The 6 Best Car Vacuums of 2024, According to Lab Testing

Best Overall

Baseus A2 Pro Car Vacuum Cleaner

BASEUS

Setup5/5
Effectiveness5/5
Maneuverability5/5
Ease of Emptying5/5
Portability5/5
It’s lightweight and powerful enough to clean an entire vehicle on a single charge.

It’s lightweight and powerful enough to clean an entire vehicle on a single charge.

We found it works better when you empty the dustbin frequently.

We found it works better when you empty the dustbin frequently.

Overall, we were the most impressed with how well the Baseus A2 Pro Car Vacuum cleaned debris—even small leaves—from the floor and seats. It’s lightweight and easy to maneuver, too. Even better? It cleaned an entire minivan on a single charge, so those with smaller vehicles will find it even more powerful.

The setup of this car vac is simple—just attach the suction hose and you’re good to go. It is recommended to charge it fully for 3.5 hours, so keep that in mind. Luckily, you can keep it charged and ready to use by plugging it into the car—it’s compact enough to store in the trunk or under the seat—or at an outlet in your home.

While no car vacuum can stack up to the industrial ones at the car wash, this little vacuum pulls its weight quite well. The two-in-one nozzle is very handy for getting into hard-to-reach spots. We found that frequent emptying increased the vacuum’s performance, so we were glad it doesn’t take much to keep that bin empty—just twist, pull, and empty.

This pick is especially good for small messes, but we were impressed at how well—and quietly—it took on cleaning the entire vehicle.

How it Performed After Six Months

We continue to leave this vacuum in our van to grab whenever we need a quick clean. It holds a charge and handles small debris easily, though the small dust bin does need to be emptied often. After six months, it performs as good as new.

Best Budget

Auto Joe Corded Car Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

HOME DEPOT

Setup5/5
Effectiveness4/5
Maneuverability5/5
Ease of Emptying5/5
Portability5/5
It’s compact, easy to use, and quiet.

It’s compact, easy to use, and quiet.

It required a few extra passes to clean cloth seats.

It required a few extra passes to clean cloth seats.

The Auto Joe 12-Volt Corded Car Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is very lightweight and easy to move around the car, thanks to a cord that doesn’t get tangled up. It comes with three attachments—a brush, nozzle, and extension tube—making it even a cinch to get under seats and deep crevices, including the door pockets.

This car vacuum comes preassembled—the filter is even installed—so all we had to do was insert the plug and choose an attachment. We found it picked up cracker crumbs, rocks, leaves, sand, and hair from the floor mats without much effort, though we noticed it required more passes to pick up debris on cloth seats.

During testing, we found this car vacuum had better suction when the dustbin wasn’t too full. This encouraged us to empty it more frequently, but the good news is it couldn’t be easier to clean out the dustbin and filter; the debris falls right out when you take apart the vacuum. The vacuum comes with two filters and a brush to swipe away any tiny particles of debris.

This lightweight portable car vac is perfect for cleaning up small messes in the car. It’s easy to connect the attachments and super easy to empty. The Auto Joe comes with a compact carrying case that’s easy to store in the trunk, so you can have it at the ready.

During testing, we noticed that it runs very quietly, too; we found that we could listen to the radio and have a conversation while the vacuum was on, so you won’t disturb the entire neighborhood when it’s time to spruce up your vehicle.

How it Performs After Six Months

We continued to use this vacuum mostly to clean the floor mats in our vehicle every two weeks or so. Though it requires more passes on the carpet than on the vinyl floor mats, we think it does a nice job picking up small pieces of debris like food crumbs and bits of dirt. Suction power stayed strong throughout the entire test period.

Best Cordless

Huepar Car Vacuum

AMAZON

Setup5/5
Effectiveness5/5
Maneuverability4.5/5
Ease of Emptying5/5
Portability4.5/5
It’s got a long runtime on a single charge.

It’s got a long runtime on a single charge.

It takes five hours to fully charge and the flexible hose attachment wasn’t very useful.

It takes five hours to fully charge and the flexible hose attachment wasn’t very useful.

We were impressed with the suction power on the Huepar Portable Car Vacuum. It picked up dirt, dog hair, crumbs, and more with ease—it even picked up a penny. The brush attachment made it easy to vacuum out tight spots, like in between the seats and crevices in the door.

The dustbin is easy to empty and the filter is easy to clean under running water; it also comes with an extra filter. It was quick to set up the cordless vac, though it does take five hours to charge fully—either plug the short charging cord in an outlet or use it with an adapter for your car’s cigarette lighter.

However, the lengthy charge time paid off. The battery power lasted for two full cleaning sessions, and we noticed it the suction power was equally as effective on low as it was on high. It’s a good size to store in the trunk but too bulky to store under a seat in the car.

Overall, we were impressed by the powerful car vac, especially because it’s from a brand with which we were previously unfamiliar. It’s a great value for the price, though the one drawback would be that the flexible hose was too flexible for its own good, making it ineffective for cleaning.

However, we did like using the crevice brush tool, which made it easy to loosen up dirt and debris for quicker cleanup. We opted to take it indoors, where we found other uses for it, including vacuuming furniture to quickly and easily remove cat hair.

How it Performed After Six Months

During long-term testing, we came to really appreciate that the vacuum includes two filters—there's always a backup while the other is being cleaned. We continued to use it both inside the house and in the car for quick cleans, with the performance outpacing our expectations.

Product Details: Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.07 x 4.8 inches | Bin Capacity: 23.6 ounces | Accessories: Extendable flex tube, long crevice nozzle, brush nozzle, charging cable | Cord Length: Cordless | Battery Life: 30 minutes in normal mode, 15 minutes in strong mode | Weight: 2.51 pounds

Best for Pets

Worx Power Share Cube Vac

Setup5/5
Effectiveness5/5
Maneuverability5/5
Ease of Emptying5/5
Portability5/5
It’s very effective in cleaning up pet hair on carpet and charges fully in under 45 minutes.

It’s very effective in cleaning up pet hair on carpet and charges fully in under 45 minutes.

It is louder than other vacuums, especially on the high suction mode.

It is louder than other vacuums, especially on the high suction mode.

The WORX Cordless Cube Vac was effective in picking up dog hair, even the most stubborn strands on carpeted areas. The charge lasted long enough to vacuum the entire car. We found the suction power remained strong all during the cleaning session, and it worked well cleaning up dirt and debris from all surfaces, including in between seats.

It couldn’t be easier to set this car vacuum up—just choose an attachment and snap it onto the hose. We were very impressed by the rapid charge time, which took just 30 to 45 minutes to achieve a full charge.

Given that we used to use a shop vac to clean out the car, this lightweight car vacuum is much easier and more comfortable to hold and maneuver. The three attachments make it even easier to get in crevices and other tight areas. It’s compact enough to stow in the backseat, so it’ll be ready for quick messes.

The dustbin empties at the push of a button, though we found the vacuum could go quite a long time without having to empty it. We did find it a bit loud, especially on the higher level, but it’s worth it since it’s so effective at picking up dog hair.

How it Performed After Six Months

We used the Worx vacuum to clean the car and small spaces around the house about once per week during the testing period. It continued to work as good as new, and we found it very compact and handy to have around. It held the charge well and impressed us with its suction power, though we would have appreciated more attachments.

Product Details: Dimensions: 5.91 x 7.17 x 8.58 inches | Bin Capacity: 6 ounces | Accessories: 4-foot flexible extended reach hose, on-board accessory storage, crevice nozzle, brush nozzle | Cord Length: N/a | Battery Life: About 15 minutes; 10 on high speed and 25 on low | Weight: 3 pounds

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / TAMARA STAPLES

Best Attachments

Dewalt 20-Volt Cordless Handheld Vacuum

AMAZON

Setup5/5
Effectiveness4.5/5
Maneuverability4.5/5
Ease of Emptying4/5
Portability5/5
It lasts a long time on a single charge.

It lasts a long time on a single charge.

It’s more expensive than other options and the battery is sold separately.

It’s more expensive than other options and the battery is sold separately.

Throughout the testing process, we were impressed by the Dewalt 20V Handheld Vacuum's variety of attachments. The vacuum comes with an extension tube, floor nozzle, flexible hose, crevice nozzle, gulper brush, round brush, belt hook, accessory holder, and HEPA filter. Plus, it lasted a long time on a single charge.

During testing, it took just one pass to remove Cheerios and hair, but longer to remove sand. In general, we found it was easier to use the Dewalt on their car’s hard surfaces, but it was very difficult to get sand and hair from softer surfaces like the seats. The crevice tool was easy to use and quite effective in getting in between and under seats.

The large attachment made quick work of cleaning larger areas like the trunk. We found that it did feel heavy after a while, but the attachments made it much easier to maneuver around the car. Emptying it was easy, too, though we noted that larger dirt particles (like Cheerios) tended to get stuck in the filter, which could impact future effectiveness.

It was a bit loud, but it’s not surprising given how much power this car vac has. The Dewalt boasts a long battery life—our tester found that it was still going after using it for 15 minutes. Although it’s more expensive than other options, we found that it was very effective overall and the multiple attachments justified the price point.

How it Performed After Six Months

Battery life for the Dewalt vacuum was extremely impressive—we were able to clean the entire car about 10 times (roughly 10 minutes each time) before recharging. The range of attachments made it great for a variety of uses outside the car as well, like sucking up cat litter around the litter box. It worked very well on both leather and cloth interiors.

Product Details: Dimensions: 18.3 x 7.8 x 5.2 inches | Bin Capacity: .7L | Accessories: Extension tube, floor nozzle, flexible hose, crevice nozzle, gulper brush, round brush, belt hook, accessory holder, and HEPA filter | Cord Length: N/A | Battery Life: 21 minutes | Weight: 2.2 pounds

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON

Best for Families

Dirt Devil Corded Handheld Vacuum Cleaner

WALMART

Effectiveness4/5
Maneuverability3/5
Ease of Emptying4/5
Portability5/5
Noise Level4/5
It’s got a large dirt bin, so you can keep cleaning for longer.

It’s got a large dirt bin, so you can keep cleaning for longer.

You must use the attachments to get into tight spaces.

You must use the attachments to get into tight spaces.

If you’ve got family members riding with you more often than not, the Dirt Devil Scorpion Plus can best accommodate the messes they make. The vacuum features a large dirt bin, so you can clean up whatever messes come your way.

The Dirt Devil was great for vacuuming bigger surfaces within the car. The tester found it was lightweight and easy to maneuver enough so that they could hold the vac in one hand while pulling up the car mats with the other.

We were impressed in particular with how well the Dirt Devil picked up Cheerios and even some Goldfish without much hassle. However, they did say that if they were stuck in tighter spots, there wasn’t enough suction to pull them out, so make sure you add the attachments to get into places like cup holders and tighter spots.

We noted that it was effective in picking up clumps of hair, but single strands proved to be much trickier. As for sand, take it slow when picking it up—the Dirt Devil is effective, but you might find yourself scattering the sand if you go too fast.

It was easy to remove the canister and filter for emptying once the cleanup was done. Overall, we found that the vacuum was effective and appreciated the price point.

How it Performed After Six Months

The vacuum performed well suction-wise, sucking up smaller particles like sand and larger pieces like Cheerios and small rocks with ease. One downside is that the roller brush, which we initially loved, did stop rotating after a couple of months. While it didn't seem to impact the ability to gather visible debris, we felt we weren't as able to get deep into carpet and seats.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON