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The best cordless vacuum cleaner for easy car care

  • Handy handhelds for your car
  • The best cordless vacuums you can buy
  • Each broken down to help you make a smart buy

Written by Myles Warwood Published: 4 April 2023 Updated: 22 September 2023

Once you’ve done with the outside of the car, it’s time to delve into the inside. A good vacuum cleaner will go a long way toward making your vehicle look in great nick. Let’s be fair; no one wants to sit inside a messy car for too long, do they?

If you’re a parent, a handheld vacuum for a quick spruce-up in the back can help stave off the PTSD after the last time you left it too long. With biscuit crumbs and smashed-up crisps finding their way into the carpet piles, they’ll only worsen with time. You might need it if you’ve let it go too long and yoghurt dollops and fruit juice are soaked into the fabric. But if you’ve just lifted the car seat and don’t want to dwell too long on the ‘what is that?’ then a handheld vacuum is all you need.

Parkers have been there and hoovered out many cars over the years, and we realise there isn’t always one vacuum to rule them all. However, there can be different jobs to which each vacuum is suited. We know there is a time and a place for a corded vacuum and the power and endless running benefits of these. But let’s get into those handhelds when you are short on time.

The best cordless vacuum cleaners

Best handheld cordless vacuum cleaner

Price: £169.99
Alternative Retailers
AO.com
£169.00
Robert Dyas
£169.99
Argos
£170.00
This handheld cordless vacuum cleaner from Gtech packs a punch. Few handheld vacuum cleaners are better for your car than this one. The lightweight design is packed with features like an LED indicator to let you know how much battery life is left. An attachable nozzle enables you to get into those hard-to-reach areas.

Read our full Gtech Multi MK2 K9 review.

Pros

  • Ideally suited to in-car use
  • Multiple attachments and an LED light or convenience
  • Powerful suction

Cons

  • Small capacity
Weight: 1.5kg
Voltage: 22 Volts
Capacity: 0.4 litres
Runtime: 20 minutes

Best cordless vacuum cleaner for versatility

Price: £189.00
Alternative Retailers
AO.com
£249.00
Very
£249.00
John Lewis & Partners
£249.99
JD Williams
£249.99
If you have a dog, this one might help keep everything at bay without your vacuum head clogging up with hair. While it is the most expensive on the list, Shark is a very well-respected name, fast overtaking other rivals and being very competitive. With various attachments, powerful suction and a run time of up to 40 minutes, it’s a good buy if it’s within your budget.

Pros

  • Recognised brand
  • Good suction
  • Long run time

Cons

  • Loudest on the list at 80dB
Weight: 4.74kg
Voltage: ‎25.2 Volts
Capacity: 0.7 litres
Runtime: 40 minutes

Best cordless vacuum cleaner for dust-busting

Price: £34.95
Alternative Retailers
JD Williams
£39.99
Argos
£40.00
Hughes
£40.00
With a built-in crevice tool, this Vax Gator Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is perfect for your seats and in other tricky to get to places. This little whizz will give you 15 minutes of run time, just enough to get a surface clean done, not for a deep clean in the footwell carpets, but you’ll get the job done.

Pros

  • Compact
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Short run time
Weight: 1.24 kg
Voltage: 10.8 Volts
Capacity: 0.3 litres
Runtime: 15 minutes

Best budget cordless vacuum cleaner for versatility

With three adjustable modes affecting the battery life, the Proscenic i10 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is the most adjustable vacuum cleaner on the list. While it’s also heavy, at 4kg, it packs an almighty punch at 380 watts and has a run time, depending on how it’s being used, of up to 50 minutes and a minimum of 15 minutes if you use its most powerful setting.

Pros

  • Super long run time
  • Different settings
  • Powerful suction

Cons

  • Not many at this price point
Weight: ‎4kg
Voltage: 22 Volts
Capacity: 0.65 litres
Runtime: 15 – 50 minutes

Best cordless vacuum cleaner for battery life

Rrp: £129.99

Price: £119.00
Alternative Retailers
Electrical Discount
£119.00
Hughes
£119.00
JD Williams
£119.99
Argos
£120.00
Hoover by name, hoover by design – run time is up on this one to a whopping 25 minutes, which should be more than enough to get the dust out of your car and even give your carpets a quick spruce too. That extra battery comes in at a higher weight, though, at a nudge over 4kg, you might not want it to run for more than 25 minutes. This is the single battery option, so you must recharge once it’s done.

Pros

  • Good run time
  • Nice-sized capacity bin
  • Different cleaning head attachments

Cons

  • A bit heavy
Weight: 4.04 kg
Voltage: ‎22 Volts
Capacity: 1-litre
Runtime: 25 minutes

Best lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner on a budget

Price: £22.00
Alternative Retailers
Very
£24.00
Ryman
£28.99
Robert Dyas
£28.99
Lightweight and easy to use, it won’t add too much pressure to your lower back as you vacuum up crumbs. It’s not the best for collecting footwell carpet crumbs, but the Black + Decker handheld lightweight vacuum will easily handle seats.

Pros

  • Great value
  • Lightweight
  • Okay runtime

Cons

  • Other models may offer better performance
Weight: 610g
Voltage: 22 Volts
Capacity: 325 Millilitres
Runtime: 12 minutes

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