The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is a corded upright vacuum with impressive build quality. It's extremely simple to maintain, with an intuitive design that makes it easy to take apart and reassemble. There are a few quality-of-life enhancements, including an onboard tool rack, a self-adjusting vacuum head, and an adjustable suction level. Its filters and dirtbag are disposable, so recurring costs are a little higher than bagless vacuums. It's also quite heavy and isn't ideal for cleaning stairs. Still, it's worth a look if you're looking for an upright vacuum with a powerful, quiet motor and premium build quality.
Our Verdict
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is okay for bare floors. It has no trouble picking up finer debris, but its floorhead sits a little low at the front, causing it to push around large and medium-sized debris. Thankfully, it's very well-built and extremely easy to maintain, though its disposable filters and dirtbag increase its recurring costs. It also has a long power cord and is decently maneuverable, so you can navigate tighter areas with more grace than its bulky size would suggest.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
Outstanding ease of maintenance.
-
Bulky upright design.
-
High recurring costs.
-
Pushes around large debris.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is alright for low-pile carpet. It won't necessarily clear away finer debris pressed deep within carpets within a single pass, and its brushroll can crush and scatter around some larger debris. On the upside, it feels impressively well-built. It features an intuitive design that makes it easy to access the various wear items on the vacuum, including the filters and dirtbag.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
Outstanding ease of maintenance.
-
Bulky upright design.
-
High recurring costs.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is an okay option high-pile carpet. While it struggles with fine debris pressed deep within high-pile carpet fibers, it does a fair job of clearing away larger material on this surface type. It also rolls smoothly on shag carpeting and feels fairly maneuverable thanks to its swiveling head and long power cord. The vacuum head self-adjusts to suit varying floor types, and you can set the suction level to suit more fragile surfaces. User maintenance is a breeze, and the vacuum feels very sturdy, though the disposable filters and dirtbags make it more expensive to take care of than true bagless vacuums.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
Outstanding ease of maintenance.
-
Bulky upright design.
-
High recurring costs.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is decent for clearing pet hair. It picks up pet hair with impressive efficacy on hardwood floors and does decently well on carpets. It also feels very premium and is outstandingly easy to maintain, though it has somewhat high recurring costs due to the disposable filters and dirtbag. The brushroll also isn't removable under normal circumstances, so you must clear hair wraps by hand.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
Outstanding ease of maintenance.
-
High recurring costs.
-
No mini turbo brush tool.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is sub-par for stairs, in no small part due to its bulky upright design. It's quite heavy, so carrying it up and down stairs can be tiring, even if it has a carrying handle. Thankfully, it has a long power cord, so you can cover large areas. It also offers consistently great cleaning performance across a range of surface types.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
On-board tool storage.
-
Bulky upright design.
-
High recurring costs.
-
Heavy weight.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is a corded upright that isn't suitable for cleaning cars.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine isn't designed for workshop cleaning. It can't clean up liquids, and its filtration system will likely be damaged if you use it to suck up workshop debris like metal shavings.
-
Impressive build quality.
-
High recurring costs.
- 6.6 Bare Floor
- 6.9 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.6 High-Pile Carpet
- 7.3 Pets
- 5.6 Stairs
- 5.9 Cars
- 4.3 Workshop
- Updated Aug 26, 2024: We've updated the scores in the Hard Floor Pick-Up, High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up, and Pet-Hair Pick-Up tests to align with a broader data set. For more information about the reasoning for this update, you can look at our forum post.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 09, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. We've overhauled our floor performance tests and added new 'Hard Floor Pick-Up,' 'High-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' 'Low-Pile Carpet Pick-Up,' and 'Pet-Hair Pick-Up' tests. You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: We've added text to this review for the new tests added in Test Bench 1.0 and Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Added text to the Airflow section.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update builds on our previous 'Suction' test with a new 'Airflow' test that more accurately measures a vacuum's ability to generate air movement. If you'd like to see an in-depth look at the reasoning and methodology behind this change, you can see our full changelog here..
- Updated Aug 23, 2022: This vacuum's suction force has been retested with a more accurate manometer. The test results for the 'Maximum Suction' and 'Normal Suction' fields have been updated. All relevant scores have been updated.
- Updated Aug 05, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jun 06, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 09, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Aug 28, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Aug 17, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Aug 14, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jul 20, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Miele Dynamic U1 is available in a couple of different variants, though we expect similar performance for most as they share the same basic features and tools.
| Model Name | Color | Included Brushes and Tools | Extra Features | Notes | |
| PowerLine | Lotus White | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool, turbo brush | LED Headlight | Seems to be identically equipped to the Cat & Dog | |
| Maverick | Obsidian Black | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool | Doesn't come with an LED headlight or HEPA filter, but HEPA filter can be installed later | ||
| Fresh Air | Mango Red | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool | LED Headlight, HEPA Filter | ||
| Cat & Dog | Lotus White | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool, turbo brush | LED Headlight | Doesn't come with a HEPA filter, but HEPA filter can be installed later | |
| Jazz | Canary Yellow | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool | LED Headlight, HEPA Filter | ||
| Twist | Sprint Blue | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool | Doesn't come with an LED headlight or HEPA filter, but HEPA filter can be installed later | ||
| AutoEco | Deep Black | Upholstery tool, crevice tool, dusting tool | LED Headlight, HEPA Filter | Features +/- controls to adjust power level across six levels instead of a rotary dial with four levels |
If someone comes across a Miele Dynamic U1 model that isn't found or is differently configured to the variants in the above table, let us know in the discussions so that we can update our review.
Compared To Other Vacuums
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is a corded upright vacuum with great cleaning performance across a range of surfaces and impressively solid build quality. It's surprisingly maneuverable in tight spaces due to its long power cord and swiveling vacuum head, not to mention the onboard tool storage and easily accessible controls for suction power and brushroll engagement. Its filters and dirtbag are disposable, so recurring costs are higher than bagless vacuums like the Dyson Ball Animal 2 and Shark APEX Upright.
If you're looking for other options, check out our list of recommendations of the best vacuums, the best vacuums for high-pile carpet, and the best vacuums for pet hair.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine and the Kenmore Intuition Bagged each have their own advantages. The Miele is much better built, far easier to maintain, and has a much longer overall range. It also has a more powerful motor and is more maneuverable, though it's substantially heavier than the Kenmore. The Kenmore is also slightly easier to store, incurs fewer recurring costs, and comes with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. It also does a much better job of dealing with larger debris across various surface types.
The Dyson Ball Animal 2 Total Clean/Origin and Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine are very similarly performing upright vacuums. The Dyson employs a bagless design with a HEPA filter, so it has virtually no recurring costs and can filter out allergens more effectively. It's also lighter and consequently easier to carry around and maneuver in tight spots. The Miele is much better built, is easier to maintain, and has a much larger dirt compartment.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is more effective on most surfaces than the Shark APEX Upright. It does a better job of clearing debris on carpeted floors, is easier to maintain, is much more solid-feeling, and has a longer power cord. However, you can use the Shark as a handheld vacuum, so it can clean harder-to-reach spots and stairs more easily than the Miele. It's also much more cost-effective to maintain and has slightly better performance on bare floors.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine performs better on most surface types than the Eureka FloorRover. It also feels much better built and is incredibly easy to maintain. That said, the Miele doesn't have a HEPA filter like the Eureka does, and it incurs significantly higher recurring costs.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is a better upright vacuum than the BISSELL PowerForce Helix. The Miele is more effective at clearing all kinds of debris on bare and carpeted floors, is much sturdier-feeling, is easier to maintain, and offers greater maneuverability in tight spaces. It also comes with more specialized cleaning brushes. That said, the BISSELL is cheaper to maintain and much lighter.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Speed have different advantages, so you may prefer one or the other depending on your needs. The Miele has a noticeably more powerful motor, resulting in superior performance on bare floors and carpeted surfaces, and it's significantly better built. It's also easier to maintain and comes with more tools and brushes. That said, you can use the Shark in a handheld configuration, and it incurs virtually no recurring costs due to its bagless design and reusable filters.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is a significantly better upright vacuum than the Sanitaire PROFESSIONAL Upright. It offers better performance on all surface types, comes with a turbo brush, and has more quality-of-life features. It feels significantly better built, too, and its dirt compartment is larger.
Test Results
The Miele Dynamic U1 is an amazingly well-built vacuum. It's mostly made of dense, high-grade plastic, though the telescopic wand features aluminum construction and a matte rubber grip. Meanwhile, the rubber-finish wheels roll very smoothly on their axles. The head release latch also operates very smoothly. The vacuum itself is very easy to assemble, as parts clip together in a very intuitive way.
The Miele Dynamic U1 is exceptionally easy to maintain, with a design that makes it very easy to access its parts.
Unfortunately, the vacuum head's hard brushroll isn't removable under normal circumstances, as the user manual doesn't provide any instructions for in-depth maintenance of this sort. If you do need to remove the brushroll, you can access it by flipping the vacuum over and unscrewing the bottom plate. Otherwise, you can remove stuck debris and hair wraps by hand.
The Miele Dynamic U1 has three parts that need to be replaced regularly. The dirtbag needs to be thrown out and replaced once it's full. The pre-motor filter needs to be swapped out after going through four dirtbags. The post-motor filter also has a recommended service life of 50 hours, though you can see if it needs to be replaced by looking at its indicator strip. If it turns red, you need to install a new filter. All these parts are available on Miele's website, with U AirClean 3D dirtbags coming in packages of four. If you'd prefer a vacuum with fewer recurring costs, consider the Eureka FloorRover.
The Miele Dynamic U1 is decently easy to store. While it's a fairly tall and bulky machine overall, it makes the most of its size by including an on-board tool storage rack with designated spots for the crevice tool, upholstery cleaner, and soft bristle brush.
The Miele U1's dirt compartment is impressively spacious. We measured 4.2L of capacity, which is some way off the advertised 6L, but it's still quite large overall. The bag features an indicator that turns red to let you know once it's reached max capacity.
- Vacuum body
- Handle with power cable
- Vacuum hose with handle
- 1x Bag
- 1x Post-motor Filter
- 1x Pre-motor filter
- Crevice tool
- Upholstery tool
- Soft bristle brush
- Turbo brush
- User guide
The Miele Dynamic U1 has a good range. The power cord is very long, allowing you to cover large rooms without switching outlets. The hose is also quite long, so you won't struggle too much when trying to reach high-up shelves and furniture.
This vacuum has middling portability. It's very heavy, though it comes with a carrying handle to help you bring it up and down flights of stairs.
The Miele Dynamic U1 doesn't have a battery.
The Miele U1 has quite a few quality-of-life features. The power button is located prominently on the handle. Just under that is the brushroll on/off button, which toggles brushroll engagement to prevent you from scratching bare floors. The suction power can be adjusted four ways on a rotary dial, with settings for 'Smooth,' 'Low Pile,' 'Deep Pile,' and 'Curtains.' 'Smooth' is the highest power setting, intended for bare floors, while 'Curtains' is the lowest and is meant for more delicate surfaces. The vacuum head height automatically changes to suit different surface types.
The Miele Dynamic U1 comes with a couple of extra tools. The onboard storage rack accommodates the crevice tool, soft-bristle brush, and upholstery tool. This vacuum also comes with a turbo brush and extension wand.
You can use the Miele Dynamic U1 in a semi-hand-held configuration with the vacuum hose head attached.
This vacuum performs poorly on hard floors. While you can turn off its brushroll to prevent it from scattering around large debris, that doesn't really improve performance on this surface type. While it's powerful enough to easily lift away lightweight debris like sand, it pushes around medium-sized and large debris like rice or cereal pieces.
Performance on high-pile carpet is passable. While the Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine is fairly effective at dealing with medium-sized and large debris on this surface type, you'll need to make an extra pass to fully clear away finer debris like sand pressed deep within carpet fibers.
The Miele Dynamic U1 PowerLine's performance on low-pile carpet is mediocre. Its brushroll pulverizes larger chunks of debris and scatters them around, and it'll take more than one pass to deal with finer debris pressed deep within carpet fibers.
This vacuum does a decent job of cleaning up pet hair. It's fairly effective in dealing with pet hair pressed deep within carpet fibers. However, the drive belt for its floorhead sits on the left side of its brushroll, which keeps it from cleaning up pet hair along the entirety of its floorhead's width.
This vacuum's real-world suction performance is pretty bad. Its cleaning head sits very high above the ground and can't form a tight seal. In practice, it can have difficulty dealing with debris wedged in deeper crevices. Thankfully, raw suction, when measured directly from the hose, is quite strong, so you won't have much trouble clearing away stubborn debris when using its wand and hose.
The Miele Dynamic U1's airflow is excellent. It delivers similar performance to other uprights like the Kenmore Intuition Bagged in this regard, and it won't have much trouble dealing with heavier debris. That said, if raw airflow performance is a top priority, we recommend a canister vacuum; the U1 and the Miele Classic C1 share a suction motor, but the latter delivers noticeably higher airflow with a simpler overall design that minimizes airflow disruptions.
This vacuum is impressively quiet. It's only a little louder than the Miele Complete C3 Alize, and you won't have too much trouble hearing what people nearby are saying. That said, the overall volume does increase by a noticeable amount when activating its motorized brushroll.
The Miele U1's maneuverability is decent. Its heavy weight and bulky size make it a little tricky to use in cramped spaces, but the swiveling vacuum head, smoothly rotating wheels, and long power cable help in this regard. Controls are easy to manipulate while you're on the move, and the accessories clip onto the vacuum body, so you can quickly attach a new brush to the wand if you need to clean a hard-to-reach area or a piece of furniture. Unfortunately, the bulky lower vacuum body can be an obstruction when cleaning low-lying furniture. Thankfully, it doesn't get stuck on rug tassels, though it will push them around if you don't try to keep the rug in place.
This vacuum does a fantastic job of picking up pet hair on fabric furniture when used with its upholstery tool. It clears away all but the shortest hairs within one or two passes, and the vacuum's long, flexible hose makes it easy to clean tight spots. The vacuum also does a great job of dealing with pet hair when used with its Turbo Mini tool, but this attachment is a little too cumbersome to clean in awkward areas, like in between couch cushions.
This vacuum's robust filtration system means it has no trouble sealing in fine particles like dust or pet dander.
