For the second year in a row Miele uprights rank highest in customer satisfaction based on the latest J.D. Power and Associates study. Newly created this year, the canister vacuum cleaner category also features Miele as the top brand. With performance and ease of use being the strongest drivers of positive consumer sentiment, Miele vacuums ranked well for both of these criteria. Here's a quick look at the latest report.

_Based on responses from over 5000 vacuum cleaner purchasers from Feb. 2012 to Feb. 2013, the survey scores vacuum brands on things like performance, suction, styling, price, ease of use, and other factors. Aggregated into 1000 point scale, the survey showed the Miele uprights scoring particularly well for performance, styling, and features while Miele's canister vacuums scored well for performance, ease of use and features. Both upright and canisters scored at least 49 points higher than average (more in the case of uprights), 816 and 805 respectively, making them each best in their segments. Thirteen different upright and ten different canister vacuum brands were included in this survey.

_J.D. Power and Associates surveys are some of the most respected and mentioned consumer satisfaction benchmarks today. Annually, they compile quality, performance and satisfaction measurements for thousands of products from the direct feedback of millions of customers.

_Author: K. Gilmore