A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner main body including a suction motor for generating a suction force; a suction unit that is in communication with the cleaner main body and sucks air and dust; and a battery that supplies power to the suction motor. The vacuum cleaner also includes a battery management system (BMS) that detects a status of the battery; and a controller that controls an operation of the suction motor. If a voltage of the battery detected by the BMS reaches a changeable reference voltage, the controller stops the suction motor.