The Best Upright Vacuum Cleaners of 2026

• Weight: 15.7 pounds
• Dirt container: Bagless
• Filter type: HEPA

This Bissell is a versatile 2-in-1 upright that wowed some experts by outperforming vacuums twice its price. The MultiClean Allergen Lift-Off Pet features a detachable canister design, hence its name. You can pop out the canister to easily clean stairs, upholstery, or car interiors with the hose.

In floor mode, it excelled at picking up messes on both hard floors and carpets, matching the performance of much pricier machines in surface debris pickup. However, some tests found its suction power to be just average, particularly when deep-cleaning high-pile carpets or pulling dirt from crevices. It also left some debris in the floorboard cracks due to lower suction power. Essentially, we found that it’s great at surface pickup but not a powerhouse motor.

It has a tangle-free brush roll that resists hair wrap, plus LED headlights to see under furniture. Pet owners will appreciate the sealed HEPA filtration system that traps dust and dander instead of spewing it back out.

Bissell includes a Pet TurboEraser tool for pet hair on couches or pet beds, and users report that the attachments are quite useful. It’s manageable in weight and easier to maneuver in tight spaces than some larger uprights.

A minor gripe—like the Shark Navigator, the cord is 25 feet long, a bit too short in our opinion.

• Weight: 10 pounds
• Dirt container: Bagged
• Filter type: N/A

The Oreck XL2100RHS has been in this guide for at least half a dozen years and was originally released to market back in 2013. It’s an old-school, ultra-lightweight upright that’s favored by many hotels and cleaning pros for its simplicity and reliability—in fact, it’s a commercial model.

The XL2100RHS basically does one thing—floor cleaning—but it does it effectively and without frills that can break easily. The brush roller aggressively sweeps up debris, and it uses self-sealing disposable bags, which hold a lot and are great for keeping dust contained. We saw it struggle with plush high-pile carpets; in our tests, it picked up about 30% of embedded dirt per pass, whereas heavier uprights with more suction can pick up 50% or more. You may need a few extra passes or to supplement with a stronger vacuum for deep cleaning.

If pushing a heavy vacuum is hard for you, this Oreck is a breath of fresh air at only 10 pounds. It’s extremely easy to carry and maneuver, and it lies virtually flat to reach far under beds or furniture. With a 35-foot cord and low-profile head, it’s terrific for large areas and gets into tight spots other uprights can’t. Despite its slim build, it’s surprisingly powerful for its size, handling basic floor cleaning on both carpets and bare floors well.

If you’re looking for attachments or a hose vacuum, this upright is not for you. It won’t do your above-floor dusting or car interior. Additionally, it lacks some modern conveniences: no headlights, no swivel steering, and it’s loud for its size. But for those who value lightweight and simplicity over bells and whistles, the Oreck XL is a tough little vacuum that’s easy to use and store.

• Weight: 18 pounds
• Dirt container: Bagless
• Filter type: HEPA

As one of the oldest, most influential vacuum brands, Hoover has become synonymous with the action its products do: People just say “hoovering” to mean vacuuming. Here’s one that we quite like.

The Hoover WindTunnel All-Terrain is built to tackle all floor types in your home. It earns its all-terrain name with a dual brush roll system: one brush is optimized for carpet agitation, and the other for bare floors, allowing it to deep-clean rugs and transition to hardwood without scattering debris.

Users report that it has excellent suction power, pulling up loads of hidden dust and pet hair that other vacuums miss. However, if you have heavily shedding pets, be aware that pet hair can occasionally clog the device by accumulating in the dual brush rolls.

The included LED-lit crevice tool gets into corners, and attachments like a turbo pet tool and dusting brush are convenient and easy to swap. The cord rewind means no wrapping cords by hand, and at 30 feet, this cord is a little longer than average.

This Hoover also features a sealed allergen system with a HEPA filter, which helps trap fine particles—a big plus for allergy sufferers. For a mid-priced vacuum, it feels sturdy and well-made.

At roughly 18 pounds, it’s on the heavier side for an upright and a bit unwieldy to carry up stairs or push for long sessions.

• Weight: 16.5 pounds
• Dirt container: Bagless
• Filter type: Proprietary SmartSeal Allergen filtration system (not HEPA)

As its name suggests, the Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Rewind is purpose-built for pet owners. It features a unique tangle-free brush roll that discourages long hair and fur from wrapping tightly around it, so you won’t be cutting snarled hair off after each cleaning. In practice, this works well. The vacuum also comes with the Pet TurboEraser tool (a mini motorized brush) that’s great for removing fur from upholstery, stairs, or car interiors.

Another small perk is the automatic cord rewind—at the press of a button, the 27-foot power cord zips back into the unit, making pack-up convenient.

This Bissell vacuum has a sealed SmartSeal Allergen filtration system with a Febreze odor filter, which helps reduce pet smells while you vacuum. Unfortunately, Bissell’s proprietary filter is not certified HEPA, so if you’re sensitive to pet dander, dust mites, or other particulates, you may want to consider other options.

We don’t test for longevity here at Reviewed, but we do look to user reviews for long-term issues that may arise. In this case, some users have mixed experiences with the 2790’s build quality and suction. Several people felt that the overall suction on hard floors was underwhelming. Others cited its design build as a bit “plasticky,” and there are reports of the hose or seals losing some suction over time.

Compared with Bissell’s similar Multiclean Allergen Pet Upright model, which is $55 less expensive, boasts a HEPA filter, and has a higher star rating on Amazon, it’s tough to recommend the Pet Hair Eraser Turbo Rewind. At around $250, it’s not the cheapest to start with. We think other vacuums might clean as well for less money.