Published by Ahmad Jamal on November 23, 2021 | Last updated on May 15, 2023
Usually, when you opt to buy a new vacuum cleaner, you’ll focus firstly on the brand, then the prominent features like suctions power, type of vacuum, versatility, and other important features, you’ll rarely ask yourself how long do vacuums last.
Maybe, because that’s a question for the late future, as you’ll be using it as soon as you obtain it, but how long do vacuums last is a thing to account for after a couple of years, at least.
Even when you’re doing your pre-purchase research on vacuums, the manufacturers will never tell you how long do vacuums last, at best they’ll provide other technical information, and leave you guessing.
Can you calculate that from such technical information? Nope.
But as CleanersAdvisor, it’s our job to evaluate, analyze, and provide you with the information you won’t find on the users’ manual provided with each vacuum.
However, it’s not an easy task, so let’s move on and focus on the methods of proceeding with it.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to determine the lifespan of your vacuum.
Different Times = Different Measures
Vacuums are like any technology nowadays, it undergoes constant updating and improvements, in a gradual way too.
This means that we can’t use measures or research used tens of years ago, to determine
Relating to that, in 2009, the European Commission who’s responsible for determining the energy-efficient products, in addition to the outlines for applying new vacuums, said that the range of lifetime for vacuums is between 6.5 and 10 years.
Another US major energy-specializing company said 2 years later that the average lifetime for vacuums in the United States varies from 5 years to 8 years.
WRAP Charity organization that works on improving resource efficiency worldwide, issued a report in 2013 and stated that vacuum cleaners have the ability to operate between 5 years and 11 years.
All of those reports, give us an indication, but they don’t provide accurate information to rely on.
Is your vacuum really broken?
If you’re reading this article looking for anything related to how long do vacuums last, then you have a broken vacuum or at least thinking about how long the current one would last.
Therefore, before looking for such information, please make sure your vacuum’s problem isn’t a small broken piece inside the filter, or just a tiny issue that can be solved easily.
If that’s the case, solving that is a better decision than searching for a new expensive vacuum, especially in the light of the current world situation with the pandemic.
How Long Do Vacuums Last?
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? We have different types of vacuums, different brands, different vacuum parts, all of those accumulate to how long do vacuums last.
Unfortunately, there’s no accurate formula to put them all in one place and get the accurate lifespan of the vacuum.
Therefore, I’ll present you with every category separately, in our goal to determine how long do vacuums last.
Vacuums Lifespan by Type of Vacuum
Upright Vacuums
Upright Vacuums have the tendency to last longer than most of the other vacuum types, due to their compact design and powerful heavy build.
Moreover, as new technologies revolve around cordless and robot vacuums, so did the new researches.
Thus, the newest research on how long do upright vacuums last is at least 10 years old.
But, those researches stated that the lifespan of an upright vacuum could vary from 5-10 years.
Canister Vacuums
Canister Vacuums suffer the same fate as the Upright Vacuums, there’s a reduced number of researches on them, which leads to the lack of new accurate information.
That’s why we’ll have to resort to the early century researches from Canada, which said it can last between 5-8 years.
How Long Do Cordless Vacuums Last?
As the powering of a cordless vacuum is mainly based on the battery and its charging level, most researches affirm that this limits the ability to gauge the lifespan of the cordless vacuums.
However, the question still stands, how long do cordless vacuums last?
A New 2020 study in New Zealand showed that cordless vacuums last for as long as 2-2.5 years, regardless of the batteries shenanigans.
Robot Vacuums
Robot vacuums are new to the market, which makes the spotlights on them more important, as the users would like to know as much on them as they can.
The European Commission predicted in 2019, even though Robot vacuums weren’t as advanced as they are today back then, that Robot Vacuums last between 3-6 years.
Commercial Vacuums
The name says it all, they are commercial, which means they are manufactured for commercial uses only.
Moreover, this is usually used by people who are usually on the move from house to another, and don’t like to stay in the same area for longer periods of time.
Research affirmed that Commercial Vacuums don’t last more than 3 years.
Vacuums Lifespan by Vacuum Brand
How Long Do Dyson Vacuums Last?
Some unbiased surveys said that Dyson Vacuums can last between 10-20 years, which is obviously absurd.
Dyson provides a 2-year warranty, and on a near-yearly basis produces new models, and you can check our Dyson V10 vs V11 comparison for more information on the brand itself.
But for the lifespan of the brand, user reviews I surfed through, collected, and analyzed, proved Dyson Vacuums can last between 2-5 years, whether they are corded, or cordless.
How Long Do Shark Vacuums Last?
Shark Vacuums are known for their high durability standards, and they implement that in the way they manufacture their vacuums.
This reflects on the lifespan of the vacuums produced by Shark, added to the huge 7-year warranty provided with their vacuums.
All of that accumulates to a conclusion of Shark’s lifespan between 5-7 years.
They also have a list of the best shark vacuum for pet hair, as pet hair-related problems also last long, so shark provided a long-lasting solution.
How Long Do Miele Vacuums Last?
The aforementioned 2020’s New Zealand Study included a part on Miele Vacuums’ lifespan.
It pointed out that Miele Vacuums can last up to 5 years without breaking down.
How Long Do Bissell Vacuums Last?
User reviews haven’t been kind on the Bissell lately, the reason is still unknown.
But, you can justify that for users who already had their Bissell vacuums broke down in less than 10 months.
Among most brands, the Bissell scores the lowest, of 1-2 years’ lifespan.
Vacuums Lifespan by Important Components
Motor
The motor is the main power supplier of suction inside any vacuum, no matter what type it is, whether it’s corded or uses batteries, it’s all about the motor.
Furthermore, if the motor fails for any reason, you can say goodbye to your vacuum and start searching for
However, that doesn’t happen that often, only 10-15% of the breaking downs of a vacuum in Europe happen due to a failure in the motor, according to European Commission.
The New Zealand study said that it requires 5-6 years of constant use of the vacuum for the motor to break down, and that’s an average, so it may last longer, or shorter, depending on the intensity of the vacuuming sessions.
Additionally, motors powering the wall mounted garage vacuums and best central vacuum systems, can provide powerful performance for a similar number of years, despite the high level of performance.
Battery
There are 2 types of batteries used by Vacuum Brands, the Li-ion, and the Ni-MH, both names are based on the materials they are made from if you’re not familiar with the reasoning behind such names.
Both types of batteries vary in expected lifespan, as the Li-ion can last up to 3-4 years, while the Ni-MH can do half of that only.
Power Cord
Power cords live long enough you rarely think about any issues that can cause them to break down, and even a broken power cord can be replaceable, instead of delivering a lethal blow to your vacuum.
New Zealand study affirmed that power cords enjoy 4-5 years on average, before reporting any errors.
Canister Case
A cracked canister case can also be a problem for a vacuum owner.
The same aforementioned study indicated that 3.5-4 years is the lifespan of a regular canister case.
How can you prolong your vacuum’s lifespan?
This is an important question you should be asking yourself too, how can you make your vacuum last longer, even if the lifespan for it isn’t as long as you would’ve hoped?
Follow these steps:
- Handle the power cord with ease.
- Vacuuming a tidy room is better for your vacuum than an ill-organized room.
- Careful to clean up liquids if your vacuum doesn’t support it
- Empty dustbin on regular basis and don’t let it stack the dust for longer periods.
- Motorized Brush should always be disentangled.
- Make sure your filters are cleaned on regular basis.
How Long Do Vacuums Last FAQ
To Wrap Up
To wrap things up quickly, here are 3 tables that conclude the whole article, in case you’re looking for a fast answer to your question on how long do vacuums last.
The lifespan of Vacuums by Type
| Vacuum Type | Expected Lifespan |
| Upright | 5-10 Years |
| Canister | 5-8 Years |
| Cordless | 2-2.5 Years |
| Robot | 3-6 Years |
| Commercial | Less than 3 Years |
The lifespan of Vacuums by Brand
| Brand | Expected Lifespan |
| Dyson | 2-5 Years |
| Shark | 5-7 Years |
| Miele | 5 Years |
| Bissell | 1-2 Years |
The lifespan of Vacuums by Important Component
| Component | Expected Lifespan |
| Motor | 5-6 Years |
| Battery | 3-4 Years |
| Power Cord | 3-4 Years |
| Canister | 3.5-4 Years |
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