The top products for keeping your interior spick and span
Investing in a car vacuum cleaner is a great way of getting rid of all the hard-to-reach dirt and debris that accumulates when you spend many hours at the wheel, while saving the time and money you’d have to spend getting the vehicle valeted.
Looking after your car’s cleanliness is an effective way to maintain its value and avoid long-term damage caused by build-ups of mud, grit and leaves. And making your car look as good as new is easier and more convenient than ever when you can just grab the car vacuum cleaner and get it done in a few minutes.
With the latest handheld technology from home appliance powerhouses such as Dyson, Bosch, Vax and Shark, you no longer need to worry about finding a socket to plug in your vacuum or a place to store it when it’s not in use. Many car vacuum cleaners are now cordless, lightweight, powerful and stylish.
No matter what requirements you have, you can easily buy a new car vacuum cleaner online: Amazon, John Lewis, Currys, Argos and Halfords all have great selections.
That means the number of options available can be overwhelming, so we’ve rounded up the best products you can buy right now. Read on for our pick of the best car vacuum cleaners for 2022.
1. Dyson V8 Animal Vacuum Cleaner
- Dyson V8 Animal Cord Free Vacuum Cleaner, Iron/Titanium, £329.99 from John Lewis — buy here
The brand name Dyson comes with a big price tag, but it does have the quality to back it up. The Dyson V8 Animal Cord Free Vacuum is powerful and versatile: it can be used for both the house and the car, and it’s engineered to take care of pet hair and dirt. What’s more, its “fade-free” battery can provide up to 40 minutes of suction before needing a charge.
You can quickly turn it into a handheld car vacuum cleaner and clean out tight spaces using the motorised brush bar that comes with it.
This product has rave reviews on John Lewis, Amazon and the Dyson website, with customers reporting that the admittedly high cost is worth it.
2. Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Vacuum Cleaner
- Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Vacuum Cleaner, £379 from ao.com — buy here
Like the V8, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal vacuum cleaner is good for both the house and the car, and a blessing for pet owners. Though it has an even higher price tag, it’s more powerful and durable than the V8, and the “fade-free” suction can last up to 60 minutes. It also comes with a wall-mounted dock for recharging.
Easily transformed into a handheld car vacuum cleaner, the Dyson Cyclone V10 comes with a variety of tools that will help car owners clean the tightest spaces and the narrowest of corners. It even has a soft dusting brush for vacuum-assisted dusting.
3. Bosch Unlimited Serie 8 Gen 2 BSC122GB ProHome Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Bosch Unlimited Serie 8 Gen 2 Cordless and Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner, £399.99 from Amazon — buy here
This Bosch Unlimited vacuum cleaner is another versatile, top-quality product that allows you to deep clean both your home and your car thanks to its selection of cleaning accessories. When you purchase this vacuum cleaner, you will receive two exchangeable battery packs and a quick charger, so your vacuum cleaner doesn’t have to be out of action when a battery runs out of charge. It’s also very quiet, even when using turbo mode.
Essentially a stick vacuum, you can change the nozzle to make it more suitable for cleaning your car, though a drawback is that it doesn’t have a small powered brush bar for tight spaces. Plus, the price might make you think twice — even the Dysons are more affordable — but its swappable batteries are a major advantage.
4. Gtech Multi MK2 K9 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
- Gtech Multi MK2 K9 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, £169.99 from Gtech — buy here
This Gtech handheld vacuum cleaner is a great option for car and caravan cleaning because of its compact design (it’s only around 1.5kg).
It’s made to deal with pet hair in places that are hard to reach with your hand, and while it looks small, it comes with lots of brushes and nozzles that allow you to clean pretty much anything. For example, you’ll get a 36cm long extension tube that lets you dust higher up and lower down without hurting your body.
5. Philips SpeedPro Max Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
- Philips SpeedPro Max Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, £420 from Amazon — buy here
This cordless vacuum cleaner from Philips is even pricier, but too powerful to ignore. It should leave you impressed with its fast cleaning experience, long battery time (up to 65 minutes), built-in brushes, and LED lights.
The superior airflow means the suction is stronger, and it works well on hard floors and carpets. If you have a high budget and want to invest in a home and car vacuum cleaner that will last, this product should be on your shortlist.
6. Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner with Motorised Pet Tool, £189 from Currys — buy here
If you have pets, you’ll want to get your hand on this Vax cordless vacuum cleaner — it’s designed to tackle tough surfaces like carpets with pet paws all over them.
Vax handheld vacuums are affordable yet highly rated by the likes of Which? for cleaning power, and we’ve found them very effective in tests. This one comes with multi surface-cleaning nozzles, including a crevice tool, mini motorised pet tool and soft dusting brush, which are perfect for cleaning your car.
7. Simply Handheld Rechargeable Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner
- Simply Handheld Cordless Vacuum for Car, Home and Pet, £34.99 from Amazon — buy here
The Simply car vacuum cleaner will get the job done at an affordable price point, with a sleek portable design and strong performance on hard surfaces.
While it falls short compared to the other vacuum cleaners listed above when it comes to battery life and versatility of nozzle attachments, the Simply design still stands out with its portability and lightweight design. It can be used continuously for 30 minutes and easily charged with a USB cable.
8. Shark Cordless Hand Vacuum Cleaner
- Shark HandVac Cordless Hand Vacuum Cleaner, £59.00 from Very — buy here
Another design to keep pet owners happy, the Shark hand vacuum cleaner is very reasonably priced for those on a budget. Yet it has the credentials to do the job well: Shark is one of the best-selling vacuum makers — it’s the number one brand in America, with a 25% market share.
While this particular compact vacuum cleaner doesn’t have the longest run time, it’s perfect for short, daily use to maintain your car. You get a number of accessories, too: a motorised pet tool, dusting brush and crevice tool.
9. Karcher WV5 Window Vac
- Karcher WV 5 Plus N Window Vac, £62.20 from Amazon — buy here
When you clean your car, don’t forget to give the windows and mirrors some love. This vacuum cleaner will leave your vehicle’s glazed areas sparkling and streak-free with its built-in spray bottle and microfibre cloth.
It’s small and handy, weighing just 0.7kg — perfect to be kept in the boot. You can also use it in your house on any smooth surfaces, including bathroom tiles.
10. Ultenic U11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Ultenic U11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, £169.99 from Amazon — buy here
No need to lean against the wall; this cordless vacuum cleaner can be charged using a free-standing charging base that can store both the vacuum cleaner and four different auxiliary brushes. And as with the other products here, the lack of cords keeps your home looking neat and tidy.
This vacuum cleaner is not small, but it’s slim, light, and powerful enough for a good car cleaning session. The battery can last up to 55 minutes according to the manufacturer.
11. Hoover H-Handy 700 Express Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
- Hoover 700 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, £69.99 from Amazon — buy here
The brand that became synonymous with vacuuming also has handheld products for cleaning your car interior, of course. Hoover’s lightweight and reasonably priced H-Handy 700 is good for a quick vacuum of your vehicle, with only a 12-minute runtime but a decent suction power of 40 air watts.
Air watts are not the only marker for cleaning ability, and some manufacturers don’t release such figures, but as a guide 15 air watts is considered the minimum for general spills while the Dyson V10 above has an impressive 150 air watts of suction power.
Its suction power is impressive given its weight: at only 660g, you can easily carry this vacuum cleaner with you in the car. It comes with a crevice tool for areas that you can’t reach without twisting your body, a dusting brush, and a furniture nozzle for car seats.
12. Proscenic S1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Proscenic S1 Handheld Vacuum Cordless, £59.00 from Amazon — buy here
With a 20-minute run time, this powerful yet lightweight and affordable cordless car vacuum cleaner is ideal for a quick and easy clean of small and medium cars.
It’s even lighter than the Hoover — only 630g — and can be charged in the stand or with a USB cable. It comes with two extra nozzles: a crevice nozzle and brush nozzle.
13. Ryobi 18V One+ Hand Vac vacuum cleaner
- Ryobi R18HV-0 One Plus Cordless Hand Vac, £37.99 from Amazon — buy here
This cordless handheld vacuum is designed to clean dry materials, which is just perfect for keeping your car as good as new.
It comes with a crevice tool to reach higher up or lower down areas, and uses the Ryobi One+ battery that can be used in other Ryobi tools, such as gardening equipment and drills.
The downside? You need to buy the battery and charger separately.
What to look for when buying a car vacuum cleaner
When you shop for the best car vacuum cleaner, you might be overwhelmed by the options out there. So there are a few things you should keep in mind: battery life and charge time, size and weight, cord or cordless, suction power, dust capacity, the attachments and their functionalities, and your budget.
There are many impressive car vacuum cleaners out there, but the right one for you is the one that meets your cleaning needs at the price you can afford.
Think about the size of your car, how often you use it, what you need to clean, how often you want to clean it, whether you want to use the vacuum cleaner for your home too, and decide what your non-negotiable requirements are.
As you’ll likely use your car vacuum cleaner frequently for a long time, it’s worth investing in a high-quality one that will stand the test of time and repeated use. If you buy a cheap one and it ends up breaking or not doing its job well, you’ll waste even more money. It’s worth doing your research before committing to one.
Where to buy a car vacuum cleaner
There are many places where you can buy the best car vacuum cleaner for you. You can buy one online from Amazon, John Lewis and Halfords, or you can also go directly to the supermarkets that retail vacuum cleaners such as Asda and Tesco.
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