The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a mid-tier variant of the Miele Complete C3, itself a high-end bagged canister vacuum. This C3 variant comes bundled with Miele's SEB 228 powered floorhead and SBB 300-3 Parquet Twister floorhead, as well as an Active AirClean filter, which features a layer of activated charcoal to reduce pet odors during vacuuming. Beyond that, it's business as usual as far as the Complete C3 goes, with a 1200W suction motor, an integrated tool compartment, and Miele's self-sealing dirtbag design.
Our Verdict
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is an excellent option for a house. It's a corded canister vacuum, so you can clean large areas of a house without worrying about runtime. It's amazingly well-built and offers remarkable pet hair pickup on carpets using its powerhead and on furniture using its upholstery tool. The filter does a very good job of containing dust, even though it's not HEPA-rated, and the self-sealing dirtbags ensure that disposing of the dirtbag hardly releases any dust. In terms of pickup performance, it depends on what type of debris you need to remove. It works well on fine material, utilizing its straight-suction Parquet Twister floorhead on bare floors and its powerhead at its lowest setting on carpet. However, it struggles to clear medium and large debris on both surfaces. Raising the powerhead on carpet makes the floorhead clear medium and large material; however, this places the brushroll too far away from deeply embedded fine material to lift it effectively.
Amazing build quality.
Exceptional pet hair pick-up performance on carpet.
Height-adjustable SEB 228 powerhead.
Self-sealing dirtbag seals away nearly all dust during disposal.
Standard SBB Parquet-3 floorhead pushes around larger debris on hard floors.
Difficult to position the powerhead at the right height to clean both fine, deeply embedded debris and larger debris.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a great choice for a small apartment. The straight-suction Parquet Twister floorhead works well for fine material on bare floors, though it pushes around medium and large debris. It's adequate for carpet, but you'll have to adjust the powerhead's height over several passes to clean both medium and large debris, as well as deeply embedded fine debris. That said, pet hair pickup is fantastic, especially when using its powerhead or upholstery tool, which picks up nearly every strand, including deeply embedded hairs. You won't create poor air quality in your small space either, since the filter does a very good job of containing dust, even though it's not HEPA-rated. The self-sealing dirtbag means virtually no dust escapes when you dispose of it. It's easy to store away when you're done, as it fits into a fairly compact space, with tool storage built into the body.
Exceptional pet hair pick-up performance on carpet.
Height-adjustable SEB 228 powerhead.
Self-sealing dirtbag seals away nearly all dust during disposal.
Standard SBB Parquet-3 floorhead pushes around larger debris on hard floors.
Difficult to position the powerhead at the right height to clean both fine, deeply embedded debris and larger debris.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is mediocre for cleaning stairs. It's just too heavy to lug up and down stairs, and you may have an issue getting the plug to the nearest outlet. Its big powerhead will be difficult to maneuver on stairs, and its effectiveness on carpet strongly depends on its height setting: too low, and it plows medium and large debris around, too high, and there's insufficient agitation for deeply embedded fine material. On bare stair treads, the straight suction Parquet Twister floorhead works well for fine materials, but pushes around medium and large debris since its non-adjustable front opening is positioned too low. On the positive side, pet hair pickup is outstanding with the powerhead or upholstery brush. Poor air quality shouldn't be an issue either, since the filter contains most of the dust even though it's not HEPA-rated.
Exceptional pet hair pick-up performance on carpet.
SEB 228 powerhead is cumbersome in tighter spaces.
Short cable length.
Standard SBB Parquet-3 floorhead pushes around larger debris on hard floors.
Difficult to position the powerhead at the right height to clean both fine, deeply embedded debris and larger debris.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a suitable option for vacuuming the interior of your car. Although its range is good, you may need an extension cord. Since this well-built vacuum is somewhat heavy, it'll be easier to set it outside your car while you vacuum inside. You'll find it very effective on automotive carpets, using its crevice tool, upholstery tool, or dusting brush, all of which can be stored onboard for convenience. While it doesn't come with a turbo tool, its power is more than enough to lift deeply embedded debris, especially pet hair. Any cleaning or maintenance you need to do after the job is quite easy, and when you're finished, you can store this vacuum in a fairly small space.
Onboard tool storage.
Amazing build quality.
Exceptional pet hair pick-up performance on carpet.
Easy-to-maintain design.
Short cable length.
Heavy.
No turbo brush.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is acceptable for cleaning bare floors. The included Parquet Twister floorhead is great for fine material, but tends to push around large debris, so you'll have to lift it up to deal with this kind of mess. Fortunately, this vacuum's powerful suction can pull fine debris out of floor cracks through brute force.
Powerful motor allows for good fine-debris pickup.
Easily pulls fine debris out of deep cracks.
Standard SBB Parquet-3 floorhead pushes around larger debris on hard floors.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog delivers adequate carpet pick-up performance. The height-adjustable powerhead requires a balance between setting it too low to clear medium and large debris and too high for the agitation and suction to effectively lift deeply embedded fine debris. As a result, carpet pickup performance can be a compromise between these two situations. You may need to conduct multiple passes with the floorhead at different heights to collect everything.
Height-adjustable SEB 228 powerhead.
Difficult to position the powerhead at the right height to clean both fine, deeply embedded debris and larger debris.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is fantastic at removing pet hair. On carpet, the powerhead delivers enough agitation to lift even deeply embedded pet hair. Cleaning pet hair from furniture using the upholstery tool yields similarly outstanding results, where the powerful suction clears away nearly every strand, often with just one pass.
Exceptional pet hair pick-up performance on carpet.
Outstanding pet hair pick-up performance on furniture using the upholstery tool.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog doesn't have a negative impact on air quality. Although it lacks a HEPA filter, its activated carbon filter is still fairly effective at containing dust. Emissions are minimal, but there will be some dust in the air and some settling out over your room. For emptying the vacuum, Miele employs a self-sealing dirtbag design, which effectively seals in dust as soon as the canister is opened, ensuring that the dust in the bag is never exposed to the air. You can dispose of the bag without releasing much dust at all.
Self-sealing dirtbag seals away nearly all dust during disposal.
Filter not HEPA-rated.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Feb 03, 2026:
We corrected the User Maintenance section to indicate that the brushroll isn't removable. We retested the high-pile carpet pickup by lowering the floorhead, revising the score and description. We also compared the C3's powerhead performance on high-pile carpet with that of its successor, the Miele Guard S1 Electro.
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Updated Jan 16, 2026:
We added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.4, as well as the new verdicts.
- Updated Jan 16, 2026: We've updated this review to the latest test bench, adding Runtime, Mobility, Air Quality, and Mopping Capabilities sections, as well as a Swappable Battery test. See the Vacuum Test Bench 1.4 changelog.
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Updated May 26, 2025:
We mentioned that the Miele Boost CX1 has a lower operating cost than the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog due to its bagless design.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Cat & Dog variant of the Miele Complete C3 is just one of many model derivatives. The differences between them are listed below.
| Model Name | Vacuum Head | Parts Included | Bundled Filter | Canister Color | Notes/Additional Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete C3 125 Gala Edition - SGDE3 | AllTeQ Combination floorhead SBD365-3, Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3 | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | AirClean | Graphite Grey | Special edition model meant to commemorate Miele's 125th anniversary |
| Complete C3 Calima PowerLine - SGFE0 | Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3, Turbo Brush Floorhead STB 305-3 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | HEPA AirClean | Curry Yellow | |
| Complete C3 Cat & Dog PowerLine - SGEE0 |
Small Parquet Floorhead SBB Parquet-3, Electro Plus Floorhead SEB 228 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush |
Active AirClean | Lotus White, Tayberry Red | |
| Complete C3 Marin PowerLine - SGJE0 | Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3, Electro Premium Floorhead SEB 236 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | HEPA AirClean | Marine Blue | |
| Complete C3 SoftCarpet/Limited Edition PowerLine - SGFE0 | Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3, Electro Plus Floorhead SEB 228 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | AirClean | Tayberry Red | Comes with a filter change indicator. |
| Complete C3 Kona PowerLine - SGFE0 | Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3, Electro Plus Floorhead SEB 228 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | HEPA AirClean | Obsidian Black | Comes with a filter change indicator. |
| Complete C3 HomeCare PowerLine - SGFE0 | AllTeQ Combination Floorhead SBD 285-3, Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3 |
Extended flexible crevice tool, adjustable universal brush, upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush |
HEPA AirClean | Mango Red | |
| Complete C3 HomeCare+ PowerLine - SGPE0 | AllTeQ Combination Floorhead SBD 285-3, Parquet Twister Floorhead SBB 300-3, Electro Premium Floorhead SEB 236 |
Extended flexible crevice tool, adjustable universal brush, upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush |
HEPA AirClean | Mango Red | Electro Premium Floorhead has headlights and is designed for deep cleaning carpets. Also has a filter change indicator. |
| Complete C3 Brilliant PowerLine - SGPE0 | AllTeQ Combination Floorhead SBD 285-3, Parquet Twister XL Floorhead SBB 400-3, Electro Premium Floorhead SEB 236 |
Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting brush | HEPA AirClean | Bronze/Pearl Finish | Electro Premium Floorhead has headlights and is designed for deep cleaning carpets. It also has a switch for the electrobrush right on the handle. Also has a filter change indicator. |
Additionally, we have previously tested the Miele Complete C3 Alize variant, but this model is currently discontinued.
For those interested, here's the product label for the C3 Cat & Dog model we tested.
If you encounter another variant of this vacuum, let us know in the comments so that we can update our review.
Popular Vacuum Comparisons
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a high-end canister vacuum, a powerhead-equipped variant of the Miele Complete C3 Alize. It's slowly being replaced with the Miele Guard series. Its SEB 228 powerhead is well-suited for cleaning plush carpeting, though it's also quite bulky and somewhat cumbersome to use in tight spaces. Its secondary Parquet Twister head is much lighter, making the vacuum easier to maneuver. However, it tends to "snowplow" larger debris, forcing you to lift the vacuum head to deal with large amounts of bulky material. If you're looking for better debris pickup, consider the higher-end SEBO Airbelt D4. The SEBO is even more powerful, has a longer range and larger dirtbags, but it's heavier and more difficult to maneuver. You might also want to consider a bagless Miele canister vacuum, the Miele Boost CX1. Although it uses the same motor as the C3, it lacks a powerhead, resulting in less effective carpet pickup performance. Although you don't have to deal with the hassle of buying and replacing dirtbags, the Boost's yearly-replaceable filter costs as much as a year's supply of dirtbags for the C3.
If you're looking for alternatives, see our recommendations for the best canister vacuums, the best multi-surface vacuums, and the best vacuums with good suction.
The SEBO Airbelt D4 is superior to the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog in most aspects. The SEBO incurs lower costs of ownership, thanks to its use of larger dustbags and longer-lasting filters. It also has a longer range than the Miele, and it does a better job of sealing in fine allergens, at least when the C3 isn't fitted with its higher-end HEPA AirClean filter. All that being said, the Miele is noticeably easier to maneuver in tight spots by virtue of its smaller and lighter canister body. On the topic of attachments, only the SEBO's Parquet tool has a set of removable front bristles, which allow it to clean larger debris without "snowplowing" debris forward. That said, the two vacuum's powerheads are more evenly matched, with the Miele's SEB 228 head having one additional height setting, but the SEBO's ET-1 head being easier to maintain.
The discontinued Miele Complete C3 Alize and the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog are different model variants of the same vacuum. Regardless, the C3 Alize is a more affordable model in the lineup, featuring a differently designed hose that lacks a power outlet, rendering it unable to use powered floorheads, including the C3 Cat & Dog's SEB 228 floorhead. The Alize comes with only a single floorhead, as opposed to the Cat & Dog's aforementioned powerhead and secondary Parquet Twister tool. The Alize's STB 285-3 attachment is designed for use on bare floors and low-pile carpeting, featuring a set of retractable bristles. It's much less cumbersome than the Cat & Dog's bundled SEB 228 head, but also far less effective on carpeted flooring. However, the Alize did come bundled with a more effective HEPA AirClean exhaust filter, which does a better job of sealing in allergens compared to the Cat & Dog's Active AirClean filter.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a more well-rounded vacuum than the Miele Classic C1. The C3 feels better built, has a longer overall range, and features an integrated tool storage compartment. Additionally, it's worth noting that the C3 Cat & Dog can utilize a powered floorhead, which is particularly beneficial for cleaning thicker carpeting. In comparison, only higher-end C1 models have the necessary power outlet to use these attachments.
Test Results
This vacuum's single-pass performance on hard floors is disappointing. While the C3 itself is sufficiently powerful and easily clears away finer debris, the bristles on its Parquet Twister floorhead are too closely spaced to allow it to pass over large and medium-sized materials like cereal or rice, causing it to push these materials around. When dealing with this kind of debris, you'll need to lift the vacuum head so that the vacuum can suck everything up. Unlike the SEBO Airbelt D4's parquet floor brush, the Miele's front set of bristles isn't removable, which would result in a much-improved performance in this test.
Note that we also conducted performance testing on bare floors with the SEB 228 electrobrush head in different configurations, the results of which can be seen below:
Regardless, we don't recommend using this attachment on hard floors. Not only does debris pickup performance suffer slightly, but leaving the brushroll on can also damage delicate hard flooring.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog's performance on high-pile carpets is okay. Setting the floorhead's height adjustment to its lowest level, 1, maximizes surface agitation for fine debris, and the brushroll is so powerful that it pulverizes medium and large debris and pulls it in. However, some large debris still gets pushed forward. Setting its floorhead height to level 2 worsens fine-debris clearing performance and its ability to clear larger debris. At height level 3, its floorhead sits high enough to pass over larger debris, such as rice or cereal. Unfortunately, leaving it at this height setting compromises surface agitation, and it may require another couple of passes to address finer debris, such as sand that has become embedded within the carpet fibers. Meanwhile, increasing the floorhead height to level 4 improves its large-debris clearing performance but further compromises its ability to handle finer materials.
The Electrobrush powered floorhead on the Complete C3's replacement model, the Miele Guard S1 Electro, offers slightly better performance, leaving behind noticeably less large debris.
This vacuum's performance on low-pile carpets is decent with its SEB 228-3 floorhead set to height level 2. It'll clear away the majority of fine, medium-sized, and large debris within a single back-and-forth sweep, though you might still need to make another pass or two to get everything.
Increasing the floorhead height to level 3 improves its large-debris clearing performance, but it has a negative impact on its ability to deal with finer material.
This vacuum does a fantastic job of handling pet hair on low-pile carpeting. The SEB 228 floorhead can pull some lighter strands of hair at its very periphery slightly rearwards, but this is pretty minimal, and it'll deal with the majority of embedded hair within a single back-and-forth pass.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog does a fantastic job of dealing with pet hair on upholstered furniture when used with its upholstery tool. It easily clears away both long and short strands of hair within one or two passes. It's also very easy to maneuver on this surface.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog does an excellent job of sucking up debris from cracks and crevices on hard floors when used with its parquet tool. While this floorhead doesn't generate that tight a seal with flat surfaces, the C3's powerful motor still enables it to draw out embedded debris. Additionally, you can detach its wand and use the crevice tool for a more thorough clean.
The build quality of the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is excellent. The canister body is made of dense, high-grade plastic, and it has a heavy-duty telescopic wand. There is a quartet of caster-mounted wheels under the canister as well, allowing for omnidirectional movement. The on/off button, power adjustment buttons, and cable rewind button are all meant to be pressed with your feet.
The vacuum itself is also easy to disassemble, featuring robust yet easy-to-actuate latching mechanisms.
- Vacuum canister
- Telescopic suction wand
- Suction hose with handle
- SEB 228 Electro Plus floorbrush
- SBB 300-3 Parquet Twister floorhead
- Crevice nozzle
- Upholstery nozzle
- Dusting brush with natural bristles
- 1x GN AirClean 3D dustbag
- 1x Active AirClean post-motor filter
- 1x pre-motor filter
- User guide
This vacuum is decently easy to store. There's a built-in storage compartment for its crevice tool, upholstery nozzle, and dusting brush. You can set the vacuum upright and holster its parquet floorhead at one of three separate points on the canister vacuum: one on the left, one on the right, and an additional slot at the bottom. All the same, this is still a somewhat large vacuum, and it might be best to keep it out of the way by storing it in a closet. It's worth noting that the SEB 228 floorhead is quite large, and you can't holster it on the vacuum body like the parquet tool. For this reason, it's easier to stash it away elsewhere rather than leave it permanently attached to the vacuum.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog has a reasonably impressive capacity. Although Miele advertises that this dirtbag can hold 4.5L, we measured much less, though it can still hold a significant amount of debris. There's also a suction indicator at the base of the hose to tell you when the dustbag is full.
Since this is a corded vacuum, runtime isn't a concern.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is a corded vacuum.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is very easy to maintain. Accessing various components is simple. Opening the canister gives you clear access to the dustbag, post-motor exhaust filter, and pre-motor filter. All of them are easy to remove and swap out. That said, there are one or two quirks to watch out for: the dustbag springs out of place when the canister cover is opened for easier removal, and you'll need to ensure it's seated properly before closing it back up. The Active CleanAir filter features a color-changing strip to indicate when it's time for replacement. On the downside, the electrobush can be a bit of a hassle to clean. Hair can get wrapped around it pretty tightly, and cutting it free can be difficult.
For a comprehensive breakdown of the maintenance requirements associated with this vacuum, refer to the user manual.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog incurs fairly high recurring costs.
- Dustbag: The dustbag should be replaced when full. Replacements can be purchased in packs of four or eight. The four-pack also includes one pre-motor filter and one post-motor filter, while the eight-pack contains two pre-motor filters and two post-motor filters.
- Pre-motor filter: The pre-motor filter should be replaced after swapping out four dustbags, and replacements are included with a new set of dustbags.
- Post-motor filter: The Active AirClean exhaust filter has an operating lifespan of 50 hours, which translates to replacing the filter every year. You'll know it's time to replace it once the time strip changes color. You can purchase an identical filter from the manufacturer or upgrade to the higher-performing HEPA AirClean filter.
The bagless Miele Boost CX1 reduces operating cost by eliminating the dustbag, but still requires regular filter changes.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog has a suction power control feature that can be raised or lowered to six different levels. You can increase or decrease these levels using the power adjustment buttons on the canister: 1 (curtains and fabric), 2 (upholstery and cushions), 3 (deep-pile rugs and runners), 4 ('Quiet' mode), 5 (loop-pile carpet and rugs), and 6 (bare floors).
The SEB 228 floorhead also has five levels of height adjustment, as well as a brushroll on/off switch.
This vacuum is on the heavier side. Its bulky powered floorhead adds significant weight to its construction, which can make it a hassle to pick up and carry from room to room or up and down flights of stairs. On the upside, as is typical for a canister vacuum, very little of that weight is felt in use, and the smoothly rolling caster wheels make it easy to pull across different surfaces.
On the whole, the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog has excellent maneuverability. On bare floors, the Parquet Twister is relatively easy to maneuver, thanks to its smoothly operating pivoting mechanism. That said, it doesn't lie flat completely, which can be a nuisance when cleaning under couches and tables. While its electrobrush attachment is fairly cumbersome, its height adjustment system does allow you to clean surfaces like shag-pile carpeting without getting stuck. On the topic of its canister body, the four caster-mounted wheels make it easy to pull in most directions, though you should be careful not to drag it into walls or furniture. The on-board tool compartment also places all attachments within easy reach.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog has an alright range. Its power cord is slightly longer than the Miele Classic C1, but you may still need to change outlets if you're cleaning a large room. If you want a canister vacuum with an even longer range, check out the SEBO Airbelt D4.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog is not equipped with a HEPA filter by default, so it expels a bit of dust as you vacuum. Air quality remains decent while you vacuum, but it'll blow a little dust into the air, which will settle out over the room. Allergy sufferers should note that the Miele SF-HA 50 HEPA filter is compatible with this vacuum. It's available on Miele's website.
This Cat & Dog variant of the C3 uses the non-HEPA SF-AA 50 activated carbon filter to reduce pet odors.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog comes with a self-sealing dirtbag. As soon as you open the canister, a spring-loaded flap seals the dirtbag opening. When you lift out and dispose of the dirtbag, the dust is never exposed to the air and remains sealed within the dirtbag. There's hardly any visible emission of dust, and there are almost no dust particles that float up into the air or settle anywhere.
The Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog's real-world suction performance is a little on the low end, though that's more or less to be expected since its Parquet Twister floorhead sits fairly high above the ground and won't generate a tight seal with hard floors. When measured directly from its hose at its highest suction setting, however, it provides some of the highest suction measurements we've tested, so it'll have no trouble dealing with heavily embedded debris when using it in its handheld configuration.
The Miele Complete C3 offers superb airflow performance. Its powerful 1200W motor and efficient filtration and bag system enable it to easily lift all kinds of heavy household debris.
This is a fairly quiet vacuum. When used with its Parquet Twister tool, you won't have too much trouble hearing what people nearby are saying. The measurement for the 'Bare Floor' test was achieved using the suction level 6 setting, but we also measured its noise output at different suction power level settings:
Suction level 1: 60.8 dBa
Suction level 2: 65.2 dBa
Suction level 3: 67.8 dBa
Suction level 4: 70.2 dBa
Suction level 5: 71.6 dBa
Conversely, the result for the 'Low-Pile Carpet' test was achieved using the SEB 228 electrobrush with its brushroll left On and the vacuum set to suction level 5.
