View image in fullscreen The Filter Homes Review The best cordless vacuum cleaners in the UK for a spotless home – tested Stick vacuums are a convenient alternative to corded designs, but which model wins for overall cleaning prowess? Our expert reveals all
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Andy Shaw Thu 30 Jul 2026 11.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more .
C hoosing 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 16 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.
Our favourite cordless vacuum for deep cleaning, the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, is currently available with the Detail cleaning kit for £89 less than the vacuum on its own.
At a glance Best cordless vacuum cleaner overall: Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251
Best budget cordless vacuum cleaner: Vax HomePro Pet-Design
Best cordless vacuum for deep cleaning: Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
Best cordless vacuum for clean emptying: Henry Quick Pro
Best handheld cordless vacuum cleaner: Dyson Car+Boat
Why you should trust me I’ve been reviewing technology and home products for more than 30 years. In the past few years, I’ve specialised 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.
View image in fullscreen Each vacuum was put to the test against flour, cat litter pellets and pet hair. Photograph: Andy Shaw/The Guardian 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 of the 16 vacuum cleaners I tested a chance to pick up as much of the spillages as possible, with a single push-forward and pull-backward 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…