Best vacuum cleaners 2024 UK our expert buying guide and reviews – Good Housekeeping uk

There's no doubt about it, vacuum cleaners are an essential household appliance. And finding a good one will make it easier to keep your home looking its best.

But with so many to choose from, including

Whats more, everyone's cleaning needs vary, and whether youre dealing with carpets, hard floors, stairs, pet hair (or all of the above!), theres a lot to consider when shopping for your next cleaning companion.

That's why the Good Housekeeping Institute made it their mission to find the top vacuums on the market. In fact, weve tried and tested over 100 models to find the best money can buy.

We analyse every element of a vacuum, from how it lifts dust from different floor surfaces to how easy it is to use, as well as its overall design.

From all our research, weve put together this handy vacuum cleaner buying guide, covering everything you need to know. Read on for our best buys and advice on what to look for.

Best upright vacuum

Now 38% Off

Hoovers newest upright vacuum is a great all-rounder that lifts dust and dirt quickly. Pet hair vanished within two swipes, and the push and lift technology lets you take it up stairs easily.

Best cylinder vacuum

With a hard-to-fault performance on test, this cylinder would make a great buy, whatever your flooring. It also had an efficient, tangle-free pet tool and was seamless to use, from canister emptying to wheeling around the home.

Joint best cordless vacuum

This is a powerful addition to Dysons line-up and will suit all homes, whether youve got lots of carpet or hard floors, or pets, thanks to its flawless suction across all our tests. Its heavy when used as a handheld and has a long battery charging time, but its pleasing to use thanks to its intuitive set-up, comfortable handle and well-designed dust bin.

This brightly coloured robot vacuum from Dyson is a powerful and effective cleaner. Testers liked the way it does an initial sweep before returning to trickier spots. It also notifies you of any patches you need to revisit and it self-charges. You do have to empty it manually, though.

Joint best handheld vacuum

With a pet-hair friendly design, this Shark barely dropped a mark for its performance, thanks to its outstanding pick-up on all surfaces, no matter the debris. Its battery life is short but we were still able to clean a small car.

If youre replacing an existing vacuum, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.

It can be difficult to know which type of vacuum cleaner would best suit your needs, so weve detailed the pros and cons for each category.

Upright vacuum cleaners tend to be the best option for larger, carpeted households. This is because they usually feature a turbo brush in the floor head, which makes them particularly effective at picking up hair and residue from carpets. The wide floor head also means they can cover a greater area much more quickly and effectively than other vacuums.

These models are more stable and easier to manoeuvre than cylinders, as you're pushing them forward rather than dragging them behind you. Theres also no need to bend when using an upright, which makes them a good option for those with back issues.

However, their design means they can be awkward to use on stairs and can also be too bulky to reach under furniture; the weight of some may also take its toll after prolonged use. Theyre typically neat to store though, and can usually hold the tools on the body so you have them to hand as you clean.

Best upright vacuum cleaner

Now 38% Off

Score: 93/100

If youre worried about an upright vacuum proving too bulky for your home, but need the larger capacity they offer, consider our winner. Its push and lift away tech allows you to separate the canister and tube from the main body to move around your home and up stairs more easily. Plus, its excellent at cleaning.

Best for carpets

Score: 91/100

Lifting pet hair in one sweep without tangling, this is the upright to pick if you need one for moulting season. Though reliable on hard floors and room edges, it shone most on carpet, lifting 96% of dust laid on short pile and more than the set amount on deep pile. There are more compact models, and it doesn't offer onboard storage, so consider where youll keep it before buying.

Best for design

Now 28% Off

Score: 90/100

Designed to make vacuuming easier, this Hoover converts into a portable vac so you can reach every step and cranny in your home. It lifts pet hair in one sweep, and none got stuck in the brush head on test. Dust pick-up was also top notch. A terrific all-round buy.

Best for pet hair

Now 10% Off

Score: 90/100

Similar in design to the HL5, this pet-specific model has a mini rotating brush that lifts fur from stairs and upholstery. This earnt it a perfect ten in our pet hair tests, and hair didnt tangle in its brush either. It struggled on stairs and in the corners of rooms, but its suction meant it cleaned reliably. Testers liked its premium feel, too.

Best for large homes

Score: 86/100

Another trusty vacuum from Dyson, this lightweight upright moves smoothly around the home, picking up dust impressively from most surfaces and lifting pet hair in just one sweep. Its long cable makes it well-suited to cleaning bigger rooms, and on test we cleaned up to nine steps before needing to reposition it.

Cylinder vacuums are typically lighter and more portable than uprights, as the main body sits on the floor behind you for you to pull as you vacuum. They can be bagged or bagless, depending on your preference, and often come with a good selection of tools. Theyve been around for many years thanks to their lightweight and convenient design, and are ideal for those who struggle with heavier vacuums.

They also tend to be better for reaching under and around furniture and make cleaning a flight of stairs simpler with their long, flexible hose. Take care when youre pulling it around the home though, as it can knock into walls and furniture. Some designs can also be a bit bulky and more awkward to store than other types of vacuums, especially those with a long hose.

Best cylinder vacuum

Score: 97/100

Producing sparkling results, no matter the flooring, this all-rounder is an investment worth making. It glided easily around our test centre, pet hair didnt tangle in its brushes, and its dust canister was a doddle to empty.

Runner-up cylinder vacuum

Score: 91/100

This powerful cleaner scored full marks on carpet, gobbling up most dust. It was equally impressive on hard floors, leaving little dust in between floorboards and lifting more dust than the set amount our tester had laid on laminate. For pet hair, its worth switching to the ET-1 Power Head, as it picked it all up in two passes. It's got a large capacity too.

Most lightweight and best budget

Score: 85/100

This model weighs 4.1kg, notably less than the others on our list, making it ideal if you need something easy to manoeuvre. Its so compact it sits stably on stairs, and its affordable too. Despite its smaller size and lower price, its pick-up was powerful on carpet and laminate. For floorboards, wed suggest trying a different vac, but cleaning up pet hair was quick and straightforward.

Best on carpets

Score: 85/100

This sleek vacuum put in a perfect performance on carpet, lifting nearly all dust on long pile and more than the set amount wed laid on short pile. It moved easily across hard floors, again demonstrating reliable pick-up. For fur, it wasnt the best but proved adept at room edges. Plus, the hose can reach 10 steps high, and it was mess-free to empty.

Best for reach

Score: 84/100

Clean more efficiently with this vacuum, which has a hose that reaches up to four metres away. Its great at dust pick-up on hard flooring and short pile carpet but is best avoided if you have long pile carpets at home, as it struggled a bit with this on test. And if you have pets, then be sure to use the dedicated turbo brush when tackling hair.

Cordless or, as they're also known, stick vacuums are one of the most popular types of vac. Their increasingly powerful technology almost rivals traditional corded models, but there's no need for a plug socket nearby.

Originally designed for quick clean-ups, most are now capable of cleaning a whole home with ease, meaning many people use this model as their sole vacuum cleaner.

Their compact design, with a stick body and smaller dust canister, is more lightweight than bigger vacuums and ideal for homes where storage is tight. The canister will need emptying more frequently though, and they tend to be bagless.

Like uprights and cylinders, most come with attachments including crevice and upholstery tools. Many even have motorised brushes to lift pet hair effectively.

Note that battery life still varies across models, and youll need to remember to charge it when not in use. If your home is bigger, look for a machine that comes with two batteries to extend its cleaning time in between charges.

Joint best cordless vacuum

Score: 97/100

Dysons latest vacuum is a true all-rounder with updated technology (including dust-revealing lights and an LCD screen that details the particles being cleaned) and outstanding suction. It didnt just lift the debris laid for our tests but picked up residual dirt too. Even pet hair was dealt with swiftly. Youll just need to plan around the 4.5-hour battery charging time.

Joint best cordless vacuum

Now 38% Off

Score 97/100

This good-looking vacuum is one to show off. It performed outstandingly on test, removing everything from dust to biscuit crumbs to pet hair effortlessly. It was easy to use on stairs too, reaching into every corner, and it charges in two hours. It also comes with an innovative docking system where auto-emptying technology reduces the number of times youll need to empty it.

Joint runner-up

Now 40% Off

Score: 96/100

This vacuum gives you near-perfect cleaning at a more affordable price than many of our other high scorers. It aced our dust and crumb pick-up tests, only losing marks for the way pet hair caught slightly on its brush. The flexible design means you can reach further under furniture too.

Joint runner-up

Score: 96/100

This lightweight vacuum is Miele's latest, and it didn't disappoint. Testers liked how it glided around the house, and its stand-out suction, which the brand says is up there with its cylinder vacuums and resulted in a perfect pick-up score on test.

Best for bigger homes

Score: 95/100

This vacuum has a uniquely designed dust canister that can carry nearly twice as much as many of the other cordless models weve tested. Its an excellent cleaner too, excelling across all floor types and dirt even pet hair. Only its car cleaning let it down as it struggled to quickly lift larger debris.

While a robot vacuum wont replace your standard machine, it will allow you to cut back on how often you need to clean, giving you more time for yourself. These little gadgets use sensors to avoid bumping into furniture and map where they've been around the room to ensure no area is left neglected.

Robot vacuums are now smarter than ever, too all the models weve featured are compatible with an app and either Alexa or Google Home. Some even have docking stations that allow them to self-empty, so you rarely need to think about clearing the canister yourself.

Score: 95/100

This Dyson stands out from the robot vacuum crowd in more ways than just its bright blue finish. Its a powerful cleaner that adjusts to different surfaces and works quickly. It didnt spread any dust or debris on test either, capturing it all in its well-designed brush. It doesnt self-empty, but it does self-charge and its Wi-Fi compatible, with all the mapping and scheduling tech you could possibly desire.

Joint runner-up robot vacuum

Score: 94/100

With a docking station designed to look like a side table, this robot vacuum and mop has style and substance. Its easy to set up, has effective sensors, and lifts crumbs and pet hair excellently. Most dust was picked up too, while its mop function is best suited to light cleans.

Joint runner-up robot vacuum

Score: 94/100

With its reliable mop function, and top-scoring cleaning performance on test (from dust to pet hair), this is a simple yet highly effective robot vacuum. It doesn't have some of the more advanced features of the iRobots, but its accompanying app lets you set different modes and schedule cleans. Its battery lasts for up to 150 minutes, too.

Best robot vacuum with multi-purpose docking station

Now 22% Off

Score: 93/100

Vacuuming and mopping its way around your home, this is an excellent cleaning assistant. Its tech worked well, and it lifted most of the dirt laid by our testers. It mopped reliably too, and the docking station cleans the mopping pads automatically afterwards.

Best value iRobot

Score: 92/100

Another robot vacuum with a mopping feature, this savvy buy comes with a host of great tech features (it takes photos of hard-to-clean areas, for example). It was a stellar cleaner, whether on carpet or hard floors, and its mopping was also reliable, leaving our floors glistening without using too much water. Its a standout buy.

A handheld vacuum cleaner is ideal for cleaning quick spills as well as getting into tight and awkward spaces such as car interiors and staircases. Being cordless, theyre convenient to grab and go, but they do rely on battery life and tend to have a smaller dust capacity than upright and cylinder vacuums, so its important to check these specs before you buy.

As a general rule, look for at least 20 minutes of battery life (this will give you ample time to get around a car) and a dust capacity of at least 0.3 litres if you dont want to empty it often. Its also worth noting that many cordless upright vacuums can also function as handhelds, so you may already have one in the home.

But if youre looking to invest in a new handheld, as well as battery life and dust capacity, you should also consider the weight. It may feel light at first, but it can get heavy and tiresome after a short while. The weight should be around 1-1.5kg on average.

The included tools can also vary. Some, such as a crevice and pet tools, may be essential for your cleaning. Think about what youll be using your vacuum for and whether any accessories will help you.

Joint best handheld vacuum

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Best vacuum cleaners 2024 UK our expert buying guide and reviews - Good Housekeeping uk