CNET rigorously tested more than 50 cordless vacuums to find you the best performing and best value for your money for 2025.
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What to consider
Type of flooring
Buy the right vacuum to clean the type (or types) of flooring in your home.
Battery life and runtime
If you have a lot of home to vacuum, youll want a model with good runtime.
Weight, size and bin capacity
Smaller vacuums are easier to maneuver but they often give up power and bin capacity.
Warranty
Dont spring for an expensive vacuum without a warranty to back it up.
vs
A few years ago, cordless vacuums were costly and inferior to corded models. Thats changed in recent years, with more affordable cordless models that perform just as well as canister and upright models. If you, like many Americans, have been feeling the pinch of tariffs and inflation, but need an effective cleaning tool, we have recommendations for every price range.
At CNET, weve been testing vacuums for many years, evaluating cordless and corded models in everyday situations — far beyond the claims made by brands. To date, weve tested 50 cordless vacuums and counting. Whether youre on a budget or need something high-performance, here are our top cordless vacuum picks for 2025, from carpet champs to all-around winners.
Our top pick for the best cordless vacuum is the Eureka ReactiSense 440, tying with our previous winner, the Shark Stratos. Costing just $180, Eurekas vacuum outperformed the Shark with a 96% tested sand pickup average across flooring types — truly incredible performance for a vacuum that costs two or three times less than our top picks, including ones from Dyson. Even more impressive for the price range, it has smart sensors that can automatically adjust brushroll speed for different flooring types. The aforementioned Stratos is still worthy of consideration though, with its strong performance and 80-minute battery life. It offers a good balance of price and performance, but the choice comes down to what you prioritize. The ReactiSense 440 is also our new best value pick, replacing the old Levoit LVAC-200 and beating the newer Levoit LVAC-300.
Best for:
The Eureka ReactiSense 440 is our new best overall cordless vacuum, beating out our previous winner, the Shark Stratos. At $180, its affordable enough to also earn a spot on our list of the best cheap vacuums. Normally, this comes with compromises but not so with the ReactiSense 440. It scored the highest test scores on hard flooring and carpet of any cordless vacuum weve tested, with a 96% average. It also comes with premium features, including a HEPA filter, LED headlights, and sensors that can detect flooring type to adjust brush roller speed and suction accordingly.
Why we recommend it:
Price isnt just what the ReactiSense 440 has going for it. Among the more than 50 cordless vacuums weve tested, it earned the highest scores in our lab testing across flooring types. It was able to pick up 97.53% of sand on hardwood, putting it in the top tier in terms of performance. The carpet score was even more impressive, with 98.53% sand pickup from low-pile carpet and 92.16% from midpile. Eureka was amazing across all testing, said Schylar Breitenstein, associate lab engineer. I just wish the runtime was a little longer but the pickup was even better than the Shark Stratos, surprisingly.
As youd expect, this also means it tackles pet hair well. Theres 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 speed of the roller brush 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.
Who shouldnt get it:Battery life is average, verging on mediocre. The similarly priced Uninell UV5 lasts longer at 48.6 minutes, while our previous best overall, the Shark Stratos, clocked 80 minutes. But neither holds a candle to the 110-minute Dreame Z30, 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 size at 0.5 liters, requiring more frequent emptying and you wont get a self-emptying base station unless you step up to the Shark Clean & Empty or Tineco GoStation Smart.
Best for:
Our other best overall, the Shark Stratos is still 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, 5-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.
Why we recommend it:
The Stratos generated the second-highest test scores weve 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 Eurekea 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 thats able to dig deeper into the carpet to remove dust and pet hair. Unsurprisingly, we didnt have many problems getting pet hair out of our test carpet, and the self-cleaning brushroll never tangled. Its worth noting that for more deeply embedded hair, you may require more than one pass. Interestingly, theres also some smart chops under the hood. Sharks Clean Sense IQ is able to detect dirt and automatically boost suction power for better cleaning, although you can also manually change the cleaning modes if you prefer. It has an 80-minute tested battery life, which is better than many cordless vacuums weve tested, losing out to just the 110-minute Dreame Z30.
There are also some useful quality-of-life features, like LED illumination lights for highlighting dust in dim areas, an LED display that shows you the battery you have left, and a multi-flex 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 for storage, 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, so gross things you suck up dont fester.
Who shouldnt buy it:
While the Shark Stratos used to offer the best performance for the price, its been outperformed by the Eurekea ReactiSense 440, which costs just $180 at full price, though the Stratos still has better battery life. If you want a self-emptying dock, the Shark Stratos doesnt come with one. It also doesnt support mopping. The odor-neutralizing feature requires cartridge replacements every 6 months, which will cost you an extra $25.
Best for:
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 its one of the more expensive cordless vacuums you can buy but theres 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.
Why we recommend it:
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. Its also no slouch at pet hair, removing fur from hardwood and carpet with ease. The performance isnt as good as our best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, but its still better than many other cordless vacuums weve tested, and the Detect Submarine has other features to make it a strong contender.
For one, it comes with the Submarine Wet Roller Head, a brushed attachment that lets you wet mop hard flooring using water and floor cleaning solution. Think of it as a Swiffer with extra power. Theres 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.
Who shouldnt buy it
If you dont need a jack of all trades that can tackle wet messes and just need an excellent vacuum, we like the Eureka ReactiSense 440 for most people at any price point. If youre a Dyson loyalist and need to bust dust, the V15 Detect offers similar excellent performance without the mopping functionality.
Best for: Say hello to the best Dyson cordless vacuum, the Dyson V15 Detect. Like its predecessor, the V11, the V15 ripped through our suite of vacuum cleaner tests with ruthless power and completeness. I was also impressed by the 60-minute battery life. The dust detection feature is also no gimmick. It actively highlights dust you cant easily see and helps ensure you dont miss any spots.
Why we recommend it:
The trick up this Dysons sleeve is the impressive 230 air watts of suction power from the cleaning head. That suction translates into performance. The V15 Detect was able to remove 88% of sand from midpile carpet, as well as 95% from a 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 isnt much help under strong indoor lighting or sunlight but its 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, youll 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.
Who shouldnt buy it:
The V15 is still a fairly expensive vacuum, at $800 MSRP. It also lacks mopping functionality or a self-emptying dock. Unless youre a true Dyson loyalist, the Eureka ReactiSense 440 will give 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 Fluffly Optic cleaner head.
Best for: 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 boasts 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, its affordable, while offering great performance. It also comes with Sharks generous five-year warranty.
Why we recommend it:
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 doesnt 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 Stratos is the included charging dock with the auto-empty base. The base station lets you dock the freestanding cordless vacuum and itll automatically charge and empty the dustbin. You can go up to 30 days without needing to empty the docks bin. The vacuum and dock have a HEPA filter that Shark claims can lock away dust, dirt and allergens.
Like other vacuums in Sharks lineup, the Clean & Empty comes with the companys generous five-year warranty and accessories, including a dust crevice tool and pet multitool.
Who shouldnt buy it:
If battery life is important to you, the Clean & Empty doesnt last as long as the Stratos or even the ReactiSense 440 (33 minutes). 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 does help make up for this, as itll keep your vacuum topped up every time you dock it.
Best for:
Levoits 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.
Why we recommend it: The LVAC-300 maintains its predecessors performance in hard flooring 96.15% sand pickup (slightly lower than the 98.72% on the LVAC-200), but it significantly outstrips it in carpet performance with 89.06% pickup from low-pile and 84.38% from midpile. It is outperformed by our best overall, the ReactiSense 440, however, which scores above 90% in all categories, including midpile carpet. It also significantly improves on the older LVAC-200 for low-pile (80.21%) and midpile (73.96%). The capacious 1.6-liter dustbin should also store plenty of debris before needing to be emptied.
Several design improvements from the previous generation are also included. The new anti-tangle brushroll should better avoid 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. The dustbin is fairly sizable at 0.75 liters. 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 matching or surpassing top picks, including the Eureka ReactiSense 440 (33 minutes), Shark Stratos (85 minutes) and Dyson V15 Detect (60 minutes). Who shouldnt get it: The LVAC-300 is less competitive than the Eureka ReactiSense 440, which offers better performance on hard flooring and carpets and extra features like adjustable smart suction, however its a big step up in performance and battery life over its predecessor, the LVAC-200.
Best for:
Uninell may not be a well-known brand next to others on this list but we were pleasantly surprised by the performance of its UV5 cordless vacuum when we tested it. It offered equally capable performance on hardwood and both types of carpet we tested on. Its standout feature is also the massive 1.6-liter dustbin, one of the largest capacities weve seen on a cordless vacuum that doesnt come with a dock. At $200 MSRP, its also quite affordable, costing just $20 more than our best overall. Why we recommend it:
The UV5 is a surprisingly consistent performer. It scored 93.83% on sand pickup for hardwood floors. It also did quite good for low-pile and midpile carpet, scoring 77.45% and 79.9%, respectively, although this doesnt come close to matching the Eureka ReactiSense 440, which scored well above 90% in all categories. Pet hair wasnt much of a challenge for the UV5, fortunately. The UV5 has the V-shaped roller brush weve seen other brands adopt, which helps scrape up pet hair and direct it toward the nozzle without tangling or clogging.
Battery life is good, with 48.6 minutes tested, although its less than the 65 minutes Uninell estimates. The company claims that a second optional battery can give you an additional 130 minutes of battery life. The battery is user-replaceable, which is another nice selling point.
Other small touches that we appreciate are that the vacuum is self-standing and includes a power level display so you can see the charge and suction setting at a glance. It also comes with a 7-stage HEPA filter and green LED headlights similar to the Dyson V15 Detect to help it spot dust. Warranty is about standard at two years.
Who shouldnt get it: If you need the best carpet performance possible, youll generally get better results with our best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, which shouldnt cost you any more than the UV5. It also doesnt come with a self-emptying dock, but thats tough to find at this price point. Your best bet for that would be picking up the Shark Clean & Empty or Tineco GoStation on sale.
Best for:
Tineco is a brand thats earned a number of spots on our roundups over the year for offering high-quality cordless vacuums at a reasonable price. The feature-packed Tineco GoStation Smart is no exception to that rule. It offers great suction performance on hardwood and carpet alike, comes with a self-emptying, self-cleaning charging dock and has premium features like 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. Why we recommend it: Lets 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 of Dysons flagship model.
On pet hair, the GoStation Smart benefits from the ZeroTangle Brush thats included with the brushed. As the name suggests, it avoids tangling and doesnt get clogged. We didnt 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 thatll depend on your suction strength. 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 its docked.
Now, lets 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.
As mentioned, 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 vacuums dustbin is on the smaller side at 0.3 liters, but the docking station has a massive 3-liter capacity that should allow it to last for 45 days before needing to be emptied. It includes a 5-stage HEPA filter that Tineco claims can remove 99.99% of dust. Who shouldnt get it:
For a lower price, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, our best overall pick, offers superior carpet performance and has smart chops that let it adjust suction, though it wont 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 2-in-1 dusting brush.
Best for: 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 weve tested, clocking 110 minutes. Its no slouch in performance, offering excellent sand pickup on hard flooring and better-than-average pickup on carpet. Price is also reasonable, running you around $500 at full price, about on par with the Shark Stratos. Why we recommend it:
Battery life is the obvious part. The 110-minute battery running time is nearly double what you get with 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.
The hard flooring performance also puts it in the top-tier of cordless vacuums weve 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. Theres 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. Who shouldnt get it:
If you have a lot of carpeting, several cordless vacuums on our list, including our best overall, the Eureka ReactiSense 440, offer better carpet performance for a lower price. The dustbin could also be larger, at 0.6 liters, so youll likely need to empty it a few times during longer cleaning sessions.
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%. Weve 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 were 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.
One of the most exciting new cordless vacuums coming to market is the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, the newest flagship vacuum from Dyson thats expected to launch in the US market in 2026. I was able to go hands-on with it at the Dyson Soho Store and came away pleased because it solved one of the biggest pain points in cordless vacuums — dustbin emptying. The V16 Piston Animal comes with a unique dustbin compression system, letting you use a lever to compact the dirt and debris in your dustbin and letting you easily empty it without anything clinging onto the sides or in the crevice behind the filter. There are also a variety of other quality of life and design changes, included a padded grip, a button in place of the trigger, app support, built-in nozzles and accessories that are easier to swap out with just one hand.
Also upcoming is the Dyson V8 Cyclone. Not a flagship vacuum, but the Cyclone is the successor to the popular V8 Absolute, which was one of Dysons best-selling vacuums. The new Cyclone will incorporate many of the same quality-of-life improvements as the Piston Animal. Itll also come with 30% improved suction strength, 50% longer battery life and a removable battery.
The V16 Piston is a stylish looking cordless vacuum with blue and yellow accents that give it some flair.
Another innovative vacuum from Dyson, the PencilVac is the thinnest and lightest cordless vacuum Ive ever used. Its also expected to come to the US market next year and it features a similar dustbin compression system to the V16 Piston Animal, but rather than a manual lever, it uses suction pressure to compress the dustbin as you vacuum, then uses a plunger-style system to empty. The dustbin doesnt have tons of capacity, but its light, thin and incredibly easy to maneuver, making it a nice supplement for a quick cleanup to a larger or heavier vacuum.
Perhaps less exciting, but no less interesting are the new cordless vacuum models coming from Roborock with the H60 and H60 Hub Series (available in Ultra and Pro models). The H60 is a stick vacuum, with the Hub includes a docking station that can self-empty the vacuum into a sealed dustbag in 10 seconds and recharge automatically. The H60 Ultra and Pro both come with a 3-liter dustbag that should last for 100 days, while the base Hub has a 2-liter dustbag that should last for 60 days. The move toward docking stations and dustbags is a trend weve been seeing in cordless vacuums, as companies try to figure out a solution to make emptying easier and cleaner, reducing the need for hands-on maintenance.
The PencilVac is just 38mm, including the motor that fits the handle.
Were currently testing a large batch of wet and dry vacuums. These are a unique type of vacuum that are capable of vacuum dry messes, but also wet mopping on hard surfaces. Some of them have already earned a spot on our list, like Dysons V15S Submarine. Here are other ones were evaluating with our new testing procedures.
Many cordless vacuums come with anti-tangle brushrolls better suited for pet hair.
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% sand from hardwood, 64.8% from low-pile and 60% from midpile carpets. However, like many vacuums in this price range, its edged out in performance by other picks that earn a spot on our best list.
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 isnt bad, the performance doesnt live up to expectations. While it did great on hardwood, removing nearly 98% of sand, it didnt 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 its 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, however, outperformed by newer models like the Dyson V15 Detect and other competitors on our best list.
Dyson Gen5 Detect: The Gen5 Detect is one of Dysons latest and greatest cordless vacuums. Its 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, were 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.
The Dyson V8 is an affordable model and one of the more popular ones in Dysons lineup.
Dreame R10 Pure: The Dreame R10 Pure is the companys more affordable entry-level cordless vacuum, priced 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 isnt particularly impressive, so itll 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 like the Levoit LVAC-200.
Dirt Devil BD5700V: For those with primarily hardwood flooring, the Dirt Devil BD5700V delivered one of the highest scores weve 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, its easy to maneuver around the home but it doesnt 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 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 isnt 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 wont match the performance on carpet. If you have a lot of carpeting at home, the BD5700V isnt 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; its 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 its also not user-replaceable.
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 its 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. A feature typically found on more expensive cordless vacs is LED lights on the front of the vacuum head to help ensure you don’t miss a speck of dust. Levoit LVAC-200 also comes with a two-in-one crevice tool and a two-in-one pet tool to help clean up any and every mess, 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 $70. If you need a longer running time, the LVAC-200 isnt the cordless vacuum for you. It only lasted 25 minutes during our testing, so youll want to take a look at the Shark Stratos and Dreame Z30 for cordless vacuums that can last an hour or more. If youre sensitive to allergies, this also doesnt have a HEPA filter. And obviously, at this price, you wont get a docking station or mopping functionality.
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 didnt perform as strongly as the Jet 90 in the CNET Testing Labs midpile sand test, but because its at a lower price, that might be worth the deal for some consumers.
Samsung Jet 90 (Update: Out of stock): Our former best cordless vacuum for carpets, the Samsung Jet 90 is no longer in stock. One of the toughest cordless vacuum cleaning challenge is the midpile sand test, where we see how much sand each vacuum can suck out of the thick, plushy carpet. Only three of the 15 cordless vacuums weve tested in recent years have been able to average pickup percentages better than 80% in that test: the Dyson V15 Detect, the Tineco Pure One S15 Pet and the Samsung Jet 90, which led the way overall with an outstanding midpile sand pickup percentage of 98%. The Samsung Jet 90 is one of the lighter models we tested and sports a sleek, futuristic look. Its a splurge at a retail price of about $600 but its the best HEPA cordless vacuum option if you have a lot of thick carpets in your home.
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 with 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 delivers strong suction on all our test surfaces, has HEPA filtration and comes with Sharks 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 from 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. Theres no dock or mopping functionality, but the vacuum is freestanding, which is a nice feature we look for because you can leave it in a corner if something calls your attention. Its 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 42.3 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 multi tool and wide upholstery tool. If youre more sensitive to allergies, youll be pleased to know that the Pet Plus does have a HEPA filter and an anti-allergen seal. Last, but not least, we get to the price. The Pet Plus falls firmly in the middle of the pack, costing $330 at full price.This makes it quite the steal and one of the few high-performing cordless vacuums you can get for less than $300. However, there are a few things that keep it off our main list. The Shark Pet Plus didnt 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. Its actually one of the smallest capacities weve seen on a cordless vacuum that didnt 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, its 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 weve 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 its 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 Sharks lineup. The 45-minute battery life and 0.78-liter dustbin arent 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.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro Cordless Vac offers a lot of powerful cleaning features for a decent price.
Roborock Ace F25: This expensive wet and dry vacuum will cost you $650 at full price. It exists in the same category as the Dyson Submarine, letting you vacuum your floors but also 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. Were still evaluating the mopping abilities of the Ace F25, so until then, were 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 PowerClean FurFinder: We had high hopes for the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder as its one of the brands that earns 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 weve tested can usually manage closer to 80% and above. Battery life was also subpar at 25.6 minutes. Most disappointingly, it didnt 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 and 54% from midpile carpets. However, despite the reasonable price and decent performance, it was outperformed by our value picks, the Levoit LVAC-200 and Dirt Devil BD5700V.
Tineco A11 Hero (Update: Out of stock): The Tineco A11 Hero is no longer available but it was a solid and reasonably affordable cordless vacuum when we tested it. It scores 98.5% removing sand from hardwood, 82.5% from low-pile and 72.5% from midpile carpets. Its traded spots with the Tineco Pure One S11 and S15 Pet in terms of performance and value.
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 and its excellent cleaning performance makes it a great choice.
Tineco Pure One S15 Pet (Update: Currently unavailable): This is our former pick for the best cordless vacuum for pet hair. Tineco does great work with cordless vacs and the Pure One S15 Pet is fantastic. A 500-watt motor and cyclonic dust collection system creates 120AW of suction power. This adds up to a solid cleaning experience. When cleaning up the smaller sand particles, the vac did a wonderful job of getting them all off the hardwood. As expected, pulling the sand from carpets was tougher. The Pure One S15 Pet still got more than 88% from low-pile carpets and more than 81% from midpile carpets. Tinecos specially designed brush did a good job of removing hair from the brush as it cleaned, resulting in nearly zero tangles. Youll also find LEDs on the front of the brush head to help see what youre cleaning up and an iLoop Smart Sensor built in. This sensor helps the vacuum to automatically ramp up its suction power when it detects more debris on the floor. You can see its progress on the LED display on top of the handle.
Cordless vacuums can work on hard flooring and carpet.
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 hand-held stick vacuums while coming in around $320. In addition to all the tools it includes, it touts a fast 30-minute recharge time and a solid 45-minute running time.
Moosoo XL-618: It wasnt 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 youre willing to sacrifice some cleaning power to save some cash, its 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.
Lubluelu 23Kpa cordless KB-H009 (Update: Out of stock): The Lubluelu KB-H009 was a solid, if unexceptional, cordless vacuum. Priced about $400, it did great in our testing on hardwood, scoring nearly 98% sand removal. It did decently on low-pile carpet, removing 68.3% of sand, but had middling performance on midpile at 52%.
LG CordZero A949: The CordZero A949 was 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 now it loses the crown to 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 also 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 its 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. An underrated feature is also the dustbin capacity: 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 youre 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, with us getting just 10.5 minutes, although it is user-replaceable and charges while on the dock.
All the vacuums on CNETs 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.
Heres a breakdown of how we measured cordless stick vacuum performance.
Our team of experts and engineers uses play sand and landscaping 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 of the floor.
We test vacuums on three types of floor surfaces.
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 run tests in a straight line across all three floor types.
We conduct three cleaning runs (at minimum) on each floor type. We also conduct separate cleaning tests with pet hair on each surface type where we photograph and visually evaluate how much pet hair (if any) is left after running the vacuum over it.
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.
The Bissell IconPet features headlights and a nice-looking black and green build, but it wasnt a top performer in our tests.
To test battery life, we fully charge the vacuum battery to full, 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 three 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 weve tested can do even better, like the Shark Stratos (80 minutes) and Dreame Z30 (110 minutes). In truth, its 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 youre 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 dont need to spend a lot to get a high-performing vacuum.
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 also come with accessories that can be attached and detached to give you flexible cleaning options. For instance, a common tool is a crevice cleaning attachment that lets you fit the vacuum nozzle into tight spaces and corners to clean in places where a larger brush head wouldnt reach.
For dustbin size, we consider anything of 0.6 liters and 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 youre faced with when vacuuming.
This cordless vacuum has six cleaning modes.
Cordless vacuum warranties will vary by manufacturer and model but the majority of models weve tested offer at least a year of coverage if not two. The best warranty weve 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.
Most cordless vacuums have some kind of filter that stops the exhaust from putting dust back into the room while youre vacuuming. This can be a simple washable cloth filter to 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 were also seeing from Shark Ninja is incorporating an anti-allergy seal and anti-odor capsules that keep your vacuum and dustbin from festering.
While its 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 you need to do 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.
LGs CordZero A949 is a fantastic cordless vacuum with useful accessories and a dock into which it self-empties.
As new cordless stick vacuum models emerge, we are 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 CNETs Lab Engineer Gianmarco Chumbe. Chumbe, whos been testing home tech products at CNET Labs for 8 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 just for this reason.
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.
Cordless vacs are getting really good at cleaning floors all around but even the best need help sometimes.
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 like 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.
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 models 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 its time to replace them.
Most of these tasks take just a few minutes but offer great returns in keeping your home cleaner.
Suction matters because its a good measure of how well a cordless vacuum cleans on different surfaces. Not surprisingly, the Eureka ReactiSense 440 was a powerful performer in our tests, particularly in our sand tests, where it removed the largest cumulative amount of sand from our hardwood, low-pile carpet and midpile carpet test floors.
Credit to Dyson for pioneering the cordless vacuum category with its capable — but pricey — Cyclone V series stick vacs. Years and models later, Dyson remains a key player in 2025 but it’s not as dominant in our cleaning tests as it was five or 10 years ago. Now, several competitors can go head-to-head with Dyson on our test floors including Shark Ninja, Levoit and others.
Even so, Dyson vacuums consistently perform well and often include unique features like dust-revealing lasers and auto-adapting brush rolls, thanks to the British company’s years of in-house research and design improvements. For many households, these innovations make Dyson a worthwhile splurge.
Manufacturers will often boast about their vacuums suction power in terms of air watts, a figure that quantifies airflow in terms of power use. Generally speaking, more air watts means a more powerful vacuum cleaner but the actual design of the vacuum head plays a significant role too. The tighter a vacuum is against the floor, the greater the suction. If its too tight against the floor, larger bits of debris wont be able to make it underneath the cleaning head at all. The type of flooring youre trying to clean makes a big difference, too.
Thats why CNET puts each vacuum we review through rigorous and controlled cleaning tests to get a better sense of how its cleaning capabilities compare across different surfaces and concerning different-sized bits of debris.
Upright vacuums are the traditional options that most likely come to your mind when thinking of a vacuum — sturdy, with a large canister and a wide cleaning head. They often come with various attachments and sometimes even have adjustable settings. Because these are more powerful, they are ideal for deep cleaning carpets.
Stick vacuums, on the other hand, are sleek, modern and lightweight. They are fantastic for quick cleanups, especially if you have a smaller living space or a mix of flooring types. Picking between upright and stick will come down to various factors, including flooring type and size of the space.
The best cordless vacuum for pet hair is our best overall, the ReactiSense 440. With a brush designed to dig deep into carpet and powerful suction on all surfaces, it proved great at removing fur from hard and soft surfaces.
The Eureka ReactiSense 440, the Dyson V15 Detect and Shark Stratos are all among our top picks for cleaning carpets with scores for low-pile and midpile that were higher than 90%. For other options, take a look at our list of the best vacuums for carpets.
All of the vacuums on our list do well on hard flooring, with the highest scores belonging to the Eureka ReactiSense 440, the Shark Stratos, the Dyson V15 Detect, Dreame Z30, and others. Most cordless vacuums also do well on hard flooring, so you wont go wrong with any of these picks.
Ajay has worked in tech journalism for over a decade as a reporter, analyst, product reviewer, and editor. He got his start in consumer tech, breaking Android news at Newsweek before going to PCMag, where he reviewed hundreds of smartphones, battery packs, and chargers as a Mobile Analyst. He also worked at Lifewire, a Dotdash Meredith brand, as a Tech Commerce Editor, putting together tested best-of lists and assigning product reviews across categories including smart home, uninterruptible power supplies, generators, and automotive tech.
Most recently, he was Section Editor, Mobile at Digital Trends, spearheading his teams coverage of breaking news, features, reviews, roundups, deals, and more across a variety of mobile products, including phones, wearables, VR headsets, batteries, and chargers. If you want Ajays advice about anything tech, especially solar panels, UPS, batteries, EVs, and charging technology, you can reach him at [email protected].