Small in size and able to deal with dust 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, making them perfect for in-car use as they can reach all the toughest spots most household vacuums can’t get to.
The best handheld vacuum cleaners 2024 at a glance
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. We’ve even tested some, so you can get a more in-depth insight into what they’re like.
How we test handheld vacuum cleaners
Simply put, we find out how good they are at cleaning car interiors, with the most important aspect being the suction capabilities. We also consider the ease of use of the products by looking out for how easy and comfortable they are to hold, how capable they are at tackling dirt and dust throughout the interior, and, rather importantly, the battery life: how long can they last on a stint without needing to recharge?
We also like to test the usefulness of the attachments included and whether they’re good at the task they’re designed for. As all cars get filthy, we test handheld vacuums on both our own vehicles and whatever press vehicles arrive at Parkers HQ that need a going over. Whatever the situation, we assess the before and after state of the areas we cleaned before judging the handheld vacuum as we use it. Value for money is also very important as we judge whether a good product is worth the asking price, or whether others represent better value.
The best handheld vacuum cleaners 2024
The best handheld vacuum cleaner
It feels comfortable to hold. You only have to grab the tail of the vacuum and let the rest do the hard work. It's weighty without feeling strenuous, which makes it feel like a quality product. You sense no cheapness in the construction, and when sucking up dust, dirt, and debris, it does it effortlessly and with noticeable results of a spotless area. Whether it's crumbs on a car seat, dust on the dashboard or centre console, or cobwebs near the shelves, the Black and Decker can tackle it all with amazing results.
There are, however, a few drawbacks. My biggest gripe comes in the form of there not being a proper battery life indicator - so you're having to guess when it's low on power and needs a recharge. Otherwise, it'll just die at a random moment when you're in the middle of something, and that's annoying. Secondly, I can't say I've found the crevice tool that useful. It's fine for when you're going in between car seats and linings, but for any other crevice, you're better off with the brush head, which is very good at lifting up dirt and dust from surfaces.
Other than those flaws, I've found it to be worth every penny of its asking price. It's a worthy upgrade that can really enhance your cleaning life and make things that little bit easier.
Review by Aaron Hussain
Pros
- Immensely powerful and capable of lifting up dirt and making a clear difference
- Great, premium and sturdy build quality to compliment a comfortable hold
- It makes cleaning life in the car and home a lot easier
Cons
- The lack of a battery life indicator is disappointing
- The crevice tool isn't as useful as I hoped it would be
| Dimensions | 18.5 x 46 x 18.5cm |
| Weight | 600g |
| Power | 24W |
| Capacity | 120ml |
| Run time | 24 mins |
Editor's pick
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
- Two power modes and effortless suction and cleaning capabilities
- Pet and crevice tool included, which makes it more useful than the Black and Decker
- Very easy to handle, thanks to slim design and lightweight consrtuction
Cons
- 15-minute runtime will be a boarder to many
- Doesn't quite represent as good value as the Black and Decker
| Dimensions | 2.7 x 2.5 x 15.3cm |
| Weight | 650g |
| Power | 160W |
| Capacity | 100ml |
| Run time | 15-minutes |
The best packaged handheld vacuum cleaner
We found it to be very simple to use, thanks to its magnetic handle points and just two power settings. We also thought it lasted long enough at 20 minutes in order to give a large vehicle a good once-over. Not to mention the usefulness of the flexible hose and the crevice tools which we thought were good at clearing out trapped and hidden debris which you'll find throughout a vehicle.
It is let down by quite a narrow all-purpose nozzle, which adds time to cleaning jobs, and the filter can have a habit of holding onto sticky dirt. It's also not as useful as we'd want if you're after a vacuum for heavy-duty cleaning jobs that will lift more dirt. But other than that, it's a clever machine which we recommend if you're after quick jobs.
Read our full review of the CubeVac here.
Pros
- Lasts long enough at 20-minutes to go over a whole car's interior
- Easy to carry around and comes with useful attachments
- Very simple controls, giving the user an easy experience
Cons
- The filter can hang onto dirt quite easily
- The all-purpose nozzle isn't wide enough for our liking
| Dimensions | 25.7 x 22.3 x 19.5cm |
| Weight | 1.8kg |
| Power | 30W |
| Capacity | 400ml |
| Run time | 20-25 minutes |
Most powerful handheld vacuum cleaner
Rrp: $179.00
Rrp: $179.00
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 of 20-minutes, which beats the Shark WandVac
- Long extension tube (36cm) which is useful for cleaning boots of cars
- Spare filter included, which is handy to have
Cons
- Optional car care kit isn't worth the cash
- Slightly heavier than similarly-priced competitors from Shark and B&D
| Dimensions | 62 x 37.5 x 15cm |
| Weight | 1.5kg |
| Power | 140W |
| Capacity | 400ml |
| Run time | 20-minutes |
Best handheld vacuum for pet hairs
Rrp: $89.99
Rrp: $89.99
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 quality vacuum consisting of durable materials
- Powerful suction including on pet hairs, thanks to pet attachments
- Useful attachments included including crevice tool and brush tool
Cons
- Slightly heavier than some others at 1.2kg, albeit not by much
- Dock isn’t included, must be bought separately
| Dimensions | 52.8 x 9.6 x 10.9cm |
| Weight | 1.27kg |
| Power | 80W |
| Capacity | 450ml |
| Run time | 10-minutes |
Best budget handheld vacuum cleaner
It has a 15-minute run time, which while it doesn't sound like much, matches that of some other more premium handheld vacuum cleaners weighs just 1.3kg, and comes with a 10.8V battery which is powerful enough for its size and price point.
Pros
- Good value for money at just under £50
- Light and easy to hold at 1.3kg, which just about matches some others
- Powerful enough with a 10.8V battery powering it
Cons
- The build quality isn't as on-par as the others
- 15-minute runtime isn't the best, but matches a few others
| Dimensions | 32 x 9.5 x 14cm |
| Weight | 1.3kg |
| Capacity | 300ml |
| Run time | 15-minutes |
FAQs and things to consider with handheld vacuum cleaners
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.
What are 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, Shark and Black and Decker.
Are handheld vacuum cleaners better than cordless vacuum cleaners?
You may think the two have a correlation, but you’d be off slightly. Handheld vacuums tend to be much lighter, slimmer, and are designed to easily be held by your hand, whereas cordless vacuums are much chunkier items which run off a charged battery after you’ve taken them off a wall mount in your home.
In short, they’re for slightly different purposes. If you’re going for a deep clean throughout your car, a cordless unit will be better suited. They can pick up more dirt and debris from your vehicle where handheld units can either run out of charge or only pick up so much. While testing the Black and Decker vacuum, I attempted to vacuum out the back of a car, but it died after doing the rest of the interior and a bit of my house.
Are handheld vacuum cleaners worth it?
They’re by no means the be-all and end-all of car cleaning. If you’re annoyed by a bit of dust in bits of your home or on the car’s dashboard, they can make all the difference. I’ve developed a habit of using handheld vacuums to get rid of bits of dirt and dust in my surroundings, and things feel just that little bit more satisfying.
How long do batteries last on handheld vacuum cleaners?
In most cases, you’ll be struggling to surpass the 20-minute benchmark. Some devices can only last 10, so you really have to bear in mind what kind of tasks you aim to do with such a device.
The Black and Decker device listed at the top among some others have a much longer life, and these tend to be the machines we prefer. We advise that you have a good think of how long you need a handheld vacuum to run in order to do the tasks in hand.
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.
Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website – read why you should trust us
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.
