29 August 2025: I've added test videos, more Miele vacuums to consider, and further notes on how to choose the Miele model that's right for your home.
Miele's craftsmanship has secured the German brand with a worldwide reputation for high-quality, reliable vacuum cleaners that last. Like their home appliances, the best Miele vacuums cost a little more than the competitors – but if you prefer quality, durable products, I can confirm they're worth it.
That's because, as Homes & Gardens' home tech editor and resident vacuum pro, Miele's top vacuums stand tall compared to the 82 best vacuums we've thoroughly tested. Everything from flawless pet hair pickup to deep carpet cleaning can be achieved with the right model.
In this guide, I go through which Miele vacuum is best-suited to your home and how each of our top picks excels, after putting the best Miele vacuums through their paces in our test center, in a dedicated pet shelter, and in our own homes.
The best Miele vacuum cleaners in 2025
The best cordless Miele vacuum
The Miele Duoflex HX1 offered some of the best cordless cleaning from any of our vacuum tests, with a multi-surface brushroll that can dig dirt out of carpets and hard floors alike. I've tested the more expensive Miele Triflex HX2, and prefer the Duoflex because of its strong performance and accessible price.
The best bagless Miele canister vacuum
The Blizzard CX1 boasts high suction power and a user-friendly, self-contained design, with excellent performance across all surfaces. It also has a generous (and easy to empty) dustbin, four suction modes, and foot switches for hands-free cleaning.
The best bagged Miele canister vacuum
It's expensive, but the Miele C3 is one of the best out there. It performed virtually flawlessly no matter what we threw at it, and it comes with the highest suction power seen in any Miele canister vacuum. If you're cleaning up serious messes, the C3 is what you need.
One-minute summary
These are the three best Miele vacuums, for different reasons.
The Miele Duoflex HX1 [Amazon] is our pick for the best cordless vacuum. It's the perfect balance of performance and convenience, deep cleaning carpets and hard floors. It performs similarly to many Dyson vacuums (which tend to top our lists) while costing $100-300 less.
Ideal for: Lightweight cleaning, minimal storage space, pet owners, low-to-medium-pile carpets, hard floors, and cleaning tight spots such as stairs and cars.
The Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog [Amazon] is the best bagless canister vacuum. Its suction power was incredible on every surface we tested, and it had no issues vacuuming large amounts of pet hair from thick carpets. It's cheaper than the Complete C3 Cat & Dog, and as you don't need replacement vacuum bags, there are no recurring costs.
Ideal for: Pet owners, all floor types, convenience, large households, those with limited mobility.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog [Amazon] is the best bagged canister vacuum. Its performance was near-flawless in every test, but you're looking at investing $1,200+ for that privilege. The vacuum bags work as an additional filter, and with the right maintenance, this vacuum could last for longer than a decade, so it's best to treat it as the investment it is.
Ideal for: Durability, allergy sufferers, large households, pet owners, all floor types.
The best cordless Miele vacuum
Despite being the lower-range option in Miele's cordless lineup, the Miele Duoflex HX1 is one of the best cordless vacuums thanks to its almost flawless cleaning performance and more accessible price point.
The Duoflex uses a universal floorhead that allows it to work as a great multi-surface vacuum without having to swap out the attachments each time you pass from one floor to another. I found it worked amazingly in our flour and sugar tests, which can bamboozle some of our most expensive and best robot vacuums. It didn't matter what surface I was vacuuming with the Miele; it excelled either way.
It also means that you don't have to worry about vacuuming hardwood floors, as the brushroll is safe to use on the delicate surface. And surprisingly, the gentle brushes are still effective to deep clean carpets, as it easily vacuumed powders, large debris and pet hair from different-pile carpets in one or two passes, every time.
When I tested the Duoflex in a local pet shelter, it vacuumed up more hair than I could visibly see (as evident from the massive amounts in the dustbin), and more than the Miele Triflex HX2, which is the more expensive counterpart to the Duoflex.
Interestingly, the Miele Triflex HX2 is said to be the step-up from the Duoflex, and its cleaning performance is slightly improved compared to the Duoflex. But it costs hundreds more, and the Duoflex is lighter, more flexible to maneuver, and more effective when vacuuming pet hair. The Triflex did surpass the Duoflex when vacuuming dust, powders, and large crumbs, and it does have a more premium feel to it, but I recommend the Duoflex to save yourself some money.
The Duoflex did struggle a little to vacuum large pieces of debris on hard floors without flinging them around, but this can easily be avoided by removing the floorhead and using just the intake nozzle. The suction power is strong enough to clear messes in this way.
Read more in my full Miele Duoflex HX1 review.
The best Miele bagless canister vacuum
One of the major advantages of the Cat & Dog model of the Miele Blizzard CX1 is the extra TurboTeQ floorhead. All Blizzard CX1 models come with the standard AllTeQ (or EcoTeQ if you're in the UK), but the TurboTeQ is designed specifically for carpets and hair – and it works like a dream on both.
This vacuum cleaner has seriously high suction power. Even if it's not on the highest setting, when it's turned on, you can feel the pull of air surrounding the intake nozzle. And when vacuuming carpet, you can feel just how firmly it's suctioned to the floor.
The Blizzard CX1 is one of the best vacuums for carpet from our vacuum tests, pulling flour, sugar, dust, dirt, large debris, and hair out of different-pile carpets with complete ease.
The performance wasn't quite as seamless on hard floors, notably because the EcoTeQ floorhead isn't wide enough to deal with large amounts of mess. Instead of using it to vacuum large pieces or large volumes of flour and sugar, I found it worked better by removing the floorhead and relying on the strong suction power coming through the intake nozzle. This always did the trick.
If you're a pet owner, the Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog might be what you've been waiting for. I tested the canister vacuum in a local pet shelter, and it worked incredibly well vacuuming pet hair on every surface I used it on, whether low-pile carpet, thick rug, hard floors, upholstery, or entrance mats. On hard floors, I saw hair being pulled in from inches away from the floorhead.
It is a little expensive, however, and if you're not prepared to fork out the $999 for this model, there's a more affordable alternative in the Miele Blizzard CX1 PureSuction PowerLine for $629, but you don't get the TurboTeQ floorhead.
I've also tested the Miele Boost CX1, which wasn't quite as capable as the Blizzard CX1, but still a powerful vacuum nonetheless.
Read more in my full Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog review.
The best Miele bagged canister vacuum
Even years after its release, this is still the best of the best Miele vacuums. That also makes it incredibly expensive, and at more than $1,200, this is the priciest non-robot vacuum cleaner we've ever reviewed at H&G.
Any vacuum that uses dust bags has tight filtration, and the Miele Complete C3 is a great way to avoid ever having to be hands-on with the dust particles that you collect. The dust bag provides an extra layer of filtration on top of the vacuum's HEPA filter, as well as a specialized charcoal filter that neutralizes odors and traps more than 99.9% of lung-damaging and allergy-inducing particles.
This does, however, mean that you'll be investing in dust bags for as long as you use the vacuum (they typically last around half a year).
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog has the highest suction power of any Miele vacuum, utilizing 1200 watts of power on the highest setting. It has six suction modes that you activate using foot switches, compared to other Miele canister vacuums with four modes that you have to stoop down to select using a dial.
This vacuum is generally regarded as one of the best vacuums for pet hair thanks to its incredible suction power. 'It was quick and effective, and the lack of motorized brush roll meant that there was no gross job of de-tangling hair afterwards. All of the hair was sucked straight into the bag, and there was no hot hair smell, either,' head of eCommerce Alex David wrote in his review.
Like the Blizzard CX1, it struggles with large volumes of mess, but this is down to the size of the floorhead rather than the vacuum's performance. 'It performed perfectly on wood floors, gliding over the surface and picking up everything easily without pushing it around,' he added. On carpets, the TurboTeQ floorhead cleaned all messes exceptionally well.
Read more in our full Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog review.
More options
These three Miele vacuums are our top picks for the best cordless, best bagged canister, and best bagless canister vacuums, but we've also tested two more of their offerings that are worthy in their own right.
All prices correct at time of publication.
- The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is the most advanced cordless vacuum in the Miele range. Its suction is incredible – one of the best we've ever tested in that regard – and its floorhead cleans itself as it vacuums, while suctioning itself to the floor for total coverage. You can also change its configuration by moving the vacuum unit close to the floor or near the handle to adjust maneuverability (near the floor is better for under furniture, near the handle is better for above-ground vacuuming). It's a high-tech, premium machine with strong specs, but as it costs around $1,000, I'd personally recommend the Dyson Gen5detect or Dyson V15 Detect – both vacuums perform better, cost less, and are easier to use. The Miele Triflex is available for $899.25 at Amazon.
- The Miele Boost CX1 is a more basic model compared to the Miele Blizzard CX1 in this guide. This specific model doesn't include a rotating brushroll attachment, meaning it's almost useless on carpets, but for hard floors, this is a great pick with consistently strong suction that costs $100s less than the alternatives. The Miele Boost CX1 is available for $471.75 at Williams-Sonoma.
How to choose a Miele vacuum cleaner
The Miele Boost CX1 canister vacuum
We have a more general guide on how to choose a vacuum cleaner for your home's needs. But when it comes to Miele vacuums specifically, you need to consider the type of vacuum cleaner, the attachments included, and what exactly you're paying for.
Miele only produces canister vacuums, cordless vacuums, and robot vacuums. Their cordless and robot ranges are relatively recent, launching in 2020 and 2014 respectively, while they've been making canister vacuums since 1931.
This is why Miele's lineup of canister vacuums is among the best, and also among the most expensive in the consumer market. Miele is known to be a premium appliance brand, and that means their products come with hefty price tags, so it's important to know what you're paying for.
Their vacuums have super-tight filtration, making them some of the best HEPA vacuums for allergies available. They also have a wide range of attachments that you can buy individually across different Miele vacuums (these aren't cheap either), meaning you can pick and choose where to spend your money depending on the cleaning needs of your home.
If your home has pets and/or a lot of carpet, for example, you'll need the TurboTeQ floorhead. If your home is mostly hard floors, particularly delicate ones like wood or tile, the SwivelNeck parquet floorhead will be the best to invest in to protect the gentle surfaces.
When you browse all Miele vacuums, it can be confusing to understand the differences between the models. There actually aren't too many different vacuum cleaners available from Miele; the different versions represent a different set of attachments. For example:
- The Miele Boost CX1 is the standard edition, with the vacuum cleaner itself and only the essential attachments: floorhead, crevice tool, upholstery tool and dusting brush. These same attachments are included in every Boost Cx1 model but others have additional ones.
- The Miele Boost CX1 Parquet includes the Twister parquet brush for cleaning delicate hard floors.
- The Miele Boost CX1 Cat & Dog includes the TurboBrush for cleaning carpets and pet hair.
All Miele vacuums follow a similar format, with the standard model including one floorhead and the basic attachments, and all other versions including additional attachments for more specialized cleaning. Once you've found the vacuum you want, compare the attachment sets of each model to see which is best suited to your home.
Closeup of the Miele Triflex HX2 floorhead
Miele currently only have three cordless vacuums: the Duoflex HX1, the Triflex HX1 and the Triflex HX2.
The Triflex HX2 is essentially an upgrade from the Triflex HX1, with increased suction power, a power boost mode, and a digital motor that makes it quieter. But otherwise, they're designed the same way in a 3-in-1 configuration (that I cover in more detail in my Triflex HX2 Pro review).
That's also the main difference between the Triflex vacuums and the Duoflex HX1. The Duoflex is more like what you'd expect from a cordless vacuum, with detachable parts, a slim, lightweight design and two suction modes. Like with the canister vacuums, these cordless vacs are available in a range of models that include varying sets of attachments.
We haven't yet tested their robot vacuum cleaner, the Miele Scout RX3, but it's also available in three versions, with the most expensive offering a live image feed of your home.
How we test Miele vacuums
Miele Duoflex HX1 vacuuming flour and sugar in our test center
You can learn more about how we test vacuums on our full review methodology page. When it comes to testing Miele vacuums in particular, we try to test as many of the lineup as we can get our hands on (presently, that's most of them).
I test Miele vacuums in our test center using standardized amounts of flour, sugar, cereal, and lentils to observe and compare how well each vacuum can handle different-sized particles and common household messes. Flour and sugar also work as a fantastic visual test to see where particles get stuck within the vacuum's parts and to see what it leaves behind, as well as working as a proxy for dust and dead skin.
I also test the vacuums in my own home, using the attachments in real-world environments to vacuum my baseboards, stairs, and furniture.
Then, I test the vacuums in a local pet shelter, Bristol ARC, to assess their performance on large amounts of pet hair and the mess found in a busy establishment with lots of foot traffic.
Meet the team
I am the home tech editor for Homes & Gardens, focusing almost exclusively on the vast and wonderful world of vacuum cleaners. I have been reviewing products for years and have spent hundreds of hours testing 19 vacuum cleaners in our dedicated center, my home, and in a local pet shelter.
Alex has tested vacuums ever since he started reviewing products and has clocked up hundreds of hours testing more than 30 vacuum cleaners, including the Miele Complete C3 in this guide.
FAQs
What Miele vacuum is the most powerful?
If you're looking at canister vacuums, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is the most powerful Miele vacuum in their range. It uses 1200 watts to deliver massive suction power, so much that it managed to suction itself to a linoleum floor during testing on the highest setting.
The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro is the most powerful Miele vacuum in their cordless range, and I experienced this first-hand with some of the best cleaning performance I've ever seen in a vacuum. Despite this superior cleaning performance, our pick of the best cordless Miele in this guide is the Duoflex because of how similarly it cleans for a fraction of the cost.
What is the life expectancy of a Miele vacuum?
Miele appliances are widely praised for their durability. Their vacuums even have 'Tested to last' printed on the box. Online users frequently note how long they've owned their Miele vacuums for without running into problems.
Our very own head of Solved Punteha van Terheyden has owned two Miele vacuums in her life, one for eight years and one for four years, with no issues ever developing in either. She swapped her first for a cheap cordless vacuum and regretted it massively, coming back to a Miele canister vacuum within three months.
Better yet, Miele's best vacuums come with warranties lasting up to three years (depending on the model) on parts and labor.
For more premium floorcare, check out our tried-and-tested guide of the best Dyson vacuums.
