Investing in one of the best cordless vacuums brings ease and convenience to the chore of cleaning carpets and hard floors. With a battery powered vacuum you can quickly clean up spills or spruce up a room without having to unravel a cord or worry about where the nearest available power outlet is. And since the first cordless models came to the market several years ago, they’ve improved significantly in both suction power and battery life, and they’re now a great choice for collecting dust and debris from all floor types.
Whether you call it a vacuum or a hoover, most households own at least one, but unlike many of the best upright vacuums, cordless cleaners are not just for floors. Most come with an array of attachments and configuration options making them versatile cleaners that can tackle dirt and dust in all areas of your home. Depending on the model you choose, they can be used for anything from overhead cleaning for removing cobwebs to handheld vacuuming for upholstery and car cleaning.
Cordless vacuums are lighter and easier to maneuver than many corded vacuums, including those that have made it onto our best vacuum cleaners shortlist. But if even the thought of vacuuming fills you with dread, it’s well worth considering one of the best robot vacuums. These little beauties do all the hard work for you, they trundle around your house leaving clean floors in their wake, with minimal input from you.
Whichever vacuum you decide to buy, they all need a bit of maintenance, from emptying dust canisters to cleaning filters and it’s worth reading our guide on how to clean your vacuum so you can keep yours operating efficiently.
Love it or hate it, vacuuming is a regular on most people’s to-do list, but how often you should vacuum will depend on how many people and pets are in your house. So, whether you like to whizz round on a daily basis, or you only get the vacuum out when absolutely necessary, we’ve put all the best cordless vacuums to the test so you can pick the right one for you. We’ve vacuumed carpets, hard floors and even timed the battery life on a range of models from big brands like Dyson and Shark, to more budget friendly lesser-known brands to bring you the best cordless vacuum for 2022.
The best cordless vacuum 2022
How we test cordless vacuum cleaners
To find the best cordless vacuum cleaner, we evaluate how successfully each model collects everything from fine dust and dirt to larger debris such as cookie crumbs and cereal. As well as assessing how well floors are cleaned, we’ve also compared how easy the vacuum cleaners are to maneuver on carpet and hard floors, as well as whether dust pick up is evenly distributed across the cleaning head, or concentrated in one area.
We rated each design on how durable it is, as well as simplicity of emptying, how loud it is during use and how long the battery lasts. For each model we wanted to know whether it was easy to convert into other modes; such as a handheld vac, the useful tools and accessories it came with to clean edges or remove pet hair, and that it didn’t require reading a thick instruction manual before use.
Best cordless vacuum FAQs
What to consider when buying a cordless vacuum
With such a wide array of cordless vacuums on the market, choosing the right one might feel like an overwhelming task. However, if you focus on these considerations you’ll quickly be able to identify the model that’s best suited to you.
Start by checking how long the battery will last between charges and whether it’s swappable, so that if the battery runs out of power mid-clean, you don’t have to wait for the vacuum to recharge before you can carry on. Similarly, the size of the dust canister will also affect how many interruptions there are to your cleaning session. If you have a bigger house, look for models with larger than usual dust cups.
If you have hard floors, look for a cordless vacuum that comes with a dedicated cleaner head, which has a softer brush roll to ensure the flooring isn’t damaged when vacuuming.
Also, check the vacuum will be able to reach under furniture and in any tight spaces, you have in your home to ensure you’re thoroughly cleaning your floors every time you push a vacuum around.
If you’re still unsure, read our advice on which type of vacuum should you buy and read our comparison of canister vs upright vacuums.
Is Shark better than Dyson?
Shark and Dyson are two of the biggest brands in the cordless vacuum market right now. They seem evenly matched when it comes to suction power, but Shark's designs are slightly more affordable than Dyson's models, which may leave you wondering if Shark is better than Dyson?
To keep the price tag low, Shark's vacuums are not as sleek and stylish as Dyson’s. They’re often heavier too, and while they come with useful technology such as the ability to stop hair getting tangled around the brush air, and flexible wands to ensure you can clean in hard-to-reach places, they're not as high-tech as Dyson's offering.
For example, the Dyson V15 Detect, which is the brand's latest top-of-the-range cordless vacuum comes with a laser built-into the floor cleaning head to highlight hidden dust, ensuring your home is thoroughly cleaned. They also have longer-lasting batteries than Shark's models too.
So are Shark vacuums better than Dyson? It very much depends on the layout of your home, your budget and the types of surfaces you want to clean. Read our Shark vs Dyson article for a more in-depth look at the two floor-cleaning brands.
How to vacuum properly
Surely using a vacuum cleaner isn’t rocket science, right? However, many of us could be wasting effort by not vacuuming in the correct way. Whizzing around your floors as fast as you can is fine for a quick clean before guests come over, but it’s not going to be enough to clean your floors thoroughly each time.
When you want to give your flooring a deep clean, start at the edges of the room using a crevice tool. Work your way around the room slowly swiping the crevice tool in side-to-side motions so that it picks up the dust that has settled next to your baseboards.
Once you’ve done the edges of the room, use your vacuum’s normal floor head and work back and forth slowly across the room. Repeat the same motions in the opposite direction across the floor so that nothing is left behind.
We’ve got plenty more tips and handy hacks for making sure your vacuum performs as well as possible in our feature on how to vacuum like a pro.
Are cordless vacuums worth it?
Cordless vacuums have come a long way in recent years and these appliances can now rival the power and performance of premium upright and canister vacuums. With many models suitable for use as a handheld vacuum too, cordless vacuum cleaners now leave little to be desired and can be used as your sole vacuum, rather than as a handy extra to a bulkier upright model.
The downside, of course, is that you have to charge cordless vacuums but many are now available with a second battery, and with up to 60-minutes run time, it’s likely you’ll be able to make it around your home on a single charge (unless your house is very large).
Bagged vs bagless vacuums
Unsure whether a bagged vacuum or a bagless vacuum is a better choice? When it comes to suction power, the pair are evenly matched and will make light work of collecting fine dust and debris from hard floors.
Bagged vacuums are easier to empty, which makes them a better choice for allergy sufferers. The dirt is contained in the bag, which should just be lifted out of the vacuum and placed straight in the garbage. Unlike bagless vacuums, there’s little chance of some of the dust and dander making its way into the hair.
However, a bagged vacuum can work out more expensive in the long term, as you need to purchase replacement bags for the appliance. It’s also harder to know when the bag needs replacing, as some models only have a tiny indicator that may not be visible at quick glance. Whereas with bagless vacuums, the dust canister is usually made of clear plastic so it’s easy to see when it needs emptying. Bagless vacuums are also a more eco-friendly choice as well as currently vacuum bags aren’t biodegradable.
Are cordless vacuums as good as corded?
Cordless vacuums have been available for more than two decades, and while the early models were not as good when it came to dust pick up, that’s no longer the case.
Many of the cordless vacuums on the market are as comparable, and in some cases better, to corded vacuums when it comes to collecting dust and dander from carpets and hard floors. They’re more versatile than corded vacuums too, as they can be converted into lightweight, handheld cleaners that are suitable for use on upholstery, up high, and even in vehicles.
However, there is one area where they struggle to match corded vacuums, and that’s the capacity of the dust canister. On average, cordless vacuums have dust canisters with a capacity of anywhere between 0.2 and 0.75 liters, whereas traditional corded vacuums, whether it's an upright or a canister, have a capacity of anywhere between 1 and 2 liters. The only exception is the Dyson V11 Outsize, which has a 1.9-liter capacity. However, it’s also extremely expensive compared to other cordless vacuums and much bulkier.
Which cordless vacuum has the longest battery life?
Cordless vacuums can last anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes depending upon which suction level they are used on. The more powerful the suction, the shorter the battery life.
In our tests, we found the Miele Triflex HX1 Cat & Dog to have the longest battery life. As while it offered 60 minutes on the lowest suction power, just like the Dyson V15 Detect, the Dyson V11 Outsize and Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner with PowerFins & Flexology, it lasted for just over 16 minutes on the most powerful suction power.
Whereas the Dyson V15 only managed 15 minutes and the Shark Just 11 minutes. It’s also worth noting that all three of the vacuums we’ve mentioned here, have swappable batteries. This means, providing you purchase additional batteries from the manufacturer, you can remove a battery that’s run out of power and replace it with a fully-charged battery, rather than having to stop vacuuming and put the entire appliance on charge, only resuming when the battery has full power again.
- Check out the best Dyson deals
- Alternatively, grab a bargain with these best robot vacuum cleaner deals
