartment. In this design, the freezer …
Barrel Vacuum Cleaners - March 18th
Why do delicates need to be washed differently?
Delicate items, like silk blouses or lace lingerie, need special care when washing because they’re made of fragile fabrics or have intricate details. Regular washing machines and harsh …
Appliances - February 20th
Kitchen appliances
Air fryers
3.75L Air Fryer ($85)
If it’s your first time buying an air fryer, or you’re not willing to break the bank, consider Kmart’s affordable 3.75L air fryer. Prepare delicious, crispy fries, nuggets and more …
Appliances - February 18th
If you vacuum sucks at sucking, it could just need a deep clean. Keeping your vacuum cleaner in top shape ensures it provides optimal performance, lasts longer, and remains hygienic. This comprehensive guide caters to …
– Read more