Shark vs Dyson: what you are actually paying for

Walk into any UK electrical retailer and the cordless vacuum wall is Shark on one side and Dyson on the other. Dyson costs more — often £150 to £250 more for a comparable model. The question is what that buys.

Where Dyson is better

Suction at the top of the range, and the engineering to match: the V15 and Gen5 series have more powerful motors and a laser head that shows dust on hard floors, which is more useful than it sounds. Battery life on the premium models is longer. The design is lighter in the hand. And resale value is higher, which matters if you upgrade every few years.

Where Shark is better

Price, obviously. But also two features Dyson has never matched: the anti-hair-wrap brush roll, which actually works and matters in any home with long hair or pets, and the flexible wand that lets the vacuum fold to reach under furniture. Shark's dust cups are larger. And Shark's warranty is typically five years to Dyson's two.

Where they're the same

On a normal carpet with a normal amount of dirt, a mid-range Shark and a mid-range Dyson clean to the same standard. The difference shows at the extremes: deep-pile carpet with a large dog, or fine dust on hard floors. If your home is neither, the extra money buys design and brand, not cleaning.

On price

Shark discounts constantly and its RRPs are set to allow it: a Shark at 40 percent off is at its normal price. Dyson discounts rarely and briefly — Black Friday, occasionally Prime Day — and holds price otherwise. So the real gap is smaller than the RRPs suggest, but it's still there. The Shark robot and cordless models on this site are checked daily against Amazon and their own history; when a Shark hits its lowest recorded price, that's the moment.

Our take

Pets or long hair: Shark, for the brush roll. Hard floors and fine dust: Dyson, for the laser head. Everyone else: the Shark, and put the difference towards something you'll notice.