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The best car vacuums of 2024, tested and reviewed
Don't let dirt hitch a ride! These nifty helpers from Black + Decker, Ryobi and ThisWorx make it easy to keep your vehicle clean.
I’m going to assume you already own a vacuum for your home. But what about your car? It's not just a random thing to buy — in fact, I'd argue that the best car vacuums make a big difference in how you'll feel sitting in your ride.
With all its nooks and crannies, your car probably collects a ton of dirt, dust, crumbs and other junk, and it only gets worse if you have kids and/or pets. You can try to attack the mess with a regular vacuum, but most are too tall or bulky to get into those tight spaces.
As a longtime home editor who tests products for a living, I admittedly entered the world of car vacs as a skeptic. I've never been a fan of items that serve a single purpose — and the fact that many of these cordless gadgets are all over TikTok and Instagram just made me question them more. (In my experience, viral products don't always live up to the hype.) But once I put them to work (and work they did — I have a dog that sheds constantly, and we go hiking several times a week), I discovered that my dream of a tidy car could actually come true.
The best car vacuums I tested gave me a level of cleanliness I thought possible only from expensive car detailing. They pick up nearly everything in their path and come with well-designed attachments that help you reach under seats, between seams and anywhere else you may find debris. They're also compact enough that you can easily stash them in your trunk. In short, they suck — in the best possible way!
Table of contents:
Best car vacuums for 2024
Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo
Weight: 3.2 pounds | Dust cup capacity: 17 ounces | Battery life: about 15 minutes | Features: Cordless, for pets | Warranty: 2 years
I really liked this little gadget, which has the power of some of the bulkier car vacuums I tested but in a more compact body. Pebbles, crushed leaves, crumbs of all sizes and larger clumps of dirt proved no match for its powerful suction. It even picked up the Milk-Bone treats my dog was secretly hoarding under the floor mat!
But what really makes this cordless vacuum stand out is its reach. It has a flexible 4-foot hose with a curved nozzle that helped me easily access the tightest, most awkward spaces. For the first time ever, I was able to get alllll the way under the front seats of my car without having to strain my back or crouch down. If you have any mobility issues, this is a huge plus.
The vacuum comes with a crevice tool, a nozzle with a flip-down brush and a pet hair tool. Some of the other models I tried came with more attachments, but I found these worked on most messes. Of the three, I found the pet hair tool to work the slowest. It has small rubber nubs to pull up fur; then you have to suck it up with one of the other attachments. It did the job, but I had to pass over the same spot multiple times.
At a little over 3 pounds, the Flex Vac isn't the lightest car vacuum, but if you hold the body by the handle in one hand and the hose in the other — or better yet, set the body down on the seat — you can maneuver it easily. The weight is also forgivable because the dust cup is so large. During the time it took to vacuum my entire car, a compact SUV, I only had to empty it once. And trust me when I say I had a ton of dirt scattered on the seats and floor (keep scrolling to see just how I tested).
Expect about 15 minutes of run time off a single charge. Juicing up the battery took less than the four hours mentioned in the manual. Of note: The battery is built into the machine, so if it stops holding a charge, the vacuum becomes useless. It remains to be seen how long the battery will last (some reviews warn it's only a year or two), but we'll update this story once we do longer-term testing.
- Small enough to fit in your trunk
- Lightweight
- Large dust cup
- Built-in flexible hose makes it easy to reach under seats
- Sucks up large debris like pebbles
- Loud
- Battery is not replaceable so if it dies, the machine is useless
Weight: 2.4 pounds | Dust cup capacity: 19 ounces | Battery life: N/A (corded) | Features: HEPA filter | Warranty: 1 year
This was the cheapest car vacuum I tried, yet it held its own in testing, outperforming models more than double the price. It had the second-best suction, inhaling almost all the dirt and debris I scattered across my backseat (for how I tested, keep scrolling). No wonder it's a Yahoo reader favorite. It even surpassed our tech editor's expectations, and Rick's not an easy guy to impress!
Unlike most of the models I tested, this car vacuum is corded and plugs into your car's 12-volt outlet (aka cigarette lighter). Is it annoying to have to keep your car running while you clean? Yes, but I also appreciated that I didn't have to worry about whether the battery was charged. You can keep this corded vacuum in your trunk at all times and easily deal with messes far from home.
That said, if you'd rather have a cordless car vacuum, the parent brand of ThisWorx sells basically the same product, minus the cord, under the name Power Practical. It costs $50, and I found it slightly less powerful, but overall it performed well, with a run time of about 16 minutes when I toggled between regular and turbo modes (the corded version has only one mode).
Both vacuums come with accessories that are handy for car detailing. The crevice attachment can get into the narrowest spaces, and a flexible hose gives you extra reach. The vac excelled at pulling sand and dirt from between seams. Sadly, I found the brush attachment, which is supposed to help with pet hair, less effective. Rick noted in his review that the ThisWorx vac had trouble picking up heavier debris like pebbles. I suspect part of the issue is that the flap at the mouth of the vacuum is a bit flimsy — if you hold the vacuum so the mouth is facing down, bigger pieces of debris may fall out.
Despite the few drawbacks, I was impressed with the value of this gadget. Plus, it's often on sale, making it even more budget-friendly.
- Great power for the price
- Comes with lots of attachments for detailing
- Cord is very long
- Large dust cup
- Not as effective on pet hair
- Construction is a bit flimsy
Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo
Weight: 3.3 pounds | Dust cup capacity: 12.6 ounces | Battery life: about 15 minutes | Features: cordless, for pets, HEPA filter | Warranty: 3 years
What couldn't this car vacuum suck up? The answer is nothing — it got it all and then some, including pet hair I thought was permanently embedded in the fuzzy fabric of my car's floor. In fact, this baby had so much suction that it pulled up the floor mats. It was an easy fix, though: I hovered the nozzle just slightly above the material, and it still was super effective.
Considering this hand vacuum is made by Ryobi, it's no surprise that it feels more like a power tool than a dust buster. It comes with a rechargeable 2Ah 18-volt battery that can be used with any of the tools in the brand's 18V One+ system, plus a charger. (If you already own this system, you can buy just the hand vacuum for $50.) Unlike most of the other models I tested, this vac also features an LED light by the nozzle, which was a massive help in finding wayward crumbs and specks of sand.
It comes with standard attachments including a crevice tool and dust brush that work well — but what really excels is the mini beater bar attachment, which looks like a small version of the beater bar on a standard vacuum. Its stiff bristles quickly and efficiently picked up every bit of fur, plus fine dust and sand, which a lot of the other vacuums struggled with.
A full charge (which takes about 50 minutes) gets you about 15 minutes of run time. I was a little surprised it wasn't more considering the battery, but this vacuum is so powerful that it should be enough time for most people to tackle their entire car. The dust bin is so large that I had to empty it only once during vacuuming, and it's easy to do — you push a button and the dust-cup lid flips open.
The biggest difference between this cordless vacuum cleaner and my other top picks is that, well, it's big. It measures 17.5 inches long and weighs over 3 pounds, making it a bit heavy and bulky for me (I'm 5'3"). I had to use two hands to operate it, which got tiring over time. That's the trade-off for such a powerful machine, so all in all, it's worth it.
- Inhales pet hair like a champ
- Has an LED light so you can easily see dirt and dust
- Comes with a battery and charger that works with other Ryobi tools
- The on/off button is large and rubberized
- Large and relatively heavy — might be awkward for some people to maneuver
- Run time could be better
Factors to consider when choosing a car vacuum
First off, I should mention that you don't have to buy a product specifically billed as a car vacuum! Some of the models we tested are labeled "hand vacuums" or "dust busters," and came with attachments that worked just as well on seats and between crevices. It really comes down to the amount of cleaning you plan to do: If it's a lot, you may want to invest in a shop vac (or something like it — see my review of the Shark MessMaster below), which will be much more powerful.
For this review, I prioritized car vacuums that you could stow in your trunk and work just as well on bigger messes as they do on a few errant crumbs. Here are other considerations to keep in mind when shopping:
Attachments: If you want to detail your car like a pro, you'll need narrow crevice tools and small brushes alongside tools that can tackle larger areas at once (sometimes called "gulper" tools). All of the car vacuums we tested come with a crevice attachment and at least one brush; some also came with blower tools for blasting dirt from nooks and crannies that you'd then vacuum up with a suction tool.
Cordless vs. corded: Cordless car vacuum cleaners give you the most flexibility and mobility. The rub is that you have to make sure they're charged and that they have a long enough run time for you to thoroughly tackle any mess. Corded car vacuums offer longer, more consistent power, but are limited in mobility. If you're plugging the vacuum into an outlet in your house, you may need an extension cord. Some corded car vacuums plug directly into your ride's power port (aka cigarette lighter), but that means you have to keep the engine running while using it.
Run time: Most of the cordless vacs we tested offer about 15 minutes, which in most cases should be enough time to clean your entire car. It's certainly enough time to suck up quick messes! If you plan on doing heavy-duty cleaning and you have a large SUV or mini van, look for a car vacuum that can run for closer to 20 minutes on a single charge.
Size and weight: The factor that sets most car vacuums apart from regular vacuums is that they are compact enough to reach the tightest of spaces. You want something that can navigate crevices and corners and is light, so that it won't tire out your arms after a few minutes. We found that a weight of less than 3 pounds was ideal.
How we tested
I prioritized top-rated car vacuums that are compact enough that you could easily stow one in your trunk. But I didn't want to trade off size for power, so I also looked for vacuums that could handle messes larger than a few crumbs or pebbles.
I ended up with a mix of small, trendy car vacuums (read more about them below) and hand vacs from established tool brands. Once I got each one home, I spent hours poring over instruction manuals and reviews. I timed how long it took to charge the cordless vacuums and how long they ran on a single charge.
I also put the car vacs to the test in my car, a compact SUV, by creating a mix of soil, sand, pet hair and crushed crackers that I scattered all over the back seat and floor (yes, it was a dirty job, and yes, someone had to do it!). I weighed the mixture before dumping it in my car, then measured the amount of debris each vacuum picked up after a set amount of time. While vacuuming, I noted how easy or hard the vacuum was to maneuver and how often I had to empty the dust bin. Finally, I tested each attachment to get an idea of how well it worked.
Other car vacuums we tested
Airify Pro ($159): I can't imagine why anyone would spend so much money on a vacuum this tiny. Another viral cordless find, it looks sleek (like a heat gun), it's nimble and it boasts an impressive 25-minute run time, but it had a hard time with larger bits of dirt, which would get lodged in the vacuum's mouth.
Black+Decker Dustbuster Handheld Vacuum ($56): I had high hopes for this cordless dust buster — which were dashed the moment I read the set-up instructions. You have to charge it for 16 hours before you use it for the first time, and there's not even an indicator light to let you know when it's ready. As for suction, it was good at picking up larger chunks and crumbs, but had a tendency to "spit" finer particles like sand. And it really worked only when I moved it in one direction, towards me.
Craftsman V20 Cordless Hand Vacuum ($99): Deals writer Britt Ross raved about this cordless hand vacuum, and it's a solid option if you're looking for a tool that can also tackle around-the-house cleaning (she found it has a run time of 45 minutes!). It sucks up everything from dirt and hair to small rocks, and it never jams. At 4.6 pounds, it's somewhat bulky, and the price does not include a battery or charger. This is an instance where if you're already a Craftsman devotee, it makes sense, but others may want to look elsewhere.
DeWalt 20V Cordless Handheld Vacuum ($179): Like many DeWalt tools, this cordless vacuum cleaner is reliable and powerful. I was surprised at how easy it was to maneuver considering its exceptionally strong suction. In the end, I couldn't justify the price, especially because you have to buy a 20V battery and charger separately. That said, if you already use the DeWalt 20V system of tools, this is a great addition to your arsenal.
Fanttik Slim V9 Mix Car Vacuum RobustClean ($70): This is one of those car vacuums I've seen on TikTok and Instagram. It looks like a small hair dryer and comes with an impressive amount of car-detailing attachments, including a crevice tool, a cleaning brush, a multi-surface brush and different-size blow nozzles. But don't expect to use this vac for more than minor messes: The dust bin is teeny, and it simply cannot pick up larger bits. Multiple times, dirt fell out from the mouth of this vac, so I had to do double the cleaning!
Shark MessMaster Portable Wet Dry Vacuum ($130): I really liked this corded vacuum cleaner, which is basically a mini shop vac. In my testing, I scattered 5.5 ounces of dirt, crumbs and other junk across my back seat, and the MessMaster picked up a jaw-dropping 5.7 ounces — so it did its job and then some, sucking up what other vacuums missed. Ultimately, it didn't make my top picks because at 10.5 inches tall and 16.5 inches wide, it's not portable or easy to stow. But if you have more intensive cleaning needs beyond your car, I highly recommend it.
Shark WandVac ($100): This tube-shaped cordless vac looks pleasantly sleek and weighs just 1.4 pounds. But the run time was poor — less than 10 minutes after charging it for three hours — and because it's so tiny, I had to empty the bin about six times while vacuuming. Though this vacuum has strong suction, larger debris often got stuck on its way to the collection cup and would fall out of the vacuum's mouth.
Car vacuum FAQs
What is the best way to vacuum a car?
Start with a clean slate: Remove any clutter, trash or other stuff you have stashed in your ride like tote bags and kids' toys. Then, vacuum from the top down, starting with the seats and working your way to the floor mats. A blower tool or brush can help free dirt and dust from crevices, so do that before following up with a suction tool. Similarly, use a crevice attachment in tight spaces before vacuuming larger surfaces to make sure you're picking up as much of the mess as possible.
What kind of vacuum do car detailers use?
There's no one hard-and-fast answer, but generally, the pros use industrial-strength vacuums like shop vacuums that have super-strong suction. The reason your car looks so clean after detailing, though, is not just in the tools. Car detailers are, well, incredibly detailed-oriented and get into every nook and cranny.
How long do handheld vacuums last?
Most of the vacuums we tested have between a one- and three-year warranty, which isn't a ton of time. If you're concerned about battery life, consider a car vacuum like the Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless Hand Vacuum, which runs on a separate battery you can replace when needed.
