15 best cordless stick vacuum cleaners to buy now, tried and tested

Score: 93/100

Dyson claims the Gen5 Detect is its most powerful cordless vacuum yet, with the longest running time (up to 70 minutes, although note that it generally only lasted 15 minutes on boost mode in our tests). It also features souped-up cleaning head lights that highlight hidden dirt, and an LCD screen that tells you about the particles you’re cleaning and updates you on battery life.

There’s a lot of substance behind the bells and whistles, too – testers reported excellent suction power that picked up biscuit crumbs and pet hair in one sweep (no tangles either).

It did struggle on long pile carpet, where the brush bar only worked on ‘eco’ mode (instead of boost), so the suction power was lower. And when used as a handheld, only the boost setting was powerful enough to clean our car. However, that’s a common drawback of most stick vacuums so don’t let it distract you from the fact that this is an outstanding all-rounder that’s super simple to use.

Score: 93/100

Vax is another key player in the market and we love this great value vacuum. It has well-labelled, accessible controls and fancy LED lights on its floor head, helping to highlight any specks of dust that might be hiding under furniture.

Speaking of dust, it scored full marks for pick-up across short and long pile carpet, as well as laminate and floorboards. When we challenged it to pick up a large amount of pet hair, just two sweeps were needed to remove it all – including finer strands.

It struggled to clean right up to our skirting boards and, when used as a handheld, the bulky design of the main body made it tricky to get into tight spaces. Otherwise, though, this is a reliable stick vacuum at a wallet-friendly price.

We also tested the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Classic from the same range, and it scored 91/100. The performance was very similar, but the Blade 4 Classic struggled more in our edge cleaning test and doesn’t include the stair cleaning tool.

Score: 93/100

Tefal hasn’t skimped on the design with this vacuum, catapulting it into our top three. Our experts were impressed with its dust pick-up, especially on long-pile carpet where it picked up all the dust we’d laid down and extra debris deeper in the carpet fibres. Its suction power meant that extra effort was required to push it along, but the results were worth it. Elsewhere, it lifted 80 per cent of pet hair in one sweep, with a swift second pass finishing the job.

Testers found the well-designed crevice nozzle reached into every nook and cranny in the car. The boost mode was best for cleaning stubborn dirt, but the battery didn’t last long enough in this mode to complete a whole car clean.

It’s intuitive to use, with a comfortable handle, and a tube that bends in half to make it easy to reach tricky spots like under the sofa. While testers found it a bit top heavy after extended cleaning, four power modes give you plenty of choice for tackling every vacuuming chore life throws your way.

Score: 92/100

This intuitive vacuum from Shark solves a problem you may not even know existed; it’s designed to pick up dirt as it moves backwards as well as forwards. Many vacuums struggle with this because of how their heads are typically designed, but this innovative solution captured lots of hair and debris in one pass – so it should speed up your cleaning!

Its suction was excellent on hard floors, picking up 99 per cent of dust, but carpet proved more of a challenge, and it only lifted 81 per cent on long pile. It performed well in handheld mode though, and tackled pet hair like a pro, with no tangling around the brush head.

Then there’s the docking station. You can buy a version without it, but it charges the vacuum and automatically empties the bin (which testers found easy and swift). Plus, an anti-odour cartridge keeps everything smelling fresh.

It wasn’t the most well-balanced, our expert found the head sometimes wouldn’t go in the desired direction, but as you can see by its high score, this is a hard-working cleaner that’s a reliable buy for pet owners.

Score: 91/100

Miele’s Duoflex stick vacuum is sleek and lightweight. Testers found it easy to carry around the house, including up the stairs, and it moved smoothly, with a well-balanced feel. Attachments fitted seamlessly, too, with the ‘electro compact brush’ standing out for its effective pet hair pick-up, needing just two sweeps to remove both larger and finer strands.

It scored full marks when it came to lifting dust and crumbs from all floor surfaces but was a bit bulky for cleaning the car, even when using the crevice tool. Cleaning round the skirting boards proved a challenge too – the vacuum left a thin border of dust. Swapping to handheld mode should help here though, especially as the suction power stayed consistent across the board.

Score: 91/100

Lifting biscuit crumbs like a pro, this cordless vacuum is a great option for clearing up everyday messes. Its suction power performed better on hard floors than carpet, where it failed to pick up every speck of dust, unlike some of our winners.

It has a pleasing design – the dust canister opens at the press of a button and is just as easy to remove and refit. A nifty slider also lets you compress the debris mid-clean, so you can collect more before emptying.

Our tester said the handle wasn’t as comfortable as others they’ve tried, especially after extended use, and the silent mode wasn’t that quiet. But the battery is designed to last for up to 100 minutes. Or, if you don’t think you need quite that much oomph, you can opt for the Unlimited 10 BBS1041GGB, which our testers found has the same high power, but a lower runtime of up to 80 minutes and a lower price tag.

We’ve also tried the older Bosch Unlimited 9 Cordless Vacuum, which scored 89/100.

Score: 90/100

With a unique design that lets you place the power unit at the top or bottom (depending on how you prefer the weight distributed), and use it separately as a handheld, we couldn’t wait to try this vacuum in the lab.

Its performance impressed our testers, who awarded it full marks for pick-up on short pile carpet and hard floors. However, there was room for improvement on long pile carpets, with a little dust left behind in the fibres. Just one sweep was needed to remove pet hair though, making it a good pick for homes with furry friends.

It was a little fiddly to separate the dust canister from the main body, but a single twist of the end opens the container for fuss-free emptying. Plus, there’s a built-in HEPA filter for capturing pollen and dust around your home.

Score: 90/100

We were intrigued by the AI promise in its name, and this vacuum didn’t disappoint. It detects the floor type it’s cleaning and adjusts its brush speed and suction power accordingly for optimum performance and efficiency.

It cleans as effectively as you’d expect for its high price tag, lifting all dust and pet hair from every surface we tried it on. The anti-tangle roller in the brush head didn’t work quite as well as we’d have liked though. While its sleek docking station (where the dust canister self-empties!) makes it one of the most aesthetically pleasing vacuums around, it does take up quite a lot of space.

Don’t be put off by its tech-y sounding name though – our tester found it easy to use, with accessible controls. It also has an LCD screen that keeps you updated on battery life and dustbin capacity, and it connects to a Samsung app if you want to see all that detail on your phone.

We also tested the Samsung Bespoke Jet Ultra AI, which scored 88/100. The brand claims it’s the world’s most powerful cordless vacuum thanks to its 400W suction power, and it lifted dust and debris well, but it struggled to remove pet hair and clean right up to the edges.

Score: 90/100

Bringing its signature smiley face to stick vacuums for the first time, this Numatic design impressed on test. It’s nimble to use, felt well-balanced and light, and glided effortlessly across every surface we tried it on.

Surprisingly, for a stick vacuum, this one is bagged, and we found the bag captured all dust well. It also comes with plenty of replacements. Pick-up was outstanding – on short-pile carpet, hard floors and when tackling pet hair, it was a top performer. But it struggled on long-pile carpet, only collecting around 70% of dust after multiple sweeps over the same spot.

The battery lasted long enough to clean an entire car on the speed boost setting, plus it charges quickly in two and a half hours.

Score: 89/100

This easy-to-use vacuum performed best when faced with larger debris like biscuit crumbs. It’s dust pick-up on hard floors was excellent too but it struggled on carpet, especially long-pile, where it collected less than half the dust in the first sweep.

The anti-hair wrap technology scored full marks on test, and it coped well with bundles of pet hair too, lifting the majority in one pass. Plus, the battery lasted 25 minutes on turbo mode, giving us plenty of time to freshen up the car’s interior.

Score: 89/100

Our testers rated this vacuum one of the best for dust pick-up on both short and long pile carpet, thanks to built-in technology that automatically adjusts the suction power based on the level of dust detected. Like many of the vacuums in this list, it also includes an LED screen that gives clear updates and recommendations on the best power mode for the job.

There are only two settings, though, so the options aren’t huge. Plus, when we used the mini motorised tool suggested for pet hair, it seemed to push the hair further into the carpet, rather than lifting it up.

Overall, though, it scored well for its easy-to-use controls, impressive performance, and lightweight design.

Score: 88/100

Scent your home as you clean with this innovative vacuum from Shark, which features built-in air-freshening technology to combat any stale smells. Its cleaning credentials are equally impressive – it lifted pet hair in one sweep and gobbled up every last speck of the biscuit crumbs laid on carpet.

Like all Shark machines, it’s intuitively designed, and while its battery doesn't last very long on turbo mode (around 12 minutes on test), it runs for 35 minutes on the standard setting and comes with a second battery. Not that you really need to worry about switching between modes as its “clean sense IQ” technology will automatically ramp up the power if it detects a particularly dirty spot.

Other models did a better job of banishing crumbs in handheld mode and its strong suction meant it didn’t glide as smoothly on carpet as some. But these minor misgivings aside, it’s a truly stellar cleaner.

Score: 88/100

We're fans of Vax’s floor cleaners at the Good Housekeeping Institute as they usually prove good value for money, and its latest stick vacuum is no exception. It had excellent pick-up on hard flooring – no matter what dust or debris our testers threw at it – and it was powerful enough to leave our car interiors looking spotless.

Smart sensors automatically increase the suction power in areas with lots of debris and the FlexiClean pole allows you to clean underneath furniture without bending. Just make sure to use the motorised pet hair tool if you’re dealing with fur, as it made tackling our malting season worst-case scenario much easier!

This performed well as a handheld vacuum too, although it was a little bulky for this purpose. And while its three power modes should be plenty for most tasks, make sure you do any deep cleans with a full charge, as the boost mode used up battery life quickly.

We also tested the Vax HomePro Pet-Design Cordless Vacuum (86/100), which is from the same range but comes without the smart sensors that alter the suction power.

Score: 87/100

The latest iteration of Halo’s Capsule vacuum has a whopping two-litre capacity, which means it can hold more dust and dirt than any other model we’ve tested. It excelled at lifting dust from short pile carpets and floorboards, and cleaning crumbs from the carpet was no trouble either. It lost a couple of marks when it came to tackling long pile carpet and pet hair though – it still did a good job, but it didn’t quite match the same high standards it set in other tests. T

his vacuum also impressed our experts with its variable power settings and array of accompanying tools, including a crevice attachment. Plus, its battery lasted long enough to complete a thorough car clean. The control labels aren’t the clearest, but the manual is very helpful if you get stuck.

While it’s lightweight, because of its bulky dust canister, testers said it felt a bit unbalanced to hold. However, if you need maximum capacity, this will gobble up all your dirt in no time.

Score: 86/100

This Shark model features a specially designed brush with agitation ribs to loosen fine dirt, as well as four different settings for deeper cleans throughout your home (including one that detects the floor surface and adjusts suction accordingly and another that senses room edges and corners). And it aced every hard floor cleaning challenge our experts put it through, picking up dust, biscuit crumbs and lightweight cereal pieces. It’s anti-twist technology ensured no hair tangled round the brush bar either.

The vacuum head didn’t manage to lift all the dust from our carpets though and it struggled with larger clumps of pet hair.

Testers would have also liked more attachments to speed up handheld jobs such as cleaning the car, but its flexible head, crevice tool and decent battery life certainly helped.

Note, the product linked includes the auto empty system, which we haven't tested. The vacuum-only option is currently out of stock.