Which? Don't Buy cordless vacuum cleaners

A bad cordless vacuum cleaner will leave dust and debris behind on your floors. In our independent lab tests, Best Buy cordless vacuum cleaners suck up on average more than 80% of the dust in carpets, while a Don't Buy cordless vacuum cleaner will manage less than 10%.

What these Don't Buy cordless vacuums do capture they can fail to retain due to poor filtration, which could exacerbate allergies or respiratory conditions. They also might struggle with short battery life or with tougher jobs such as cleaning up pet hair.

Join Which? to find out which cordless vacuum cleaners we’ve named as Don’t Buys.

Cordless vacuum cleaners to avoid

One of our Don't Buys might be sold at a tempting price when you see it in the shops, but once you get it home you'll be left high and dry. 

The worst models we've seen in our tests are poor at cleaning, a faff to use and make a racket.

In contrast, the best cordless vacuums can compete with regular vacuum cleaners, sucking up more than 80% of the dust we grind into thick carpet and let you switch between floor and handheld cleaning modes simply and painlessly. 

Avoid the shoddy vacuums that will make cleaning a chore by choosing one of our recommended cordless vacuums.

How we uncover the best and worst cordless vacuum cleaners

We test cordless vacuum cleaners from all the major brands, including Bosch, Dyson, Gtech, Hoover, Vax and more. 

We also try out cheaper own-brand models. This means we can tell you which cordless vacuums are a good investment and which are a waste of money. 

Each cordless vacuum cleaner we review goes through a series of tough tests in our lab, which are designed to replicate how you use your vacuum cleaner at home.

• We measure how effective they are at cleaning on different surfaces and how easy they are to use.
• We test how long each vacuum's battery lasts, so you know if you'll have enough time to get the weekly clean sorted. Some last for less than 20 minutes, while others will keep cleaning for more than an hour.
• The worst models struggle to pick up fur and fluff, meaning you have to go over the same spot repeatedly. The best will suck it up in no time.

Which? is independent – we work for you, the consumer, so you can be sure our product recommendations come from our test results. 

We're not influenced by third parties and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers. We buy all the products that we test ourselves.

To find out which cordless vacuums are Don't Buys and which are Best Buys, join Which? today.