The 10 Best Car Vacuums of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Black+Decker BDH2020FL Cordless Gen 2 Flex Vac

4.9

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  5/5

The BLACK+DECKER GEN 2 Flex Vacuum is the latest version of our previous pick for "best overall" that we tested and also loved, the BLACK+DECKER Flex Auto Vacuum. The new version impressed us with its design, suction power, and portability, just like its older counterpart. To start, it weighs 3.2 pounds and is basically assembled out of the box. It took us just one minute to unpack this car vacuum and have it ready for action on both hard and soft surfaces. The cordless model delivers fade-free suction with the help of a 20-volt battery and has a 4-foot integrated hose. That gives you basically unlimited reach for accessing every area of your vehicle—a key factor as noted by Pomishchyk.

The GEN 2 FLEX has a simple accessory package, just like the Flex Auto, which includes a combination brush and nozzle tool, along with a long crevice attachment. However, the GEN 2 has an additional tool that sets it apart from competing models: a pet hair brush, which has rubber bristles that help to agitate soft surfaces, like carpets or upholstered seats, to effectively pick up pet hair.

When combined with the reach of the flexible hose, we thought this vacuum covered all the bases for car cleaning. Its clever design keeps the footprint small, and the square base means that it can rest on the floor of your vehicle or the ground as you go about your vacuuming. We found that it was easy to hold the base unit in one hand while cleaning with the hose in the other.

When it came to effectiveness testing, the GEN 2 FLEX did a particularly outstanding job of clearing sand from hard surface areas, including a dusty dashboard and cup holders. On soft surfaces like car mats, we had to use the attachments to boost the vacuum’s effectiveness, especially for clearing sand and hair, but even then, hair was no match for this vacuum's suction. In previous testing with the older version, we found that it cleared most types of debris in three or fewer passes, but we did run into a problem with mulch. The diameter of the cleaning hose was just too narrow to pass the mulch to the dust bin. On the plus side, the narrow hose diameter means that children’s toys are less likely to be sucked up accidentally. 

All in all, the suction power and user-friendly design were enough for us to overlook the car vacuum’s narrow hose diameter. The overall feel and use of this car vacuum are efficient, capable, and convenient. While the noise level was louder than average, we were still able to have a conversation over it. The clear dust bin is incredibly intuitive to open and empties in a clean, simple way. This vacuum requires four hours to charge, but it comes with a docking station that makes charging a simple and fuss-free process. Despite the smaller, 0.53-quart dust bin, you also won’t need to run to the garbage to empty it too often.

Price at time of publish: $125

_{Dimensions: 14.9 x 10.7 x 6.5 inches | Weight: 3.2 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: Not listed | Bin Volume: 0.53 quarts | Included Accessories: Combination brush and nozzle tool, long crevice tool, pet brush}

Best Budget

THISWORX Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner

4.3

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4/5
• Portability
  4/5

Ready to go out of the box, this affordable car vacuum cleaner is basic but efficient. It plugs into your car’s 12-volt outlet and gives you 16 feet of cord to work with you as you vacuum hard and soft areas, like upholstery, car carpeting, and cup holders. In our product testing, we were pleased with its performance on both types of surfaces. The suction was strong enough to grab pieces of cereal from underneath levers for the hood and gas tank, saving us the step of using a smaller attachment to reach this tight area. A flexible attachment hose looked flimsy but proved to be very secure when we connected the crevice tool or brush tool to it. It gives you extra reach for under car seats or into door pockets—spots that are hard to reach with the wide body of this handheld vacuum.

The frills-free THISWORX car vacuum isn’t without its shortcomings, but they aren’t enough to discredit it for light-duty cleanup on your vehicle. We wish the nozzle tip of the vacuum detached, like some other handheld car vacuums, since a piece of cereal could become lodged at the end of the vacuum. It also only features a basic filter, which allowed some fine particles of sand to pass through.

We noticed a few grains of sand escaping from the exhaust on the vacuum, but only after we had vacuumed nearly an entire ¼-cup of sand. If you plan to do a lot of fine particle cleanup (like sand or dirt), it would probably help to frequently empty the dust bin. We found it easy to detach the dust bin and empty it into the trash. It takes just a few shakes to clear the bin of debris before re-inserting the filter and attaching the dust bin to the vacuum. 

Price at time of publish: $40

_{Dimensions: ‎13.4 x 4 x 4.3 inches | Weight: 2.4 pounds | Cord Length: 16 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: Not listed | Included Accessories: Brush attachment, crevice tool, attachment hose, cleaning brush, carrying bag, additional filter}

Best Splurge

Hoover ONEPWR Blade MAX AutoVac Vacuum Cleaner

4.6

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  4/5

If cleaning your car is one of life’s little luxuries, then it’s worth investing in a premium car vacuum. More basic car vacuums may be able to get the job done, but with less convenience and ease than what you’ll find using the Hoover ONEPWR Blade MAX. This cordless car vac offers a longer runtime than most car vacuums, and it includes a slew of accessories that make quick work of large and small debris alike. It’s no surprise that it’s paired with a more expensive price tag, but it’s worth the splurge for the extra battery life, suction power, and large-capacity dust bin. It also was very quiet on its standard suction mode, resulting in a 5-star rating from us for this attribute. 

This vacuum looked the most intimidating to assemble and took nearly four minutes to do so, but the process was far from complex or challenging. The components click together easily, and the vacuum is ready for use—once you charge the batteries Hoover includes two lithium-ion batteries with this cordless vacuum to extend the runtime of this vacuum to about 45 minutes. Each battery fully charges in three to four hours.

When tested on hard surfaces, the Hoover ONEPWR Blade MAX zipped across the car dashboard, clearing sand quickly and easily in a single pass. With the use of attachments, it also reaches into cup holders, compartments, and door pockets. It performs well on soft surfaces, too, clearing carpeting of hair, mulch, sand, and cereal in just one to two passes. We found that the boosted suction mode works especially well for capturing fine particles that are embedded in car carpeting with less elbow grease when compared to some other car vacuums. The motorized brush tool is also a big help for hair, clearing short and long strands in two passes. 

User-friendly features that elevate the experience of using this cordless vacuum include a long, flexible hose and an extra-large dust bin. While the manufacturer doesn’t provide the size of the dust bin, we noted that it’s significantly larger than other car vacuums we've tested. We appreciated how simple it was to release the dust bin and the wide opening made it easy to ensure that all of its contents made it into the trash can. It would be great to see a charging stand for this cordless vacuum, since it feels like something we would want to keep handy at all times, but it does include a useful hanging storage bag to house the attachments.

Price at time of publish: $200

_{Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.3 x 28.5 inches | Weight: 6.8 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 45 minutes | Bin Volume: Not listed | Included Accessories: Extension hose, motorized pet tool, flexi-crevice tool, dusting brush, upholstery tool and tough dirt tool}

Best Cordless

eufy by Anker HomeVac H30 Venture

4.3

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4/5
• Portability
  5/5

The eufy HomeVac H30 Venture is both convenient and capable, making it our top recommendation for a cordless car vacuum. After trying many different cordless models, we were most impressed by the way this model performed on hard and soft surfaces. The nozzle of the eufy HomeVac H30 is wide enough to capture large debris, like mulch, which is something that other cordless car vacuums struggled with. At the same time, it also vacuums up even fine debris, like sand and strands of hair. We were so impressed by this vacuum's suction power that we wrote "Wow!" on our testing results sheets and noted it had no problem pulling up clumps of hair from carpet.

We found the 2-in-1 crevice tool very convenient to use, since we could flip down the bristles for extra agitation when needed. The dust bin is small, as expected for a compact car vacuum. Still, it didn’t fill up even after capturing ¼ cup of Cheerios, plus hair and mulch. The dust bin is easy to empty and slides out along a track, which got a little jammed up with sand. This model has a washable filter, which is a plus. 

At about 20 minutes, battery runtime is average for this cordless car vacuum. A charging stand is included and makes it easier to ensure that the battery stays charged up when not in use. We love the fact that this vacuum includes multiple power modes—max and eco—letting us add extra power when needed (like when clearing hair from vehicle carpeting) or conserve battery life for more basic messes. The HomeVac H30 packs some serious suction power, but it’s worth noting that it also was one of the noisiest vacuums of the bunch. While we found the noise level annoying—even piercing and whining at times—we thought it was a reasonable trade-off for the suction packed into such a small design.

Price at time of publish: $160

_{Dimensions: 16.73 x 3.54 x 2.87 inches | Weight: 1.78 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 20 minutes | Bin Volume: 0.26 quarts | Included Accessories: Charging base, 2-in-1 crevice tool, multi-surface tool}

Best Corded

BLACK+DECKER BDH1220AV 12V Car Vacuum

4.5

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4.5/5
• Effectiveness
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  4.5/5

Battery-powered car vacuums offer cordless maneuverability but can experience fading power and a drained battery after as little as 20 minutes of vacuuming. If you want to deep-clean your vehicle—without worrying about your car vacuum giving up in the middle of the job—a corded model like the BLACK+DECKER 12V Car Vacuum is our top recommendation. Out of all the corded car vacuums we tested, this option was our favorite for its dustbuster design, long nozzle, and useful attachments. 

The BLACK+DECKER car vac looks similar to a standard household dustbuster but is designed to operate efficiently in a vehicle. It’s equipped with a 12-volt charger and a 16-foot power cable, giving you room to reach high and low spots in your car. It has a long nozzle that we found great for reaching under the seat of a sedan as we tracked down cereal, sand, and hair. For extra reach, a flexible hose is included, and you can pair it with a long crevice tool or brush. It only took a handful of passes to clear debris from soft surfaces, and a single pass or two on hard surfaces.

However, we did notice the nozzle opening of this corded car vacuum is too narrow for especially large debris. While it was powerful enough to pick up larger pieces of mulch, the nozzle was too narrow to allow for any of it to actually pass through.

Despite this single shortcoming in our testing, we appreciate how well this car vacuum maneuvered, especially when using the included hose and attachments. The noise level was average for a car vacuum and didn’t make our ears ring. When the cleaning session was over, we appreciated being able to wrap the power cord around the base of the vacuum and put all the accessories in a storage bag. Everything packed up nicely, and it would be easy to store this vacuum in the trunk of a car or in a cabinet.

Price at time of publish: $53

_{Dimensions: 11.13 x 8.31 x 8.19 inches | Weight: 2.8 pounds | Cord Length: 16 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: 0.64 quarts | Included Accessories: Attachment hose, storage bag, long crevice tool, brush tool} 

Best Compact

Brigii M1 Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

3.4

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  1/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  3/5
• Portability
  5/5

This compact car vacuum is just 10 inches tall and weighs only about 1 pound, but it surprised us with its capable suction and useful attachments. The Brigii Handheld Vacuum Cleaner features a polished metal exterior and cylindrical body with a clear dust bin. Setup was complete in about 30 seconds, and the vacuum can keep cleaning for up to 25 minutes before needing a recharge.

Based on its small size, it’s obvious that this compact car vacuum is meant for quick cleanups and light messes. When tested on hard surfaces, it cleared sand from our cup holders and dashboard in a single pass. Due to the narrow nozzle opening, we had to make repeat passes to capture the wide collection of sand we spread across the dashboard, but the ergonomic design of the vacuum didn’t make it feel like a chore. On soft surfaces, the Brigii shines with small but firm debris, like the cereal we dumped on the floor and around the seat.

It’s worth noting that mulch was too big to pass through the Brigii’s narrow nozzle, and we wouldn’t recommend it for fine particle pickup on carpet. It eventually succeeded at clearing sand from the carpeting, but not after spreading it around a bit. Because of the vacuum’s round shape, it was also necessary to use an accessory to reach into tight areas, like underneath a car seat. However, we found the attachment process straightforward.

A washable stainless steel and HEPA filter make maintenance fast and easy for this vacuum, and the filter did a good job of keeping fine particles from reaching the motor. Everything about this car vacuum is lightweight, tidy, and efficient. It includes a carrying case for the vacuum itself and its attachments, so we could see keeping it in the glove box or trunk for easy access.

Price at time of publish: $70

_{Dimensions: 10.24 x 2.26 x 2.26 inches | Weight: 1.07 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 25 minutes | Bin Volume: 0.1 quarts | Included Accessories: Extension hose, combination brush and crevice tool, blow and suction nozzles}

Best Lightweight

70mai Vacuum Cleaner Swift Handled

4.4

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  4/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  3/5
• Portability
  5/5

The 70mai Vacuum Cleaner Swift Handled may not look like much on the outside, but a powerful battery and patented ventilation system offer undisrupted suction. The ergonomic, U-shaped handle paired with this vacuum's lightweight (1.32 pounds!) design make it an easy choice for light messes throughout your car. Our main concern with this vacuum was its small dust bin, which has to be emptied frequently, if you're using it to clean your whole car. The dust bin is also somewhat challenging to align correctly, so this vacuum design might not be the best for users with mobility restrictions.

This vacuum is very similar in outward appearance as other picks in this roundup, like the eufy H30 and Brigii 3-in-1 vacuum, and also similar to other vacuums that weren't up to snuff during testing, like the ionvac Turbo Car Vacuum. However, this vacuum's lightweight design makes it stand out in the category, compared to our other picks.

It has a battery that can last up to 24 minutes on a single charge. A USB-C charging port also makes it compatible with other charging cords you may have in your home. The two attachments made cleaning between crevices and through wide areas of carpet easy, and we especially appreciated the HEPA filter that's built into this vacuum.

How It Performed Long-Term

We used this vacuum to clean one of our team member's cars over the course of two months, and we continued to enjoy its powerful, lightweight design. It easily picked up pebbles, sand, and dirt, and the attachments made it convenient to reach under and between car seats to capture debris. While the nozzle is a little too narrow to pick up larger debris like popcorn kernels, we still found that it accomplished most of the cleaning tasks we needed it for. We appreciated the storage bag, which was convenient for neatly stowing the vacuum in the trunk when it wasn't in use.

Price at time of publish: $40

_{Dimensions: 4.65 x 0.85 x 1.55 inches | Weight: 1.32 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 24 minutes | Bin Volume: Not listed | Included Accessories: Crevice tool and brush attachment}

Best for Detailing

Armor All VOM205P Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum

4.4

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  3.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  5/5
• Portability
  3/5

The Armor All VOM205P Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum is the best choice if you need a car vacuum to tackle any type of mess in your vehicle. It’s hard to beat the versatility of this model if you’re looking for a car vacuum for detailing, since it has a strong motor that packs plenty of power and a great selection of accessories to reach into every corner or crevice. Plus, as a wet-dry car vacuum, this shop vac from Armor All can pick up liquid spills along with dry debris. We were also impressed with its large-capacity bin, which holds 2.5 gallons. It's just like emptying a bucket, but we recommend having good aim toward the trash can to avoid extra messes.

Despite its power and size, we were surprised during testing with how quiet this vacuum is. It didn’t make us cringe every time we powered it on, and you could easily talk over it. The suction was substantial, making large and small debris disappear with one or two passes. The attached, 4-foot hose isn’t the most effective vacuuming tool on its own, but when paired with one of the many included accessories, it does a great job on either hard or soft surfaces. This car vacuum was also able to easily handle bulky items like mulch, which is something that tripped up a number of other models we tested. The small detailing accessories are well suited for cleaning air vents, cup holders, or other crevices that need regular attention during car detailing. 

We wish that this wet-dry vacuum had wheels, making it easier for the vacuum to follow our movements. It tipped over once during our testing, but no debris spilled from the tightly sealed lid. Keep in mind that this car vacuum needs to be plugged into a 110-volt outlet. It doesn’t have a battery source or a charger for the car outlet.

Price at time of publish: $40

_{Dimensions: 13.7 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches | Weight: 7.5 pounds | Cord Length: 10 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Bin Volume: 2.5 gallons | Included Accessories: 2-in-1 utility nozzle, crevice tool, car nozzle, 6-piece detail kit and storage pouch, reusable cloth filter, foam wet filter, wall mount bracket}  

Best for Attachments

Dewalt 20-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum

4.4

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4/5
• Portability
  5/5

The DEWALT 20-Volt Max Stick Vacuum is sold with an array of helpful accessories—five to be exact—that make it a well-rounded car, workshop, and household cleaning tool. A HEPA filter ensures that finer dust and dander particles stay locked inside the vacuum, and 46 CFM allows for a super-efficient clean. This vacuum is designed to pick up everything from discarded nails to large saw dust bits, so its interior is well equipped to withstand mulch and other debris in your car. A belt loop hood and LED light are integrated into the body of this vacuum for an advanced user experience.

Cereal and clumps of hair on hard surfaces were no match for this vacuum's suction power, but it did struggle slightly to lift sand on soft surfaces like carpeting. The crevice tool was also helpful at sucking up debris between and under car seats. We really enjoyed the gulper brush, which quickly cleaned larger areas like the trunk of a car.

We recognize this vacuum is more expensive than some other models, but we found that its performance justified the price tag. However, we wish more online retailers sold this model with the battery included. Most retailer links list the battery as sold separately. While this is a practical solution for consumers who already own tools from the same brand line, it's not as helpful for consumers who are just seeking a powerful car vacuum. Despite this potential purchasing issue, we still loved this vacuum for its performance, coupled with its extensive accessory line.

How It Performed Long-Term

It was no surprise to our team that we continued to love this powerful vacuum during our two-month, at-home testing trial. The variety of attachments allowed it to clean every space in two different cars, and we even used it to clean up cat litter in a home. While the detachable battery adds a bit more weight, we found this model much easier to navigate throughout the interior of a car than some corded options. It also has an impressive battery run time, and we had no issues with the battery dying mid-cleanup during our tests.

Price at time of publish: $150

_{Dimensions: Not listed | Weight: 2.3 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 21.4 minutes | Bin Volume: 0.74 quarts | Included Accessories: Extension tube, floor nozzle, flexible hose, crevice nozzle, gulper brush, round brush, belt hook, and accessory holder}