Category
A vacuum cleaner is judged by how often you reach for it, and that depends on your floors, how far the socket is from the room, how much you carry up the stairs and whether you would rather empty a bin or change a bag. The advice on this page applies to any vacuum cleaner, and our guides and listings apply it to specific models.
Cordless vacuums and corded vacuums each have a product listing, in which every model is matched to its exact Amazon.co.uk listing and checked against the manufacturer’s own page, plus a buying guide and a comparison of the two types. Robot vacuums are planned but have no listing or guide yet. Everything here is research-based: Shopicks has not tested the vacuums it writes about.
Each listing matches every model to its exact Amazon.co.uk listing and checks it against the manufacturer’s own page.
Stick, convertible and compact battery-powered vacuums, each matched to its exact model.
10 models listed
Upright and cylinder vacuums, bagged and bagless, each matched to its exact model.
10 models listed
These appliance types do not have a listing or guide yet. We add one only when enough models have been verified.
Before you buy
Which? says cordless sticks suit smaller homes with less carpet, quick cleans and people who struggle with heavier machines, and that corded models are better for whole-house cleaning and carpet-heavy homes. It also says corded vacuums have a better reliability record. Your own layout matters more than any average: how many stairs, how far the socket is from the furthest room, and whether you want to store the machine on a wall or in a cupboard.
Some households keep both, a corded machine for the weekly clean and a cordless for crumbs and the car, but that means buying and storing two. Our comparison of cordless and corded vacuums sets out the trade-offs without ranking them.
A cordless runtime is a maximum. It is measured with a particular power mode and often a particular tool, and a motorised floor head or a boost setting draws more from the battery. The cards quote the maker’s conditions where they are printed and say so where they are not.
Compare the minutes at the power level you will actually use, and be wary of a headline figure whose conditions you cannot find. Our cordless buying guide works through five examples.
Bagged machines usually hold more and keep dust contained when you remove the bag. Bagless machines avoid buying bags but need emptying more often, and Which? found they released much more dust into the room when emptied. Neither type is immune to losing suction as it fills.
The right choice depends on how you feel about the two chores. Do you mind buying bags, or would you rather tip a bin into an outdoor bin? Our corded buying guide covers this in more depth.
Filter names are not interchangeable. A washable filter is not necessarily HEPA, and makers use their own terms, such as UltraAllergy, S-Class or washable EPA. Listing titles on Amazon.co.uk sometimes use the word HEPA where the maker’s own page does not, so the cards follow the maker.
Allergy UK recommends a high-filtration vacuum with a HEPA, S-class or similar filter, and says cleaning lowers but does not totally remove house dust mite allergens. We do not claim that any vacuum removes allergens, bacteria or viruses.
A wattage is the electrical power a motor is rated for. It is not a measure of how much dirt reaches the bin, which depends on the floor head, the airflow path and the state of the filter and bag. The cards quote a rating only where the maker prints one, and none of them compares ratings or turns one into a performance claim.
The same goes for suction figures such as ‘150aW’. A figure with no footnote or test condition is the maker’s own claim, and Shopicks has not measured any of them.
Check where the vacuum will live. A cordless stick needs a plug point where it charges, and many come with a wall mount. A cylinder needs a cupboard, and an upright needs floor space. The cards quote the maker’s weight where it is printed and say where makers disagree.
Electrical Safety First says to use only the original charger or one approved by the manufacturer for rechargeable floor cleaners, and to unplug when not in use or being charged. Rechargeable batteries and cordless appliances with them should go to a local recycling centre, not into the household bin.
Where cordless and corded vacuums suit, reliability and typical weights. Test results are behind a paywall and are not used.
Bagged versus bagless dust release and suction loss.
High-filtration vacuum cleaners and the limits of cleaning.
Lithium-ion batteries, the original or manufacturer-approved charger and unplugging when not in use.
Rechargeable batteries and cordless appliances with rechargeable batteries go to a local recycling centre.
It depends on your home. Which? says cordless sticks suit smaller homes with less carpet and quick cleans, while corded models suit larger, carpet-heavy homes and have a better reliability record. Our comparison sets out the trade-offs, and both buying guides explain what to check.
No. Our cleaning content is research-based, using manufacturer documentation and UK consumer and safety advice, and each page says so. We do not describe cleaning results we have not seen.
Prices, stock and ratings change constantly and Amazon only allows them to be shown from its own site or API. Each pick links to Amazon.co.uk, where you can check the current price and availability.
Cordless and corded vacuums have product listings and buying guides, and there is a comparison of the two. Robot vacuums are planned but do not have a listing or guide yet, and we have not set a date. We publish a listing only once enough models have been verified against their exact Amazon.co.uk listings.
Featured guide
Cleaning & Vacuums
Five cordless vacuums that show the main choices, from an exchangeable-battery stick to a bagged battery cylinder, researched from manufacturer pages, with plain explanations of what the runtime and capacity figures mean.
Buying guide
A research-based UK guide to corded vacuum cleaners covering upright versus cylinder, bagged versus bagless, cable and hose reach, floor heads, pet tools and filters, with five examples checked against manufacturer pages.
Comparison
How cordless and corded vacuum cleaners differ in convenience, power supply, battery limits, cleaning reach, storage, maintenance, capacity and suitability for different UK homes, using manufacturer figures and Which? advice.