Best cordless vacuum cleaners of 2024 in UK – our top 7 stick vacuums after testing dozens (2024)

The best cordless vacuum cleaners today are just as powerful as their corded counterparts, delivering outstanding cleaning power and ease of use in every manoeuvre to effectively banish dust and dirt in your home.

No longer are cordless vacuums something to scoff at, as they've had some serious upgrades throughout the years that in some cases, have even made a select few rank as top-rated choices as the best vacuum cleaners on the market as a whole.

While cord-free vacs are sometimes not quite as powerful as corded models, they more than compensate for this in lightweight design, attachment selection, and convenient use.

Coinciding with the shift in modern living, we're seeing more and more people looking to invest in cordless vacuums as they allow for the freedom and flexibility to clean your home untethered from a plug socket. However, with so many models out there, it can be a daunting task to sift through and figure out which ones are worth your time.

To make investing in the best cordless vacuum for your budget a little easier, we've tested every single choice you can see in this guide and highlighted which ones are the best value for money.

Better yet, a number of our top 7 come in at £300 or under if you want the convenience of cordlessness for less – you'll be able to tell them from their 'Budget Buy' badges.

As part of our review process, these vacuums have been put to work on hard floors and carpets, often for months at a time, before we come to a verdict on suction power, ease of use and adaptability to homes with pet hair and other obstacles we encounter in day-to-day living.

Keep reading to find out which cordless vacuum cleaners left an impression on the Ideal Home team, earning them the title of cleaning appliances we couldn't be without.

Quick list

Best cordless vacuum cleaners – tried and tested

Best overall cordless vacuum cleaner

The Shark Stratos range was released in 2022 and goes further than other vacuums to make debris and dust pick-up as seamless as possible. This particular cordless Stratos showed unbelievable suction power during testing, and left carpets visibly cleaner, with no issues with pet hair or human hair. Gone are the days of lengthy maintenance with the Stratos too, with easy-to-clean mechanisms that you'll be unbelievably grateful for.

Our verdict
There's no doubt that our testing process proved that the Shark Stratos is worth the large price tag. Even if you don't have pets, the ease with which this vacuum does away with hair is astounding, and our Ecommerce Editor Molly found that it was unmatched when it came to suction.

The capacity of this vacuum to transform into a smaller handheld model is also phenomenal, and you'll be reaching for the smaller attachments all the time to quickly resolve smaller messes all over your home. One non-essential that we are obsessed with is the anti-odour capsules that you can pop into the dustbin. These mean that there are no more musty smells when you're emptying your vac.

Value for money
You can fork out more for the two-battery Shark Stratos model if you think you need a spare pack on charge while the other is in use, but it's not a necessity if you live in a small or medium-sized home. All in all, this is admittedly a pricier vacuum, but if you can afford it, we're sure it will impress you time and time again.

Our Shark Stratos IZ420UKT cordless vacuum review has the full details.

Best budget cordless vacuum

If you're debating buying a new cordless vac, it wouldn't be a surprise if VAX was a brand near the top of your list. We think they deliver consistently great vacuums, which is why we've replaced the Blade 4 in this list with the Blade 5, which has a good number of improvements on its predecessor.

Our verdict
The suction power on the Blade 5 is brilliant, and the oversized floorhead means that you'll be done with swooping around your house or flat in a quick time.

Even better, with the Vax Blade 5 you get access to two batteries, which means you should get up to 90 minutes of charge, and you'll never be without your sturdy Vax vac when you need it.The Blade 5 is admittedly a little heavier than its predecessor, but it is brimming with great accessories and comes with a wall mount too, so that storage is straightforward.

Value for money
Both the Vax Blade 4 and the 5 get the great value seal of approval from us - stick with the former if you're on a tight budget, and enjoy the features that come with the upgrade if you can stretch to the ££ of the latter.While the RRP of the Vax Blade 5 looks quite daunting, you can regularly find it on sale for much, much less, which is why we think it's a great choice to look out for if you're on a budget.

Best cordless vacuum for pets

The Miele Triflex HX2 Vacuum Cleaner is the most pet-friendly cordless vacuum cleaner we've tried, with a powerful motor to help you banish hair and dirt from your favourite four-legged friends.

Our verdict
One drawback with this vacuum is that it's pretty top-heavy, making it harder to manoeuvre than it might need to be. Cleverly you can move the position of the dustbin around to give it more balance, but it's not great at standing up on its own. It's also trickier than it should be to empty the dustbin, which will become annoying pretty quickly if you're cleaning a large space.

Value for money
It's a flexible model, with a great reach to get to every corner of your home and 60 minutes of runtime, so that you can adequately cover all the ground that you need it to. It's also got an auto-adjustment feature, which means that it'll sense the kind of ground it's covering, and amp up the power accordingly.

It's extremely pricey at near the £800 mark, but the quality of the materials is excellent, and it feels like this is a vacuum that'll help you clean up after your pets for a good few years at the very least.

Best cordless vacuum under £250

This vacuum is the next chapter in Henry's huge history of influence in cleaning in the UK. With a cordless stick design for the first time, the Henry Quick holds on to all of the iconic branding quirks that we love while packing in respectable suction power and a lightweight design to make your vacuuming routine easier.

Our verdict
During testing, our Ecommerce Editor Molly found this vacuum to be a super reliable choice. The design was endearing and impressive and will speak to fans of the usual happy-faced Henry vacs that we all know and love. Standout features included just how easy this was vacuum to use, with a two-button control panel, and LED lights that help with cleaning in the evenings. If you love Henry but are a little apprehensive about making the move to a cordless model, this vacuum is a great place to start.

One thing that sets Henry Quick apart from other vacuums on this list is the use of dust bags. You receive 26 of these bags with your Henry and using them most definitely cuts back on dust clouds upon emptying and means you can go longer without needing to empty at all. Allergy sufferers who want to use a cordless vacuum will massively benefit from this type of design, but repurchasing dust bags in the future may not be for everyone.

Value for money
Henry vacuums tend to be very reliable workhorses, and with an RRP of £300 (but easy to find for closer to the £250 mark), you're onto a winner if you want to invest for the long term. The fact that the Quick uses a bagged system may also be a win when it comes to durability, as it means that your vacuum's parts stay cleaner on a day-to-day basis.

Our NUMATIC Henry Quick cordless vacuum review has the full details.

Best cordless vacuum under £300

The Hoover HF9 doesn't have the lowest RRP of the bunch here, but you can almost always find it on sale for under £300 - and it's a great workhorse for that price. With a design that's pretty similar to high-end brands but without the flourish of high-tech features, it's a solid buy for family homes.

Our verdict
One of the best things our Ecommerce Editor found during testing was the strong suction, which was favourable on hard floors as well as carpets. And, if you turn the controls up to Turbo, you've got a whole new level of power to work with to banish pet hair, dust and all other sorts of gross stuff.

Ok, so it's not quite at Dyson levels when it comes to high-tech features - no lasers or Piezo sensors in sight - but it is a strong, reliable choice for vacuuming. It's pretty strong when it comes to charging too, with 30 minutes to work with.

Value for money
It can be tricky to know how much to spend on a cordless vacuum, but if you can pick up the HF9 on sale for around the £240 mark, then you will most definitely get your use out of it in just a couple of years. If this is going to be a supplementary cordless number to ease pressure on your main vacuum, or maybe your first vacuum since you've moved out of your parent's house, it's a great find.

Our Hoover HF9 Cordless Vacuum review has the full details.

Best cordless vacuum for carpet

We know it looks like many of Shark's upright vacuum cleaners, but the Shark ICZ300UKT Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Upright Vacuum Cleaner is completely cordless, with all the power we're used to seeing on plug-in alternatives. It's got a front-facing dustbin that's connected to the filter and battery, and you can lift this away to remove the cleaning unit from the stick and carry the vacuum up the stairs or out to the car.

Our verdict
For a cordless vacuum, the power available to you is astounding. It was brilliant on pet hair when our reviewer Millie put it to the test, and while it's one of the heaviest options on the market, it was up to heavy-duty work and rivalled a corded vacuum in cleaning up the whole home. Millie found the control panel easy to toggle and reported that even the eco power mode, which is the lowest of the three settings, was plenty on tiled floors.

The brush head here is a little clunky and it lacks the nimble motions of stick vacuums, but if you want a cordless vacuum cleaner to stay on top of a busy home with different floor types, you'll love how easily you can switch between hard and soft floors with the touch of a button with this vac.

Value for money
Another pricier option from Shark - but if you're looking for maximum power because you're just going to have one vacuum in the house, then it's worth stretching to the extra expense.

Our Shark ICZ300UKT cordless vacuum review has the full details.

Best cordless vacuum and mop

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine was easily one of our most anticipated products, and best believe we were extremely impressed to find that it exceeded our expectations and more. Combing vacuuming and mopping, this 2-in-1 innovation is a jack of all trades but has truly mastered both traits well.

Our verdict
Dyson has never failed to deliver quality and power with their floorcare products, and this vacuum and mop combo is no different. Our Ecommerce Editor, Molly, has always found mopping in its current form extremely inefficient but after using the Submarine floorhead, has been converted because of just how easy it is to stay on top of everyday cleaning without all the fuss. It's super easy to switch heads, too.

Of course, Dyson's cutting-edge features also streamline the vacuuming experience, making cleaning hard floors in particular a joy thanks to the fantastic laser floorhead that scouts every bit of dust and debris.

Value for money
If you've had a Dyson on your wish list for a while now, we think it's definitely worth paying the extra to add the Submarine floorhead to your purchase. The vacuuming power is just as prominent, even in this vacuum and mop dual-design, making it a top contender as one of the best cordless vacuums money can buy.

Our Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review has the full details.

How we test cordless vacuums

At Ideal Home, we know how important it is to have hands-on experience with the products we recommend to you in our buying guides. That's why, as part of our testing protocol, we've tested every vacuum in this guide for at least two weeks (and at times up to two months) before deciding on why you should buy it for your home. Our in-depth explainer on how we test vacuum cleaners has the full details.

To get to that verdict, we put these vacuums up against various challenges, from everyday dirt and debris to scattered cereals and pet hair, so you know exactly what you will be getting from the model you choose.

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As well as allowing us to test out the suction, power and various features of this vacuum, we believe testing at home gives us the best chance of seeing how these picks fare in everyday life. Learning how easy these vacuums are to store, clean and use gives us a true idea of what it will be like for you to buy.

FAQs

When is the best time to buy a cordless vacuum?

You can find cordless vacuums on sale during every month of the year, but there's one period that's more advantageous than any other if you want to get a really great price on this cleaning must-have.

Yep, we're talking Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, which always fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US. Now this shopping event is huge on this side of the pond too, and last year we saw cordless vacuums start to benefit from discounts from the start of November. Our cordless vacuum deals page is always up to date with the best deals, including the best Boxing Day and January sales prices.

Another good time to shop is on Amazon Prime Day, which in recent years has become a twice-yearly phenomenon, in July and early October. We have no intel yet on when the next event will be, but if you're a Prime member then it's a great time to score money off on a top-rated cordless vacuum.

Do vacuums go on sale for Black Friday?

Yep! We've been covering sales at Ideal Home for years now and can confidently say that big-time discounting happens on vacuums during the November sales period. Last year saw discounts from Shark, Dyson, Vax and more, so it's most definitely a good time to save up and spend.

What are the different types of cordless vacuum?

• Stick vacuum cleanersare handhelds that you add a wand to, to extend the reach – then add a brush head to clean floors or a smaller tool for cobwebs and other hard-to-reach spots. They’re fast, manoeuvrable and good for getting under furniture. But the weight is all in your hand, which can be tiring after a while. They often can’t stand up by themselves if you want to pause to move something.
• 2-in-1 upright vacuum cleanerslook more like traditional upright vacuum cleaners. The weight is fairly low down, but the middle section pops out and doubles as a handheld cleaner for small stuff. Often the upright’s handle also pops off and doubles as a wand, giving the handheld extra reach for high-up stuff like cobwebs.

How much should I spend on a cordless vacuum?

Budget around £150 for a good-quality cordless with decent cleaning power. But you can spend more than three times as much on premium models. More money can buy you powerful suction, longer battery life or better tools.

Some of the best cordless vacuums we tested came in at the £250 mark. If you can afford it though, it's worth spending the extra money. More power and longer battery lives will pay off in the long-run, and the convenience of a cordless vacuum won't be outweighed by limited power.

Bagged vs bagless vacuum cleaners: which is better?

It's a tricky choice. On the one hand, bagless vacuums reduce the environmental impact and the expense of buying vacuum bags, only to throw them away. However, removing dirt from a bagless vacuum isn't without its challenges. Hair can get wrapped around the filter and you'll likely let off a bit of a dust cloud. Of course, brands like Dyson are constantly developing solutions to this. The new Dyson range has ejector technology that makes emptying the dustbin completely hands-free. For this tech though, you will have to pay a little more.

After extensive testing, we think these are the best cordless vacuums currently available on the market and will make your cleaning schedule much easier to manage. From storage to accessories, we guarantee there's bound to be an option in this list to suit your needs and be the ideal fit for your home.