Best cordless vacuum cleaners 2026: tried and tested by experts

Cordless vacuum cleaners free you from the plug socket, making for easier and quicker cleaning. 

Originally often bought as an extra vacuum for quick clean-ups in between full home cleans, the very best cordless vacs are now good enough at cleaning to replace your corded vacuum.

Beware, though: only a few models truly clean well. Our independent tests of popular models have uncovered plenty of dreadful vacuums that fail to clean. 

Best cordless vacuum cleaners

Every year we rigorously test cordless vacuum cleaners – from dust pick up on carpets and hard floors to allergen retention – to find the best model for you.

Only logged-in members can see our recommendations in the table below. Join Which? for instant access to our Best Buys and expert reviews.

Cordless vacuum cleaners by price

• Cordless vacuum cleaner reviews under £150
• Cordless vacuum cleaner reviews under £250
• Cordless vacuum cleaner reviews under £400

Why you can trust our cordless vacuum cleaner reviews

Andrew Laughlin, Which? Principal Researcher/Writer, says:

'We don't accept free samples from manufacturers. Instead we buy every cordless vacuum cleaner we test from a shop or online retailer – just as you would. 

'While being rigorous, in-depth and benchmarked to industry standards, our testing also reflects how people use cordless vacuum cleaners in the real world.

'Cordless vacs are tasked with cleaning effectively on a range of different surfaces, from thick carpet to uneven floorboards. We also check how long the battery lasts, how simple the vac is to use around your home, and whether or not it keeps any nasty allergens securely contained within the dust chamber.'

Browse our cordless vacuum cleaner reviews to find the models that have aced these in-depth tests. Or read more on how we test cordless vacuum cleaners.

Where to buy a cordless vacuum cleaner

Popular online retailers that sell cordless vacuum cleaners include:

• Currys stocks non-handheld models from as little as £60 to £70, where Russell Hobbs, Tower and other brands have something to offer. The retailer filters models according to claimed running time, but you'll have to check in with our expert reviews to see how long they really last.
• John Lewis offers more than 50 different cordless vacuum cleaner models, with prices ranging from £150 to £850. Listed brands include AEG, Bosch, Dyson and Miele.
• AO.com has a healthy selection of cordless vacuum cleaners to choose from. Prices range from £85 to around £850. At the time of writing, the retailer names the Shark Stratos IZ400UKT as one of its 'most popular' models – check our full review to see if it's any good.
• Amazon.co.uk has a decent range of cordless vacuum cleaners from a wide variety of brands, including Dyson, Samsung, Bosch and Shark. Prices range from around £50 to around £1,000, depending on the vacuum you want. 

Use our guide on the best vacuum cleaner deals to get the best product for a cheaper price.

Types of cordless vacuum cleaner

There used to be a range of cordless vacuum cleaner types, including cylinder and upright models that looked like traditional corded vacuums. 

However, the market has now shifted to almost exclusively focus on stick vacuum cleaners – usually a compact handheld vacuum with a slim cleaning tube for floors, which converts easily into a handheld vacuum.

While most cordless vacuum cleaners are bagless, there are a few versions with disposable dust bags. These have the advantage of larger dust capacities, so you'll need to empty them less often. 

You'll need to factor in the ongoing cost of replacement dust bags, though.

How much do you need to spend for a decent cordless vacuum?

Our tests have shown that it's hard to find a great cheap cordless vacuum (although there are a couple out there), but spending a lot doesn't guarantee you a top-class vacuum cleaner. 

We've tested models costing more than £150 that are so poor at cleaning we've made them Don't Buys.

If you're shopping for a decent cordless vacuum cleaner, you can expect to spend anywhere from around £100 to more than £800. 

Models from brands such as Bosch, Dyson, Samsung and Shark will usually set you back at least £250-300. We have plenty of Best Buys in the £200-400 price range. 

Cordless vacuum cleaners are generally more expensive than corded alternatives, particularly if you're shopping for a model that lasts a long time between charges.

Don't Buy cordless vacuums – these are the models to avoid

Cordless vacuum features to look for

• Capacity: Cordless vacs tend to have smaller dust capacities than corded models, meaning they will need to be emptied more frequntly. You can expect a dust capcity fo around 0.5 litre to 1 litre, but most models are bagless and straightforward to empty (although it's not always the most hygienic job). You can also buy cordless vacs with 'self-emptying' functionality, meaning they disgorge the dirt when you place them on the stand. Then you just have to periodically empty the bigger container when required.
• Weight: Cordless vacs tend to be light, weighing on average around 3kg, compared with 6.4kg on average for a corded machine. They're generally simple to manoeuvre around your floors, although some models have heavy motor units, meaning they can be tricky to use at height or in awkward areas.
• Handheld functionality: Many cordless vacuum cleaners have a handheld cleaning mode, so you can switch the stick for a range of attachments and tools to clean stairs, tight spaces or even give the car a spruce up. Some vacs don't have this dual functionality, such as some G-Tech models, so do check before you buy.
• Attachments: You always get a standard floorhead with a cordless vacuum, but some models come with multiple options, including even heads that can mop floors. Depending on the machine, you can also get a range of additional nozzles, including crevice tools, upholstery cleaners and even pet hair attachments. 
• Other features: Again, depending on the model, you can expect features such as LED lights on the floorhead to illuminate the floor ahead, a flexible cleaning stick to more easily reach under furniture and a display on the motor unit that can show battery life and other useful information. 

Cordless vacuums and battery life

Although cordless vacuums have freed us up from a troublesome power cable, that has come at a cost – battery life. 

We test cordless vacuum cleaners on low power mode to clean hard flooring, but also at maximum power and on carpet, so we can tell you which models have battery life that goes the distance. 

Some vacs will clean impressively for an hour or longer on minimum power, and run for around 20 minutes or more if you want to switch the power to maximum. 

Weakers models will clean really poorly at minimum power, so you have no choice to switch to tubo, and then the battery will be dead in under 10 minutes, which is barely enough time to get around the house. 

Key things to check include:

• Minimum power runtime You'll want at last 30 minutes here, more likely around an hour, but do check if cleaning performance is good enough for this to be a benefit.  
• Maximum power runtime Around 15-16 minutes is a decent performance, but we've tested models that will run for more than 20 minutes at max setting. 
• Charging time Around three hours is the average for a cordless vacuum battery to recharge, so anything longer should be viewed as a negative. 
• Swappable batteries Some cordless models have a spare battery included that you can swap over if you run out of juice.

When we test cordless vacuums, we assess battery life on both the highest and lowest settings and publish the results in our reviews, so you know whether or not they live up to the manufacturer's claims. 

We've found models that overstate battery life by as much as a third, which could mean you get caught short when cleaning.

Check our cordless vacuum reviews for our verdict on the best models.

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Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners

Dyson is one of the most popular cordless brands. It has a wide range of models to pick from in the following core ranges: V7, V8, V10, V11, V15, V16 and Gen5detect. 

As you go up the ranges, you tend to get more attachments, additional features and increased dust capacity.

Prices vary a lot, particularly on the older V7 and V8 ranges, which can make it difficult to know if you're getting a good deal. 

Head over to our guide on how to choose the best Dyson to unpick the differences between each of the cordless ranges and narrow down your search.

It's also worth knowing how different Dyson models compare on the essentials before you pick a specific model. Check our Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner reviews to see which Dyson vacs are best at cleaning.

Is G-tech better than Dyson? Read 'Are Gtech vacuums worth buying?' to find out

Shark cordless vacuum cleaners

Shark has aspirations to be the new Dyson, and has launched a series of premium cordless vacuums over the past few years. 

Its two main cordless ranges are:

• Shark Anti Hair Wrap with Flexology Slim cordless stick with a hinge for extra flexibility, dual-brush bar floorhead, LED lights on floorhead, carpet and hard floor modes, fold to store. Swappable batteries (on top-end models).
• Shark DuoClean Cordless Upright Liftaway canister with long flexible hose, dual-brush bar floorhead, LED headlights, carpet and hard floor models, self-standing.

Both models have a pet and non-pet version; the main difference is whether you get a mini turbo cleaning tool or not. Regardless of whether you have pets, this can be handy for cleaning the stairs. It's worth checking prices when you buy, as sometimes the pet version is the same price as the standard one, or even cheaper. 

Shark cordless vacuum cleaners typically cost £200 to £350, making them several hundred pounds cheaper than top-of-the-range Dyson models, but can they compete on cleaning? Read our Shark cordless vacuum cleaner reviews to find out.

Should you invest in a new Dyson, or go for a more budget-friendly Shark? Read 'Shark vs Dyson: which vacuum brand is best?'. 

Samsung cordless vacuum cleaners

Samsung is less well known than Dyson and Shark in cordless vacuums, but the brand has a growing range of options, mostly at the premium end of the market.  

Samsung vacs are mostly branded Jet in some way, including its Bespoke Jet models higher up the range. The very top models are also branded 'AI', as they are able to use sensors to detect the flooring and dirt they are cleaning, and then adjust the suction and power accordingly. 

Although you tend to get premium features with a Samsung vacuum, such as smart wi-fi connectivity and self-emptying stands, you also pay a high price – models start around £400 but go to over £1,000. 

Compare and contrast all tested models from this brand in our Samsung cordless vacuum cleaner reviews. 

Don't disregard other brands. See our cordless vacuum reviews to compare all the popular models, or find a bargain in our vacuum cleaner deals page.