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To help you find the best cordless vacuum, we analyzed thousands of reviews, both from experts and customers. Our work didn’t stop there. We also included an array of popular subcategories, ensuring we found the best vacuum cleaner for you and your home. We were sure to favor vacuums with high-grade motors that excelled on a wide variety of surface types and those with long-lasting integrated batteries. We also thoroughly researched a multitude of top-rated vacs, ensuring they included excellent filtration systems, often with the use of a genuine HEPA filter. When buying a cordless vacuum, always look for a powerful motor, suction capability, and a fantastic battery that allows for plenty of cleaning time before needing a recharge. If you’re interested in even more vacuum choices, then check out our best vacuum cleaner guide.
The best cordless vacuum you can buy today is the Tineco Pure ONE S12. This high-quality cleaner features embedded sensors that work to find hidden dirt and debris in carpeting and other flooring types.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: Best cordless vacuum for hardwood floors, with a light and easy-to-maneuver form factor, a high-performance 500w motor, and a battery that can last for 100 minutes per charge.
This is a powerful and well-made vacuum cleaner and, as such, it is on the pricier side, which may be something to consider before making a purchase. Additionally, the integrated debris canister is on the smaller side and does require regular maintenance, which includes emptying it out and cleaning it. Consider this one of the best home appliances products for your home.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: Fantastic all-around option with a powerful motor, a whole-machine filtration system, and a light and compact form factor that is easy to maneuver throughout the home.
This Dyson cordless vacuum features an advanced whole-machine filtration system that traps 99.99% of particles, dust, and allergens as small as 0.3 microns, which is actually more effective than a HEPA filter. This is also a light and easy-to-maneuver cordless vacuum with a powerful motor that excels across surface types, in addition to featuring a decent lithium-ion battery that will get around an hour of use per charge. If there’s a lot of variety in your home, from surface types to even multiple floors, consider a vacuum for stairs as well.
With such a powerful motor and filtering features, it could very well be an option as a leading cordless shop vac, too.
Though this vacuum cleaner does come with a wall mount, for the purposes of storage and charging, this mount must be installed which does require some time and some tools. Also, replacing the battery after it has died requires opening up the vacuum itself and performing some light mechanical labor. Whether you’re looking for one of the best vacuums for laminate floors or something that can handle high-pile carpet, it’s a great option.
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: High-quality vacuum cleaner with a robust feature set that includes a whole machine HEPA filtration system and a direct drive cleaner head for intense cleaning sessions and large messes.
The Dyson V8 Absolute is of exceptional quality and made from durable and long-lasting materials, in addition to featuring a powerful motor with a direct-drive cleaner head that injects nylon bristles deep into the carpeting to find hidden dirt and debris. We loved the whole machine HEPA filtration available with this vacuum cleaner and the fact that it can quickly convert into a handheld vacuum to allow for one-handed operation.
On the other hand, the battery life on this model can make you want to consider the best corded stick vacuum to avoid the long wait. This refers to the integrated lithium battery taking more than five hours to reach a maximum charge and only offering a maximum of 35 minutes of use per charge, which is on the lower end. Additionally, this isn’t the slimmest of vacuum cleaners on the market and needs around three inches of clearance in order to reach underneath furniture, such as sofa coaches. If you want something with more diverse functionality, check out our best wet and dry vacuum cleaners’ buying guide.
Award: BEST SELF-CLEANING DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: Includes a self-cleaning brush roll that eliminates tangles, Complete Seal technology to trap potentially harmful particles, and the ability to easily transform to a handheld vacuum for one-handed operation.
Though this vacuum cleaner does come with a crevice tool, it lacks other useful attachments, such as a lengthy hose. Also, the built-in battery gets less than 30 minutes of use on the highest setting. It’s a great option if you’re looking for one of the best vacuums for elderly consumers who don’t want to wrestle with tangled brush rolls.
Award: BEST BATTERY
WHY WE LIKE IT: Includes two best-in-class lithium batteries that allow this vacuum to get more than 80 minutes of continuous use per charge, with a number of useful attachments included with purchase.
The Bosch BCS122GB Unlimited comes integrated with a pair of high-grade lithium batteries that combine to allow for over 80 minutes of continuous use per charge and reaches a maximum charge in just over an hour, which are fantastic metrics. We loved the high-performance spin motor, which excels on a wide variety of surface types, and the proprietary Pure Air filtration system, which also allows for hygienic no-touch emptying. This vacuum cleaner also ships with some nifty attachments, such as a crevice tool and a multi-functional nozzle.
This cordless vacuum cleaner comes with a lot of bells and whistles and, as such, is on the pricier side. Additionally, the debris canister is on the smaller side so you’ll have to empty it after every cleaning session.
Award: BEST ADJUSTABILITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: A highly adjustable vacuum that can be used by nearly any consumer, with a form factor that easily converts to a handheld vac and a great internal battery that gets 60 minutes of use per charge.
The Dyson Cyclone V10 is a highly adjustable vacuum cleaner that can easily suit consumers of nearly any height and easily converts into a handheld vacuum for one-handed use. We loved the built-in lithium battery, which gets an hour of use per charge, and the advanced whole-machine filtration system, which works to seal in potentially harmful particles, such as allergens. Dyson’s unique cyclonic motor also makes this vacuum excel on both carpeting and harder floor types.
This vacuum system doesn’t ship with too many accessories or attachments, so you won’t be getting a lengthy hose or a crevice tool with this device. Also, the cleaning path is somewhat narrow, thanks to the compact design, at around nine inches wide. For heavier duty jobs, you might find the best backpack vacuums easier to maneuver.
Award: BEST FOR PET LOVERS
WHY WE LIKE IT: Fantastic choice for animal lovers, thanks to a powerful rotating brush bar that excels with picking up pet hair and the proprietary AirLOC system that reaches deep into carpet fibers to find hidden pieces of debris.
The Gtech AirRam MK2 is the best cordless vacuum for pet hair, thanks to an animal-centric feature set that includes an ultra-powerful rotating brush bar that was designed from the ground up to eliminate pet hair and dander. We loved the proprietary AirLOC system, which reaches deep down into carpet fibers to find hidden pieces of debris, and the easy-to-empty trash bin, which doesn’t require physical contact.
This debris canister is on the smaller side, however, so you’ll have to empty it regularly, ideally after every cleaning session. Additionally, the attachments that ship with this vacuum are minimal, with no crevice tool or lengthy hose shipping with the cleaner. Don’t have much carpet in your house? The best vacuums for tile floors may be a better option for you.
Award: BEST VALUE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Value-conscious vacuum cleaner with a serious feature set that includes an extra-large debris canister and excellent swivel steering that provides supreme maneuverability.
This Shark cordless vacuum comes in at a value-friendly price while offering features in line with more expensive competitors, such as allowing for multiple speed and power settings to suit both bare floors and pile carpets and rugs. We loved the extra-large debris canister, which clocks in at over half of one quart and can easily be emptied with an eject button. This vacuum cleaner also offers swivel steering for great maneuverability and for reaching underneath furniture and the like.
Though the swivel steering is great, this vacuum does not ship with too many useful attachments, so you won’t be getting a lengthy hose or a crevice tool with this cleaner. Also, the battery life here is on the shorter side, maxing out at 30 minutes on the lowest power setting. Paired with the best wooden cleaning wipes, you’re good to go!
Award: Best for Edges and Corners
WHY WE LIKE IT: Includes edge-cleaning bristles that excel with edges in addition to corners, with extreme recline handle, for reaching underneath furniture, and the company’s Windtunnel motor, which excels at removing caked-in dirt and debris.
The Hoover BH50010 Linx is a great choice for cleaning out-of-the-way edges and corners, as this vacuum cleaner comes equipped with edge-cleaning bristles that excel across a variety of surface types, including hardwood floors and carpeting. We loved the lightweight and compact form factor, which makes it easy to carry from room-to-room, and the company’s proprietary Windtunnel motor system, which excels at removing caked-in dirt and debris.
Though there is filtration in place with this vacuum, it does not include a genuine HEPA filter, which is something of an oversight. Additionally, the battery here only lasts around 20 minutes per charge, so you may want to invest in a second battery for this vacuum. The ability to get in and around various nooks and crannies makes this one of the best kitchen vacuums on our list.
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: Budget-friendly hand vacuum with a nifty feature set that includes a relatively large debris bin that can easily be emptied for hand-washing and a three-layer filtration system.
The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser arrives at a budget-conscious price while offering certain features that can typically be found with more expensive models, such as a three-layer filtration system that works to eliminate potentially harmful allergens. We loved the relatively large (0.6L) debris bin, which can easily be opened via the push of a button. This vacuum cleaner also ships with a suite of useful attachments, which include an upholstery tool, a motorized brush tool, and a crevice tool.
Though this is an extremely light and compact vacuum cleaner, easily allowing for one-handed operation, the integrated battery is on the smaller side and only allows for a maximum of 17 minutes of use on a single charge. It’s a great alternative to the bulkier, best bagged vacuums on the market.
To help narrow down to the above list, we took great care to choose vacuum cleaners that were truly cordless and portable, often featuring lightweight form factors that could easily be operated by one hand. Many of these vacuums can easily convert into a handheld design for even more portability and cleaning efficiency.
Despite their relatively light stature, we still tended to choose vacuum cleaners with powerful motors and plenty of suction power. These motors are rated for use across a wide variety of floor types, including hardwood floors, linoleum, tile, and carpeting. Many of the vacs we chose also have multiple speed and power settings, so you can operate the unit gently when dealing with delicate surface types.
We liked vacuums that came with integrated whole-machine filtration systems, which trap potentially harmful particles inside of the vacuum itself until it is time to eject the debris into the wastebasket. Finally, many modern cordless vacuums ship with a multitude of useful attachments and accessories, including crevice tools, lengthy hoses, dust brushes, and more.
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