15 best cordless vacuum cleaners to buy now, tried and tested

Score: 98/100

This intuitive vacuum from Shark solves a problem you may not know existed; it’s designed to pick up dirt as it moves backwards as well as forwards. Many vacuums struggle with this due to the way their heads are typically designed, but when we tried this one, it captured lots of dust and debris – so it should speed up your cleaning!

Its suction was excellent too, picking up 99.9 per cent of dust from all the surfaces we tried it on. The auto detection also deserves a shout-out for boosting power quickly as the vacuum passed over dirtier areas. It also performed well in handheld mode, and when cleaning our car.

Then there’s the docking station. You can buy a version without it, but it charges the vacuum and automatically empties the bin (which testers found easy and swift). Plus, an anti-odour cartridge keeps everything smelling fresh.

Battery life varied, lasting up to 60 minutes in eco mode but running out in 15 when we cleaned the car on max. It wasn’t the most well-balanced either; our expert found the head sometimes wouldn’t go in the desired direction. But as you can see by its near-perfect score, this is a hard-working cleaner and we struggled to find fault.

Score: 97/100

The Gen5 Detect is Dyson’s newest stick vacuum, and it excelled on test. It’s the brand’s most powerful cordless vacuum yet, with its longest running time (up to 70 minutes, although testers found it generally lasted 15 minutes when on boost mode). It also boasts souped-up cleaning head lights that highlight hidden dirt, and an LCD screen that tells you about the particles you’re cleaning and updates you on battery life.

There’s a lot of substance behind its bells and whistles, too – testers reported excellent suction power that picked up all debris laid on carpet and hard flooring (plus some residual dirt from previous tests). Even pet hair was lifted in one sweep, tangle-free.

It’s simple to use with parts that fit together easily and quickly, a built-in crevice tool and a comfortable handle. It glides smoothly across all surfaces, while its dust bin empties cleanly. Note though that when used as a handheld, it is heavy and only the boost setting was powerful enough to clean our car. It also took four and a half hours to recharge the battery on test. But that’s worth planning around, as this is an outstanding all-rounder.

Score 97/100

If you don't have space to store your vacuum in a cupboard, this sleek design would look neat on display. It glided over all surfaces and lifted 96 per cent of dust on test. It also removed all biscuit crumbs and pet hair with ease. On stairs, it reached into all corners and proved effortless to use overall.

It only takes two hours to charge but its battery life (two are included) varied in use – it lasted 19 minutes moving between speeds and surfaces, while on its lowest setting it lasted for over an hour. The digital battery display will keep you informed though.

You can handily empty its contents into the accompanying 2L docking station at the push of a button and its thin extension nozzle is long, reaching awkward spots easily. It’s expensive but innovative.

Score: 96/100

We’ve got two vacuums from Tefal’s new range on our list – this one, and the 15.6 below. Not much separates them performance-wise – but this one is its more entry-level (and therefore better value) model, with a 45-minute run-time and lower suction power.

In reality, this difference doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing on its cleaning abilities; its dust and crumb pick-up across carpet and hard flooring was faultless, and it only dropped marks for pet hair due to slight tangling on the brush.

Testers found it lightweight (apart from after extended car cleaning), and once they got used to it, they liked the way its flexible hose helps you reach under furniture. There’s a wall mount for neat storage, and its tools helped achieve a more thorough clean. For such a high-performing vacuum, it’s a snip.

Score: 96/100

Miele’s latest stick vacuum is sleek and lightweight. Testers found it easy to carry around the house, including up the stairs, and it moved smoothly. Attachments fitted seamlessly, too, with the ‘electro compact brush’ standing out for its effective pet hair pick-up.

Miele claims this model rivals its traditional cylinder vacuums, and it didn’t disappoint on test, scoring full marks when it came to lifting dust and crumbs from all floor surfaces. It was a bit bulky when using in the car, but it still managed to clean most of the dust we laid. Both fans of the brand and newbies will love this vacuum.

Score: 95/100

We're fans of Vax’s floor cleaners at the Good Housekeeping Institute as they usually prove good value for money, and its latest stick vacuum is no exception. It had excellent pick-up across carpets and hard flooring (no matter what debris our testers put it to work on), and it costs less than many of our top scorers. Just make sure to use the motorised pet hair tool if you’re dealing with fur, as it made tackling our malting season worst-case scenario much easier.

It performed well as a handheld vacuum too, although it was a little bulky for this purpose. And while its two power modes should be plenty for most tasks, make sure you do any deep cleans with a full charge, as the boost mode used up battery life quickly.

As for the overall user experience, our experts found the vacuum well-balanced, comfortable to hold, and easy to use. The tools and canister were intuitive, but be careful when swapping them or emptying, as some dust escaped in the process during testing. There’s room to store its many tools onboard though and it flexes in the middle, making it easier to reach under tricky furniture.

Score: 95/100

There are a whopping eight easy-to-use tools that come with this Dyson, from a dusting brush and a crevice tool to a mattress attachment, making it a great multitasker for your home. Unsurprisingly then, it aced our testing, lifting pet hair in two sweeps and scoring full marks in all our dust tests, no matter the surface.

It runs for up to an hour on eco mode, but on boost, you’ll only get 15 minutes of use. Our experts liked the way its screen tells you all you need to know about battery life and maintenance requirements though.

There’s no trigger lock, so you have to press the button continuously throughout use to operate the vacuum (as with most Dysons), which testers said can feel uncomfortable if you’re vacuuming for a while. This aside, it’s a thoughtfully designed cleaner that rivals the Gen5detect (above), for a little less money.

Score: 95/100

With a 1.2-litre dustbin, this sleek Hoover has the biggest onboard capacity of all the stick vacuums we’ve tested, which is ideal for whizzing round your home without needing emptying mid-clean. When you do need to clear it, it’s quick and easy to do. All the controls are intuitive, too.

As for its actual cleaning power, it performed well on test, regardless of what dirt or flooring it faced. Even pet hair vanished in one sweep. It was just as effective in handheld mode too, although it struggled to pick up bigger debris in our car test. It comes with three accessories – a 2-in-1 dusting/upholstery tool, a crevice tool and a turbo brush – but you can’t store them on board. That’s a minor qualm though, and it doesn’t detract from this cordless vacuum’s overall reliability.

Score: 95/100

Tefal hasn’t skimped on the design of this vacuum, catapulting it onto our list of best buys. Our experts were impressed with its dust pick-up, especially on long pile carpet where it lifted every speck. Its suction meant that some extra effort was required to push it along, but the results were worth it. Elsewhere, it picked up most other debris, and lifted 80 per cent of pet hair in one sweep, with a swift second finishing the job nicely.

Testers liked using it to clean the car, as its well-designed crevice nozzle reached into every nook and cranny. Boost mode was best for cleaning stubborn dirt, but the battery didn’t last quite long enough in this mode to complete a whole car clean.

It’s intuitive to use, with a comfortable handle, and a tube that bends in half, making it easy to reach tricky spots. While testers found it a bit top heavy after extended cleaning, four power modes give you plenty of choice for tackling every vacuuming chore life throws your way.

Score: 95/100

This vacuum scored top marks all round for its pick-up on carpet and hard floors. Light and easy to manoeuvre, it performed well as both an upright and a handheld, removing embedded pet hair in a single sweep.

However, while its suction power is impressive, it’s expensive, and it's worth noting that it lasts just over eight minutes on the maximum power setting before taking 3.5 hours to recharge. It lasts much longer on lower settings, though.

Score: 95/100

Bringing its signature smiley face to stick vacuums for the first time, this offering from Numatic impressed on test. It’s nimble to use, felt well-balanced and light, and glided effortlessly across every surface we tried it on. It comes with an extra, roomier handle too.

Surprisingly for a stick vacuum, this one is bagged, and we found the bag captured all dust well. It also comes with plenty of replacements. Pick-up was outstanding – on carpet and when tackling pet hair, it proved to be a top performer. It only lost marks on laminate floorboards, although it still collected 92 per cent of the dust laid.

The battery only lasted 14 minutes on the speed boost setting but when using a mix of speeds across different surfaces, it ran for a respectable 34 minutes. It charges quickly in two and a half hours, too.

Score: 94/100

Bosch’s newest vacuum lived up to the ‘Power’ in its name, lifting nearly every speck of dust, dirt and debris testers put in its path – and within one or two sweeps. It even fared similarly well in handheld mode, easily cleaning our tester’s car.

It’s pleasingly designed, with a dust canister that opens at the press of a button and is just as easy to remove and refit. A nifty slider also lets you compress debris mid-clean, meaning you can collect more before emptying. Accompanying tools clicked into place quickly, and the head moved smoothly across our flooring.

Our tester found the handle wasn’t as comfortable as others they’ve tried after extended use, and the silent mode wasn’t that quiet. But the battery is designed to last for up to 100 minutes. Or, if you don’t think you need quite that much oomph, you can also opt for the Unlimited 10, which our testers tried and found has the same high power, but a lower runtime of up to 80 minutes, and of course price tag.

Score: 94/100

This is a serious bit of vacuuming kit. It boasts plenty of tools, including a wet brush for mopping floors and an extending crevice nozzle. It picks up all dust, grime and pet hair brilliantly, but the battery runs out in under 10 minutes on full power.

It also doesn’t stand up on its own, which can be a pain if you need to move something out of its path. Still, it’s certainly versatile, and it glided well as a mop, leaving our floors sparkling and only lightly damp. If you can justify the spend, you won’t regret the purchase.

Score: 94/100

If you’ve got children or grandchildren who run around leaving biscuit crumbs in their wake, this vacuum will suck them up in a flash. In fact, it lifted the biscuits and then some on test – we measured 107 per cent of the debris we’d laid.

It proved a similarly powerful cleaner on hard floors, short pile carpet and floorboards, consistently lifting most dirt in just one sweep. It struggled a little on long pile, but still performed respectably. It’s nimble and worked well in the car, too.

On eco mode, the battery life lasted for over an hour, while it gave us 21 minutes of use on multiple speeds. Its quick charger will give you more juice in an hour’s time – although the first charge took us over four hours. We didn’t find it that comfortable to use, and it’s fiddly trying to fit the accessories onto the base. However, the dust canister empties effortlessly.

Score: 94/100

This classic Vax has an intuitive design with controls that are easily accessible on the handle. It also has LED lights on the front of its floorhead to show up every speck of dirt.

The dust canister is a breeze to empty, the motorised brush can be turned off when vacuuming delicate floors and the boost mode wowed us with its excellent pick-up on all surfaces. It manoeuvres well as a stick but the handheld unit proved trickier in tight spaces.