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Quick list
1. Best overall
2. Best Shark
3. Best pet
4. Best affordable
5. Best new
6. Best upright
7. Best under £100
8. Best for under £250
9. Best heavy duty
10. Best budget
11. Best cylinder
12. Best reliable
13. Best for hard floors
14. Best 2-in-1
How we test
FAQs
Deciding on the best vacuum cleaner for your home can be a big job. That's where this list can come in pretty handy, with our ranking of the top 14 vacuums on the market, after reviewing and rating a huge line-up of options.
Every model that you can browse below has been tested extensively by a member of the Ideal Home team either at our test facility or at home, to replicate the environment that they'll be up against once you purchase them.
The result? Everything you need to know is contained in this handy guide, with premium and budget-friendly brands sitting side by side – we're talking Shark, Dyson, Miele and Vax just to name a few.
There are quite a few considerations that we've packed into this guide to make your life easier. For homes with a number of floors or a lot of pet hair to pick up, we've got top-rated corded vacuums, and the best cordless vacuum cleaners are also at hand for those in flats or smaller homes.
Keep reading to find out which vacuums we rated as worthy of a place in your home as we looked out for powerful suction, ease of use and value for money.
Quick list
Best overall
This Dyson is incredibly good at everything, from hair pick-up to dust detection. In order to do the latter better than any other on the vacuum it's kitted out with lasers, and the run time of 70 minutes is super impressive too. During our tests it was great on hard floors, but especially excelled on carpets. The only downside? The price.
Best Shark
RRP: £499.99
This is a standout vacuum due to its power, pick-up ability and features to aid your cleaning routine. It'll amp up in areas where you have a larger amount of dirt and dust, and it's sleek too, with the ability to quickly transform into a handheld model. It would benefit from a wall stand to help with storage, and the included dust tool is pretty useless, but aside from that, it's pretty faultless.
Best for pet hair
RRP: £319.00
If you need to bring in the big guns to banish pet hair, buy this dedicated vacuum, which is kitted out with excellent suction power, and different floor heads for varying floor types. You can manoeuvre it using your foot, to avoid awkwardly bending down, and the 8.5. metre hose is a game-changer.
Best affordable
RRP: £379.99
The VAX Blade 5 is a vacuum that can compete with the best vacuums around, but with a price tag that's much more pleasing. It surprised us during testing with its huge amount of power, and the big roller head means you need to make far fewer passes. Annoyingly, it doesn't stand upright on its but own, but otherwise, it's nearly perfect.
Best new
RRP: £349.99
Shark's new Detect Pro is a real star. It's stylish (with a white and purple colourway) and you can get it with a self-emptying stand, curing the one problem that the Stratos has. It's super powerful and versatile to use. It does, however, have a smaller dust tank than other picks on this list, and is a little less heavy-duty than large homes may need.
Best upright
RRP: £299.99
The draw with this vacuum is that it has the power of a corded model while being cordless so that you get convenience and suction to work with. It's also great for those with pets, if you don't want a vacuum as bulky as the #2 on this list. The battery life is only fine however, not amazing.
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Best under £100
RRP: £96.99
Finding a vacuum under £100 is a challenge. This one from Beldray really only has the power of a handheld, compared to much more impressive options on this list. It is, however capable of small jobs, and very lightweight to use around the house. It won't fit for serious cleaning sessions, but for light tidying it will suffice.
Best for under £250
RRP: £179.00
Some people swear by Hoover for their cleaning, and we know why. after testing the HL4, which is sturdy, reliable and tailor-made for properly cleaning a family home. The long cord means that tackling the stairs is possible with ease and it's lightweight too.
Best heavy-duty
RRP: £499.90
This Sebo vacuum might be the largest we've ever tried at our test facility and it certainly delivered on power for its size. It's bagged too, to help keep dust in and allergies at bay. If you need to seriously deep clean your carpets, this will do just the trick, though it is seriously hefty.
Best with stand
RRP: £299.99
This nifty vacuum from Beko is a dark horse, with three modes to power through to really clean up to the edges in your home, and an impressive battery life. It doesn't have the biggest dust tank out there, but we do love the storage stand it comes with for keeping things streamlined.
Best cylinder
RRP: £299.99
You can often find this Shark vacuum on sale for much less than its RRP, making it a total bargain thanks to just how great it is at picking up pet hair. It's corded, which is naturally a little bit limiting, but it won't be too overbearing if you live in a house. We loved the attachments on this one too during testing.
Best reliable
RRP: £179.99
We love Henry vacuums – so much so that we've tested most of them. As with the classic Henry, the Henry PET is an affordable, reliable workhorse and will last for years in your home. It's, you guessed it, especially good for pet-friendly homes too, and has a huge 9-litre capacity. Sure, it only has one power level, but it's a small price to pay for such a great cleaning addition.
Best for hard floors
RRP: £690.00
We loved testing the Dyson Outsize, and think it's the perfect amped-up Dyson to take on the mess of a family home. It's got a great dust-tank capacity and two roller heads to cover carpets and hard floors. It's consistently powerful too, though it is, as you might have guessed still quite the financial investment.
Best 2-in-1
RRP: £190.00
Another inexpensive pick, this design means that you get a handheld and a cordless vacuum for your cash. It also features a clever docking station, and produced impressive results in our tests, especially given that this is essentially just a handheld vacuum in the casing of a larger vac. The capacity isn't huge, but if you can catch it on sale, you'll be securing a real bargain.
Best vacuum overall
But it if: you want the unbeatable experience and power of a Dyson (and you aren't on a budget).
Dyson has done it again with the Gen5detect™ Absolute, creating a vacuum that's as good at cleaning up as it looks. With two floorheads (one for carpet, one for hard floor) you feel like you have more options for deep cleaning with this vacuum. The catch? The price is astronomical, which makes it hard to recommend for everyone.
With this Dyson, you're shelling out for innovation, with the hard floor head boasting lasers that illuminate dirt and dust that you'd never usually see - a cleaning enthusiast's dream. The anti-tangle feature on the Digital MotorbarTM (the head for carpet cleaning) works as well as offerings from Shark and revealed a huge amount of sunken-in dirt during our at-home tests. The three modes are absolutely perfect for toggling between everyday and deep cleaning too.
Features we loved
It really is the fine details that make a vacuum better to use, which is why you can't overlook the magic of a Dyson bin mechanism. Point the dust bin, pull the trigger and everything will actually come out the first time without a fuss - something that pretty much no other vacuum brand has achieved.
The LCD control panel is very good to use too - with indicators showing exactly how many microscopic dust particles you've eradicated from your home. Is it absolutely necessary to have scientific proof of how clean your house is? No, but it adds to the experience that you're paying almost £900 for. This is truly a star buy, but we wish that we could have more of the Dyson sparkle on a