The best cordless vacuum cleaners for a spotless home: 10 tried and tested favourites

The Guardian

28-03-2025

Choosing a cordless vacuum isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. You're likely to keep a vacuum cleaner for years, relying heavily on its ability to suck up dust, crumbs, mud, pet hair and any other dry spillages or sheddings that end up on your floor. Choosing the right model can be the difference between an effective cleaner that's a delight to pull out of the cupboard and a dud that you dread having to unblock, detangle and clean after every use.
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In this review, I took 10 of the leading cordless vacuum cleaners from a range of manufacturers and at various prices and inflicted the same cleaning tests on each one. That takes all the guesswork out of picking your next cleaner: I can tell you exactly which ones picked up the most mess.
Best cordless vacuum cleaner overall: Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251£369.91 at John Lewis
Best budget cordless vacuum cleaner:
Vax HomePro Pet-Design £317 at Amazon
Best cordless vacuum for deep cleaning:
Dyson Gen5detect£649 at John Lewis
Best cordless vacuum for clean emptying:
Henry Quick Pro£399 at Amazon
Best handheld cordless vacuum cleanerDyson Car+Boat£199 at AO
I've been reviewing technology and home products for more than 30 years. In the past few years, I've been a freelance writer specialising in testing vacuum cleaners. During that time I've tested more vacuum cleaners of various shapes, sizes and types than I'd care to count, from handheld helpers to heavy-duty dirt-shifters.
Most cordless vacuum cleaners are designed to work on carpet and hard floors, so I tested them all on both. To do this I weighed out spillages of flour, recycled wood cat litter pellets and pet hair. Flour and cat litter are easy enough to come by, but my dog doesn't shed enough hair to test this many vacuums. So I'm also the proud owner of a box of sweepings from a friendly (but slightly bemused) local dog groomer.
I gave each vacuum cleaner a chance to pick up as much of the spillages as possible, with a single push-forward and pull-backwards motion, and weighed the collection bins before and after.
Most vacuums will collect more if given more chances to go over a mess, particularly from a different angle, but I wanted relatively tough tests that would truly differentiate one vacuum from another, so I allowed only a single sweep.
I also tested the batteries by seeing how long it took them to run down from a full charge – at full suction and in each one's most economical setting. I performed these tests with the floor head attached, where possible.
Lastly, I tested the suction using a pressure gauge. While strong suction is useful, the cleaning tests were more important because other factors play a big part in the overall cleaning prowess. For example, a well-designed floor head can make a moderate sucker as good a cleaner as a more powerful model with an inferior brush or roller.
All the machines I tested are being sent back to their manufacturers or donated to the British Heart Foundation.
£369.91 at John Lewis£549.99 at Currys
If there's one thing that makes cordless vacuum cleaners a pain, it's the emptying: taking it to the bin and jettisoning the debris after vacuuming. And, if your family is anything like mine, you may have to do it before you clean too because someone else didn't bother to empty it. That won't be the case with this Shark vacuum, though: it empties itself. It's also very good at cleaning.
Why we love itThe Shark IP3251 comes with a base station that operates as a stand and charging dock. When you rest the cordless vacuum cleaner on it, it springs into life, opening the base of the vacuum's collection bin and sucking its contents into a larger container, leaving the cordless stick empty and ready for next time. The secondary bin has a volume of two litres, so can take a few empties of the 0.7-litre stick.
That would all be pointless if the device itself wasn't up to snuff, but it's an excellent cleaner. Its floor head has a fluffy roller for hard floors and a brush bar for carpet, and it works well on both surfaces, performing a literal clean sweep in my tests.
It's a shame that … I found it worked better if I held it lower while vacuuming on some carpets, with fins on the base otherwise catching when I pulled it back. That may make it better for shorter than taller people.
Weight: 3.71kgMax suction power (measured): 28kPaBattery life (measured): 43minsDust capacity: 0.7lAdditional filters supplied? no
£320 at Argos£317 at Amazon
The Vax HomePro Pet-Design is good value for money, sitting at the lower end of the price spectrum but still coming with a good selection of tools for handheld use. It also performed well in all the tests.
Why we love itIt's comfortable to hold and use, and simple to operate, with just two large buttons – one to switch it on and the other to boost the power. Battery life is displayed by a light-up ring and lasted a decent 34 minutes in our rundown test.
Emptying it is straightforward, too, with a button to open the collection bin, while a pump action lifts dirt off the filter, so you don't have to poke your hands in. It's one of the few cordless stick vacuums that can support itself when standing up, so there's no need to find somewhere to lie it down between cleaning jobs.
It's a shame that … the floor head is a basic single-brush bar, which is unsophisticated when compared with the alternatives you get on Shark and Dyson models. Still, for the price, it's ultimately forgivable.
Weight: 3.5kgMax suction power (measured): 19kPaBattery life (measured): 34minsDust capacity: 0.7lAdditional filters supplied? no
£649 at John Lewis£649.99 at Dyson
Let's not beat about the bush: this top-of-the-range Dyson is the most expensive vacuum cleaner here. It's also the best, making short work of all my tests. If it's any recommendation, it's the vacuum cleaner I used to clean up any residual mess when I'd finished testing the other models.
Why we love itAs with Shark, Dyson provides a soft roller for hard floors and a brush bar for carpets. However, it does this with two separate detachable floor heads, rather than rolling both into one. That means you have to switch heads each time you change surface, but it also means that they're adept at their assigned roles.
The hard-floor head has a green light that illuminates the dust on the floor as you clean. Not only can you see where you need to clean but also you can witness what a super job the roller does of vacuuming everything up. The carpet-floor head has an anti-tangle mechanism that combs it free of long hair as it rotates.
A dusting brush and crevice tool are inside the extension wand, so you don't have to seek them out when converting to handheld mode. It also comes with a mini motorised tool that's perfect for lifting pet hair from upholstery or just cleaning the stairs.
It's a shame that … its screen is useful to indicate battery life but it also insists on counting how many particles of various sizes it's collected – a feature no one asked for.
Weight: 3.5kgMax suction power (measured): 31kPaBattery life (measured): 56minsDust capacity: 0.77lAdditional filters supplied? no
£399 at Currys£399 at Amazon
Most cordless sticks create a dust cloud when you deposit the contents of their collection bins into your dustbin. The Henry Quick Pro is the only cordless vacuum we've reviewed here that doesn't do that because of its disposable dirt-capturing bags.
Why we love itWe can't emphasise this enough – it's frustrating to vacuum the floor only to have the dust billowing out of your bin and back into the air when you empty it. With the Henry Quick Pro, you push a lever on the top and the base opens, jettisoning the bag of collected rubbish out of the bottom. It leaves no mess and has the added benefit of no filters to clean.
In my tests, the Quick Pro performed decently enough, other than on hard floors with the cat litter, which it pushed ahead instead of sucking up. That job would be better tackled by removing the extension wand and using the device with a handheld attachment. It comes with a comprehensive selection of accessories, including a motorised mini head for stairs and upholstery, a flexible hose and a useful handle extension for taller users.
It's a shame that … the bags have a plastic top that holds them in place inside the collection bin. Henry manufacturer Numatic claims to offset the carbon cost, but it would be better environmentally if it didn't use any plastic at all. They also cost £1.30 per 1-litre bag.
Weight: 3.2kgMax suction power (measured): 10.75kPaBattery life (measured): 1hr 11minsDust capacity: 1lAdditional bags supplied? yes, six pods (bags)
£199 at AO£249.99 at John Lewis
Dyson doesn't manufacture a vacuum purely for handheld use, instead opting to repackage an existing cordless stick without the extension wand. The result is a handheld device so powerful that you may wish you could also use it on the floor.
Why we love itThe Dyson Car+Boat is a cunning repackage of the Dyson V8. That model is now the bottom of the range of Dyson's regular cordless stick cleaners, but it makes for a handheld unit that performs above and beyond expectations.
It comes with three key attachments: a mini motorised tool for upholstery and stairs; a crevice tool for gaps; and a combination dusting brush and funnel. It's a powerful combo that cleaned up my test messes with aplomb. I had to use the funnel rather than the motorised tool to collect cat litter, though, because there's no way this smaller device wouldn't just push them ahead.
It's a shame that … you can still buy the V8, with the extension tube and attachments, for a similar price. It also comes with Dyson's old mini-motorised tool. Newer models come with a better-designed tool, which has a tapering roller that doesn't trap longer hairs. It would have been a nice addition to this repackage.
Weight: 1.9kgMax suction power (measured): 21kPaBattery life (measured): 38minsDust capacity: 0.54lAdditional filters supplied? no
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£299.99 at Lakeland£399.99 at Gtech
Best for: smaller homes
The Gtech AirRam 3 is a third-generation refinement of a cleaning device that looks more like an old-fashioned carpet sweeper than a vacuum cleaner. The collection bin is in the base – you lift it out by its classy leather strap and can tip the debris straight into the bin.
I particularly liked that it has edge sweepers on its front corners – a concept borrowed from robot vacuums. These flick debris out from the very edges of skirtings and kickboards into the path of the suction. It's an area in which few other vacuums are particularly effective.
It didn't make the final cut because … although it was brilliant with cat litter, it didn't fare well with my pet-hair or flour tests, leaving behind dirt when I lifted the collection bin from the floor head.
Weight: 3.8kg; max suction power (measured): not measured; battery life (measured): 25mins; dust capacity: 0.8l; additional filters supplied? no
£199.99 at Lakeland£189.05 at Amazon
Best for: light weight and light use
A constant source of annoyance with cordless vacuum cleaners is that you have to find somewhere to lean them when you want to put them down. The AirFox is light and well-balanced enough to stand on its own, so you can leave it in the middle of the room while you do some dusting, and it won't fall to the floor.
The trigger needs to be held down to keep the vacuum running and while there is a trigger lock to keep it in place, it's fiddly to use. It cleaned well in my tests, though, only really struggling with the cat litter, which seemed to get stuck in the floor head.
It didn't make the final cut because … I found it uncomfortable to hold for extended periods because the back extends out over the handle, getting in the way of my wrist.
Weight: 2.9kg; max suction power (measured): 31kPa; battery life (measured): 1hr 10mins; dust capacity: 0.4l; additional filters supplied? no
£499 at John Lewis£499 at Miele
Best for: simple operation
Despite being a high-end brand in most categories of domestic appliances, the Miele Duoflex HX1 sits in the middle of this gathering in terms of price. That's largely thanks to the lack of additional features you get when compared with the likes of Shark and Dyson. It performed well in my cleaning tests but generally proved better on carpets than on hard floors.
It operates in either floor or handheld mode. The floor head is basic, with a simple brush bar and no anti-tangle features. It comes with three handheld attachments – a crevice tool, a basic upholstery nozzle and a dusting brush.
It didn't make the final cut because … emptying relies on gravity alone, so you end up having to poke your fingers into the collection bin to clear it out. Most disappointing was the battery, which didn't last long with the floor head attached, even on the weakest suction setting.
Weight: 3.1kg; max suction power (measured): 12.5kPa; battery life (measured): 13mins; dust capacity: 0.3l; additional filters supplied? no
£499 at AO£499 from John Lewis
Best for: super-long battery life
With the Unlimited 10, Bosch has gone all in on the bling. It has a very flashy screen, which informs you visually when you're changing floor surfaces, and lights up in a different colour depending on what power setting you've got the suction on. It's useful, but possibly not useful enough to justify its higher-than-average cost.
The overall build quality is excellent, though. I loved the spring-loaded filter clearing lever on the back, which means you can empty the collection bin in a smooth single-push motion rather than the banging and poking you have to do with most other vacuums. This lever can also compact the rubbish as you clean to reduce how often it needs emptying. The Unlimited 10 also had the best battery, which made the unit heavy but lasted an astonishing hour and a half in its Eco setting.
It didn't make the final cut because … it's a bit expensive without there being enough of a cleaning benefit to justify it.
Weight: 3.8kg; max suction power (measured): 13kPa; battery life (measured): 1hr 34mins; dust capacity: 0.4l; additional filters supplied? no
£92.99 at Currys£92.99 at Amazon
Best for: lowest price
If most of the other reviews left you thinking that you were going to have to take out a second mortgage to get a new cordless vacuum cleaner, the sub-£100 price tag of the Beldray Airgility Pet Plus+ should be a breath of fresh air. It's light and petite but has small attachments, too, which aren't large enough to pick up larger particles. It doesn't collect dirt as well as the best vacuum cleaners here, but for a fraction of the price it does a reasonable job.
The biggest problem was cat litter, which was sucking OK from the floor but caused a blockage after only a tiny amount had entered the collection bin. It was surprisingly proficient at flour on hard floors but failed to agitate my test carpet enough to replicate that success. It also left a bit of pet hair behind during testing, either on the floor or stuck to the rollers.
It didn't make the final cut because … it didn't perform as well as more expensive rivals, though it does still impress for the price.
Weight: 2.2kg; max suction power (measured): 9.25kPa; battery life (measured): 41mins; dust capacity: 1.2l; additional filters supplied? yes, one
Cordless vacuum cleaners are vastly more convenient than corded models. There's no cable to unwind and no need to find a power socket – you just take the vacuum to the mess and get started.
The downside is that they run on battery power. The batteries can last anywhere between an hour or so on light settings and down to a few minutes on full blast. They should last long enough to get around an average-size house in one go, but larger spaces might need a mid-clean charge, which can take a few hours (or an expensive extra battery).
All cordless vacuum cleaners will have a good go at your carpeted areas, but they work on hard floors, too. The best hard-floor models tend to come with a fluffy roller, which will be better at picking up dust from smooth surfaces, as well as a standard brush bar.
One particularly good thing about cordless vacuums is that they tend to break down into handheld devices if you remove the extension wand. Check it comes with the attachments you require. If you have stairs you may like to look for a mini motorised tool, which is a bit like a miniature version of a regular floor head, ideal for vacuuming smaller areas, such as stairs and upholstery.
Yes, cordless vacuums quote high levels of filtration, with some claiming to trap even the tiniest of particles, such as pollen. However, emptying cordless vacuums that don't use bags can create a messy dust cloud, so these may not be the models for you if you're allergic to dirty particles. Filters also need regular cleaning, which is something you won't be used to if you're moving away from a vacuuming system that uses disposable bags.
Andy Shaw is a freelance consumer journalist and technology addict. Having reviewed tech products professionally for more than 30 years, his favoured working environment is a small desk surrounded by big boxes. His greatest weakness is that he never, ever remembers how things came out of their packaging, so they rarely fit back in again when it's time to return them.