The purchase price is only the beginning

You have two vacuum cleaners to choose from: a corded model for 89 euros and a cordless one for 249 euros. If you only look at the purchase price, the corded model seems the cheaper choice. But the running costs of a vacuum cleaner often have more influence on what you really pay overall than the figure on the price tag. Bags, filters and, with cordless models, eventually a replacement battery all add up over the years, and depending on the model that total can vary enormously.

Unlike the one-off purchase, these running costs can be roughly estimated before you buy, as long as you know what to look for in the product description or among the accessories.

This calculation is most easily overlooked when a machine is advertised in a shop or online with an eye-catching discount. A reduced purchase price tells you nothing about how expensive the bags or filters for that exact model will be later on, and a special model with its own accessory system can sometimes be hard to keep supplied at a fair price.

Bagless or bagged: different running costs

A vacuum cleaner with a bag needs new bags regularly, and their price varies depending on the brand and size. A bagless model with a dust container saves you this cost, but usually needs its filter changed more often, because the filter takes over part of the job the bag would otherwise do. Neither system is automatically free to run; the costs simply shift from bags to filters.

A bagged model also has the advantage that no dust is stirred up when you empty it, because you simply take out the full bag and throw it away. With a bagless machine, you have to empty the container over a bin, which can be unpleasant with fine dust. That is not a direct cost, but it affects how much of a chore emptying feels and how thoroughly you do it.

Cordless vacuum cleaners: run time, replacement battery and ageing

With battery-powered vacuum cleaners, the battery's capacity drops over time, as with any lithium-ion battery in a device that is regularly charged and discharged. After a few years, the run time can be noticeably shorter than at the start. For most models you can buy a replacement battery, but it often costs a significant share of the original price of the machine. Before you decide on a cordless model, it is worth checking whether the manufacturer sells the battery separately at all, or only the complete machine.

Filters that need replacing regularly

Besides bags and batteries, filters wear out independently of the rest of the machine. A fine hygiene filter at the air outlet keeps the air that is blown out cleaner, but it has to be changed at certain intervals so that suction power does not drop. Some manufacturers give specific replacement intervals in the manual, while others recommend a change as soon as suction becomes noticeably weaker. A clogged filter that never gets changed also often wears out the motor faster, which can make the repair bill even worse.

Some models use a washable filter that can be cleaned and reused several times before it needs replacing. That lowers running costs compared with a purely disposable filter, but it costs you some time for cleaning and drying in between. Whether that is worth it depends on how you value the time you spend against the money you save.

A worked example over several years

Say you go for the bagged vacuum cleaner at 89 euros. Over three years, you buy an average of twelve bags at 1.50 euros each and two filter sets at 8 euros each, which makes 18 plus 16 euros, so 34 euros in running costs. The cordless vacuum cleaner at 249 euros needs no bags over the same period, but two filter sets at 12 euros each, which makes 24 euros, and after about two and a half years the battery performance drops noticeably, so a replacement battery for 89 euros is due. In total, that is 89 plus 34 euros, or 123 euros, for the bagged model against 249 plus 113 euros, or 362 euros, for the cordless model. In this example, the convenience of a cordless machine costs around 239 euros more over three years.

What to look out for when buying to keep running costs down

• Before you buy, check whether replacement bags, filters and, for cordless models, the battery itself are available separately.
• Compare the price of a filter set or a pack of bags, not just the price of the machine.
• Ask yourself honestly how many years you want to use the machine before choosing between a bagged and a cordless system.
• Stick to the manufacturer's recommended filter replacement intervals to avoid damaging the motor.

Browsing the categories often shows machines and matching accessories side by side, which makes it easier to compare costs. How to estimate running costs realistically for other appliances follows a very similar pattern to vacuum cleaners. And if a battery or filter breaks after a few years, it is worth reading our article on repairs and spare parts first.

Frequently asked questions

Is a cordless vacuum cleaner always more expensive in the long run than a bagged model?

Not always, but often, once a replacement battery is due. If you only use it for a short time before buying a new one, this cost may never come up at all.

How long does the battery in a cordless vacuum cleaner usually last?

That depends heavily on the machine, how often you use it and your charging habits. A noticeably shorter run time after a few years is basically normal for lithium-ion batteries.

Is a bagless model worth it to save on bags?

It saves you the cost of bags, but shifts part of the running costs to filters, which also need changing regularly. A direct cost comparison of both systems still makes sense.

What happens if I do not change a filter often enough?

Suction power drops noticeably, and the extra strain can wear out the motor faster. Regular filter changes are therefore a fixed part of the running costs, not an optional extra.