Cordless vacuums for UK homes
Carpet, hardwood or pet hair: cordless vacuums matched to your floors.
Carpet, wood, tiles, stairs or a moulting dog: the right floor head matters as much as the motor. We compare cordless vacuums on the makers' own figures: eco and boost runtime, bin litres, weight, battery voltage and whether the battery swaps.
Our top picks
All buying guides- Best on rugs and pet hairBest cordless vacuum cleaners for UK homes
Dyson V15 Detect Animal: sensor-led suction, 60 min
60 min
0.76 L · 3 kg
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best on planksBest cordless vacuums for hard floors
Dreame Z20: lit soft roller plus multi-surface brush
90 min
0.6 L · 2 kg
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best on rugs and pet hairBest cordless vacuums under £300
Shark PowerPro: FloorDetect, Flexology, HEPA
50 min
0.7 L · 3.45 kg
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link - Best on rugs and pet hairBest cordless vacuums with a self-emptying dock
Samsung Bespoke Jet Plus Pro Extra: Air Pulse emptying
60 min per battery
0.5 L · 2.74 kg
Check price on AmazonAffiliate link
Cordless vacuum runtime planner
Open the calculator →One charge: 97% used
29 minutes of cleaning: 23.2 on eco and 5.8 on boost.
Pure arithmetic. Makers measure runtime with a non-motorised tool, so with a motorised floor head the real runtime is usually shorter.
Common cordless vacuum questions
The questions asked most often, each with causes and fixes.
- Suction weaker than it used to beA cordless vacuum loses suction because of a full bin, blocked cyclone, damp or dirty filter, blocked wand or worn seal. A quick test for each, in order.
- Musty, pet or burning smellMusty, doggy or burning smell from your cordless vacuum? Damp filters, a dirty bin and hair on the brush bar explained, plus when to stop using it and get help.
- Battery or fault lights flashingWhat flashing lights on a Dyson or Shark cordless usually mean, from low charge to blockages and battery faults, and what to check for each. Check your manual.
- Weak suction or leaves dirt behindShark cordless vacuum not picking up? Check the brush roll, bin, filters, wand and floor head in order, then the power mode setting on Detect and Stratos models.
- Motor pulses on and offA Dyson V8 or stick vacuum that pulses on and off usually has a blockage or a clogged filter. Here is where to look, in what order, and when it is the battery.
- Will not charge or shows no charging lightDyson, Shark or Samsung cordless not charging? Check the charger, socket, dock contacts and battery temperature in order, then decide if the battery is worn out.
- Shuts off after a few seconds or minutesDyson or Shark cordless keeps cutting out? Check for blockages, overheating, battery health, the trigger and the contacts, in that order, before you buy parts.
Cordless vacuums by floor and need
Choosing a machine, pet hair, carpets and stairs, hard floors, batteries and keeping it working.
Stiff bristle motorised head
Suits: Carpet pile and rugs
Soft roller head
Suits: Wood planks, laminate, vinyl
Anti-tangle conical bar
Suits: Tiles and mixed floors with pet hair
- Choosing a cordless vacuumDyson, Shark, Samsung, Vax, Dreame and the rest lined up by weight, bin, runtime and floor heads.14 guides · 8 buying guides
- Pet hairAnti-tangle brush bars, bin size and tools that lift dog and cat hair from carpets, sofas and stairs.1 guide · 1 buying guide
- Carpets and stairsMotorised heads, suction modes and handheld conversion for deep pile, rugs and a full flight of stairs.3 guides · 2 buying guides
- Hard floors and wet cleaningSoft roller heads, wet and dry machines and mop heads for wood, laminate, vinyl and tiles.2 guides · 2 buying guides
- Batteries and runtimeEco against boost minutes, swappable packs, charging docks and battery lifespan explained.4 guides · 3 buying guides
- Care and fixesFilters, bins, brush bars and the common faults: pulsing, cutting out, lost suction and charging.10 guides · 0 buying guides
Calculators
Plan a whole-house clean on one charge and work out what each charge costs.
Comparisons
- Stick vacuum vs upright vacuumStick vacuum vs upright vacuum compared on storage, weight, bin size, carpet cleaning and stairs, to help you decide which type suits your home and floors.
- Stick vacuum vs robot vacuumStick vacuum vs robot vacuum: daily automated cleaning against deeper on-demand cleaning, compared on floors, stairs, upkeep and homes where owning both works.
- Shark vs Dyson cordless vacuumsShark vs Dyson cordless vacuums compared model for model on weight, floor heads, batteries, runtime, docks and spare parts, using maker listing figures.
- Samsung Bespoke Jet vs Dyson V15Samsung Bespoke Jet vs Dyson V15 Detect: Clean Station dock and removable battery against Dyson's particle sensor, with bin, weight and runtime compared.
- Dyson V8 vs V15 DetectDyson V8 vs V15 Detect compared on suction, runtime, bin size, battery fitting and the Detect features, with a clear steer on which suits your home.
- Dyson V8 vs V11: is the upgrade worth it?Dyson V8 vs V11 compared on runtime, power modes, bin size and the LCD screen, with where the V10 sits between them and who should buy each one.
Buying guides
Focused guides to one type of cordless vacuum each, compared on what the listings state.
- Best cordless vacuum cleaners for UK homes
- Best cordless vacuums for carpet
- Best cordless vacuums for hard floors
- Best cordless vacuums for pet hair
- Best cordless vacuums for stairs
- Best cordless vacuums under £300
- Best cordless vacuums with HEPA filters
- Best cordless vacuums with a self-emptying dock
- Best cordless vacuums with swappable batteries
- Best lightweight cordless vacuums
- Best long runtime cordless vacuums
- Best wet and dry cordless vacuums
- Dreame cordless vacuums compared
- Dyson cordless vacuums compared
- Samsung Bespoke Jet models compared
- Shark cordless vacuums compared
Guides & advice
- How to vacuum stairs with a cordless vacuumStep by step: handheld mode, the right tool for treads and risers, which power mode to use and how to make one battery cover a full flight of carpeted stairs.
- How to clean a Shark cordless vacuumEmpty the bin, rinse the pre-motor filters, dry them fully, clear the brush roll and wand. Step by step for Shark Stratos, Detect and Anti Hair Wrap models.
- How to clean a Dyson cordless vacuum and its filtersEmpty the bin, wash the filter in cold water, dry it fully, clear the cyclone and brush bar. Step by step for Dyson V8, V10, V11, V15 and Gen5 cordless vacuums.
- How long do cordless vacuums and their batteries last?What wears out first on a cordless vacuum, why batteries lose runtime, charging habits that help and the warranty terms listed by Shark and Samsung.
- What HEPA means on a cordless vacuumHEPA on a cordless vacuum explained as a specification: H13 and H14 grades, whole-machine sealing, washable against replaceable filters and how to read claims.
- How to replace a Dyson V8 batterySigns your Dyson V8 battery is worn, genuine against third-party packs, and the screws and steps to swap it safely, with checks to do before you buy a new pack.