EVERYONE needs one but picking the right vacuum cleaner for your home can be overwhelming with so many brands and models to choose from.
From cordless and handheld to upright and cylinder, your vacuum cleaner has to suit your needs as well as the size and layout of your house.
Plus, there are tons of different features included with each model, whether it's extended battery life, extra-powerful suction or attachments to tackle hard-to-reach areas or stubborn pet hair.
We've rifled through our review archives along with researching the best models available to buy now to bring you this round-up of nine of the best vacuum cleaners to make your life easier in 2023.
Best vacuum cleaners at a glance:
- Best upright vacuum cleaner: Shark Classic Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum NZ801UK
- Best cordless vacuum cleaner: Beko PowerClean Pro
- Best robot vacuum cleaner: iRobot Roomba j7+
- Best car vacuum cleaner: Shark Cordless WV200UK
- Best cylinder vacuum cleaner: Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
- Best handheld vacuum cleaner: Shark WV251UK handheld vacuum cleaner
- Best value vacuum cleaner: HOOVER H-FREE 500 Home HF522BH Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
- Best vacuum cleaner for pet hair: Vax Air Stretch Pet CCQSASV1P1 Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
- Best lightweight vacuum cleaner: Dyson V8 Animal
Best upright vacuum cleaner: Shark Classic Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum NZ801UK
- Shark Classic Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum NZ801UK, £349 at Amazon - buy here
If you're looking for the best of both worlds, the Shark NZ801UK is an upright and portable vacuum cleaner in one.
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It doesn't come cheap but has tons of great features that make it worth the price tag - such as the anti-hair wrap tech that removes hair from the brush-roll as you clean, leaving the bristle brush-roll tangle-free.
It's extremely versatile as you can push it like a traditional upright vacuum but with a swivelling floor-head (and headlights!) for hard-to-reach spots. You can also lift off the detachable pod and still use the wand and floor-head, or use the handle with the smaller attachments.
You decide which accessories to use depending on whether you're cleaning a large floor space, stairs and sofas or even your car. Plus, the suction is really powerful and the duo clean tech means it adapts and changes the way it cleans according to the surface you're cleaning.
READ MORE:
- Best cordless vacuum cleaners
- Best robot vacuum cleaners
- Best car vacuum cleaners
- Shark NZ801UK review
- iRobot Roomba j7+ review
- Shark NZ801UKT review
- WV251UK handheld vacuum cleaner review
- Shark IZ320UKT review
Best cordless vacuum cleaner: Beko PowerClean Pro
- Beko PowerClean Pro, £379 at AO - buy here
We were impressed with the stats and performance of the Beko PowerClean, which holds up against the Dyson V11 Absolute for a fraction of the cost.
It picks up crumbs, hair and other debris effortlessly, and automatically adjusts suction power according to the surface you're cleaning - with a turbo button if you need an extra power boost.
The Beko PowerClean Pro has a 60-minute run time and a charge time of 5-6 hours - as well as an LCD screen that tells you how long you have left before the battery runs out.
It may be missing some of the sophisticated features that you'd find with a premium Dyson but that's why it's more affordable and for powerful cleaning and solid performance, with a generous 0.9L capacity, it's nabbed the top spot as our best cordless vacuum cleaner.
Best robot vacuum cleaner: iRobot Roomba j7+
- Wifi Connected Roomba® j7+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum, £899 at iRobot - buy here
Fancy investing in a vacuum cleaner that will do all the hard work for you? The Roomba j7+ is one of the most advanced robot vacuum cleaners from specialists iRobot.
You can operate it right from your phone or smart home device and it’s clever enough to recognise and avoid anything that gets in its way so saves you even more time as you don't have to tidy up before cleaning.
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The j7+ is super quiet and automatically disposes of dirt and debris into a bigger vacuum bag so you don’t have to empty it as often. Plus, the device is continually self-charging, so it’s ready to go whenever you need it.
It comes with a hefty price tag but has loads of great features, which is why we've awarded it our best robot vacuum cleaner.
Best car vacuum cleaner: Shark Cordless WV200UK
- Shark WV200UK, £129 at Amazon - buy here
If you need something handheld and portable for cleaning the car, you can't go wrong with the Shark WV200UK, which will be super handy in your home too.
It has powerful suction and array of attachments to choose from - plus, it can get dirt out of the smallest of spaces and is lightweight and easy to control.
The Shark only has a small dustbin, which means it's great for awkward areas, but if you're cleaning a lot of mess, you may have to empty it more frequently.
But for just £99 this powerful handheld vacuum cleaner is great value for money and stands up against much more expensive car vacuum cleaners with ease.
Best cylinder vacuum cleaner: Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
- Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner - Lotus White, £289 at Argos - buy here
You can expect quality at a price from premium appliances brand Miele but with an array of powerful features, with this cylinder vacuum cleaner, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck.
The Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner has powerful suction and retains even the smallest particles due to the Hygiene AirClean filter.
It has versatile applications, an efficient floor-head and high air throughput capturing course and fine debris alike.
It's also really compact and bagless for extra convenience - offering a top space-saving design for smaller homes and flats.
Best handheld vacuum cleaner: Shark WV251UK handheld vacuum cleaner
- Shark WV251UK handheld vacuum cleaner, £99.96 from QVC - buy here
If you're looking for a handheld vacuum cleaner for smaller clean-up jobs, we recommend the Shark WV251UK for sofas, cars and small spills at home.
It's super lightweight and easy to set up and use - plus, you get two batteries with this design so when one runs out, you can easily switch to the other and continue your clean.
Each battery had a run time of around 8 minutes, which doesn't seem that long but should be easily enough time for small clean ups before you stick it back on the charging base.
The Shark WV251UK also comes with handy accessories such as the crevice cleaning tool, a flip-out brush head and a pet multi-tool with ultra-short bristles that will brush clean upholstery.
Best value vacuum cleaner: HOOVER H-FREE 500
- HOOVER H-FREE 500 Home HF522BH Cordless Vacuum Cleaner - Red & Black, £224.99 at Amazon - buy here
On the lookout for a bargain? The Hoover H-FREE 500 is a great investment with a whole lot of features, extra tools and powerful performance for the price.
This cordless vacuum cleaner is really lightweight so you can easily reach ceilings and under furniture by reclining it backwards.
It has strong suction and a brushless motor and turbo boost function for extra power.
Plus, if you're short on space it's super compact and easy to store away neatly with a shortened height to under 70cm; and it will stand up straight when you 'park' it up. There's also a wall-mount if you prefer to store it that way.
All in all, we think you’ll struggle to find a better cordless stick vacuum cleaner under £150 right now.
Best vacuum cleaner for pet hair: Vax Air Stretch Pet CCQSASV1P1 Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner
- Vax Air Stretch Pet CCQSASV1P1 Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, £90 at Argos - buy here
Most of the leading brands have vacuum cleaners that claim to tackle the challenge of pet hair. But we're happy to recommend this Vax model with pet hair attachment, which has a wallet-friendly price tag to boot.
The Vax Air Stretch Pet is a bagless cylinder vacuum cleaner that's easy to empty out and more eco-friendly at the same time.
Plus, the Multi Cyclonic technology separates air and dust, so that the bin doesn’t get clogged up as it fills up - and the HEPA filters help combat and reduce allergens too.
If your furry friends are causing a pet hair crisis in your home, the handy 'Turbo Tool' attachment can easily remove pet hair from upholstery, stairs and pet beds. Simply attach to the hose of the vacuum cleaner and the rotating brushes agitate any stubborn hair making it much easier to remove.
Best lightweight vacuum cleaner: Dyson V8 Animal
- Dyson V8 Animal, £324.99 at Amazon - buy here
For powerful, quality cleaning, Dyson is still leading the way on most fronts and the Dyson V8 Animal is a lightweight, cordless vacuum that really packs a punch.
It's light enough to use as a handheld as well as a floor vacuum cleaner and is super easy to manoeuvre, even when you’re trying to reach awkward spots.
It has a powerful suction and you can boost the power as needed so you won't miss the tiniest speck of dirt on the floor.
The Dyson V8 will clean your whole house on one charge with an impressive 40-minutes of fade-free suction before you pop it back on the docking station for a 3.5 hour full charge.
It also looks great, which you'd expect from a Dyson and is on the more affordable end of the brand's range. If this is where you choose to go with your money, you won’t be disappointed.
What is the best vacuum cleaner?
The best vacuum cleaner for you depends on the size and layout of your home and whether you're looking for something lightweight and easy to manoeuvre or something more sturdy and heavy duty.
Consider the features that can make your life easier such as attachments that tackle pet hair, the length of the battery life and charge time; and how much space the vacuum cleaner takes up when it's not in use.
Overall, we would recommend the Shark Classic Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum NZ801UK or Shark NZ801UKT for the versatility of an upright and handheld vacuum in-one along with anti-hair wrap technology and a range of attachments for a good price.