Best handheld vacuum cleaners – our top 6, reviewed

Most people underestimate the transformative power of a handheld vacuum, which is something I want to change. After all, with one of the best handheld vacuum cleaners at your disposal, you can quickly clean up small spills, unexpected messes, and the smaller nooks and crannies of your home.

Of course, many of the best vacuum cleaners and best cordless vacuum cleaners on the market today are indeed multi-purpose, giving you the option to convert them into a handheld mode. Still, they can’t compete with handheld offerings specifically designed for this purpose – especially when wires get in the way, their heaviness makes vacuuming stairs difficult and they’re just not equipped to clean a car. That’s where a handheld vacuum cleaner can step up to the plate.

So, to help you decide on the best handheld vacuum for your needs, we’ve put models from big-hitting brands like Shark, Gtech, and Beldray through their paces inside the home and the car. We evaluated these handheld and wand vacs based on their size, suction power, cleaning capabilities, and affordability and have compiled a list of what we believe to be the best handheld vacuum cleaners on the market today.

Quick list

Short on time? This quick list is an overview of the very best handheld vacuums we’ve tested so far. You’ll find more information on each handheld vac and why our testers recommend it if you keep on scrolling.

Best handheld vacuum overall

There’s no denying that this Gtech handheld vacuum is an expensive, investment-level option. But at this price bracket, you get thoughtful design as well as features and accessories that you won’t see on other vacuums in this guide. So if you rely on your handheld vacuum, this is an all-rounder that’ll become an invaluable addition to your cleaning arsenal.

It only has one suction power, but the versatility comes from the accessories, including a long crevice tool that’s neatly stored in the back of the vacuum. The long brush makes easy work of reaching high cobwebs and the power brush speedily spruced up my stairs and upholstery, effectively picking up hair and debris.

Assuming the power brush drains the battery faster than any other accessory, I timed the battery life when using this tool and it lasted 22 ½ minutes. Of all the vacuums in this guide, the range of accessories made this the most effective at cleaning all around my car.

The suction is powerful and the scented cartridges leave a fresh smell in their wake. The downside is that it can feel a tad heavy after prolonged use, but I was willing to put up with that for the great results.

Read our Gtech AirRAM Platinum review for more detail.

Best handheld vacuum for mess-free emptying

Despite being the second most expensive option on this list, this Shark vacuum has the lowest run time, the battery lasted around 8 ½ minutes during testing. This doesn’t matter for quick clean ups, but for lengthy tasks like cleaning the car, it’s frustrating.

One of my favourite features of this vacuum is that it empties at the touch of a button, flipping the dirt directly into the bin. It’s the only vacuum on this list to feature one touch dirt disposal. And though this might seem like a small point, it makes emptying quick and mess-free.

Performance is pretty good and it effectively removed dirt from my car, but it didn’t manage to collect hairs from the carpet. There’s only one power level, but nevertheless, the suction was noticeably stronger than the Beldray, Eufy, and Lakeland models lower down this list.

Overall it’s a decent handheld from a trusted vacuum cleaner brand. And while it performs well, there are much less expensive options that are very similar in style, so budget will inevitably play a part in the decision about whether to opt for this model.

Best handheld vacuum for pet hair

Those with pets will rejoice upon using this handheld from Shark, which is engineered to make cleaning up after your favourite four-legged companions much easier.

In order to adequately clean up pet messes, this vac has a fairly big dust tank (0.45 litres), though it is somewhat limited by it’s short run time, which is just 10 minutes. That said, the vacuum was fine for giving the carpet and upholstery a clean after an excitable dog during our tests.

As you’d expect for a handheld with this pricetag and from Shark, this vacuum does have good, powerful suction and it’s easy to grab for cleaning up small spills.

Best mid-range handheld vacuum

The Lakeland cordless vacuum is similar in looks to both the cheaper Beldray and the more expensive Shark vacuums. There are very few points of difference except the Lakeland version offers a larger 150ml dust canister.

Meanwhile the attachments are somewhat pared back in comparison to those included with the other two since it lacks an upholstery tool and the crevice tool is short and stubby. But having said that, if you’re not planning to clean upholstery or use it for much more than a quick spruce up, you might not mind.

The battery lasted for a little over 11 minutes when I used it continuously on the stronger of the two suction levels. It’s not a handheld I’d recommend for car cleaning as the crevice tool won’t reach down the side of seats, although it worked fine to remove debris in the footwells.

Its suction is more powerful than the budget Beldray and compact Eufy models below, but not quite up there with the Shark and Gtech above, earning it the best mid-range title. Inside the house it’ll be there when you need it to pick up spills or quickly clean small areas and the affordable price tag makes it an inviting option.

Best handheld vacuum under £50

If value for money is your biggest priority in choosing a handheld model, the Beldray Wet and Dry Cordless Handheld Vacuum is as affordable as they go without losing out on too much suction power or ease of use. Better yet, the fact that it employs the dual-functionality of switching between wet and dry surfaces makes it a steal for the price.

Just as any handheld vacuum excels as being a handy tool for quickly sprucing surfaces up or being the ideal companion for cleaning up after the kids have eaten, this Beldray model works especially well for tackling crumb scatterings, minor spills, and small puddles all-in-one. But mind you, small spills are about as far as this vac will take you because the water capacity isn’t crazy generous.

During testing, we found it pretty loud when in use, but since we expect you’ll only need it for short bursts of time, it isn’t entirely unbearable. Sure, the switching between the wet and dry functions isn’t mind-blowingly fast, but at its bargain £34.99 price tag, we think you could do a lot worse.

Read our Beldray Wet and Dry Cordless Hand Vacuum review for more detail.

Other alternatives

We aim to test new handheld vacuums as often as we can, but there’s no doubt that specific handheld options are few and far between – especially when so many of the best vacuum cleaners offer handheld capabilities as standard.

That’s why it’s always worth considering a full-size vacuum cleaner that can be used as a handheld if you’re looking for one of the best handheld vacuum cleaners, too. And the following vacuum cleaners are our top-rated options for smaller cleaning jobs:

• Halo Capsule X: This cordless bagged vacuum offers a slimline design that serves as both a full-size vacuum cleaner and a handheld. The Halo Capsule X also comes with various attachments to make cleaning up spills, pet hair, or crumbs in smaller nooks and crannies a breeze. You can buy it here.
• Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute: As Dyson’s most powerful, lightweight cordless vacuum, the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute is perfectly formed to serve as a handheld vacuum. The lightweight canister is easy to move around and equally as easy to empty, and it offers attachments to use both in the home and in the car. You can buy it here.
• Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty: Shark’s latest release has been crowned the ‘best cordless vacuum’ in our guide, and our reviewer loved how high-spec it was as a full-size vacuum cleaner. However, the Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty can also be used as a handheld, where the auto-detect function will detect dust and dirt and automatically adjust its suction power. You can buy it here.
• Beko Powerclean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner: If you’re on a budget, the Beko Powerclean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner might suit you better. It’s incredibly lightweight but still powerful enough in handheld mode to clean your home – especially with the variety of attachments in tow. You can buy it here.
• Hoover HF2 Cordless Stick Pet Vacuum: While you may associate Hoover with larger vacuum cleaners, its cordless vacuum was incredibly well received by our reviewer – who found the Hoover HF2 Cordless Stick Pet Vacuum served her small home perfectly. The handheld capabilities were also fantastic, and it comes with plenty of tools. You can buy it here.

How we test handheld vacuum cleaners

At Ideal Home, we never want to recommend a product we haven’t had hands-on experience with. That’s why every product in this buying guide has been tested using our detailed and rigorous testing protocol.

We test handheld vacuums precisely the same way we’d test a vacuum cleaner, ensuring we test all of its features and capabilities for at least two weeks (and sometimes even longer) before deciding whether it’s impressive enough to earn a place in this buying guide.

To compile this guide, a selection of Ideal Home-approved and trained testers reviewed the handheld vacuums above. They tested all these handheld vacuums in their own homes as well as in their cars, where possible. In doing so, they were able to compare them in terms of handle comfort, ease of emptying, and ease of use. They also paid close attention to the accessories supplied, as these can often make or break the experience you have with a vacuum.

They timed the battery life of each one, and while vacuuming for the full life of the battery, they got a good idea of how heavy it started to feel after prolonged use. In addition to noting any annoying noise, they also tested the sound level with a decibel meter on their phones.

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With all of this information in tow disposal, they then assigned the best handheld vacuum cleaners a dedicated Ideal Home star rating. They are as follows:

5 stars – an impressive handheld vacuum that does exactly what you expect and cannot be faulted in any way. It will also receive an Ideal Home-approved badge.

4.5 stars – a high-quality, hard-working handheld vacuum, but it leaves us wishing for a bit more, so it loses that crucial half-mark. However, it will still receive an Ideal Home-approved badge.

4 stars – an impressive handheld vacuum worth your money but may need some fine-tuning before it suits every customer.

3 stars – a good handheld vacuum that works well but doesn’t blow us away with its specs or affordability. In some cases, it may also be difficult to use or too heavy.

2 stars – an affordable handheld vacuum that will suit the budget-conscious but is under-specced and lacks key features.

1 star – we would not recommend this handheld vacuum, as it is underwhelming and does not work as well as it should.

The best handheld vacuum brands

There are so many handheld vacuums on the market, and most vacuum manufacturers have at least one handheld offering. However, they’re not the only ones throwing their hats into the handheld ring. Many other companies have brought out their own range of handheld vacs, and I’ve compiled this quick list of the best handheld vacuum brands that I’d recommend after years of testing.

How to choose a handheld vacuum

Just like choosing a vacuum cleaner, choosing the right handheld vacuum for your needs can be difficult. In fact, with quite a broad spectrum in terms of price as well as capabilities, it can be tough to narrow down the selection and choose the best handheld vacuum for you. But there are a few important features you must consider.

Firstly battery life, think about whether you need the battery to last long enough to vacuum your whole car, or if you’ll just be using it for a couple of minutes here and there when the children spill things. Similarly, the dust capacity is worth considering, some have tiny dust canisters that you’ll need to empty regularly if picking up larger debris, and that’ll get annoying.

Lastly, think about how you want to use it and look at the accessories. Those that come with lots of accessories are often more versatile, but for some people all these extra tools are an unnecessary addition.

FAQs

How much should I spend on a handheld vacuum cleaner?

It’s possible to get an efficient handheld vacuum cleaner at well under the £100 mark, although you can pay twice that. The less expensive models could well fulfil all that you require of a handheld, and you can even get long running times on a single charge at this price point.

We think it’s worth paying over £100 if the handheld has features you particularly need like the excellent range of accessories available with the Gtech Multi Platinum Handheld Vacuum.

How strong should a handheld vacuum be?

You’ll find that most handheld vacuums on the market will have a suction power (measured in air watts, or AW) of around 20-60 air watts. The higher the number, the stronger the suction will be. Those with stronger suction power will generally be more expensive, too.

Ultimately, you need to decide for yourself how strong a handheld vacuum should be, as the option you choose will depend on your needs. If you just want to use a handheld vacuum for the small corners of your home that your normal vacuum cleaner won’t reach, you might not need anything too powerful.

If you want to use a handheld vacuum cleaner to vacuum pet hair, you’ll likely need something more powerful to ensure you’re picking up every strand and each speck of pet dander.

Handheld vacuums are so helpful around the house, and with this comprehensive guide to the top-rated ones, we hope cleaning up smaller messes just got a bit easier.