Small in size and able to dust bust any time you want, the best handheld vacuum cleaners will prove invaluable if you like crumb-free upholstery. You wouldn’t think twice about vacuuming and cleaning your house every week, so we believe your car should be shown the same level of appreciation, especially when it’ll often be a lot smaller than your home. It’s for this reason, we’re looking at the best handheld vacuum cleaners for car care.
Of course, lugging your household vacuum cleaner in and out the front door can become a laborious task and impractical, depending on the proximity of your house to your regular parking spot.
Household vacuums, cordless machines or not, can be noisy and heavy, so we recommend opting for a lighter and more portable option or a great carpet cleaning model instead. Handheld hoovers are great for every job, from the top-up once-overs to the really deep cleans. They’re light and highly wieldable, suiting them perfectly to in-car use as they can reach all the toughest spots most household vacuums can’t get to.
The best handheld vacuum cleaners at a glance:
Editor’s pick: Shark WandVac 2.0 – buy from Amazon.
Best handheld vacuum for pet hairs: Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus CH951 – buy from Amazon.
Best for car care: Eufy Clean HomeVac H20 – buy from Amazon.
Now we’ve established that handheld vacuums are a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to maintain a level of perennial tidiness in their car. We’ve also ranked our favourite corded car cleaning vacs, but if that doesn’t interest you, which handheld vacuum cleaner should you go for? There are plenty to choose from across a wide price range, so we’ve put together a list of our favourites to help you get started.
The best handheld vacuum cleaners
Editor's pick
Rrp: £179.99
Rrp: £179.99
It has a 15-minute run time and comes with a crevice and pet tool, a washable filter, and a stand to keep it on when not in use. This platform also plugs into a socket which charges your device.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Pet and crevice tool included
- Very easy to handle
Cons
- 15-minute runtime will be a boarder to many
Most powerful handheld vacuum
With its power brush, dusting brush and crevice tool – all of which come as standard – this vacuum is very well suited to car and upholstery care. Thanks to the crevice tool, even the tightest areas of any boot or footwell can easily be maintained on a regular basis, while the built-in light allows users to monitor where and what they're picking up. Once the onboard bin has been filled, the debris can be easily disposed of thanks to a simple latch.
Pros
- Solid runtime
- Perfect for cleaning dirty cars
Cons
- Optional car care kit isn't worth the cash
Best budget handheld vacuum
Rrp: £62.50
Rrp: £62.50
It may not use the highest quality parts, but it does include two filters, an LED light for clearing footwells and several attachments to tackle different vacuuming duties. The included brush and crevice tool will make light work of upholstery and deep pockets.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Decent run time
Cons
- Not the most sophisticated
Best handheld vacuum cleaner for car jobs
The brush head and extendable nozzle are useful for car care, but the standout feature is the flexible crevice nozzle that allows access to the tightest of spaces. It even includes a 12V power socket, ensuring it can be charged up on the go.
Pros
- Perfect for in-car cleaning
- Excellent packaging
- Very light
Cons
- Not the most powerful motor
- Not everyone has a USB-C
Best handheld vacuum for pet hairs
It comes with a washable filter, a 10.8V battery, and an easy-release dirt/dust ejector, which doesn't allow your hands to get dirty. It is alleged however, that it's not delivered with a UK charging plug, so have an adaptor ready before you buy.
Pros
- Good qualty vacuum
- Powerful suction including on pet hairs
- Useful attachments included
Cons
- UK plug adaptor needed
Best mid-range handheld vacuum
The only downside however, is you might need a UK adaptor plug in order to charge it. Users have reported it was delivered with a two-pin EU socket, which isn't ideal.
Pros
- Powerful battery and motor
- Comes with long crevice attachments
- Good build quality
Cons
- UK adaptor plug may be needed
- Bulky compared to others
Best for a quick clean
It has a 15-minute run time, weighs just 1.3kg, and comes with a 10.8V battery which is powerful enough for its size and price point.
Pros
- Good value
- Light and easy to hold
- Powerful enough
Cons
- Quality isn't as on-par as the others
- 15-minute runtime isn't the best
The best handheld vacuum cleaners FAQs
Which vacuum cleaner is right for me?
There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to vacuum cleaners, so we recommend considering what your intended purpose will be for your new vac and where it will be used. We’ve already ranked some of our favourite wet and dry vacs with multiuse capabilities, but as far as simple handheld vacs go, it all depends on how powerful you want your vac to be.
Some of the bigger handheld vacs, such as the Gtech Multi MK2 K9, are great for getting up every last crumb of dirt, but they come at a premium, and they’re harder to wield. Conversely, some of the smaller vacs are easy to use, but you may find yourself seeking more performance.
Be sure to check out our group test of the best vacuums for car cleaning as we put some of our favourite models through their paces.
The best brands for handheld vacuum cleaners?
There are few if any, brands producing handheld vacs specifically for car care, but luckily, there are still plenty on the market designed for wider applications that’ll do just fine. Look out for some great examples from Bosch, Gtech and Black and Decker.
Aaron Hussain is a commercial content writer at Bauer Media writing for Parkers and CAR. He is obsessed with classic cars and anything with a fascinating story to tell.
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