The current vacuum cleaner landscape has yielded many models that can clear debris on linoleum floors and dense shag carpeting, not to mention almost everything in between. That said, cleaning performance isn’t the only factor to consider when choosing a good multi-surface vacuum. Adjustable power and height settings can help a vacuum cope with various surface types, while a reconfigurable design can make cleaning large areas and tight spaces, like the inside of a car, more manageable.
We've tested over 105 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best multi-surface vacuums. These picks are selected based not only on their performance across a variety of surfaces but also on their design and price. For more buying recommendations, look at our list of the best vacuums for apartments, the best vacuums with good suction, the best vacuums for high-pile carpet, and the best vacuums for stairs.
Quick Look
We've independently bought and tested over 105 vacuums with no cherry-picked manufacturer samples. We run each vacuum through a gauntlet of tests whose results are validated by multiple teams to ensure you get an accurate picture of how each model will perform and can easily compare them. We keep the products in our lab so we can periodically go back and see how they stack up to the newest competition.
Want to learn more about our testing and review pipeline? Check out our How We Test Vacuums article for insight into our lab and writing processes.
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Best Multi-Surface Vacuum
Bare Floor8.1Low-Pile Carpet7.7High-Pile Carpet7.4BaglessNoVacuum TypeCanisterCordlessNoPets7.9See all our test resultsTotal Weight17.02 lbs (7.72 kg)The best vacuum for hardwood and carpet we've tested is the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium. Available from the manufacturer's website or specialized vacuum retailers, this high-end canister vacuum has a powerful 1250W motor, allowing it to easily clear debris on bare floors as well as low- and high-pile carpets with a basic straight-suction floorhead. Opting for the pricier Premium variant gets you SEBO's ET-1 powerhead, one of the most effective carpet-cleaning attachments on the market. It boasts four levels of height adjustment, an automatic brushroll cutoff switch, and an indicator light to notify you when the bristles are worn out or not making contact with the ground. The rocker switch on the vacuum handle provides precise control over suction power, allowing you to adapt to different surface types on the fly.
While its four caster-mounted wheels make it somewhat maneuverable for a vacuum of this weight and size, consider a variant of the Miele Complete C3 if you need something smaller, lighter, and easier to use in cluttered environments. However, the Miele has a shorter range and incurs higher ownership costs due to its smaller dirtbags and shorter-lasting filters.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Multi-Surface Vacuum
Bare Floor7.6Low-Pile Carpet6.6High-Pile Carpet6.0BaglessNoVacuum TypeCanisterCordlessNoPets6.8See all our test resultsTotal Weight13.01 lbs (5.90 kg)If you're looking for a more inexpensive multi-surface vacuum, the Miele Classic C1 Cat & Dog PowerLine is another one of the best vacuums for hardwood and carpet we've tested. Packed with tons of features, the Cat & Dog PowerLine is the top-tier variant of the C1 product lineup. It comes with a height-adjustable powerhead suitable for a wide variety of carpet types, as well as a lightweight straight suction parquet tool that's easy to maneuver on hard floors. Its 1200W suction motor yields fantastic debris-pickup performance on a wide range of surface types. There's a mini turbo brush attachment to deal with pet hair or other messes on fabric-lined furniture, not to mention a crevice tool, dusting brush, and upholstery nozzle. This variant of the C1 comes with a post-motor filter containing active charcoal to trap unpleasant odors as you clean.
This vacuum has a couple of downsides compared with our premium picks. For example, it doesn't feel quite as robust build-wise as the pricier SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium. It also doesn't have handle-mounted power adjustment controls, and you'll need to bend over to twist its suction control dial. Its overall range is roughly half that of the SEBO, so you'll need to swap outlets when cleaning faraway areas. Finally, it uses smaller dirtbags and less durable filters, so you'll be replacing worn components more often, driving up the cost of ownership. You can get this vacuum directly from Miele's website if you can't find it elsewhere.
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Best Mid-Range Multi-Surface Vacuum
Bare Floor7.3Low-Pile Carpet7.1High-Pile Carpet7.5BaglessNoVacuum TypeUprightCordlessNoPets7.1See all our test resultsTotal Weight14.95 lbs (6.78 kg)The Kenmore Intuition Bagged is the best mid-range multi-surface vacuum we've tested. This model offers a pretty wide set of features at a relatively affordable price. It isn't quite as well-built as the pricier Miele Classic C1, and its upright form factor is a little less maneuverable in tight spaces. It also has a large 0.92-gallon dirtbag, so you don't need to replace it often. In addition to its HEPA-rated bag, it has a HEPA exhaust filter, resulting in great air filtration performance. You can also release its dirtbag from the compartment with the press of a single latch, so you don't need to dirty your hands or worry about generating a plume of dust when taking it out.
Its 'Lift-Up' design allows you to carry the canister body separately from the floorhead, making it easier to clean hard-to-reach areas. However, unlike the Miele's optional powerhead, the Kenmore's floorhead lacks a surface height adjustment feature, so you might have trouble going over thicker rugs. Recurring costs aren't too bad, as you only need to replace the dirtbag. As for the pre-motor and HEPA filters, they're washable and reusable, though you can get new ones if you notice a drop in performance. The power cord is 30 feet long, so you won't have to swap outlets when cleaning larger areas very often.
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Best Budget Multi-Surface Vacuum
Bare Floor7.3Low-Pile Carpet7.1High-Pile Carpet7.1BaglessNoVacuum TypeCanisterCordlessNoPets6.4See all our test resultsTotal Weight9.04 lbs (4.10 kg)If you want to save money on a multi-surface vacuum, consider the Eureka Mighty Mite. This compact bagged canister vacuum isn't much to look at, with a practical design that looks more like a compact shop vac than something designed for home use. However, don't be fooled by its cheap, industrial looks, as it offers plenty of power for the price. It has a relatively potent 12-amp suction motor that yields strong overall debris-pickup performance on bare floors. While it doesn't come bundled with a powerhead or an air-driven turbo head for cleaning carpeted floors, you can retract the bristles on its straight-suction head to improve performance on low- or medium-pile carpeting.
Unfortunately, its range is considerably shorter than that of more expensive canister vacuums, like the Miele Classic C1. It also feels cheaply built and rough in places, though it's still far from the flimsiest-feeling vacuum we've tested. Newer versions of the Mighty Mite also lack the requisite mounting clips to attach aftermarket HEPA filters, which is a nuisance if you're especially sensitive to allergens and want a cheap way of upgrading the vacuum's filtration performance.
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Best Cordless Multi-Surface Vacuum
Bare Floor7.8Low-Pile Carpet7.8High-Pile Carpet8.0BaglessYesVacuum TypeStick/HandheldCordlessYesPets7.9See all our test resultsTotal Weight6.46 lbs (2.93 kg)If you want to free yourself from the tyranny of having to stay within walking distance of a power outlet and want a cordless vacuum that can handle cleanups on more than just bare flooring, give the Dyson V15 Detect a look. It's far from the newest kid on the block; in fact, it's been superseded by the Dyson Gen5detect and Dyson V16 Piston as the brand's cordless flagship stick/handheld unit. However, it still offers broadly similar performance to those models, and for significantly less money, though this is still a fairly pricey appliance overall. When fitted with its multi-surface roller, it can handle a wide variety of debris types on low-pile carpeting. Just note that this attachment, like the vast majority of similar tools on other cordless stick vacuums, lacks any surface height adjustment, and can get caught on shag-pile rugs and carpets.
Battery life is relatively good. Sure, you can drain the battery in little under 10 minutes if you run it continuously in its max-power Boost mode, but it'll run for a lot longer if you simply leave it in its 'Auto' setting, which modulates suction power depending on the surface the vacuum is currently on. In terms of downsides, the V15's main weakness is its all-plastic build: it looks and feels cheap, especially for a vacuum in this price range.
Notable Mentions
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SEBO FELIX:
The SEBO FELIX is a premium corded upright vacuum with a bagged design. It does quite well on bare floors when fitted with its parquet tool, and comes with the same ET-1 powerhead as the SEBO Airbelt D4 Premium, but its upright form factor might not be to everyone's liking.
See our review -
Miele Boost CX1:
The Miele Boost CX1 is a bagless canister vacuum. It offers decent overall performance, but the Miele Classic C1's bagged design makes it considerably easier to maintain.
See our review -
Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra:
The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is a bagless upright vacuum. It offers impressive pickup on carpets, but is clunky to use on bare flooring compared to a canister vacuum with a dedicated parquet tool like the SEBO Airbelt D4.
See our review -
Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog:
The Miele Triflex HX2 Pro/Cat & Dog is a newer and improved version of the Miele Triflex HX1. Compared to the similarly priced Dyson V15 Detect, it feels better built and offers a unique three-in-one design, but its dustbin is still considerably smaller than that of the Dyson.
See our review -
Dyson Gen5outsize:
The Dyson Gen5Outsize is an enlarged version of the Dyson Gen5detect, itself a direct successor to the Dyson V15 Detect. It has a considerably larger dustbin and a wider floorhead than the latter, and performs reasonably well on a variety of surfaces, but its bulky size makes it a hassle to maneuver in tight spaces.
See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 18, 2025:
We removed the Shark Stratos Cordless from the article due to current availability, added the Dyson V15 Detect as the new 'Best Cordless Multi-Surface Vacuum' pick, and recategorized the Kenmore Intuition Bagged as the 'Best Mid-Range Multi-Surface Vacuum' pick. Also removed the Miele Triflex HX1, LG CordZero A9 Ultimate, Shark Stratos Upright AZ3002, and Shark Performance Plus Lift-Away UV900 from the Notable Mentions due to current availability. Added the Miele Boost CX1, Dyson Ball Animal 3, and SEBO FELIX to the Notable Mentions.
Apr 29, 2025:
We've updated the table tool to better represent the best multi-surface vacuum options, checked that our picks are still available, and made small updates to the text for clarity.
Jan 27, 2025:
Small text changes for conciseness and clarity. No change in recommendations.
Oct 08, 2024: Verified that all picks are valid and available. No change in recommendations.
Jun 21, 2024: Replaced the Wyze Cordless Vacuum with the Kenmore Intuition Bagged because the Kenmore has better debris pickup performance on bare floors and carpets.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best vacuums for multiple surfaces. We don't just base our results on overall performance but also factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of our vacuum reviews, with considerations made for high performance across different surface types. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While there's no single best vacuum for multiple surfaces, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.