Best cordless vacuum cleaner 2023: The 12 best stick vacuums from Dyson to Shark
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Keep your house dust- and dirt-free without the hassle with our selection of the best cordless vacuum cleaners
Nobody loves cleaning, but cordless vacuum cleaners make the whole ordeal a little bit more bearable. They’re wonderfully convenient and are able to handle most dirt spillages without you ever having to drag the cumbersome Henry out from under the stairs. The problem is that there are so many brilliant handheld vacuum cleaners, it can be tricky to pick out which is the best cordless vacuum for you.
While most models look the same, not all are created equal. This is where we come to the rescue – we’ve rounded up the best handheld and cordless vacuum cleaners you can buy right now. Below, you’ll find our pick of the best cordless vacuum cleaners to buy in 2022. Whether you’re tired of lugging a hefty cylinder vacuum around your home or you just need something to clean up after a messy pet/child/partner, we’ve got you covered.
Best cordless vacuum: At a glance
- Best Dyson alternative: Shark IZ300UKT
- Best budget: Bissel Multireach Active 21V
- Best of the best: Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
- Best Dyson for most people: Dyson Cyclone V10
How to choose the best cordless vacuum cleaner for you
What specifications should I pay attention to?
There are a handful of specifications to look at before you begin, of which the most crucial are weight, bin capacity and battery life.
Weight: It isn’t so much of an issue when you’re vacuuming the floor, but you’ll certainly notice a heavy model when you’re standing on a chair and cleaning a lampshade or lugging it up and down the stairs. The lightest models we’ve seen are around 1.3kg, while the heaviest can weigh more than 2kg – that may not sound like a big difference, but you’ll notice the extra weight when you’re holding a handheld vacuum at arm’s length.
Bin capacity: This determines roughly how much dirt you can collect before you have to empty the vacuum. The models on this list range from tiny handhelds with 250ml capacities to larger uprights with up to 1.2l of bin space. Even if a model has a small bin, however, it’s not a deal-breaker as long as the bin is quick and easy to empty.
Battery life: Or perhaps more accurately battery power determines roughly how much suction power a vacuum will have, as well as how long it will last on a single charge. The models on this list range in longevity from under ten minutes up to one hour, which is a pretty good cross-section of cordless vacuums more generally.
Keep in mind that handheld cordless vacuums won’t last anywhere near as long as upright models. On the flip side, however, keep in mind that even a seemingly miserable eight-minute battery life will be enough to deal with a car interior or unexpected kitchen spillage.
What accessories and features are worth having?
Accessories: Keep an eye out for detachable hoses or pivoting nozzles for awkward spaces; crevice tools for sofa cushions and tight spots; and powered vacuum heads for stubborn carpets. There are other, more unusual accessories, but these are the most common.
Charging: Most of the models on this list will come with either a charging dock – many of which can be mounted to a wall – or a standard DC mains plug and cable. Some smaller models come with removable batteries or, in rare cases, a second power pack so you can switch batteries mid-clean and enjoy twice the longevity.
READ NEXT: The best full-sized vacuum cleaners to buy
The best cordless vacuum cleaners to buy in 2023
1. Dyson Cyclone V10: The best Dyson for most people
Price: £419 | Buy now from Amazon 
The Dyson Cyclone V10 was once the king of cordless vacuum cleaners and was a noteworthy improvement over the V8 in almost every way, but it’s still worth a recommendation today. It’s incredibly powerful – so much so that Dyson ceased development of new corded cleaners because of this vacuum – and we agree that the V10 is easily good enough to replace your old upright if you’re hoping to upgrade.
Considering how powerful it is, the Dyson V10 Cyclone has an excellent battery life of up to 60 minutes in the default mode and 30 minutes on the more powerful “Max Boost” setting. The dust container is also 40% larger than the V8 (it’s now 0.76l) and while it isn’t as cheap as the Dyson V7 – the least expensive Dyson on this list – it’s still exceptional value if you’re hoping to keep your house spick and span.
Read our full Dyson Cyclone V10 review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 250 x 256 x 1,249mm; Weight: 2.68kg; Bin capacity: 0.76l; Runtime: 60mins; Warranty: 2yr RTB
2. Shark IZ300UKT: The best Dyson alternative
Price: £429 | Buy now from Amazon 
Shark’s cordless vacuum cleaners have an array of features that its rivals don’t have. One of the best is its DuoClean floor head, which incorporates both a fluffy roller and a brush bar in a single unit. This means you don’t have to switch floor heads when you move from carpet to hard floor, which saves both time and hassle.
The IZ300 range uses its new PowerFins technology on the brush bar: these stiff fabric fins work alongside the usual brushes to agitate your carpet more vigorously. In our tests, we saw this help the vacuum perform as thorough a job on our controlled spills of cereal and flour as we’ve seen from any cordless vacuum, including more expensive models.
Read our full Shark IZ300UKT review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 260 x 245 x 1,180mm; Weight: 4.58kg; Bin capacity: 0.7l; Vacuum type: Cordless stick; Bagless: Yes; Vacuum power: 309W
![Image of Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner [IZ300UKT] 60 Minute Run Time*, Pet Tool, Anti Hair Wrap, Powerfins, Black & Red](jpg/41bcorr5zxl._sl160_.jpg "Image of Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner [IZ300UKT] 60 Minute Run Time*, Pet Tool, Anti Hair Wrap, Powerfins, Black & Red")
3. Bissell Multireach Active 21V: The best budget cordless vacuum
Price: £129 | Buy now from Amazon 
A solid mid-range cordless vacuum with a good balance of features and accessories for the price, Bissell’s Multireach Active is a good choice if you don’t mind cutting out a few bells and whistles to suit a more modest budget. A 2-in-1 vacuum, the Multireach can operate as a standard stick vacuum, using the motorised head and included extension pole, as well as transforming into a handheld by removing the extension. The two power modes – high and low – are designed to be used on carpet and hard floors respectively, and can be easily switched between with the conveniently placed control buttons.
At 0.5l, the collection bin is fairly small compared to others on this list, so will need to be emptied quite regularly (and that process itself can be pretty fiddly), but for the price, these small gripes are easy to forgive. It may not have all the functionality of a Dyson, but the Multireach is still a well-balanced and reasonably priced cordless vacuum.
Read our full Bissell Multireach Active 21V review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 270 x 240 x 1,194mm; Weight: 3.6kg; Bin capacity: 0.5l; Battery power: 21V; Runtime: 30mins; Warranty: 2yr
4. Dyson V15 Detect Absolute: The best cordless vacuum
Price: £600 | Buy now from John Lewis 
If you want the very best cordless vacuum cleaner you have to look to Dyson’s latest, the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute. This takes the brilliant form factor of Dyson’s previous models, beefs up the suction without compromising battery life and introduces a raft of new features to help you clean.
For those with hard floors, the Slim Fluffy motorised head now comes with a laser that shines out at the front, illuminating tiny dust particles. This helps you spot places that need a clean and provides reassurance that a quick pass with the V15 has done its work. The other motorised heads in the box have anti-tangle rollers.
The most important thing is the cleaning ability of the device, though, and the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute happily powered through our tests with ease. It isn’t cheap but, if you can afford it, it’s easily the best.
Read our full Dyson V15 Detect Absolute review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 250 x 252 x 1,264mm; Weight: 3kg; Bin capacity: 0.76l; Runtime: 60mins; Warranty: 2yr RTB
5. Dyson V12 Detect Slim: The best cordless vacuum for smaller spaces
Price: £529 | Buy now from John Lewis 
If your living space doesn’t really warrant the purchase of a full-sized Dyson, the Dyson V12 Detect Slim is a brilliant alternative. It comes with most of the bells and whistles of the more expensive Dyson models, but in a more compact device.
Both of Dyson’s best floor heads come included; the De-tangling Motorbar for all floor types, and the fluffy illuminated head that’s so good at cleaning hard floors. The vacuum also features a bright OLED screen for selecting settings, keeping an eye on battery life, while also providing data on exactly the number and type of particles it’s pulling off your floor.
The vacuum is less powerful than Dyson’s larger models, and the collection bin is smaller, meaning you’ll need to empty it more often. However, in our tests it cleaned just as efficiently as its larger siblings.
Read our full Dyson V12 Detect Slim review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 250 x 252 x 1,234mm; Weight: 2.2kg; Bin capacity: 0.35l; Runtime: 60mins; Warranty: 2yr RTB
6. Vax Blade 4 Pet & Car: Best-value cordless stick for tackling pet hair
Price: £299 | Buy now from Amazon 
Anyone with a furry friend in their lives will understand how important it is to have a vacuum cleaner that isn’t just good at extracting hair off the floor, but can tackle furniture and car interiors, too. The Vax Blade 4 Pet & Car has a laser-tight focus on such tasks, with exactly the right attachments included for the job.
Key among these is the flexible hose extension, often left off the list of accessories in cordless models. This helps the Blade 4 access tricky areas in cars and household furnishings that a rigid handheld unit might struggle to reach. It also comes with a mini motorised head tool, which uses a spinning roller brush to agitate the hair off soft furnishings, just like the main floor head does on carpet.
Even if you don’t have pets, the mini motorised tool is great for cleaning stairs, although you can also get the standard Blade 4 without these extras for less money.
Read our full Vax Blade 4 Pet & Car review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 240 x 185 x 1,140mm; Weight: 3.1kg; Bin capacity: 0.6l; Runtime: 45mins; Warranty: 3yr
7. Dyson Micro 1.5kg: The best lightweight cordless
Price: £300 | Buy now from John Lewis 
Dyson has a broad range of cordless vacuums to choose from but, if you’re looking for something small and compact, the Dyson Micro 1.5kg lives up to its name. The vacuum can operate in either handheld or hard-floor modes and weighs 1.5kg at its heaviest, which is when it has its soft roller motorised floor head and extension pole attached. In handheld mode, with one of the other attachments clipped straight into the vacuum cleaner, it weighs less than a kilogram.
Unfortunately, this is not a vacuum that’s designed to tackle large carpeted areas but, if you’re mostly cleaning a modest area of hard floor, you can expect it to clean as well as Dyson’s more expensive models. Because of its smaller size, however, you’ll need to empty its 200ml collection bin and recharge its battery a little more often than you might with a larger model.
Read our full Dyson Micro 1.5kg review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 207 x 220 x 1,200mm; Weight: 1.5kg; Bin capacity: 200ml; Vacuum type: Cordless stick; Bagless: Yes; Stated suction power (AW): 50
8. AEG QX9: The best cordless stick/handheld hybrid
Price: £324 | Buy now from AEG 
The AEG QX9 is an unusual cordless stick vacuum: instead of a stick with the motor at the handle and a motor head attached to the bottom, it’s made up of an alloy frame with a space in the middle where the vacuum resides. This part can be removed to be used for small jobs such as the stairs or the inside of your car and replaced when you simply need to vacuum your carpets.
In stick form, the AEG QX9 is easy to manoeuvre, has great battery life and cleans well. It can’t quite match the most powerful cordless vacuums on the market for cleaning power but it did well in our tests, and it also comes with anti-hair wrap tech so you don’t need to get your hands dirty removing tangles.
Read our full AEG QX9 review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 256 x 132 x 1,102mm; Weight: 2.8kg; Bin capacity: 0.3l; Vacuum type: Cordless stick/handheld; Bagless: Yes; Suction power: 30W
9. Shark ICZ300UKT: The best cordless upright
Price: £426 | Buy now from Amazon 
Anyone looking for something with a bit more power than a cordless stick should seriously consider the Shark ICZ300UKT. It has many of the benefits of a cordless stick but it’s heavier duty and configured for more serious work. Unlike most cordless vacuums, it can also stand up by itself, so you don’t have to keep finding somewhere to lay it down or prop it up.
Although it’s heavier than many cordless alternatives, all the weight is kept at the bottom, near Shark’s useful multi-surface DuoClean floor head, so it’s not cumbersome to push around. When required, the floor head can be disconnected and the body lifted away ready to tackle stairs, mattresses and upholstery or to reach dust and dirt in high places.
Read our full Shark ICZ300UKT review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 260 x 250 x 1,080mm; Weight: 6.2kg; Bin capacity: 0.6l; Vacuum type: Cordless upright; Bagless: Yes
![Image of Shark Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner [ICZ300UKT] 60 Minute Run Time*, Pet Tool, Anti Hair Wrap, PowerFins, Powered Lift-Away, Blue](jpg/31r9k2mzkhl._sl160_.jpg "Image of Shark Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner [ICZ300UKT] 60 Minute Run Time*, Pet Tool, Anti Hair Wrap, PowerFins, Powered Lift-Away, Blue")
10. Dyson Omni-glide: The best cordless vacuum cleaner for hard floor
Price: £350 | Buy now from Dyson 
Where most of Dyson’s cordless vacuum cleaners follow a familiar design, the Omni-glide is something different. With a tiny bin and low suction power, the specification doesn’t look that great, but by introducing an incredible new type of motorised floor head, Dyson has created a cordless vacuum cleaner that’s perfect for small flats with hard floor throughout.
The cleaning action has to be experienced to be believed. The vacuum glides around your floor like a hovercraft, with a unique joint between the handle and the floor head that lets you spin and rotate the vacuum into the tightest places.
It’s not kitted out to cover much more carpet than the occasional small rug (using the supplied small carpet head), but if that suits your lifestyle the Omni-glide is an excellent vacuum that’s very good at its specialist subject.
Read our full Dyson Omni-glide review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 206 x 91 x 1,077mm; Weight: 1.9kg; Bin capacity: 0.2l; Runtime: 20mins; Warranty: 2yr RTB
11. Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity: The best vacuum cleaner for bundled accessories
Price: £229 | Buy now from Eufy 
A vacuum cleaner is more than just a sum of its parts, but the contents of the Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity’s box is particularly impressive. Chief among these is its second detachable battery, effectively doubling the length of time you’ve got before you hang the cleaner back in its wall mount and wait for it to recharge. It also comes with a good selection of add-ons that other cleaners only offer as optional extras, such as an extendable bendy tube for getting the crevice tool into difficult corners and a small motor-powered floorhead that’s ideal for stairs.
The vacuum also impresses with its lightness and manoeuvrability. It glides across carpet and hard floors alike, easily twisting around corners and under furniture. It has powerful suction but we did find that larger particles got stuck in the tube in our testing.
Read our full Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 220 x 260 x 1,250mm; Weight: 1.5kg; Bin capacity: 650ml; Battery power: 30V; Runtime: 40mins per battery (two supplied) ; Stated suction power (AW): 180; Warranty: 2yr
12. Numatic Henry Quick: The best cordless vacuum for no-mess emptying
Price: £299 | Buy now from Amazon 
You might be more used to seeing the cheery face of Henry on Numatic’s iconic barrel-shaped vacuum cleaner, but it also adorns this cordless stick. As with most sticks, the Henry Quick can be operated as a handheld, or connected to its floor head with an extension wand.
The main difference between the Henry Quick and most of its rivals is that it uses a bag to collect the dirt. These 1 litre Henry Pods slot into the collection bin and work as the filter, helping to keep both the vacuum cleaner and the air around you clean, as well as giving you as-new performance with each replacement Pod. When it’s full, it can be ejected from the vacuum straight into the bin, avoiding the dusty cloud often created by bagless vacuums.
At £299, it’s more affordable than many cordless sticks and comes with 26 Pods – enough to last perhaps a year or so, depending on how dirty your house gets – though it doesn’t come with any fancy accessories, like an anti-hair detangler or a soft floor roller. And, if red’s not your colour, it’s also available in graphite grey and as the pink Hetty Quick.
Read our full Henry Quick review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 240 x 270 x 1,220mm; Weight: 3.2kg; Bin capacity: 1l; Battery power: 25.2V; Runtime: 60mins; Warranty: 2yr
13. Roidmi RS70: The best vacuum/mop hybrid
Price: £658 | Buy now from Amazon 
Plenty of robot vacuum cleaners come with a mop attachment but it’s much less common to see them on cordless sticks. Unless, that is, it’s a Roidmi.
The top-of-the-range Roidmi RS70 comes with two heads. The first is a regular vacuum head with a soft brush bar that’s best for cleaning hard floors (although it does have lines of bristles for agitating short-pile carpet). The second is a mop head with two cloth pads that rotate at 200rpm. These are kept dampened with a small reservoir you can fill with tap water, and they do a good job of lifting light stains and other problems that vacuuming alone can’t tackle.
Overall it’s quite pricey, but the RS70 makes a great choice for anyone living in a house with mostly hard flooring.
Read our full Roidmi RS70 review for more details
Key specs – Dimensions (WDH): 254 x 152 x 1,219mm; Weight: 2.7kg; Bin capacity: 0.55l; Battery power: 28.8V; Runtime: 80mins; Warranty: 2yr RTB
