The best vacuum cleaners for carpet, hard floors and pet hair, out of over 360 tested models

Score: 97/100

This high-scoring robot vacuum uses some of the most impressive technology on the market to make hands-free cleaning even easier. With laser navigation and a combination of cameras and obstacle recognition, it maps and displays your rooms quickly in the connected app, allowing you to add no-go zones and set up cleaning schedules in a few touches.

It performed best when collecting crumbs, picking up 98% of the Rice Krispies we laid down on carpet and effectively removing 95% of dust on hard floors. It picked up less dust on carpet – just 56% – but that’s an impressive result for a robot (which are best used for touch-up cleans), only leaving behind dust that was more deeply ingrained in the carpet pile. For the best dust-removal on carpet, choose the MOVA V70 Ultra Complete Robot Vacuum.

The spinning roller mop tackled fresh stains well, but dried-on spills were trickier. In fact, the AI camera actually mistook a ketchup spillage for a power cord and kept avoiding the area, but we can’t blame it for being cautious on this occasion.

Choose this vacuum if: You want a hands-free vacuum to tackle a mix of floor types in between deeper cleans.

Score: 96/100

Dyson’s latest cordless vacuum seriously impressed. It features the brand’s new dual conical cleaner head, which excelled when it came to sucking up long hair and pet dander – it scored 10/10 in our test after sucking it all up in one sweep.

When it came to cleaning carpets, we found its dust removal went from 80% to 100% when we did two sweeps, while it gobbled up biscuit crumbs on the first attempt. It aced our hard floor tests too, collecting an average of 98% of the dust we laid down.

We had to score it down when cleaning skirting boards as it left a strip of dust averaging 13.5mm along the front edge of the vacuum – the slight V-shaped floor head was the problem here. If you don’t want the faff of switching to the crevice tool to pick up any remaining dust, choose the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum instead, which left behind just 2mm.

Investing in this Dyson also means having a compacting dust bin that squishes down the collected dust and debris to make room for more. That means less time emptying and more time actually vacuuming.

Choose this vacuum if: You want a great all-round cordless vacuum with a good battery life.

Score: 96/100

This clever three-in-one vacuum cleaner combines an upright vacuum, stick vacuum and handheld vacuum in a single device, a very new concept in the world of vacuuming. If you hate having to charge a battery but still want a stick vacuum for quickly whizzing around high-traffic areas in your home, this Shark model is well-equipped for the job. But then it also has you covered for deeper, longer cleaning sessions with the larger dustbin and more powerful motor, without you needing storage space for another vacuum. Just lift the dustbin off the main body to switch between the two.

In the lab, it performed particularly well as an upright vacuum, sucking up 100% of dust and 98% of crumbs from short pile carpet and hard floors. The dual brush system removed hair in one sweep too, but we had to deduct some marks on long pile carpet as it only collected 81% of dust after one sweep.

We recommend sticking with the upright mode for carpets though as the stick vacuum struggled to lift dust from the carpet fibres, leaving around 27% embedded in the pile. If you have lots of long-pile carpet, opt for the Miele Boost CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum Cleaner instead if you want a corded model or the Dyson V16 Piston Animal for a cordless option.

This was great for whipping around hard floors though, gliding nicely over the different floor types. We liked the handheld mode for cleaning up crumbs and tackling the stairs as the lightweight build and corded design gave plenty of power and reach.

Choose this vacuum if: You want the reassurance of corded power with the option of a lightweight stick vacuum and an upright vacuum for deeper cleans.

Score: 96/100

The V16’s predecessor is another fantastic vacuum. It’s slightly more affordable, features the standard cleaner head, and has an LCD screen that keeps you up to date on battery life. Its suction power didn’t disappoint in testing – it scored full marks for pick up on both dust and crumbs across all floor types.

It particularly impressed on long pile carpets, reaching deep into the pile and pulling out all the dust we’d laid down. It needed just one sweep to collect pet hair and coped when we challenged it with larger clumps of hair too. We didn’t notice any tangling around the brush bar either, so we recommend this vacuum if you have furry pets at home.

We had to deduct a few marks as it struggled on our edge cleaning test, leaving up to 12.5mm of dust along the skirting board. And while the crevice tool will help here, we found it was too bulky to fit down the side of car seats, so you won’t be able to pick up those pesky crumbs that fall in between. For a vacuum that’s great at cleaning your car as well as your home, choose the Halo Capsule XR Cordless Vacuum, which was rated the best car vacuum after our testing. The Dyson was hard to fault in most other areas though.

Choose this vacuum if: You want a cordless vacuum that can tackle pet hair and everyday cleaning tasks on a range of floor types.

Score: 94/100

With a pet-hair friendly design, this Shark model barely dropped a mark for its cleaning performance, thanks to its outstanding pick-up on all surfaces, no matter the debris. In fact, it scored 10/10 on all our dust and crumb tests, making it a top choice for quick cleans on carpet and hard floors.

Its battery life is short (10 minutes), and it takes four hours for a full recharge, so it lost marks here. We were able to clean most of a small car on one charge, but the crevice tool wasn’t long enough to reach right down between the seats. If you’re looking for a handheld to clean your car, try Black+Decker’s Wet and Dry Handheld Vacuum, which effectively lifted dust and debris and can suck up small spillages too.

Choose the Shark Classic Pet handheld if: You want a small vacuum for quick jobs round the house or for tackling pet hair.

Score: 93/100

If you want an affordable vacuum without the Dyson price tag, look no further than this cordless Vax model. It scored full marks on carpet cleaning, removing almost 97% of dust on short pile carpet and every speck from deep in the fibres on long pile after a few sweeps. Results on hard floors didn’t disappoint either with dust collection not falling below 96%. We loved the LED lights on the floor head that show up any missed dirt too.

Like the other cordless models in this list, it struggled to pick up dust right against the skirting board, so we’d recommend using the crevice tool for deeper cleans.

The small 0.6L dust bin will probably be full after one to three days of vacuuming (depending on the size and amount of dust in your home), so if you have a larger home, the Dyson V16 Piston Animal and its compacting dust bin might be a better choice. That said, if you like the affordability of this model, it’s easy to empty the canister so shouldn’t cause you too much concern.

Choose this vacuum if: You want an affordable cordless vacuum that doesn’t skimp on cleaning performance.

Score: 92/100

This vacuum is designed to pick up dirt as it moves forwards and backwards (most vacuums just lift dust when moving backward), helping to clean up dust, hair, and debris in fewer passes. However, we found this didn’t make it much more effective on carpet, with multiple sweeps needed to remove 91% of dust.

It worked much better on hard floors though, lifting almost every speck we laid down – it even collected the finer dirt in between floorboards. This is also another excellent pick for homes with pets as most hair was removed in one sweep with no tangling round the brush bar. But what’s extra special about this vacuum is its docking station. Park it up after cleaning and it will automatically empty the dust bin as well as charging the vacuum so it's ready to go again the next time you need it. You can buy the vacuum without it, if you prefer.

It’s also worth noting this vacuum shone in our edge cleaning test, something that even the best performers can struggle with. It left less than a 2mm margin after passing along the edge of a skirting board.

Choose this vacuum if: You hate emptying your vacuum’s dust bin and have a home with a mix of floor types.

Score: 92/100

With a large 4.5-litre dust canister, this vacuum will suit you if you’re cleaning a large home (or if you just hate emptying it regularly). As a bagged vacuum, it’s also very clean and easy to remove and refit a dust bag, making it ideal for those with allergies.

Its dust removal seriously impressed, with 100% collected on long pile carpets and laminate flooring. We did find that the vacuum started to overheat after longer periods of use on deep-pile rugs and carpets, which then affected the suction power. If you allow it to cool afterwards, however, that quickly sorts the problem.

The suction isn’t strong enough along the front to clean right up against the skirting boards, but this vacuum comes with a great range of tools including a crevice tool and dusting brush that will help get the job done.

It wasn’t as effective at removing pet hair either, needing a couple sweeps to remove all the strands. If have furry friends at home and want a corded model, choose our overall winner, the Miele Boost CX1 Cat & Dog Vacuum Cleaner. Just note, its capacity is only one litre, so you’ll need to empty it more often than this option.

Choose this vacuum if: You have a large home with a mix of floor types.

Score: 89/100

This lightweight, slim cordless vacuum is a smart buy if you find it difficult to hold, push or pull heavy items for long periods. At just 1.8kg, we found it well-balanced and easy to use on a variety of floor types, including the stairs.

Its lightweight design didn’t impact its cleaning power though. It doesn’t have the strongest suction of all the models we’ve tried, but it collected 95% of dust across all floor types in two sweeps. Built-in technology automatically adjusts the suction power as you clean, and we liked the LED digital panel on the top of the vacuum that displays real-time updates.

Like many of the vacuums we’ve tested, it struggled to clean right up to the edge of the skirting board and larger clumps of pet hair required a couple of extra passes to lift every strand. Overall, this is another great affordable vacuum, but we’d choose the Vax Blade 4 Classic Plus if you want the best cleaning power, as it removed more dust in a single sweep.

Choose this vacuum if: You want a lightweight design and smart cleaning features at an affordable price.

Score: 88/100

If you only have hard floors at home, then consider Dyson’s PencilVac as it’s been designed specifically for this job. It’s powered by Dyson’s new motor (the smallest and fastest yet), delivering impressive suction in a super-slim build.

As it’s only designed for hard floors, we added in a few more tests to challenge this vacuum, including extra crumb and dust removal. It passed each one with flying colours, collecting more than 98% of dust in one sweep and all the crumbs we laid down within five passes.

The Pencilvac’s cleaning head features four cone-shaped, soft brushes, which help the vacuum move and clean in all directions – even swivelling 360-degrees. However, the back-to-back cones essentially create a V-shaped head, which did cause some issues in testing. Namely that the cleaning head can’t go flat against skirting boards, which meant 12-13mm of dust was left behind. Plus, clumps of hair seemed to get balled up by the fluffy cones and were occasionally spat back out rather than them being sucked into the canister. Smaller strands were removed within two sweeps though.

If you mainly have hard floors at home but still need a vacuum that can tackle carpet, choose the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute for an excellent cordless buy or the Vax Blade 4 Classic Plus as a more affordable pick.

Choose this vacuum if: You only have hard floors and want a lightweight, cordless model to whizz around your home.

Score: 85/100

This budget-friendly upright vacuum scored full marks for dust pick-up on both short and long pile carpet with the suction lifting all everything we’d laid down – even from deep between the fibres.

It worked well on hard floors too, collecting over 96% of dust, but the floor head would occasionally push debris along the floor rather than sucking it, so we sometimes had to lift the head and reposition it to get the best results.

The lift-off design allows you to easily clean stairs without carrying the entire vacuum up each step, but the hose is quite stiff. The pet tool didn’t work as well as we’d hoped either. Instead, the main floorhead proved better at lifting the strands, but some did get tangled around the brush bar. If you don’t have pets though, this is a fantastic budget buy.

Choose this vacuum if: You’re shopping on a budget and want a good vacuum for a range of floor types.

Score: 85/100

With some robot models costing £1,000, it’s understandable that hands-free vacuuming might feel too expensive for many. However, this Ultenic vacuum comes in at under £150, making it much more affordable.

It connects to your smartphone, and it’s easy to set everything up this way. Just place the robot in the room you want to add, and it will map the space and save it within the app. Then you can add no-go zones, schedule cleans and adjust the cleaning mode and suction power.

This robot scored full marks for picking up Rice Krispies and only left some fine biscuit crumbs behind, making it a smart choice for everyday clean ups. For deeper cleans, you’ll need a standard vacuum as it only lifted 32% of dust on short pile carpet, removing the surface layer but leaving ingrained debris behind (quite common for robot vacuums). It performed better on hard floors, collecting 91% of dust, so it’s worthwhile if you have mainly hard floors at home.

Choose this vacuum if: You want hands-free cleaning at the price of a regular vacuum.