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How We Tested
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Our Favorite (It Stands)
Hoover OnePwr Evolve Pet Elite Cordless Vacuum
Runner-Up
Bissell IconPet Turbo Edge Cordless Stick Vacuum
For Dyson Loyalists
Dyson V15 Detect
A cordless vacuum might not change your life, but it can make the housework easier. Not being tethered to the wall is freedom you didn’t know you needed, letting you move from room to room without having to unplug and find a closer outlet. They’re also generally lighter and take up less space than upright vacs, and they’re great for getting under couches or coffee tables.
However, they aren’t for everyone or every situation. If you have a big house, you may need to recharge the battery just to finish the job. Also most of them can’t stand up on their own, and they require a base or somewhere they can lean against a wall.
We’ve tested a handful of cordless vacuums, and these are our favorites so far. We’re continuing to test more, so check back for more recommendations if none of these picks catch your eye. And be sure to check out our other buying guides, like the Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Robot Vacuums, and Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products.
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Photograph: Francesco Carta/Getty Images
How We Tested
Head-to-Head Comparisons
The best way to test a vacuum is to use it like you usually would. So for a few months, we lived with these cordless vacuums, rotating through them to handle day-to-day messes and weekly deep cleans on hardwood floors, area rugs, and carpets. We charged them, asked our partners to use them, and even took some to a retail store to clean up after antique furniture and heavy foot traffic.
We also performed head-to-head testing, comparing how each picked up piles of Cheerios and cat litter, seeing if they blew debris around or needed several passes. We took heaps of dust and dirt already matted up from inside the vacuum bins to see how easily they could suck them back up in their thickened state as well.
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Photograph: Hoover
Our Favorite (It Stands)
Hoover OnePwr Evolve Pet Elite Cordless Vacuum
Only two cordless vacuums I tested could stand on their own: this one from Hoover and the pricey Lupe (see further down). For me, the ability to stand upright with no assistance outweighs certain bells and whistles you’ll find on other cordless vacs. But the Hoover OnePwr is also a capable cleaner. It picked up hair, dirt, cereal, and litter with one pass on its medium setting. I was pleasantly surprised, since it feels rather light and plasticky.
Its battery isn’t the best among the vacuums we tested—it gets 35 minutes on the low suction setting. If you need the vac to run longer, you can either buy a spare battery and swap it out or buy this larger-capacity battery. It doesn’t come with any attachments, but it strikes a nice balance with its price and has a large 1-liter dust bin.
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Photograph: Bissell
Runner-Up
Bissell IconPet Turbo Edge Cordless Stick Vacuum
It was a close race for the top spot between the Hoover and the Bissell IconPet Turbo Edge. The latter picked up hair and cat litter well, and its brush moves so quickly that it almost looks like it isn’t. It also easily turns into a capable hand-held vac for hard-to-reach areas like ceiling fans or couches. As an animal lover, I appreciate that money from every Bissell purchase goes toward the Bissell Pet Foundation.
It doesn’t stand on its own, and it needed some help picking up the Cheerios—they got stuck on the front of the vacuum and got pushed around. The thin Hoover head fits better around the edges of my low-profile couch, but Bissell comes with attachments for those areas. The battery lasts longer, but it’s not removable, so you can’t stow the vacuum away while you charge the battery.
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Photograph: Dyson
For Dyson Loyalists
Dyson V15 Detect
Before Dyson had a robust catalog of products, including ever-popular hair tools, it was known for its great vacuums. We’ve tested a bunch, cordless and otherwise, and our favorite of its lineup is the Dyson V15 Detect. If you can afford to shell out for this expensive appliance, you get a cool green laser that illuminates all the dust particles you’re about to obliterate. Plus, a sensor counts the number of dust particles, displaying it on the LCD screen while automatically adjusting the power level for proper suction.
You probably don’t need laser beams and micron calculators, but they can be helpful if you have severe allergies. It’s also just an all-around reliable vacuum that comes with an array of handy accessories, even a wall mount for a more elegant charging system. It’s easy to convert to a hand vac for cleaning up the couch. Consider the V12 Detect (8/10, WIRED Recommends) if you want something even slightly cheaper and lighter (though it’s not as powerful and has a smaller bin).
