How to find the best vacuums in our review
We've compiled this list to make it easier for our members to find all the easy-to-use vacuums in one place, but you can easily filter and sort products in our reviews to match exactly what you're looking for in a new vacuum.
You can filter by brand, price, vacuum type, features, and how well the vacuums performed in specific tests. Then you can sort the results by brand name, CHOICE Expert Rating, price, and other factors.
Want an affordable vacuum that annihilates pet hair? Just select your price range to narrow down the products within your budget, then sort the results from best to worst pet hair removal scores.
Happy to spend more but want a bagless vac that's quiet? Filter by dust collector type then sort the results from lowest to highest noise levels.
Electrolux Pure C9 Animal Bagless Vacuum PC91ANIMAT
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 82% (Recommended)
- Ease of use score: 82%
- Price: $749
It's not exactly cheap but if ease of use is top of your list of priorities, this vacuum is a great option.
It's one of the top five scorers, with an impressive score of 82% for ease of use, due to the fact it has good controls, large wheels, can easily be operated with the user's foot, and has variable power (which is helpful when you're switching from carpet to hard floors and cleaning more delicate items like curtains).
This Electrolux is one of the top five scorers, with an impressive score of 82% for ease of use
It also comes with an excellent range of tools (a dusting tool for hard surfaces, an upholstery tool for textiles and a crevice tool for narrow spaces) that you can store on the vacuum itself, so you won't have to put up with the annoyance of having a bunch of accessories and nowhere to put them.
On the pet hair removal front, it scores a perfect 100%, and was also very good at picking up dirt from carpet during a complete clean. Our expert testers noted that the bin is easy to remove but messy to empty, and can sometimes be accidentally removed when you pick the unit up.
Read the full Electrolux Pure C9 PC91ANIMAT review.
Sebo Airbelt E3 SEVAE03
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 93% (Recommended)
- Ease of use score: 81%
- Price: $1595
While it's the most expensive vacuum in our test by a solid margin (around $500), this Sebo will certainly earn its keep in your home. It's the highest scoring vacuum overall and comes in just one percentage point behind the Electrolux in terms of ease of use.
It aced our lab tests, scoring a perfect 100% for a complete carpet clean – the only vacuum in our review to achieve this – and a perfect 100% for removing pet hair. In fact, it came in ahead of every other vacuum in our test on every single metric, except for the Electrolux's one-point advantage for ease of use.
It's very easy to position the fabric bag in the machine, and the dust bag is easy to remove and throw away once it's full
Our expert testers had only good things to say about how easy it is to use: it's very easy to position the fabric bag in the machine, and the dust bag is easy to remove and throw away once it's full, plus you can operate the on/off switch and variable power controls via the handle.
When asked to list the Sebo's bad points, they said "nothing in particular" – a solid endorsement of this vacuum's capabilities.
If you have $1600 to spend on a vacuum, make it this one.
Read the full Sebo Airbelt E3 review.
Dyson Big Ball Absolute
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 80% (Recommended)
- Ease of use score: 80%
- Price: $1049
Another pricey performer, big-name brand Dyson has delivered an easy-to-use barrel vac that performed well in our tests.
While our experts were impressed with how easy it is to use, it was a little less impressive when it came to actual cleaning.
Its test scores go to show that you can't judge an appliance by brand name and one performance aspect alone
While a number of the vacuums in this list were rated 90% and above for cleaning, the Dyson only managed scores in the 70s: 72% for a quick carpet clean and 78% for a thorough carpet clean.
Its CHOICE Expert Rating was only 80%, far below the Sebo mentioned above and the Hoover and Sauber below.
It's still a good buy and is recommended by our experts, but its test scores go to show that you can't judge an appliance by brand name and one performance aspect alone.
Read the full Dyson Big Ball Absolute review.
Hoover Regal Bagged Vacuum Cleaner with Deep Cleaning Powerhead 9001PH
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 92% (Recommended)
- Ease of use score: 80%
- Price: $999
This Hoover model is one of our top scorers when you take all our tests into account: cleaning performance, pet hair performance and ease of use.
It has an excellent score for overall cleaning performance and received ticks for ease of use due to its variable power settings, easy to operate on/off switches and the fact the head moves easily over carpet (with a powerhead controlled via a switch on the handle).
While it comes with a huge range of tools, there's nowhere on the vac to store them
We marked it down for ease of use because while it comes with a huge range of tools, there's nowhere on the vac to store them so it's going to take up some extra space in your cupboard.
But if you have the budget and this vacuum ticks all the boxes, it's a great buy.
Read the full Hoover Regal Bagged Vacuum Cleaner with Deep Cleaning Powerhead review.
Note: As we were preparing this article, the news came that Godfreys will be winding down retail operations in Australia and New Zealand.
Some vacuum brands and models are exclusive to Godfreys, including this Hoover Regal model and the Sauber mentioned below. It's unclear how the chain's closure will affect the availability of service and parts in future.
Sauber Pro Pets Bagged Vacuum SJ-100
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 91% (Recommended)
- Ease of use score: 80%
- Price: $499
A far more affordable option than the other easy-to-use options we've named here, this Sauber was a strong performer in all of our tests, receiving excellent scores for overall cleaning, removing pet hair, and of course, ease of use.
Our experts say its cleaning head moves very easily over the carpet, and its controls can be easily operated by the user's foot. It's easy to position the bag in the machine, and to throw the dust bag away when full (an advantage that bagged vacuums have over bagless types).
It ticks all the boxes of price, performance and ease of use
It comes with an excellent range of tools and plenty of storage on-board so the attachments will always be handy when you need them.
This machine came third overall in our test, so it ticks all the boxes of price, performance and ease of use.
As with the Hoover above, this model is exclusive to Godfrey's which may affect the availability of service and parts in future.
Read the full Sauber Pro Pets Bagged Vacuum SJ-100 review.
Other easy-to-use vacuums worth considering
These vacuums didn't rank quite as well for ease of use as the ones above, but they still scored more than 75% on this metric. They're all recommended by our experts and scored highly overall, so they're worth considering if you're looking for an easy-to-use vacuum.
Hoover Allergy Bagged 7000PH
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 78%
- Ease of use score: 79%
- Price: $699
Miele Boost CX1 Cat & Dog Powerline SNCF0
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Ease of use score: 79%
- Price: $649
Electrolux UltimateHome 700 Bagless Cleaner EFC71622GG
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
- Ease of use score: 77%
- Price: $499
Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Multifloor Extra
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Ease of use score: 76%
- Price: $749
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
