Cordless vacuums are among the easiest ways to clean your home. While cordless models may not have the raw suction power of canister and upright models, they don’t cost nearly as much, making them an affordable option amid rising tech prices. At CNET, we’ve been testing vacuums for years, evaluating cordless and corded models in real-world situations — far beyond the claims made by brands. To date, we’ve tested 50 cordless vacuums and counting. While the Shark Stratos earns our best overall cordless vacuum distinction, we also have plenty of other great choices, including Lab Award winners.

Best cordless vacuums of 2026

The Shark Stratos is our pick for the best overall cordless vacuum thanks to its strong performance on both hardwood and carpet. / Shark/CNET

Best overall

Shark Stratos

The Shark Stratos is one of the best cordless vacuums around, regardless of flooring type. It offers excellent performance on hardwood and carpet, falling just shy of the Eureka ReactiSense 440. Combined with its 80–minute battery life, five-year warranty, replaceable batteries, anti-allergen HEPA filter and $500 price (often on sale for less) this is the highest–scoring cordless vacuum on our list — and an easy pick for Editors’ Choice.

The Stratos generated the second-highest test scores we’ve seen on a cordless vacuum. It picked up 97.2% of sand from hardwood, 94% from less plush, low-pile carpet and 94.4% from midpile carpet. On average, it was able to pick up 95% of sand during our testing, beating out our previous best overall, the LG CordZero A949 (89.8%), but falling just a little shy of the Eureka ReactiSense 440 (96%). “The Stratos is definitely the standout,” said Schylar Breitenstein, associate lab technician. “I use it to clean the floors in between pick-up tests because it picks up the most debris by far.”

The Stratos comes with a very capable DuoClean PowerFins HairPro brushhead, a two-brushroll system that’s able to dig deeper into the carpet to remove dust and pet hair. Unsurprisingly, we didn’t have many problems removing pet hair from our test carpet, and the self-cleaning brush roll never tangled. It’s worth noting that for more deeply embedded hair, more than one pass may be needed. Interestingly, there’s also some smart chops under the hood. Shark’s Clean Sense IQ detects dirt and automatically boosts suction for better cleaning, though you can also manually switch cleaning modes if you prefer. It has an 80-minute tested battery life, which is better than many cordless vacuums we’ve tested, losing out to just the 110-minute Dreame Z30.

There are also some useful quality of life features, such as LED illumination lights for highlighting dust in dim areas, an LED display that shows you the battery you have left and a multiflex wand attachment to help you get the vacuum under furniture and other tight spaces. It also folds up, so you can put it away easily — a blessing if you live in a cramped apartment like I do. The Stratos comes with a washable anti-allergen HEPA filter and odor-neutralizing cartridges, too.

While the Shark Stratos is the best performance for the price, it’s also not the cheapest. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, the Eureka ReactiSence is less expensive. Just know you’ll sacrifice battery life. And if you want a self-emptying dock, the Shark Stratos doesn’t come with one. The odor-neutralizing feature requires cartridge replacements every six months, which will cost you an extra $25.

• 
  
  
  Powerful suction and excellent cleaning performance on hardwood and carpet (95%)
• 
  
  
  Five-year warranty
• 
  
  
  Half the price of most top competitors, aside from Eureka
• 
  
  
  80-minute battery life and replaceable batteries

• 
  
  
  No self-emptying dock
• 
  
  
  Odor neutralizing cartridges need replacement

Battery life

80 minutes (tested)

Weight

9 pounds

Bin capacity

0.68 liters

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Vacuum type

Cordless stick

Replaceable battery

Yes

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.5

With its 110 minutes of tested cleaning time, the Dreame Z30 is a great option for large homes. / Jeffrey Hazlewood/CNET

Longest battery life and best suction on hardwood

Dreame Z30

If you have a big home that takes a long time to clean, the Dreame Z30 is for you. It has the single best battery life out of any cordless vacuum we’ve tested, clocking 110 minutes. It’s also no slouch in performance, offering excellent sand pickup on hard flooring and better-than-average pickup on carpet. The extremely long battery life and excellent hardwood floor performance earns it our lab award for both categories. Its price is reasonable, too, running you around $500 — on par with the Shark Stratos.

Battery life is the obvious part. The 110-minute battery running time is by far the longest battery life we’ve tested, with a huge lead over many of our top picks, including the Shark Stratos (80 minutes) and Dyson V15 Detect (60 minutes). That means long, uninterrupted cleaning sessions, which is great for those with larger homes, bigger households and many pets.

Its hard flooring performance also puts it in the top tier of cordless vacuums we’ve tested, with 98.77% sand pickup. Carpet performance is decent, though not spectacular, with 71.08% pickup from low-pile and 75.49% from midpile. Plus, it has a HEPA filter and plenty of attachments, including an illuminated multi-surface brush, illuminated soft-roller brush, motorized mini-brush, combination tool, two types of soft dusting brushes, pet deshedding tool, extension rod, flexible adapter, extension hose and a base unit to store everything.

If you have a lot of carpeting, several cordless vacuums on our list offer better carpet performance for a lower price, including the Eureka ReactiSense and our best overall pick, the Shark Stratos.

• 
  
  
  110 minute battery life is the longest we’ve tested
• 
  
  
  98.77% sand pickup from hard flooring
• 
  
  
  Higher than 70% carpet performance
• 
  
  
  Fairly light at 4.85 pounds
• 
  
  
  Tons of accessories included

Battery life

110 minutes (tested)

Weight

4.85 pounds

Bin capacity

0.6 liters

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Replaceable battery

Yes

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.2

The Eureka ReactiSense 440 costs just $180 but offers the best performance we’ve seen in a cordless vacuum. / Eureka/CNET

Best for carpet

Eureka ReactiSense 440

If you have a lot of carpet in your home, the Eureka ReactiSense 440 will be the best at cleaning it. In our lab tests, it picked up 98.53% of sand on low-pile carpet and 92.16% on midpile carpet — the highest scores we’ve seen from a cordless vacuum.. At $180, it’s affordable enough to also earn a spot on our list of the best cheap vacuums. Normally, this comes with compromises, but that’s not the case with the ReactiSense 440. Its carpet performance also earned it our lab award for the category. It comes with premium features, too, including a HEPA filter, LED headlights and sensors that can detect flooring type to adjust brush roller speed and suction accordingly.

Price isn’t the only thing the ReactiSense 440 has going for it. Among the more than 50 cordless vacuums we’ve tested, it earned the highest scores in our lab testing on carpet. It also performed well on hardwood, putting it in the top tier in terms of overall performance. “Eureka was amazing across all testing,” said Schylar Breitenstein, associate lab technician. “I just wish the runtime was a little longer, but the pickup was even better than the Shark Stratos, surprisingly.”

As you’d expect, this also means it tackles pet hair well. There’s an anti-tangle brush roll designed to prevent hair from wrapping around the brush. Like the Shark Stratos, the ReactiSense 440 has smart sensors that automatically adjust the roller brush speed as it detects different flooring types.

The vacuum comes with a HEPA filter, an LED display that shows battery life, mode and vacuum status and LED headlights on the vacuum itself to help spot dust more easily. Accessories are somewhat limited with just a crevice tool, upholstery brush, charger and wall mount, but that tends to be standard with more affordable vacuums, lacking some of the numerous attachments you get with the Dreame Z30 and other more costly competitors.

If you have a large home, you’ll need longer battery life. This device’s battery life is average, verging on mediocre. Our best overall pick, the Shark Stratos, clocked 80 minutes. But neither holds a candle to the 110-minute Dreame Z30’s battery, although most of these options will cost you two or three times the price of the ReactiSense 440. The dustbin is also on the smaller side at 0.5 liters, requiring more frequent emptying. You won’t get a self-emptying base station, either, unless you step up to the Shark Clean & Empty or Tineco GoStation Smart.

• 
  
  
  Excellent suction performance with 96% sand pickup average across floor types
• 
  
  
  97% pickup on hardwood floors, 98% on low-pile carpet and 92% on midpile
• 
  
  
  Includes HEPA filter and LED headlights
• 
  
  
  Smart sensors detect flooring type to adjust brush roll speed

• 
  
  
  Could use more attachments
• 
  
  
  33-minute battery life is shorter than several competitors
• 
  
  
  0.5 liter dustbin may require more frequent emptying

Battery life

33 minutes (tested)

Weight

6.4 pounds

Bin capacity

0.5 liter

HEPA filter

Yes

Replaceable battery

Yes

Mopping functionality

No

Self-empty dock

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.5

Best Dyson and best for dust

Dyson V15 Detect

Like its predecessor, the V11, the Dyson V15 ripped through our suite of vacuum cleaner tests with ruthless power and thoroughness. I was also impressed by its 60-minute battery life. The dust detection feature is no gimmick, either. It actively highlights dust you can’t easily see and helps ensure you don’t miss any spots.

The V15 is still a fairly expensive vacuum, at $800. It also doesn’t have a mopping functionality or a self-emptying dock. Unless you’re a true Dyson loyalist, the Eureka ReactiSense 440 will give you performance — minus the dust illumination head — for half the price. However, Dyson also has some newer models in its lineup, including the Dyson Detect Submarine V15s, which earned a spot on our list for its strong vacuum and mopping functionality. It also comes with the Fluffy Optic cleaner head.

The trick up this Dyson’s sleeve is the impressive 230 air watts of suction power from the cleaning head. That suction translates into performance. The V15 Detect removed 88% of sand from midpile carpet and 95% from low-pile carpet. We consider anything above 50% to be good but the best cordless vacuums can often do even better. The V15 is a great cordless vacuum for pet hair, too. Whether vacuuming across hardwood floors or low- or midpile carpeting, the V15 barely left a tuft in its wake. The 60-minute tested battery life is also quite good, putting it in the top tier of cordless vacuums.

Several features set the V15 Detect apart, including its Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head. Designed for hard floors, it projects a green laser onto the surface as you clean, making it easy to spot dust and small debris that would otherwise be hard to see. It isn’t much help under strong indoor lighting or sunlight but it’s still a unique feature that we found helpful as we cleaned. The readout on the back of the vacuum, which lists the ratio of dirt collected by particle size, was also interesting.

Bundled with the vacuum are seven cleaning attachments. Along with the Laser Slim Fluffy, you’ll get a high-torque cleaner head, a hair screw tool and a crevice tool, just to name a few. It also comes with a wall-mounted charging dock.

• 
  
  
  Useful Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head finds more dust
• 
  
  
  Excellent sand removal performance on hard floors and carpet
• 
  
  
  Banished pet hair with ease
• 
  
  
  Lots of useful cleaning attachments

• 
  
  
  On the more expensive side for a cordless vacuum
• 
  
  
  No self-empty dock or mopping functionality

Battery life

60 minutes (tested)

Weight

6.8 pounds

Bin capacity

0.76 liters

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

No

Replaceable battery

Yes

Filter type

Washable

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.0

Best vacuum and mop combo

Dyson Detect Submarine V15S

If you need a capable cordless stick vacuum that can also double as a mop to wet clean your hard floors, the Dyson Detect Submarine V15S is the vacuum for you. At $1,000, it’s one of the more expensive cordless vacuums, but there’s a good reason for it. During our testing, it showed strong performance on hardwood floors and was capable of tackling carpet, too. It comes with a variety of cleaner heads to keep your space spick and span.

The Dyson Detect Submarine did great in our test of removing sand from hardwood, tackling 91.4% of the sand. Carpet performance was also quite strong, removing 84.8% of the sand from low-pile carpet and 74% from midpile carpet. It’s no slouch on pet hair, either, removing fur from hardwood and carpet with ease. The performance isn’t as good as our best overall, the Shark Stratos, but it’s still better than many other cordless vacuums we’ve tested.

The Detect Submarine has other features to make it a strong contender. For one, it comes with the Submarine Wet Roller Head, a brush attachment that lets you wet mop hard flooring using water and floor cleaning solution. (Think of it as a Swiffer with extra power.) There’s also your standard Digital Motorbar cleaner head for standard vacuuming and the same Fluffy Optic cleaner head that illuminates dust that comes with the Dyson V15 Detect.

Tested battery is a solid 41 minutes, a bit shorter than the 60 minutes Dyson estimates, but the battery is user-replaceable, which is now usually the case with cordless vacuums.

If you don’t need a jack-of-all-trades vacuum that can tackle wet messes, we recommend the Shark Stratos for most people, regardless of budget. If you’re a Dyson loyalist and need to bust dust, the V15 Detect offers similar excellent performance without the mopping functionality.

• 
  
  
  Strong hardwood floor performance (91.4%) and very capable on carpet (84.8% and 74.02%)
• 
  
  
  Variety of useful cleaning attachments
• 
  
  
  Capable of vacuuming and wet mopping

• 
  
  
  Fairly expensive at $800 full price
• 
  
  
  Two-year warranty could be longer
• 
  
  
  No self-emptying dock

Battery life

41 minutes (tested)

Weight

8.3 pounds

Bin capacity

0.75 liters

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Vacuum type

Cordless stick

Replaceable battery

Yes

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

Yes

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

7.0

The Shark Clean & Empty is one of the few cordless vacuums to come with a self-emptying docking station. / Shark/CNET

Best cordless vacuum with auto-emptying dock

Shark Clean & Empty

If you want the power and cleaning performance of the Shark Stratos with the benefits of a self-emptying dock, the Shark Clean & Empty is the cordless vacuum for you. It offers powerful suction on all flooring types and the included dock will automatically charge and empty the dustbin after every use. At just $350 full price, it’s affordable, while offering great performance. It also comes with Shark’s generous five-year warranty.

The Shark Clean & Empty performed exceptionally well on all our tests, putting it close to other top picks, including the Eureka ReactiSense 440 and Shark Stratos. It removed 96% of sand from a hardwood floor, 90% from low-pile carpet and 88% from midpile carpet, resulting in an average performance of 91% in suction testing. This is just a few percentage points shy of the ReactiSense 440, which hit a 96% average on sand removal across floor surfaces. The vacuum automatically adjusts the brush roll speed depending on flooring type, although it doesn’t have the same intelligent dirt detection feature as the Eureka ReactiSense.

As you might have guessed, pet hair was also no problem. The Clean & Empty was able to remove pet hair from hardwood and carpet without much difficulty, and the self-cleaning brush roll is designed to minimize the hair that wraps around it.

The big selling point for picking the Clean & Empty over the Shark Stratos is the included charging dock with the auto-empty base. The base station lets you dock the freestanding cordless vacuum and it’ll automatically charge and empty the dustbin. You can go up to 30 days without needing to empty the dock’s bin. The vacuum and dock have a HEPA filter that Shark claims can lock away dust, dirt and allergens.

Like other vacuums in Shark’s lineup, the Clean & Empty comes with the company’s generous five-year warranty and accessories, including a dust crevice tool and pet multitool.

If battery life is important to you, the Clean & Empty doesn’t last as long as the Stratos. We tested it to 26 minutes of cleaning on medium suction, rather than the 40 minutes claimed by Shark. The Stratos, by contrast, lasted for 80 minutes of cleaning. That said, this will depend on the suction, and the charging dock helps make up for it, as it’ll keep your vacuum topped up every time you dock it.

• 
  
  
  Excellent performance on all flooring types (91.4%)
• 
  
  
  Includes self-emptying charging dock
• 
  
  
  Generous five-year warranty period

• 
  
  
  Much more expensive than better-performing Eureka ReactiSense
• 
  
  
  Tested battery life on the shorter side at 26 minutes
• 
  
  
  No mopping functionality

Battery life

26 minutes (tested)

Weight

12.3 pounds

Bin capacity

0.74 liters

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Vacuum type

Cordless stick

Replaceable battery

Yes

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

7.0

The LVAC-300 builds on its predecessor, the LVAC-200. / Jeffrey Hazlewood/CNET

Best midpriced cordless vacuum

Levoit LVAC-300

Levoit’s LVAC-300 is the successor to the LVAC-200, which earns our pick as the best cordless vacuum under $200. The LVAC-300 will cost you more but it offers even better carpet performance while still maintaining strong scores for hard flooring. At $350 full price, it would be our best value pick if not for the existence of the even cheaper and better-performing Eureka ReactiSense 440.

The LVAC-300 nearly matches its predecessor’s hard-floor performance, with 96.15% sand pickup compared with 98.72% for the LVAC-200. But it significantly outstrips it on carpet, picking up 89.06% of sand from low-pile carpet and 84.38% from midpile carpet. It was outperformed by the ReactiSense 440, however, which scores above 90% in all categories, including on midpile carpet. It also significantly improves on the older LVAC-200 for low-pile (80.21%) and midpile (73.96%). The spacious 0.75-liter dustbin should store plenty of debris before needing to be emptied.

Several design improvements from the previous generation are also included. The new anti-tangle brush roll should be better at avoiding clogs from pet hair and fibers. A five-stage HEPA filter is also built in, and the brush head comes with LED illumination lights and an LED display that shows battery life and mode. 

Last, but not least, it scored an impressive 75 minutes in our battery rundown test, putting it a distant second to the Dreame Z30, which lasted for 110 minutes, but surpassing top picks, including the Eureka ReactiSense 440 (33 minutes), Shark Stratos (80 minutes) and Dyson V15 Detect (60 minutes).

The LVAC-300 suction is less competitive than the Shark Stratos and Eureka ReactiSense 440, both of which offer better performance on hard flooring and carpets, as well as extra features such as adjustable smart suction. But it’s a big step up in performance and battery life over its predecessor, the LVAC-200.

• 
  
  
  Excellent hardwood performance (96%) and strong suction on carpets (above 80%)
• 
  
  
  HEPA filter and anti-allergen seal
• 
  
  
  LED headlights

• 
  
  
  Could use more cleaning attachments
• 
  
  
  No self-emptying dock

Battery life

75 minutes (tested)

Weight

7.94 pounds

Dustbin capacity

0.75 liters

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Replaceable battery

Yes

Self-empty dock

No

Mopping functionality

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.2

Best features

Tineco GoStation

Tineco is a brand that’s earned several spots in our roundups over the past year for offering high-quality cordless vacuums at a reasonable price. The feature-packed Tineco GoStation Smart is no exception. It offers great suction performance on hardwood and carpet alike, comes with a self-emptying, self-cleaning charging dock and has premium features such as a dust-busting green LED light similar to the Dyson V15 Detect. It costs about $500 at full price but can often be found on sale for less.

Let’s start with the bread and butter. The GoStation Smart tests in the upper tier of cordless vacuums, suctioning 97.53% of sand from hardwood floors. It also does quite well on carpet, with 78.43% pickup from low-pile and 81.86% from midpile. This is more or less on par with the Shark Stratos for hardwood floor pickup (97.22%) and actually beats the Dyson Gen5 Detect in carpet performance (65.3% low-pile and 66.67% midpile). This is pretty remarkable for a vacuum that costs half the price of Dyson’s flagship model.

On pet hair, the GoStation Smart benefits from the ZeroTangle Brush that’s included with the brushes. As the name suggests, it avoids tangling and doesn’t get clogged. We didn’t have any problem getting pet hair off either hardwood or carpet.

Battery life is solid, lasting 42.5 minutes in our testing. This is less than the 70 minutes Tineco predicts, but that’ll depend on the suction strength you use. For reference, we run this test three times on medium suction and take the average of the three results. On the plus side, the battery is removable and replaceable, and the vacuum will charge every time it’s docked.

Now, let’s get to the bells and whistles. The GoStation Smart is feature-packed. It earns the smart name by incorporating a 3D sensor into its main brush head that can identify the soil level of your flooring, detect walls and corners and optimize suction to maximize debris removal and battery life. Like the V15 Detect, the brush head has a green LED light that helps illuminate dust better.

It comes with a self-emptying charging dock that also self-cleans the entire vacuum system every time you dock it, including the brush, tubes and filters. The vacuum’s dustbin is on the smaller side at 0.45 liters, but the docking station has a massive 2.5-liter capacity that should let it last 45 days before needing emptying. It includes a five-stage HEPA filter that Tineco claims can remove 99.99% of dust.

For a lower price, the Eureka ReactiSense 440 offers superior carpet performance and has smart chops that let it adjust suction, though it doesn’t come with the self-emptying dock (the Shark Clean & Empty can fit that need). Included tools are also limited, with just a crevice tool and two-in-one dusting brush.

• 
  
  
  Scores 97.53% sand pickup from hardwood floors and nearly 80% on carpet
• 
  
  
  Has self-emptying and self-cleaning charging dock with massive 3-liter dustbin
• 
  
  
  Includes five-stage HEPA filter
• 
  
  
  Has smart sensor that can adjust suction strength

• 
  
  
  Could use more attachments
• 
  
  
  0.3-liter dustbin on vacuum itself is on the smaller side

Battery life

42.5 minutes (tested)

Weight

6.6 pounds (Vacuum) 24 pounds (Dock+vacuum)

Bin capacity

0.66 liter (vacuum) 3 liters (dock)

Anti-allergy filter (HEPA)

Yes

Types

Cordless stick

Self-empty dock

Yes

Mopping

No

UX (Comfort, ease of use)

8.0

Best Robot Vacuum of 2026

Recent updates

April 2025: We eliminated our testing that evaluated the ability of a cordless vacuum to pick up black rice from hardwood and carpet because almost every vacuum was scoring near 100%. We’ve kept our testing for sand on all three test surfaces and reweighted our scoring to take this into account. We also reweighted our scoring to increase the importance of battery life and consolidated the ease of use and comfort into UX as a measure of user experience. The Levoit LVAC-200, Dyson V15 Detect, and LG CordZero A949 still use our older scoring methodology, so you may see some discrepancies in score breakdown compared with our newer additions, but they are in the process of being updated with our new methodology. We removed the Tineco Pure One S15 Pet, Dirt Devil Grab & Go Plus and Samsung Jet 90. We added the Shark Stratos as our new best overall pick, replacing the LG CordZero A949. We added the Dyson Detect Submarine V15S, Shark Clean & Empty, Shark Pet Plus and Dirt Devil BD5700V. The Shark Stratos and Levoit LVAC-200 both received an Editors’ Choice award.

June 2025: We tested and added the Tineco GoStation Smart to our best list for its array of premium features. We tested and added the Uninell UV5 to our best list for its large 1.6-liter dustbin. Infographics were updated with more current testing results. All the product cards were updated to include our tested battery life.

August 2025: We tested the Eureka ReactiSense 440, making it a new best overall. We also tested the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder, Levoit LVAC-300 (best midprice) and Dreame Z30 (best for battery) and added them to our top picks. We removed the Shark Pet Plus, Dirt Devil BD5700V, Levoit LVAC-200 and LG CordZero A949.

October 2025: Added two new sections covering cordless vacuum industry news and what we’re currently testing in the lab. Added Shark Stratos back as a tied, best overall taking into consideration our new data study on cordless vacuum battery life.

November 2025: Added holiday shopping advice and the latest deals.

December 2025: Updated with our latest testing procedures.

February 2026: Added updates from CES 2026.

March 2026: Added lab awards for the Eureka ReactiSense 440 and Dreame Z30 and an explanation of how we decide which vacuums receive them.

September 2026: Updated with new cordless vac models shown at IFA Berlin 2026. Removed out of stock units such as the Samsung Jet 90, Tineco A11 Hero, Tineco Pure One S15 Pet, Uninell UV5 and Lubluelu 23Kpa cordless KB-H009.

What’s new from IFA 2026?

IFA 2026 in Berlin may be better known for smart home products, robot vacuums and appliances, but there were also some interesting cordless vacuum models this year. Most of the new products I saw were from Roborock and Narwal, though Tineco also had a strong showing.

Roborock’s new F25 Ultra Steam Gen 2 and the F25 Pro Turbo Combo are the newest wet-and-dry vacuum models, capable of outputting a great deal of steam to clean up stains and greasy messes. The Combo is particularly interesting because it’s a five-in-one model that combines a cordless vacuum, handheld cleaner and wet-and-dry into one base station unit. This is something I’ve been noticing as a trend across the industry, with more robot vacuum companies introducing wet-and-dry vacs as a complement to their robot vacuums.

Ajay Kumar/CNET

Narwal clearly had the same idea. Along with its new robot models, it introduced the V50 Cube cordless vacuum, which includes an auto-empty docking station, as well as two new wet-dry vacuums, the Essential and Flagship models, which use steam for more serious cleaning.

While technically not part of an IFA release, Miele also introduced successors to its Miele HX2: the HX3 and HX3 Plus Aqua, which come with a number of design and feature upgrades, as well as a mopping attachment.

Other cordless vacuums we tested

Eureka

Eureka RapidClean Pro: The RapidClean Pro from Eureka is another affordable cordless stick vacuum that you can get for less than $200. It offers generally solid performance, removing 94% of sand from hardwood, 64.8% from low-pile and 60% from midpile carpets. However, like many vacuums in this price range, it’s edged out in performance by other picks that earned a spot on our best list.

Dyson

For a deeper dive into Dyson as a brand, take a look at our tested list of the best Dyson vacuum cleaners.

Dyson V8 Absolute: The V8 Absolute is one of the more affordable Dyson vacuums you can buy. Normally $520 at full price, you can usually get it for less these days. While the price isn’t bad, the performance doesn’t live up to expectations. While it did great on hardwood, removing nearly 98% of sand, it didn’t do as well on carpet. The Absolute was able to remove 68.3% of sand from low-pile and 52% from midpile carpets, falling short of many competitors, including the Levoit LVAC-300 and Eureka ReactiSense 440.

Dyson V11 Torque Drive: With a motor that automatically adapts to the type of floor it’s cleaning and a fancy LCD screen, the Dyson V11 Torque Drive might feel like an upgrade. It typically retails for about $600 but you can often find it on sale for less. While the Dyson V11 lived up to the hype with highly consistent cleaning power across all of CNET Lab testing, it was outperformed by newer models such as the Dyson V15 Detect and other competitors on our best list.

Dyson Gen5 Detect: The Gen5 Detect is one of Dyson’s latest and greatest cordless vacuums. It’s also one of the most expensive at $950. The performance you get is fairly good, with 95.4% of sand removal from hardwood, 65.3% from low-pile carpet and 66.7% from midpile carpet. However, this performance falls short of our current best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, which offers even better scores for a fraction of the price. If you like the dust detection feature, we’re also partial to the Dyson V15 Detect, which offers stronger performance on carpet and hardwood, and the Dyson Detect Submarine V15S, which has all-in-one capabilities, including mopping.

Dreame

Dreame R10 Pure: The Dreame R10 Pure is the company’s more affordable entry-level cordless vacuum at $200 full price. It comes in an attractive white color, is notably lightweight at 3.64 pounds and offers decent performance. It scored 86.42% on sand pickup for hard flooring, 67.16% from low-pile carpet and 65.69% from midpile carpet. The carpet performance isn’t particularly impressive, so it’ll be a better option for those with hard flooring. Battery life was solid at 41 minutes, but not as long as the 60 minutes claimed by Dreame. Generally, for the price, you can get better performance from competitors, such as the Levoit LVAC-200.

Dirt Devil

Dirt Devil BD5700V: For those with primarily hardwood flooring, the Dirt Devil BD5700V delivered one of the highest scores we’ve seen on a cordless vacuum, removing nearly 100% of sand from a hardwood floor. Most impressive of all, it only costs $150 at full price. The only thing holding it back from being our best budget pick is middling carpet performance compared with the Levoit LVAC-200. The Dirt Devil BD5700V is notable for its classic bright red accents and remarkably lightweight body. At just 7 pounds, it’s easy to maneuver around the home but it doesn’t compromise on suction strength. It did incredibly well on our test that measures the ability of a cordless vacuum to remove sand from a hard floor, removing 99% of the sand. It did quite well removing pet hair from hardwood, leaving no traces, but struggled more with carpet, leaving traces of fur despite a few swipes. The Dirt Devil is also freestanding and has LED headlights on its primary cleaning head — a nice feature not always found on more affordable cordless vacuums. There isn’t a HEPA filter, but it is washable. The big selling point here is the price. Without any sales or discounts, the DirtDevil starts at $150, making it even cheaper than the Eureka ReactiSense 440, though it won’t match the performance on carpet. If you have a lot of carpeting at home, the BD5700V isn’t for you. It scored 69% removal on less plush low-pile carpet and managed 70.1% on more plush midpile, but you can do better for the price. Dustbin size could also be bigger; it’s only 0.48 liters, meaning more frequent emptying during cleaning sessions. The battery lasted 23.5 minutes during our testing, which is shorter than many competitors, and it’s also not user-replaceable.

Levoit

Levoit LVAC-200: This older Levoit model first proved that you don’t have to spend much money to get a quality cordless vacuum, although it’s recently been replaced by the Eureka ReactiSense 440 as our pick for best value, and has a successor with the LVAC-300, which provides better carpet performance. At the time of our testing, the LVAC-200 excelled at cleaning on hardwood floors, capturing 98.7% of sand. It also handled low-pile well, suctioning 80.2% of sand. Midpile was slightly lower at 74%. Levoit isn’t using a HEPA filter in this unit; it does use a five-stage filtration system, capturing 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. It also has a feature typically found on more expensive cordless vacs: LED lights on the front of the vacuum head to help ensure you don’t miss a speck of dust. Levoit LVAC-200 comes with a two-in-one crevice tool and a two-in-one pet tool to help clean up any and every mess, too, although it would have been nice to have some additional attachments for cleaning upholstery or digging deeper into carpet for pet hair. The one downside is battery life, which is not very impressive at just 25 minutes (although this can vary depending on your mode). On the plus side, the battery is user-replaceable, and additional units can be purchased from Levoit for around $70. If you need a longer running time, the LVAC-200 isn’t the cordless vacuum for you. It only lasted 25 minutes during our testing, so you’ll want to take a look at the Shark Stratos and Dreame Z30 for cordless vacuums that can last an hour or more. If you’re sensitive to allergies, this also doesn’t have a HEPA filter. And obviously, at this price, you won’t get a docking station or mopping functionality.

Samsung

Samsung Jet 75: Nearly identical to the Jet 90, the Samsung Jet 75 offers comparable cleaning power, a similarly attractive build, the same 60-minute battery life, the same HEPA filtration and the same 200 air watts of suction. The main difference is that the docking station needs to be drilled into the wall, while the Jet 90 uses a freestanding dock. The Jet 75 didn’t perform as strongly as the Jet 90 in the CNET Testing Labs midpile sand test, but because it’s at a lower price, that might be worth the deal for some folks.

Shark

For a deeper dive into Shark as a brand, take a look at our tested list of the best Shark vacuums.

Shark Rocket Pet Pro: Typically retailing for less than $350, the Shark Rocket Pet Pro remains a solid budget option, provided you can find it in stock. It offers excellent cleaning performance on crumbs and other small bits of debris on hardwood floors and satisfactory pickup power on carpets and with dust. It features HEPA filtration and a self-cleaning, anti-tangle brush head (helpful for preventing pet hair clogs) and converts to a convenient handheld cleaner when needed.

Shark Pet Plus: We still recommend this one for those who want a good vacuum without spending more than $400. It delivered strong suction on all our test surfaces, has HEPA filtration and comes with Shark’s generous five-year warranty. The Pet Plus excelled on hard flooring, removing 94% of sand. It was no slouch on carpet either, tackling 90% of sand on low-pile and 84.3% from midpile carpets. The scores put it right up there with some of our top performers, like our current best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, and our previous best overall, the Shark Stratos. There’s no dock or mopping functionality, but the vacuum is freestanding, which is a nice because you can leave it in a corner if something calls your attention. It’s also easy to maneuver, weighing a little less than 8 pounds, putting it on par with the lightweight Dirt Devil BD5700V. Battery life is middle of the pack at 42 minutes, which is less than the 60 minutes we got on the Stratos, but the battery is removable. The Pet Plus comes with several useful cleaning tools. You get a multi-angle dusting brush, pet multitool and wide upholstery tool. If you’re more sensitive to allergies, you’ll be pleased to know that the Pet Plus does have a HEPA filter and an anti-allergen seal. The Pet Plus falls firmly in the middle of the pack, costing $330 at full price, making it one of the few high-performing cordless vacuums you can get for less than $400. However, there are a few things that keep it off our main list. The Shark Pet Plus didn’t do as well at removing pet hair. While it did fine sucking it up from hardwood, it left quite a bit of pet hair on our low-pile and midpile test carpets. The dustbin is also quite small at just 0.32 liters — one of the smallest capacities we’ve seen on a cordless vacuum that doesn’t come with a self-empty dock.

Shark Vertex IZ492H: The Shark Vertex is a capable midprice cordless vacuum ($380 at full price). It offers strong hardwood floor sand pickup at 97.53% and does fairly well on carpet with 78.43% on low-pile and 80.39% on midpile. While these are good scores, it’s outperformed by the Shark Stratos and Shark Clean & Empty, making them better picks for roughly the same price, or our best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense for $180. On the plus side, it does have one of the longer battery lifespans we’ve tested, at 63.6 minutes.

Shark Pet Pro: The Pet Pro is one of the better Shark vacuums for under $300. It has fairly consistent performance, with 91% sand pickup on hardwood, 81% on low-pile carpet and 80% on midpile, making it good for all types of surfaces. Battery life is decent, though nothing special, at 45 minutes, but the dustbin is larger than average at 0.78 liters. What keeps it off our main list is that the Shark Stratos offers superior performance and a longer battery for $100-150 more, while the Eureka ReactiSense has better performance for a much lower price, making it hard to justify the Pet Pro unless it’s on a steeper sale.

Shark Pet IX141H: The most basic Shark model, it offers solid performance at just $180 (this seems to be a perma-deal, though on paper its full price is $300). It scored 89% sand pickup on hardwood, 84% on low-pile carpet and 86% on midpile carpet, making it a better choice than the Pet Pro and one of the most affordable options in Shark’s lineup. The 45-minute battery life and 0.78-liter dustbin aren’t anything to scoff at either. What keeps it off our main list is that there are plenty of cheap vacuums to choose from that can cost as little as $100 to $150 while offering similar or better performance.

Roborock

Roborock Ace F25: This expensive wet and dry vacuum will cost you $650 at full price. It’s in the same category as the Dyson Submarine, letting you vacuum your floors and clean up spills. As far as vacuuming goes, it does well on hard flooring, with 93.06% sand pickup. Carpet is a mixed bag, with 73.33% pickup from low-pile and 60% from midpile. We’re still evaluating the mopping abilities of the Ace F25, so until then, we’re withholding judgment, but there are a few features that may put it above the Dyson, including its 194-degrees Fahrenheit hot air flash drying and hot water self-cleaning.

Bissell

Bissell PowerClean FurFinder: We had high hopes for the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder, as it was one of the brands that earned top marks in our list of the best carpet cleaners. As a cordless vacuum, the FurFinder is just ok, scoring 71.6% on sand pickup from hard flooring. Most cordless vacuums, even the cheapest ones, excel in this category, picking up 90% or higher, so this was disappointing. Carpet performance is average at 69.12% low-pile and 64.71% midpile. (Most cordless vacuums we’ve tested can usually manage closer to 80% and above.) Battery life was also subpar at 25.6 minutes. Most disappointingly, it didn’t perform well at extracting pet hair from carpet, either. At $230 full price, you can do better.

Bissell IconPet Turbo: Designed for tackling pet hair, the Bissel IconPet Turbo offers solid overall performance for a reasonable $199. It did reasonably well in testing, scoring 89.7% in sand removal from hardwood, 66% from low-pile carpets and 54% from midpile carpets.

Tineco

Tineco Pure One S11: The Tineco Pure One S11 is a high-performing cordless vacuum with impressive suction power on hard floors and carpets. Versatile attachments, HEPA filtration and a dirt-detection feature add to its value. The design is basic and battery life is moderate, but its excellent cleaning performance makes it a great choice.

Other cordless vacuums

Miele Triflex HX2: Priced at about $1,100, we had high hopes for the Miele Triflex HX2. The three-in-one stick vac performed poorly in the sand test with low- and midpile carpets bringing down its overall performance score.

Greenworks 24V Cordless Vacuum: This vacuum is a true contender, able to match the performance of some $500 or more handheld stick vacuums while coming in around $320. In addition to all the tools it includes, it has a fast 30-minute recharge time and a solid 45-minute running time.

Moosoo XL-618: It wasn’t a strong performer in our toughest tests, but the Mooso XL-618 proved perfectly capable of basic cleaning, particularly with crumbs and on hardwood floors. It also converts to a handheld vacuum that you can use to clean your car or furniture. Frequently on sale for less than $80, the XL-618 is about as inexpensive as cordless vacuums get. If you’re willing to sacrifice some cleaning power to save some cash, it’s worth a look.

Black & Decker PowerSeries Extreme Max: The Black & Decker PowerSeries Extreme Max is a budget-friendly cordless vacuum that offers strong cleaning performance and a long running time. Its ability to convert into a handheld vacuum adds to its versatility, making it a standout option for its price.

LG CordZero A949: The CordZero A949 is a do-it-all cordless vacuum for those who want vacuuming and mopping in one device. It used to be our best overall pick, but lost the crown to the Eureka ReactiSense 440, which outperformed it in testing and comes in at a fraction of the price. During testing, the LG CordZero A949 suctioned nearly 90% of the debris from carpet and hardwood flooring. It did great in testing, scoring 95% sand removal from hardwood, 87.8% from low-pile carpet and 86.8% from midpile carpet. Pet hair was also no challenge, with the A949 pulling it out of hardwood and carpet with ease. Aside from the impressive cleaning power, the LG CordZero A949 has a charging dock that stores the accessories, charges the vacuum and the extra battery, and the base automatically empties the vacuum. The accessories include a crevice tool, an adjustable wand, a power mini nozzle and a combination tool. It also has a power mop attachment with spinning pads to clean up wet messes. A small but much-appreciated feature of the LG CordZero A949 is that it’s freestanding. This means when you need to pick something up that’s in the way of cleaning, you don’t have to lean the vacuum against something or lay it on the ground. Its dustbin capacity is also an underrated bonus: It can hold a full liter before you need to make use of the self-emptying dock. This is one of the most expensive cordless vacuums we recommend, at $1,000 at full price, which keeps it off our main list. If you’re price sensitive, this may not be the cordless vacuum for you, as there are options with similar capabilities for half the price, including our current best overall, the $180 Eureka ReactiSense 440. The battery life was also a big letdown during testing; we only got 10.5 minutes out of it, although it is user-replaceable and charges while on the dock.

How we test cordless vacuum cleaners at CNET

All the vacuums on CNET’s best lists are tested and evaluated in our state-of-the-art test labs. CNET Testing Labs go beyond product specifications to test in real-world conditions with real-life messes. Over the years, our experts have tested 50 cordless vacuums and counting.

Here’s a breakdown of how we measure cordless stick vacuum performance.

Cordless stick vacuum scoring methodology

Inside CNET’s Testing Labs: How we test cordless vacuums and why the sand scores matter

Our team of experts and engineers uses play sand to mimic dirt and dust. Each vacuum is tested on a low-pile carpet, midpile carpet and a hard surface with sand. This test reveals exactly how much physical debris a vacuum is able to pick up off the floor.

Using the dust area adjuster (what we use to disperse sand or pet hair onto the floor), we subtract one inch from the measured nozzle width to allow the stick vacuum ample coverage and opportunity to pick up all debris on the carpet or hardwood. We use different nozzle widths and different amounts of debris based on the square footage of the floor sample size.

During testing, we set controls in place to make sure each vacuum faces the same test. For example, each vacuum is set to the same nozzle width and we measure and lay down the exact same amount of debris each time.

We conduct three cleaning runs (at minimum) on each floor type and we re-run test cycles if there is an obvious outlier in the three tests, whether that be one test that is much higher or lower in pickup percentage. We also conduct separate cleaning tests using pet hair (acquired from a nearby groomer) on each surface type, photographing and visually evaluating how much hair, if any, remains after vacuuming.

We weigh the dustbin before and after each run. From there, we can calculate the percentage of debris pickup for every cleaning run and the average amount of soil a vacuum manages to remove.

For pet hair, we don’t weight the pet hair after the tesr, we use before and after pictures of the cleaning run to subjectively evaluate the effectiveness of the cordless vacuum at picking up pet hair.

Cordless vacuum battery life and running time

To test battery life, we fully charge the vacuum battery then run it at the medium setting until drained (no Max or Eco mode). We do this three times and take the average of the tests. The longer the duration, the better the score. Most of the vacuums on our list have a battery life of 25 to 40 minutes before needing another charge, although many models are starting to offer higher-capacity batteries with running times of 60 minutes per charge. Several of the vacuums we’ve tested can do even better, such as the Shark Stratos (80 minutes) and Dreame Z30 (110 minutes). In truth, it’s a rare occasion that one would need more than 40 minutes for a single vacuuming session, and the prevalence of charging docks makes it easy to recharge in between cleaning runs.

Most cordless vacuums we recommend also have replaceable batteries these days, meaning you can buy an extra if you need more running time or you’re worried about battery degradation over time.

Several of the graphs below show the relationships we discovered in our study between battery life and suction, battery life and price and battery life and weight. A recent lab data study we did also revealed that most cordless vacuums with stronger suction power also have a shorter battery life, but you don’t need to spend a lot to get a high-performing vacuum.

Cordless vacuum weight, size and bin capacity

Most of the cordless vacuums we tested weighed between 4 and 8 pounds. When a vacuum weighs 10 pounds or more, we consider it more unwieldy. Most of the vacuums on this list were also very similar in height and overall size. They come with accessories that can be attached and detached to give you flexible cleaning options, too. For instance, a crevice cleaning attachment is common and lets you fit the vacuum nozzle into tight spaces and corners to clean in places where a larger brush head couldn’t reach.

For dustbin size, we consider anything close to 0.6 liters or more to be good. Generally, anything less than 0.5 liters will require you to empty it after every cleaning session. A large dustbin means you can go longer without emptying. However, if the cordless vacuum comes with a self-emptying charging dock, it can often store dust and debris for 30 days or more, minimizing the amount of dust you’re faced with when vacuuming.

Cordless vacuum warranties

Cordless vacuum warranties vary by manufacturer and model but the majority of models we’ve tested offer at least a year of coverage, if not two. The best warranty we’ve seen is from Shark Ninja, which offers five-year limited warranties on its cordless vacuums. A longer warranty period is good because it means your vacuum is covered if a part breaks or something is defective.

Filters and air quality

Most cordless vacuums have some kind of filter that stops the exhaust from putting dust back into the room while you’re vacuuming. This can be a simple washable cloth filter or an anti-allergy HEPA filter (commonly found in air purifiers) that can filter particles as small as 0.3 microns. Most of the best cordless vacuums come with replaceable HEPA filters, while cheaper models may have a more basic cloth filter. One recent innovation we’re also seeing from Shark Ninja is the incorporation of an anti-allergy seal and anti-odor capsules that keep your vacuum and dustbin from festering.

User experience (ease of use and comfort)

While it’s not necessarily a factor that weighs heavily, the ease and comfort of using a cordless vacuum and emptying its dustbin does play a role. We now consider this category as user experience. We like when a cordless vacuum is freestanding, meaning you can leave it upright and unattended without having to worry about it tipping over. We also like when it has a charging dock or self-empties because it means there’s less maintenance on your end. Strong bonus points go to a vacuum docking station that empties dust into a bag rather than a bagless dust canister because it means that dust is less likely to get all over your newly vacuumed floors when you empty it into the trash.

Other features

As new cordless stick vacuum models emerge, we’re seeing the ability to detect dirt types and floor types and adjust suction power accordingly. “This means that when a large amount of dirt is detected, suction increases and when less dirt is present, suction decreases,” says CNET’s Lab engineer Gianmarco Chumbe. Chumbe, who’s been testing home tech products at CNET Labs for eight years, says the latest vacuum tech can sense floor type and boost suction power in response. “The main benefit of this feature is increased battery efficiency, resulting in a more effective and longer-lasting cleaning experience.”

Consumers shopping for vacuums today, Chumbe says, should consider the cost-to-value ratio. “Ask yourself, does the price justify the performance, features and comfort it offers?” CNET writers and editors use price and value in our vacuum scoring precisely for this reason.

What about handheld vacuums?

Most, if not all, of the cordless vacuums on this list can be broken down into a handheld vacuum, making it possible to use them to clean your car or upholstery. However, we use a slightly different testing methodology when testing handheld vacuums, so we recommend looking at our recently updated list of the best handheld vacuum to see our recommendations for use cases ranging from cleaning cars to pet hair. Many handheld vacuums can weigh as little as 1.2 pounds, putting them in a different weight category from these cordless vacuums.

Keeping your cordless vacuum clean so it can clean better

It’s easy to forget that the very tools that help us clean (like vacuums) also need to be cleaned from time to time. This is true even if they have a charging and self-emptying dock, as the main dustbin still needs to be emptied. Issues such as hair tangled around the brushes or clogged filters need occasional attention to ensure your cordless vacuum continues performing at its best.

Some of the routine cleaning that needs to be done for your cordless vacuum is daily, while other aspects can be done weekly or even monthly.

• Daily: Emptying the bin, checking brush for stuck debris.
• Weekly: Cleaning brush rolls, filters and wheels.
• Monthly: Cleaning any sensors, replacing the filters, removing and deep cleaning the brushes.

Some of the maintenance will depend on how often you use your cordless vacuum. If you only use it once or twice a week, you may not need to replace the filters every month. Checking with your particular vacuum model’s manual to determine when to replace the filter is a wise idea. Also, some filters are washable, which means you can get more life out of them before it’s time to replace them.

Most of these tasks take just a few minutes but offer great returns in keeping your home cleaner.

Katie Collins

Editorial Director

Katie oversees coverage for home technology, kitchen tech, smart home, yard & outdoors, pet tech, broadband, software & services, health, wellness, and home energy & utilities.

Prior to joining CNET, Katie worked at Time Magazine’s former personal finance brand, NextAdvisor, as well as at The Simple Dollar, Reviews.com, Interest.com and CreditCards.com.

Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in deviant behavior and social control from CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice and spent a decade working with at-risk teenagers, facilitating family crisis intervention and anger management groups. Katie took her counseling skills and passion for helping people into service journalism. Her goal is to help people make purchase decisions and to help you reach your personal life goals.

Katie’s free time is spent with her two human children and one fur child. You can reach her at kcollins@cnet.com.

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