WHICH VACUUM SHOULD I BUY?
There are many different types of vacuum cleaners to choose from these days, from older tethered models through to wireless cleaners than can zip around without a cord constraining them to the nearest plug socket.
This guide has the best vacuum cleaners from every category, but you can also head to our best cordless vacuum cleaners or best robot vacuums pages too if you know you want a specific type.
The best vacuum cleaners you can buy today offer powerful suction, large dust bins, and in some cases, long-lasting batteries, to ensure the clean your floors as efficiently as possible.
If you’re searching for the best hoover – the colloquial term often used for vacuum cleaners – there’s a huge array of models on the market right now that go about sucking up the dust in varying ways. For example, do you want to go cordless, corded, hand-held, stick, robot, wet, or dry? With so many available and several different questions to ask yourself, it can be hard to keep up.
Hoover may have been one of the first manufacturers of vacuum cleaners, hence why the brand name has become a generic term to describe these electric cleaners, but now there are a plethora of brands making vacuum cleaners from well-known names such as Dyson, Vax, and Miele to unsung heroes such as Shark and Bosch.
But don’t worry. The team at TechRadar has been busy putting the best vacuum cleaner designs from the biggest and highest-performing brands to the test. We’ve selected the top models from our testing, all of which offer you great performance, reliability, and value regardless of which type of cleaner you choose.
Many of our top-rated vacuum cleaners in this list are cordless. These highly-rated cleaners run on high-power, high-capacity lithium batteries. The best cordless vacuums enable you to dart around your home with (mostly) the same suction power as a corded model – sometimes even more.
Cordless options make cleaning your home easier than ever, and we’ve found they’re smaller, stronger, and more efficient than ever before, too. Doing the dirty work doesn’t have to feel like a drag – some are even able to mop your floors for you.
However, there’s still a place for corded vacuums. If you have a large home with plenty of carpeted areas, the wider floor heads found on upright vacuums will ensure your carpets are dust-free in just a few sweeps. We’ve even found models with extra-long hoses so you can clean the stairs without moving the vacuum. You don’t have to deal with the worry of the battery running out mid-way through cleaning either, which can be a common occurrence with cordless vacuums.
For those of you that want to outsource the chore of vacuuming completely, a Robot vacuum is the perfect companion. Just set it cleaning from an app on your smartphone, while you put your feet up for a well-earned rest. The best robovacs also have built-in sensors so they can navigate furniture and walls with relative ease too.
We’ve put in many dust-busting and cobweb-sucking hours to select, rate and review the vacuum cleaners listed below, so you know which is the best model for you in 2021.
There isn’t a speck of dirt left here at TechRadar towers, which is how we know that these are the best dust busters you can buy right now.
Best vacuum cleaners of 2021: ranked
- Check out what everything we know about Dyson’s forthcoming vacuum; the Dyson V12
Adding another integer and two years of R&D to its V-series cordless range, Dyson’s V11 Absolute takes another giant leap forward for vacuum cleaner kind. It’s more potent than its best-in-class predecessor, cleans even better on all surfaces, is quieter, and has a properly marathon run-time of over 40 minutes on the seriously capable Auto power mode.
The powered tools ooze design class and hard-earned experience in the field, with the mini motorized tool easily outperforming air-powered equivalents, and the adaptability of the vacuum when you pair the torque head with the Auto mode makes the V11 Absolute easy to use as well as powerful. It also has an LCD screen, a first for Dyson, which tells you the exact run-time remaining, where blockages are located and how to clear them.
The V11 Absolute doesn’t come cheap, but we think it’s worth the money if you want simply the best cordless vacuum cleaner available today.
Read our full review: Dyson V11 Absolute
Roidmi has won no less than six design awards for its innovative S-series cleaners, and with a 270-degree handle they’re as functional as they are good-looking. The Roidmi S1E is the entry-level vacuum in the S series, and while it can’t pack the suction punch of our top dust busters it comes in at fraction of the price of those.
It’s lightweight, and easy to carry and use in both stick cleaner or handheld mode, and it comes with a good selection of tools, including a motorized mattress brush to make upholstery cleaning easy. The S1E excels noise-wise too, as even though its decibel levels are similar to other cordless vacuums, its softer tone feels less intrusive, and you can chat while cleaning without having to shout.
The suction could be stronger, especially when it comes to deep-cleaning carpets, but with stylish looks, supreme ease of use, and a very useful run-time of 40 minutes, it’s a great everyday floorcare option.
LG’s latest cordless vacuum cleaner can mop as well as suck and at the same time, so you’ll be able to get sparkling hard floors as well as dust-free carpets with ease. The LG CordZero A9 Kompressor certainly gives our top performing Dyson’s a run for their money when it comes to suction power, although some attachments did struggle with larger debris like cereal.
Currently only available in the US and Australia, LG says you’ll get up to 60 minutes runtime per battery in normal mode, but during testing, we got more than 70 minutes from each battery. Even on the most powerful mode, the vacuum cleaner lasted 27 minutes.
The dustbin has a handy compress function that when the level is pulled will compact the dirt and debris in the bin, so you’ll actually be able to suck up to 2.4 times the bin’s 0.44-liter capacity before it needs emptying. However, we did find the vacuum cleaner felt heavy and unbalanced. We struggled to suck cobwebs from ceilings for more than a few minutes because all the weight appears to be in the main unit.
The LG CordZero A9 Kompressor is expensive but offers good suction power and replaces two devices, so we think it’s worth the investment.
Read our full review: LG CordZero A9 Kompressor
If you’ve got a bigger home, a bigger dust bin is a necessity, and thankfully the Dyson V11 outsize offers just this – at 1.9-liters it can hold 150% more debris than the Dyson V11 Absolute (above). Combine this with a wider cleaning head and you’ll never have to abandon cleaning halfway through because the vacuum cleaner
The same suction and cleaning performance as its smaller sibling meant during testing it whipped away discarded biscuit crumbs, ground-in dirt, and even cereal and cat biscuits, almost instantly.
The High Torque cleaner head can automatically adjust the suction power needed based on the floor type, or you can opt to manually adjust it. The power settings, along with the remaining run time and any blockages and where they can be found, are displayed on the vacuum’s LCD screen.
Considerably more expensive than the Dyson V11 Absolute, this vacuum could be worth the extra investment if it means your floor cleaning isn’t interrupted.
Read our full review: Dyson V11 Outsize
Pet hair is no match for the Hoover H-Lift 700, which earns its number 3 spot whether it’s clearing hair from the carpet with the main floor head or the dog bed with the mini turbo tool. The turbo tool also makes cleaning stairs a breeze, a task that’s made easier by the H-Lift 700’s lift-away mode, which lightens the carrying load. And all this comes at a pretty reasonable price.
A large-capacity bin, long reach thanks to a 2.5m hose and 8m power cable, three different cleaning modes – upright, lift and stick – and a great selection of tools make the H-Lift 700 a brilliantly versatile corded cleaner. The suction may not be as good as some other cleaners here, but the flexibility it provides for such a good price makes it an attractive purchase.
The Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal is one of the predecessors to the Dyson V11 range, and even though it’s getting on for three years old now, the vacuum cleaner can hold its own when it comes to cleaning power. With a slightly more affordable price tag than its newer sibling, although not quite as competitive as other models on the market, it’s worth considering.
From fine dust and pet hair to cereal and cat litter, the vacuum cleaner sucked up everything in its path with ease. It’s got a bin capacity to match the Dyson V11 and can equal Dyson’s newest vacuum when it comes to runtime – although this isn’t on the most powerful setting, unlike the V11.
There’s no LCD display or High Torque cleaner head which adjusts the suction automatically based on the floor type, but it is lighter and as we’ve said already, a little cheaper too.
Read our full review: Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal
Another great corded option, the Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Upright NZ801UKTDB is a limited-edition vacuum that’s only available direct from Shark. It’s a powerful cleaner that picks up both pet and human hair with ease – and Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap tech means fewer hairs getting tangled around the brush.
It comes with a quirky selection of tools including a car detailing kit, dolls-house sized mini tools for super-precise cleaning, and a long under-appliance tool that’s ideal for getting the fluff out from under the fridge. Sharks’ regular tools are all present and correct too, including an air-powered turbo brush.
The NZ801UKTDB is a little on the heavy side, but it moves over all floor types easily, and in Lift-Away mode it’s much lighter, and great for stair-cleaning. If you’re looking for a corded machine that can tackle a wide array of vacuuming tasks, this Shark is a great bet.
Want to leave the vacuuming to someone else? The Roomba i7+ is the best robot vacuum you can buy in our eyes. The dust pick-up on floorboards, tiles and other hard surfaces as well as carpet is some of the best we’ve seen from a robovac.
In fact, it’s so automated it can even empty it’s own dust bin, too. The dock will suck up and store any debris from the vacuum every time it returns to its home, storing it in a disposable bag. These bags need changing every 30 days depending upon how often the vacuum is cleaning your floors. When the bag needs replacing, you’ll get an alert on the app. This does mean there’s an on-going cost with this robot vacuum. The bags will set you back $14.99 / £21.95 / AU$59 for three.
It’s circular design and rotating body means it has no problems manoeuvring through narrow areas. It’s even got Alexa and Google Assistant integration so you get the cleaning started just by uttering a few words. It’ll also store maps of every room in your home in a secure area online, speeding up cleaning time too.
Read our full review: iRobot Roomba i7+
Lightweight, maneuverable and able to stand upright on its own – unusual for a stick cleaner – the Bosch BCH7PETGB is a great cleaner to have around the house. It’s essentially a cordless upright, but it also comes with tools that you can use with a hose, and a carry-strap for mobile cleaning – although this is a bit fiddly to set up – and it’s light enough that you don’t notice the weight in either mode.
You won’t get great results on the lowest power setting, as although this gives you 75 minutes run-time, suction is negligible; on the mid setting, though, the Bosch performs solidly for 25-30 minutes, which is enough time to get through plenty of cleaning. General vacuuming is quick and easy – one floor head works for all floor types, and SmartSensor technology monitors the suction pressure and lets you know when to change the filter. Super-handy and easy to use, the Bosch BCH7PETGB is a versatile grab-and-go cleaner.
Easy to use, and delivering excellent results on different floor types, the cordless Vax Blade 2 Max 40V offers powerful suction and long run-time for a great price.
It has bright lights on the floor head, so you won’t miss any dirt, and a good-sized bin for a cordless machine too, meaning fewer bin-emptying interruptions when cleaning. The Blade 2 Max is easy to use, but it’s let down by how heavy it feels in the hand – your arm may not be able to hold out for as long as the battery.
The Blade 2 Max delivers great cleaning results on different floor types, and it’s no slouch when it comes to tackling pet hair; however, it’s far from the lightest-feeling or quietest cordless cleaner out there.
If you’ve got a range of different floor types in your home from carpets to laminate and floorboards, this vacuum could be the time-saver you’re looking for. It can detect the type of floor you’re cleaning and adjust the suction power and brush bar speed automatically.
The cleaning head swivels, which ensures it glides around easily and is good for getting into nooks and crannies. It’s got a smattering of LEDs too, so you can see exactly what you’re vacuuming when the light levels are low, while the washable HEPA filter means it’s a good option for allergy sufferers too.
We were impressed with the suction power and dust pick up on all floor types, although it struggled with larger debris like small pieces of cardboard. It’s got a 4.5m hose and we found it could stretch enough to clean up 13 stairs at a time, but with all the tools stored on the vacuum itself, it’s a bulky and heavy machine.
Read our full review: Hoover H-Upright 500 Sensor Plus
Sebo has built up a loyal fan base for its quirky vacuums, and the Felix Wild ePower is likely to gain it a few more. The fabulously eccentric design and animal-print bag-wrap decorate a solid old-school corded cleaner that feels like it could withstand a nuclear strike.
Its cleaning chops are equally robust. The Felix Wild ePower delivers a super-deep clean on carpets, with all the dust kept inside the cleaner thanks to filtering bags and a separate washable filter assembly. It’s far from a lightweight option though; it feels weighty to push around, and using it as a portable cleaner without the floor head is rather cumbersome.
One for Sebo fans, and those looking for something different to brighten up the cleaning chores, the Felix Wild ePower is proof that there’s life in the bagged vacuum cleaner yet.
If you’re alarmed at the high prices some of the latest vacuums can command, Swan’s Eureka range aims to deliver on value, if not looks. The Eureka MultiForce Pet is an affordable mains-powered, bagless cylinder cleaner that offers decent cleaning power and good-sized bin.
The short cable, noisy motor and plastic build are all forgivable at the price, and if you can see past those foibles the MultiForce Pet cleans well on carpets and takes pet hair in its stride. Its bin is simply huge at two liters, the filters are HEPA-class and washable, and the turbo tool is great for pet beds and stairs.
While the design and build quality are about as basic as modern cleaners get, Swan’s Eureka MultiForce Pet makes it into our top 10 by offering great value if you’re on a budget.