The 4 Best Car Vacuums, Out of 11 We Tested

• Black & Decker Dustbuster Pivot: We started strong with the Dustbuster Pivot's excellent cleaning performance, including one of the best results in our heavy-duty combination test. It's also very comfortable to hold, and the adjustable angle of the nozzle helps when cleaning in a cramped car. It barely matched half of its rated battery life in our tests -- a measly 10 minutes, 24 seconds. Poor battery life was a consistent thread in negative customer reviews, and we were disappointed that it happened to our test unit. It would be a good alternative to the Worx if not for the battery issues.
• DeWalt 20-volt Max: This is the most powerful cordless hand vacuum in our comparison -- it consistently earned high marks in all of our cleaning tests. The massive HEPA filter is nearly impossible to clog with dust and powder. It also comes with a veritable feast of attachments, including a hose that makes it easy to clean in tight spaces. Still, the DeWalt didn't make our top picks because the kit lacks a battery and charger. It's not overly expensive if you're already using DeWalt 20-volt Max batteries, but you'll spend $85 or more to get it running otherwise. (It had the shortest battery life in our tests, but we were using a 1.7-Ah battery instead of the more common 5-Ah unit.)
• Ryobi One Plus 18-volt Cordless Performance Hand Vacuum Kit: This handheld vacuum has a lot going for it: a large dustbin, powerful suction and a swappable battery that comes in the box. At $89, it's an affordable alternative to the pricey DeWalt 20-volt Max. It didn't match the DeWalt's performance, and the attachments needed an adapter to attach to the nozzle. I didn't like how freely the brush attachment rotated, so I had to hold it with my free hand to keep it in the correct position. Don't get me wrong, this is still a powerhouse with an impressive 89% average in cleaning performance. It's a solid option for most people, and the cheaper tool-only version is an easy win for existing Ryobi One Plus power tool users.
• Shark Cyclone Pet: The Shark Cyclone Pet's short 11-minute, 17-second battery life kept it from claiming our budget pick. Despite the short battery life, I like how quickly the vacuum charges, often finishing before the competition. It also had trouble with large grains of sand in the combination test, even after cleaning the filter and emptying the bin. It still outperformed the Dustbuster Blast with pet hair and large debris.
• Bissell Pet Hair Eraser: I had to see if a motorized brush and good battery were worth the $72 price tag. To its credit, it does very well with pet hair and the battery life was excellent. It was also fairly average in the combination and powder tests. It suffers from the smallest nozzle on this list, leading to "clog city" when sucking up large debris -- even the Drecell did better in this test. It's easily the best car vacuum for pet hair removal that you can buy for less than $100.
• Drecell Handheld Vacuum: The relatively high customer rating and low price were intriguing, but this product had the worst cleaning performance by a wide margin. Still, despite a microscopic bin, it clogged slightly less often than the Fanttik on the combination and powder tests. The one bright spot is the nearly 28-minute battery life, which might make it practical for picking up some crumbs after eating in the car or light-duty dusting in an office setting. It's a perfect case study for why Amazon bestsellers aren't always worth the money.
• Shark MessMaster Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum (control): Only after this product arrived did I notice it was a corded vacuum, which gave it a distinct advantage over the other products. To turn this error into lemonade, I gave it the role of control, the baseline to which the cordless products would compare. As I suspected, the extra power and huge dustbin yielded the best cleaning performance in our comparison. Although I disqualified it from our top picks, the Shark MessMaster gets an honorable mention as a great option to keep in the garage, where a 20-foot power cord won't hamper its portability. What's more impressive is that our top two picks, the Worx and Dyson, can stand toe-to-toe with such a monster.

Very few vacuums from top brands are marketed exclusively as car vacuums, which gave me the flexibility to test hand vacuums from household and power-tool brands. I researched reviews and bestseller lists to find suitable test candidates. The vacuums in this review are a mix of manufacturer samples and ones purchased at retail.

After choosing a testing lineup, I subjected the vacuums to a battery of tests covering cleaning performance, runtime, noise and airflow.

Cleaning performance

The base conditions for the first three tests are as follows:

• Scatter a premeasured amount of debris over a 6-inch linear section of a car mat.
• Rub debris into the mat -- crushing some of it where possible -- to ensure good adhesion and simulate foot traffic.
• Start testing using the recommended attachments to see their effectiveness. If the attachment isn't good enough, use any means necessary to remove the remaining debris.
• I emptied the bin and knocked the dust off the filters between each test, but I didn't wash the filter until all tests were complete. This is fortunate since the average washable filter took almost two days to dry completely.

Pet hair and lint test

For this light-duty test, I enlisted the help of my cat by saving 25 grams of pet-hair-laden dryer lint over two months, which I distributed among the vacuums. Each vacuum started with a pet brush and almost every traditional brush wasn't good enough to pull up all the hair. I got better results without any attachments, although the motorized brushes of Dyson and Bissell showed noticeable improvements over the standard pet brush.

Still, the best pet hair cleaning performance came from attachments with rubber or silicone elements, notably Fanttik and Worx.

Large debris test: Paper scraps and sticky cereal

This medium-duty test started with 5g each of shredded paper packing material and a sticky cereal. The crinkled paper scraps provided an excellent source of bulk and clog potential. For my solid debris, I chose the one-two punch of a sticky cereal. I lightly sprayed each mat with some water to enhance the stickiness and left it for an hour to dry.

The Shark MessMaster and Worx passed this test with the fewest crumbs remaining. The Shark Cyclone Pet, Dyson and Ryobi showed slightly more crumbs but were more than adequate.

The DeWalt and Black & Decker models technically passed this test by pulling up all of the debris with few remaining crumbs, they clogged in the process and were a pain to unclog. The culprits on the DeWalt and Black & Decker were the air intakes, which were so close to the HEPA filters that there wasn't enough room for debris to enter the rest of the dust bin. Fanttik surprised me by pulling up 70% of the items before clogging. 

Combination test: Rocks, dirt and hair

The material in this test is at least 150 grams of authentic dirt, sand and rocks, courtesy of a broom, a dustpan and some nearby parking spaces. Add to that a dusty dollop of pet hair that I saved from my main vacuum cleaner, and you have what I like to call "the disgusting test."

As with my large debris test, I added a little water to the mats after pouring out the premeasured bags of dirt and grime and waited 24 hours for the mats to dry. This created delicious stains on the mats that proved especially difficult to remove. The Dyson and Shark MessMaster were the only vacuums that even got close to removing the stain, with Dyson showing the strongest result due to its motorized brush attachments. The Worx and Black & Decker Pivot weren't far behind but still left visible stains.

The DeWalt and Bissell managed to pull up most of the debris without clogging or needing to be emptied, although the mats weren't as clean as the top three.

I had to empty the Ryobi, Shark Cyclone Pet and both Black & Decker models once after losing a lot of suction during the first cleaning pass. Even with an empty dustbin, the Ryobi struggled to pick up the remaining hair, and the Shark Cyclone Pet left quite a mess behind.

The small dust bins on the Fanttik and Drecell produced the worst results, with almost no change to the oil stain and a fair amount of remaining debris.

Powder test: Baking soda

The medium-duty powder test was the only test I did in my car because I knew it would be one of the most stubborn materials -- at least baking soda has some cleaning properties, unlike the other debris I used. Crucially, baking soda is very likely to clog the filters in a vacuum, something it managed to do on almost every test sample. This test helped me gauge not only cleaning performance but also the maneuverability of each unit.

The Shark MessMaster, Dyson and Worx had the best results in the powder test, although even these required a fair amount of effort. Most of the other vacuums left visible streaks where they couldn't remove the powder, although they picked up most of it. The Drecell produced a poor final result, while the Dustbuster Blast's filter allowed more powder out of its exhaust ports than its rivals.

Battery life and dust bin capacity are the biggest technical limitations of car vacuums. You can solve dust cup capacity by keeping a garbage bag nearby, but it's not always practical, so I noted when this might affect performance.

This test focused on battery life by filming when each cordless vacuum shuts off. I taped yellow yarn near the exhaust ports of each vacuum for easy visibility and tested all of the vacuums at once. If a vacuum had two-speed settings, I chose the lower one.

The Bissell, Shark Cyclone Pet, Dustbuster Blast and DeWalt all came in above their specified battery life. Most other brands were less than 10% off, which I consider a successful test. Worx showed a 15% drop in battery life, but it's still impressive. The only cordless vacuum that didn't match its manufacturer-listed battery life was the Black & Decker Pivot, which lasted around 10 minutes, half as long as the company's estimate.

The Dyson and Bissell had the most practical combo of battery life and bin capacity -- Worx came in third. All three products lasted over 20 minutes, with Dyson lasting almost 37 minutes. Fanttik produced the best overall battery life -- almost 39 minutes -- but its small dust cup adds an element of inconvenience. Likewise, Drecell's impressive 28-minute result faces the same dust bin restrictions.

The DeWalt's tested battery life was just over 7 minutes, but you can swap the 1.7-Ah battery we used for one with 5.0-Ah to hit roughly 20 minutes of vacuuming. The Ryobi and Dustbuster Blast's batteries ran for around 15 minutes, which I consider the bare minimum for practicality.

The Shark Cyclone Pet outperformed its 10-minute battery life by more than a minute, but it's less suitable for deep cleaning than touch-ups. The same applies to the Black & Decker Pivot.

I used a sound meter to measure each vacuum's loudness in decibels.

I chose a distance of 0.5 meters (19.7 inches) because it's where most people will use these products relative to their ears. Manufacturers usually test noise levels at 1 meter -- beyond arm's reach. Although this test started with the car vacuums idling on a table, it's not representative of a vacuum in use. Fortunately, that's easy to simulate by blocking the intake nozzle with one of the car mats from the cleaning tests. I learned two takeaways from this stress test: hearing protection considerations and automatic shutoff availability.

The results show that all of the vacuums come close to or exceed 85 dBa when in use. This is the threshold at which government organizations like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommend hearing protection. Even sound levels over 70 dBa can damage hearing with enough exposure time. Furthermore, five of the vacuums I tested peaked above 110 dBa, which makes hearing protection even more essential. I recommend investing in safety earmuffs to keep with your vacuum.

A side effect of this test was the revelation that the Dyson, Fanttik and Drecell have automatic shutoff features when encountering blockages. The Dyson's shutoff is almost immediate, while the other two vacuums take 5 to 10 seconds to turn off. I like how this feature helps reduce exposure to overly loud vacuum noises while protecting the motor from overheating.

Airflow

There are many ways to test a car vacuum cleaner's suction, most of which require specialized equipment. I kept things simple by measuring each car vacuum's airflow with an anemometer and custom nozzle adapters for a reasonably airtight seal. To put each nozzle on level footing, I made a flat piece of foam and cardboard with a 1-square-inch hole that went over the anemometer's intake and calculated the flow rate in cubic feet per minute.

I'm the first to admit that the most surprising thing this test revealed is that low airflow doesn't always mean poor cleaning performance. For example, the Worx Cube Vac (9.3 CFM) consistently matched or out-cleaned vacuums with higher airflow. Still, most of the top performers produced airflow over 13 CFM. In terms of raw power, the Shark MessMaster and DeWalt tied for most airflow at 17.4 CFM, but I'll give the win to Shark for its strong suction breaking two of the blades off my anemometer. (The anemometer maintained accuracy after a quick retest on a few vacuums.)

The two lowest performers in the cleaning tests moved the least air -- the Drecell (7.5 CFM) and Fanttik (7.7 CFM) -- suggesting that 9 CFM is probably the minimum level of airflow for achieving passable cleaning results. 

In addition to the cleaning performance, runtime and noise levels discussed above, you should consider the cost, attachments and portability of a car vacuum cleaner.

Cost

The price threshold for good handheld car vacuums is around $50 or higher, though the top performers on this list generally cost between $90 and $350. Fortunately, you can use these vacuums around the house, so it's easier to justify the expense if you're not keeping them in the car.

Attachments

Only two vacuum attachments are essential to a car vacuum: a crevice tool and a brush. The crevice nozzle makes it easier to clean between seat cushions, along edges and in tight spaces. A brush is ideal for cleaning debris from hard surfaces like the dashboard and often helps pick up pet hair. If you need to pick up a lot of pet hair, I recommend attachments with silicone tips or motorized brushes.

Beyond brush and crevice tools, you might encounter wide nozzles, extension wands, pet hair brushes, detailing kits and powered brush tools. Many handheld vacuums don't include these tools, so they'll cost extra.

Portability

Unless you plan to store the vacuum in your trunk, the main portability consideration is whether the vacuum is small enough to maneuver between the seats in your car. Based on my experience with these vacuums, anything stiff that adds to the length of a car handheld vacuum cleaner will reduce its maneuverability while cleaning.

A hose attachment helps immensely, especially when using crevice tools, but don't be afraid to use the bare nozzle on a vacuum. About half of the car vacuums I tested include hoses, which are easier to use since you don't need to move the entire vacuum. I found the hose especially helpful on the DeWalt, which is heavier than most. Without a hose, it can be uncomfortable to hold vacuums over 3 pounds.

Although 12-volt wired car vacuums that plug into your cigarette lighter can provide additional suction, the power cord limits your maneuverability. Although the Shark MessMaster's 20-foot cord plugs into a wall outlet, you'll have trouble reaching any car that's not close to an outlet. (I had to run a very long extension cord to power the vacuum to use it in my car.)