The quietest vacuums in 2026: Consumer Reports

A vacuum loud enough to wake a sleeping baby or drown out a phone call turns a routine chore into a household disruption. Noise level often gets overlooked next to suction power, yet it shapes daily life with the machine just as much.

Consumer Reports tested uprights, canisters, sticks, robots and handhelds for noise alongside cleaning performance, so shoppers can find a quieter fit for their home.

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The Shark PowerDetect AZ4002 costs $450 and runs at a noise level Consumer Reports rated middling among upright vacuums, trading some quiet operation for a long feature list. CR found it aced nearly all of its cleaning tests, crediting sensors that detect dirt and floor type and adjust brush roll speed and suction automatically. The vacuum converts into a canister with a lift-away design, pairs a bristled roller with a soft roller for fine dust, and includes an odor neutralizer along with a no-hair-wrap feature that resists tangling. Shark's upright vacuums earned very good marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR member surveys.

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The Shark Navigator Professional NV360 costs $130 and scored very well for noise among uprights, even though Consumer Reports found no upright in this category earned a top score in that test. CR called its cleaning performance stellar, excelling at carpets, bare floors and pet hair pickup, though handling scored only middling, meaning it takes more effort to push, pull and carry than some rivals. The suction adjusts manually for delicate items, and the motor and bin detach as one pod, making it easier to reach under furniture or clean stairs. Shark's upright vacuums earned very good marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR member surveys.

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The Shark Detect Lift-Away LA492 costs $380 and scored well for noise among uprights while packing in an unusually long feature list. Consumer Reports found its direction-detect sensor adjusts suction based on whether it's being pushed or pulled, while a separate sensor adjusts brush roll speed for the floor type underneath. An odor neutralizer cartridge helps keep rooms smelling fresh, and the lift-away design adds flexibility for stairs and tight spaces. CR rated its carpet cleaning exceptional, its pet hair pickup effective and its dust containment excellent, which should benefit allergy sufferers in particular.

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The Shark Navigator Lift-Away LA300 costs $200 and runs quiet enough that Consumer Reports found it easier to live with day to day than louder uprights. CR rated it effective on carpets and even better on bare floors, and found it simpler to push around and lift than the step-down Shark Navigator Professional NV360, with suction power that outpaces many competitors. Like other Shark uprights in this lineup, it uses a removable pod design for added versatility around furniture and stairs. Shark's upright vacuums earned very good marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR member surveys.

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The Miele Complete C3 Marin costs $1,120 and ranks among the quieter bagged canisters Consumer Reports tested, with noise roughly on par with normal conversation. CR rated it strong on bare floors and pet hair pickup, with decent though not exceptional carpet performance. The canister includes manual carpet height adjustment, useful for homes with higher-pile carpet. Miele's canister vacuums earned top marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR member surveys.

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The Miele Boost CX1 SNRF0 costs $589 and earned a top score for noise among bagless canisters in Consumer Reports' testing. CR found it excellent at picking up pet hair, with emissions cleaner than many other canisters tested, strong bare-floor cleaning, acceptable carpet performance and very good hose suction. Handling scored lower than every other test category for this model, and CR noted the pricier Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog runs nearly as quiet with a somewhat higher overall score. Miele's canister vacuums earned top marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction in CR member surveys.

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The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra costs $1,100, priced higher than every other stick vacuum in this lineup, and scored middling for noise despite its high-end positioning. Consumer Reports found it delivers strong cleaning performance backed by a long list of tech features, including a digital display showing battery run time and charge level, plus a removable battery for added flexibility. An optional app unlocks AI-powered functions like automatic detection and suction optimization, and the included cleaning station both charges the vacuum and empties its bin automatically. CR clocked one battery running about 93 minutes on low power and 17 minutes on high.

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The LG CordZero All-in-One A949KTMS costs $799 and earned a top score for noise among stick vacuums in Consumer Reports' testing. CR called it an overall cleaning powerhouse, highlighting a multipurpose storage tower that empties the bin automatically after each use, captures dust in a bag, recharges the vacuum and hides tools in a compartment. It also includes an untested mop attachment, two batteries that charge simultaneously, an app for tracking cleaning history and a compressor lever that packs debris to free up bin space. CR clocked one battery running about 8 minutes on high power and 45 minutes on low.

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The Miele Duoflex HX1 costs $649 and earned a top score for noise among stick vacuums in Consumer Reports' testing. CR found it lighter and smaller than other Miele vacuums tested while performing just as well, with superb results on bare floors and edges and excellent pet hair pickup. Testers described emptying the dustbin and cleaning the filter as simple tasks, and an auto-detect mode adjusts brush speed to match whatever floor it's rolling over. It also converts into a handheld vacuum, giving owners two tools in one.

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The iRobot Roomba Max 705 costs $600 and topped Consumer Reports' robot vacuum ratings, earning top-notch results in noise testing alongside solid scores across the board. CR rated its bare-floor and pet-hair cleaning excellent and its carpet cleaning very good, and credited smart mapping and obstacle-avoidance technology for helping it navigate a home. Once docked, the base station automatically empties the robot's bin into an enclosed disposable bag. iRobot's robot vacuums earned midrange marks for predicted reliability and a notably poor owner satisfaction score in CR member surveys.

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The Eufy C10 T2292 costs $220 and runs about as quietly as the pricier iRobot Roomba Max 705, even though Consumer Reports found its overall cleaning performance falls a step behind. CR rated it superb at steering around furniture legs and picking up debris from bare floors, and excellent at picking up pet hair, with very good results sweeping debris from room edges. Carpet cleaning came back just so-so, and the dustbin runs smaller than some competing robots. CR liked that the brush roll pops out easily for cleaning, and Eufy's robot vacuums earned very good marks for predicted reliability alongside a middling owner satisfaction score.

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The Shark Ion W1 WV201 costs $130 and earned a very good noise score, even though Consumer Reports found other handhelds scored better in that specific test, while this model still ranked as the top performer overall in its category. CR found it excelled at pet hair pickup, handled bare floors well and reached into tight spaces with ease, with carpet performance that held up respectably too. At just 1.4 pounds, it ranks among the lighter handhelds CR tested, and the vacuum and its attachments store together on the charging base to save space. The tradeoff is a small dustbin that may need emptying more than once for a sizable spill.

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The Black+Decker Max+ DustBuster AdvancedClean+ costs $100 and ranks among the quieter handhelds Consumer Reports tested. CR rated it a good match for bare floors and solid on carpet, though pet hair pickup lags behind category leaders like the Shark Ion W1 tested alongside it. The vacuum scores strongly on edge cleaning and comes with attachments suited to tight spaces such as car seat cushions. Its quiet operation paired with strong edge-cleaning performance makes it a reasonable pick for households without pets.

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The Dirt Devil Deep Clean+ BD30300V costs $75 and earned a top score in Consumer Reports' noise testing among handhelds. CR rated its performance solid across every core test, from carpets and bare floors to edges and pet hair pickup, and praised the simple two-step emptying process along with a brush roll that pops out easily for cleaning or maintenance. The one weak spot CR flagged was bulkier debris like cereal, which tended to clog the vacuum during testing. Even with that caveat, its quiet operation paired with a low price stands out in this lineup.