Dyson vs Miele: which vacuum cleaner is right for you?

One of the best vacuum cleaners makes keeping your floors free from dust and dander a breeze. The powerful suction, large dust canisters, and array of tools and attachments ensure you can zip through your home collecting dirt and debris as quickly as possible.  

Dyson and Miele are two of the biggest names dominating the vacuum market right now, and if you’re considering kitting your home out with a powerful vacuum that can collect dust and dander from your floors with ease, it makes sense to opt for one of these brands.

Miele is a stalwart of the floor cleaning market, having launched its first vacuum cleaner in 1927, while Dyson only started its vacuum cleaner journey in 1991. 

However, while Dyson may be young in comparison to Miele, it’s far better at embracing technology, offering some of the most advanced vacuums you can buy right now, while Miele is lagging behind when it comes to smarts. The vacuums don’t come cheap, so which one should you choose?  

Best Dyson and Miele deals

Read on to discover how these two vacuum brands compare – or, if you’ve already decided which of the two you wish to buy, check out the best prices right now:  

Range 

Dyson may have made its name in bagless upright and cylinder vacuums, and a handful of those are still available today. However, the brand has been focussing on cordless vacuums since 2018 and the majority of its floor cleaners are now wire-free.

There are currently six different ranges of cordless vacuum that are available worldwide – each of which has a selection of models within it, mostly varying by the attachments it ships with, and in some cases the size of the dust canister. 

The newest is the Dyson V15 Detect, which was launched earlier this year and is loaded with smarts such as a green laser to highlight microscopic dust, and a piezo sensor that counts and sort the dirt particles, displaying the information on a LCD screen so you can see exactly how much dust has been collected. However, it’s also Dyson’s most expensive cordless vacuum too. 

For those looking for a more affordable option, older models are also available – the cheapest of which is the Dyson V8. A further option is Dyson’s Omni-glide cleaner which can lie flat and reach awkward places.

Should you prefer to stick with a traditional, mains-powered vacuum cleaner, Dyson’s Ball Animal 2 offers great cleaning power and the reassurance that it won’t run out of juice part way through vacuuming a room. Although, Australia has a further four upright models to choose from, along with the Dyson Big Ball canister vacuum, which is also on sale in the US. 

While in the UK Dyson also sells a robot vacuum cleaner, the Dyson 360 Heurist, a more powerful successor to its 360 Eye model. 

Miele, meanwhile, only offers bagged and bagless canister vacuums, which are sometimes dubbed cylinder cleaners, along with a cordless vacuum range. However, only a handful of these are available worldwide. Unlike Dyson, you won’t find any corded upright vacuums available either.

In the US, there’s a choice of 16 different bagged canister vacuums, while Australia has six and the UK can choose from five. However, none of these models are available in more than one territory. That said, the Miele Blizzard CX1, which is the brand’s only bagless canister vacuum, is available worldwide, as is Miele’s only cordless vacuum cleaner, the Triflex HX1.

Both the Blizzard CX1 and the Triflex HX1 are available in several variants, which come with different tools and attachments based on the type of cleaning jobs you want to tackle. 

Miele has also produced a couple of robot cleaners to date, the Scout RX1 and RX2 These two puck-shaped robot cleaners use cameras to find their way around but are only available in the US. 

Price

Both Dyson and Miele are some of the priciest brands on the vacuum market.  As we’ve already mentioned, none of Miele’s bagged canister vacuums are available worldwide. However, you can expect to pay $299.99 / £169 / AU$419 for entry-level models, rising to $1,599 / £359  / AU$629 for its top-of-range designs.

If you’d prefer a bagless canister vacuum, the Miele Blizzard CX1 range is priced from $549 / £309 / AU$649, with the flagship model costing $799 / £419 / AU$799, while the cordless stick vacuum, the Triflex HX1 will set you back anywhere from $499 / £489 / AU$799 to $799 / £599 / AU$1,199 depending upon the variant you opt for. 

Finally, the robot vacuums are priced at $499 (around £375 / AU$700) and $599 (around £450 / AU$850). 

Dyson’s least expensive model that’s available worldwide, meanwhile, is the Dyson V8 and this will set you back $399.99 / £299.99 / AU$649.99, while its top-of-range cordless model, the Dyson V15 Detect, is priced at $699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,399, making it a similar price to Miele’s only cordless stick vacuum. 

For hard floors, the Dyson Omi-glide costs $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$599.99 while the corded upright vacuum, the Dyson Ball Animal 2 will set you back $499.99 / £299.99 / AU$599. Alternatively, Dyson’s robot vacuum costs £799 (around $1,050 / AU$1,500) 

Features

When it comes to whipping dirt and debris away from hard floors and carpets,  both vacuum brands are evenly matched. Simple to use, they offer powerful suction, dust canisters with a capacity that means you won’t have to empty them after cleaning just one room, and in the case of the cordless models, long-lasting batteries. 

Dyson’s vacuum cleaners also come loaded with cutting-edge features, such as the laser on the V15 Detect that highlights dust normally invisible to the naked eye with a green laser, and the Piezo sensor that counts and sorts the dust the vacuum collects, displaying the information on screen so you proof that your floors really are clean. 

Rather than focussing on high-tech functions, Miele instead puts ease of use at the forefront of everything it does. For example, handles have been designed to be ergonomic handles, on-board storage for the plethora of tools that ships with the floor cleaners, and even in the case of the Blizzard CX1, a self-cleaning filter – reducing the amount of time you spend maintaining your vacuum, as well as cleaning your floors. 

Similarly, the Triflex HX1 has a modular design that means it can be used as an upright cordless vacuum  – not only does this mean its freestanding and doesn’t require leaning against a wall when you want to pause vacuuming for a second, by redistributing the majority of the weight to the bottom of the appliance it’s also easier to push, making it great for those that want a lightweight vacuum without compromising on dust canister size. 

Verdict

Both Dyson and Miele’s vacuums do a good job at sucking the dust and dirt from carpets and hard floors in homes, and they certainly aren’t cheap. 

Those that want cutting-edge features and lightweight floor cleaners, would be best to opt for a model from Dyson’s offering, while those that either want a corded canister vacuum or want simple design features such as on-board storage, retractable cables, and modular designs to improve maneuverability, would be better suited to Miele’s offerings.