The best vacuum cleaners 2020: 10 best vacuums from Dyson to Shark
WHICH VACUUM SHOULD I BUY?
There are a number of different kinds of vacuum cleaners to choose from these days, from older tethered models to wireless cleaners than can zip around without a cord restricting them to the nearest plug socket.
This guide has the best vacuum cleaners from across every category, but you can also head to our best cordless vacuum cleaners or best robot vacuums pages too if you know you want a specific type.
The best vacuum cleaners you can buy right now are all excellent at the same simple task: cleaning your home. But many of them go about sucking up the dust in very different ways. These days there are so many different types of vacuum, including cordless, corded, hand-held, stick, robot, wet and dry that it can be hard to keep up.
But don’t worry. The team at TechRadar has been busy putting the very best vacuum cleaner designs from the biggest and best brands to the test. We’ve selected the top models that offer you great performance, reliability and value rolled into one device.
Many good vacuum cleaners there days are cordless. With most of the high-end cleaners nowadays running on high-power, high-capacity lithium batteries. These cord-free designs enable you to dart around your home with (mostly) the same suction power as a corded model – sometimes even more.
Cordless options make cleaning your home easier than ever, and they’re getting even smaller, stronger, and more efficient too. Doing the dirty work doesn’t have to feel like a drag.
We’ve put in many dust-busting hours to select, rate and review the vacuum cleaners listed below, so you know which is the best model to buy in 2020.
There isn’t a speck of dust left here at TechRadar towers, which is how we know that these are the best vacuum cleaners you can buy right now.
Best vacuum cleaners at a glance
- Dyson V11 Absolute
- Roidmi S1E
- Hoover H-Lift 700
- Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Upright NZ801UKT
- Bosch BCH7PETGB
- Hoover H-Free 800
- Vax Blade 2 Max 40V
- SEBO Felix Wild ePower
- Swan Eureka MultiForce Pet
Best vacuum cleaners of 2020: ranked
1. Dyson V11 Absolute
The Absolute best vacuum you can buy
Power supply: Cordless | Weight: 3.3kg | Bin size: 0.76L | Run-time: Up to 60 minutes
Powerful Suction
Light-weight and maneuverable
Informative LCD Screen
Expensive
Adding another integer and two years of R&D to its V-series cordless range, Dyson’s V11 Absolute takes another giant leap forward for vacuum cleaner kind. It’s more potent than its best-in-class predecessor, cleans even better on all surfaces, is quieter, and has a properly marathon run-time of over 40 minutes on the seriously capable Auto power mode.
The powered tools ooze design class and hard-earned experience in the field, with the mini motorized tool easily outperforming air-powered equivalents, and the adaptability of the vacuum when you pair the torque head with the Auto mode makes the V11 Absolute easy to use as well as powerful. It also has an LCD screen, a first for Dyson, which tells you the exact run-time remaining, where blockages are located and how to clear them.
The V11 Absolute doesn’t come cheap, but we think it’s worth the money if you want simply the best cordless vacuum cleaner available today.
2. Roidmi S1E
Style backed up with substance
Power supply: Cordless | Weight: 2.4kg | Bin size: 0.4L | Run time: Up to 40 minutes
Super lightweight
Quiet
Sleek Design
Suction could be stronger
Roidmi has won no less than six design awards for its innovative S-series cleaners, and with a 270-degree handle they’re as functional as they are good-looking. The Roidmi S1E is the entry-level vacuum in the S series, and while it can’t pack the suction punch of our top cordless cleaners it comes in at fraction of the price of those.
It’s lightweight, and easy to carry and use in both stick cleaner or handheld mode, and it comes with a good selection of tools, including a motorized mattress brush to make upholstery cleaning easy. The S1E excels noise-wise too, as even though its decibel levels are similar to other cordless vacuums, its softer tone feels less intrusive, and you can chat while cleaning without having to shout.
The suction could be stronger, especially when it comes to deep-cleaning carpets, but with stylish looks, supreme ease of use, and a very useful run-time of 40 minutes, it’s a great everyday floorcare option.
3. Hoover H-Lift 700
Great for stairs, tough on pet hair
Power supply: Corded | Weight: 7kg | Bin size: 1.5L | Cord length: 8m
Great on pet hair
Large-capacity bin
Lift-away mode for stairs
Suction not the greatest
Pet hair is no match for the Hoover H-Lift 700, which earns its number 4 spot whether it’s clearing hair from the carpet with the main floor head or the dog bed with the mini turbo tool. The turbo tool also makes cleaning stairs a breeze, a task that’s made easier by the H-Lift 700’s lift-away mode, which lightens the carrying load. And all this comes at a pretty reasonable price.
A large-capacity bin, long reach thanks to a 2.5m hose and 8m power cable, three different cleaning modes – upright, lift and stick – and a great selection of tools make the H-Lift 700 a brilliantly versatile corded cleaner. The suction may not be as good as some other cleaners here, but the flexibility it provides for such a good price makes it an attractive purchase.
4. Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Upright NZ801UKT
Say goodbye to hair tangles
Power supply: Corded | Weight: 6.5kg | Bin size: 0.71L | Cord length: 8m
Great for pet hair
Good cleaning on all surfaces
Fantastic tool selection
A little heavy
Another great corded option, the Shark DuoClean Powered Lift-Away Upright NZ801UKTDB is a limited-edition vacuum that’s only available direct from Shark. It’s a powerful cleaner that picks up both pet and human hair with ease – and Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap tech means fewer hairs getting tangled around the brush.
It comes with a quirky selection of tools including a car detailing kit, dolls-house sized mini tools for super-precise cleaning, and a long under-appliance tool that’s ideal for getting the fluff out from under the fridge. Sharks’ regular tools are all present and correct too, including an air-powered turbo brush.
The NZ801UKTDB is a little on the heavy side, but it moves over all floor types easily, and in Lift-Away mode it’s much lighter, and great for stair-cleaning. If you’re looking for a corded machine that can tackle a wide array of vacuuming tasks, this Shark is a great bet.
5. Bosch BCH7PETGB
A versatile grab and go cleaner
Power supply: Cordless | Weight: 3kg | Bin size: 0.9L | Run time: Up to 75 minutes
Great for different floor types
Lightweight and maneuverable
SmartSensor filter monitoring
Carry mode is fiddly to set up
Lightweight, maneuverable and able to stand upright on its own – unusual for a stick cleaner – the Bosch BCH7PETGB is a great cleaner to have around the house. It’s essentially a cordless upright, but it also comes with tools that you can use with a hose, and a carry-strap for mobile cleaning – although this is a bit fiddly to set up – and it’s light enough that you don’t notice the weight in either mode.
You won’t get great results on the lowest power setting, as although this gives you 75 minutes run-time, suction is negligible; on the mid setting, though, the Bosch performs solidly for 25-30 minutes, which is enough time to get through plenty of cleaning. General vacuuming is quick and easy – one floor head works for all floor types, and SmartSensor technology monitors the suction pressure and lets you know when to change the filter. Super-handy and easy to use, the Bosch BCH7PETGB is a versatile grab-and-go cleaner.
6. Hoover H-Free 800
A high-tech option that even counts your calories burned
Power supply: Cordless | Weight: 3kg | Bin size: 0.7L | Run time: Up to 65 minutes
Great app control
Powerful turbo mode
Difficult to set up the app
Edge cleaning isn’t great
The Hoover H-Free 800 is a high-tech cordless cleaning option, coming with an app that lets you keep an eye on the battery level and tells you when the bin needs emptying; you can also set up parental controls, and it even counts the calories you’ve burned while cleaning.
Three cleaning modes and no less than eight tools make this cordless vacuum about as versatile as they come, and it’s nicely lightweight too. It’s excellent at cleaning pet hairs from rugs and dry spills from tiles, and it’s no slouch over carpets, even if it doesn’t manage the deep cleaning of the very best cordless models. If you need some extra cleaning gumption the super-powerful turbo mode doesn’t disappoint, although the run-time is relatively short in this mode. The H-Free 800 is an excellent all-round cleaner for a decent price.
7. Vax Blade 2 Max 40V
A powerful cleaner with great stamina
Power supply: Cordless | Weight: 3.1kg | Bin size: 0.6L | Run time: Up to 45 minutes
Powerful suction
Great on all floor types
Feels heavy when using
Loud
Easy to use, and delivering excellent results on different floor types, the cordless Vax Blade 2 Max 40V offers powerful suction and long run-time for a great price.
It has bright lights on the floor head, so you won’t miss any dirt, and a good-sized bin for a cordless machine too, meaning fewer bin-emptying interruptions when cleaning. The Blade 2 Max is easy to use, but it’s let down by how heavy it feels in the hand – your arm may not be able to hold out for as long as the battery.
The Blade 2 Max delivers great cleaning results on different floor types, and it’s no slouch when it comes to tackling pet hair; however, it’s far from the lightest-feeling or quietest cordless cleaner out there.
8. Sebo Felix Wild ePower
A quirky old-school option
Power supply: Corded | Weight: 6.8kg | Bin size: Bagged | Cord length: 9m
Fantastic carpet cleaning
Cool looks
Extra costs for bag and filter replacements
Average cleaning on hard floors
Sebo has built up a loyal fan base for its quirky vacuums, and the Felix Wild ePower is likely to gain it a few more. The fabulously eccentric design and animal-print bag-wrap decorate a solid old-school corded cleaner that feels like it could withstand a nuclear strike.
Its cleaning chops are equally robust. The Felix Wild ePower delivers a super-deep clean on carpets, with all the dust kept inside the cleaner thanks to filtering bags and a separate washable filter assembly. It’s far from a lightweight option though; it feels weighty to push around, and using it as a portable cleaner without the floor head is rather cumbersome.
One for Sebo fans, and those looking for something different to brighten up the cleaning chores, the Felix Wild ePower is proof that there’s life in the bagged vacuum cleaner yet.
9. Swan Eureka Multiforce Pet
Ignore the short hose and enjoy the value savings
Power supply: Corded | Weight: 5kg | Bin size: 2L | Cord length: 5m
Great carpet cleaning
Excellent value
Short cable to hose
So-so build quality
If you’re alarmed at the high prices some of the latest vacuums can command, Swan’s Eureka range aims to deliver on value, if not looks. The Eureka MultiForce Pet is an affordable mains-powered, bagless cylinder cleaner that offers decent cleaning power and good-sized bin.
The short cable, noisy motor and plastic build are all forgivable at the price, and if you can see past those foibles the MultiForce Pet cleans well on carpets and takes pet hair in its stride. Its bin is simply huge at two liters, the filters are HEPA-class and washable, and the turbo tool is great for pet beds and stairs.
While the design and build quality are about as basic as modern cleaners get, Swan’s Eureka MultiForce Pet makes it into our top 10 by offering great value if you’re on a budget.
