Best car vacuum cleaners for mess-free motoring, tried and tested

This small yet perfectly formed Shark handheld vacuum is really lightweight and portable, making it the ideal choice for freshening up your car’s upholstery and interiors.

With a high-efficiency motor that’s surprisingly powerful considering the vacuum’s size, it offers a choice of two suction modes, including an extra boost mode for tackling more ingrained dirt. 

Designed to sit on a stand in charging mode, it's stylish enough to leave out on display, making it a great mini vacuum for use in the home. The battery life is relatively short (up to 15 minutes’ run time) but it's super efficient, so you should be able to clean the whole car in one charge using standard mode.

The handy duster crevice tool makes quick and light work of dirt and debris and it can lift crumbs between the seats. We also love the multi-surface pet tool, which helps lift embedded pet hair.

Due to its small size, the dust bin does need emptying regularly, but flipping open at the touch of a button, removing the contents is quick and fuss-free. 

Mumsnet users rave about full-size cordless Sharks, so it’s no surprise that they also love this handheld for tackling mucky car seats.

The HandVac is ideal for car seats, particularly if you have a pet as it comes with three handy accessories, including a Motorised Pet Tool to remove embedded pet hair from upholstery. It’s great value when you consider the cost of full-size Sharks and you still get Shark’s two-year warranty if you register your vacuum cleaner. The only downside is the run time – it lasts just 10 minutes before it needs to be recharged.

Tried and tested by Mumsnet: Read our in-depth Vax Blade 4 Pet & Car Vacuum Cleaner review

With a powerful brushless motor designed for deep and tough cleaning, the Vax Blade 4 Dual Pet & Car vacuum is a cordless vacuum that can keep up with pet hair, dirt and detritus and performed well when we tested it in a busy family home.

It's a little on the heavy side for a cordless model but the flexible extension hose and motorised pet tool can quickly clean and revive your upholstery, rapidly removing shedded dog hair from your boot and back seats. You can also switch between the small and large brush heads to tackle a range of carpeted areas inside your car and home with ease.

It’s perfect for both quick clean ups and full, deep cleaning of your car and home. It’s also very easy to store, takes up little space, and comes with fabulous attachments to tackle every spot.

If your car’s in desperate need of some TLC, the GTech Multi-Platinum Cordless vacuum could be just the ticket with its powerful suction and large brush head that lifts even ingrained dirt and embedded pet hair. We love the extension tube and crevice tool that can help you reach tricky corners and crevices with ease and thanks to the built-in LED headlight, you won't miss a crumb in your footwells even when cleaning in low light. 

With a 30-minute battery life per three- to four-hour charge, you’ve got plenty of time to get around your whole car without plugging it back into the mains. Its generously sized drum means it’s not as lightweight as the Shark handheld, but it needs emptying far less regularly as a result, making it a great option for your car, stairs and living room furniture. 

It’s worth mentioning that reviewers state it's important to wash the filter regularly, as this can impact the suction levels.

Tried and tested by Mumsnet: Read our full Henry HVR160 review

While Henry may not offer the cordless, lightweight design of the other car vacuum models listed above, its long cable and superior performance can lift ingrained dirt and stubborn hairs from upholstery with ease, making Henry a popular choice for inside your car and home. 

With a turbo airo brush, generous six-litre capacity and a range of additional attachments, there’s a good reason why Henry is trusted by commercial and professional cleaners. 

Reviewers praise Henry’s crevice and brush tools, helping you clean those hard-to-reach areas such as the centre console and crevices between seats. It does require vacuum bags (sold separately), but with a sealed bag design that locks in dirt, emptying is infrequent, simple and mess-free. 

This Karcher WD 2 Wet and Dry can tackle everything your kids throw at it. With an innovative cartridge filter, it can be used on both dry and wet spills without changing the filter in between, making light work of everything from spilt drinks, mud and sand, with a handy blow function that removes loose dirt and debris from hard-to-reach areas before gathering up every crumb. 

While the corded design won't be to everyone’s taste, this sturdy wheeled unit is easy to navigate around your car. It does use a bag but it has a substantial 12-litre capacity, so you won’t need to change it regularly.

Bearing a striking resemblance to Noo Noo from the Teletubbies, this small portable and lightweight dustbuster vacuum is ideal for small touch-ups and refreshes before your service or road trip with the kids.

Powered via the car's 12V socket (or cigarette lighter), it has a 5-metre-long cable that allows you to reach every nook and cranny of your car, including your footwells, door pockets and boot. 

It’s not as efficient as some other cordless vacuums, however, the fold-out upholstery brush is ideal for cleaning your dashboard and air vents, while the extra-long crevice tool can easily lift away loose debris, dust and dirt that can build up over time.  

We love the generous capacity and clear dust bin so you can easily see when it's time to empty. It even comes with a handy mesh storage bag, making it a convenient option to keep in the car for everyday cleaning. 

It may have a fairly eye-watering price tag, but if you’re looking for a cordless vacuum that’s as efficient around the home as it is in your car, the Dyson V8 with its range of attachments is certainly worth considering. 

Transforming from a cordless to a handheld vacuum in seconds, the full-sized motorbar cleaner head automatically detangles as you clean, coping well with even long pet hair without clogging or blocking the brush bar.

This versatile vac can handle everything from your car’s interior to your home’s hard floors, carpets, sofas and stairs, with the option to switch between two power modes as you clean. In the car, we love the brush tool which helps tackle small cleaning and dusting tasks, while the long crevice tool helps reach those narrow, hard-to-clean areas such as around the edge of your car seats. Once the dust bin is full, the one-touch ejection makes removing the contents quick and mess-free.

Despite its powerful suction levels, the Dyson V8 has a low operating volume and offers up to 40 minutes of run time per charge. With a wall-mounted charging station, you can conveniently dock after use - so it's always ready and accessible when you need it. 

If spilt drinks, accidents or car sickness has left your car's upholstery looking stained and unsightly, you’re going to need something a little more powerful than a traditional vacuum to restore it to its former forecourt glory. 

While you may want to skirt around with a traditional vacuum first to pick up loose crumbs and debris, the Bissell SpotClean Pro uses a combination of water, formula and powerful suction to clean and remove old and new spills and stains from your car seats and upholstery.

With a lightweight, portable design and extra-long hose, you can navigate around the whole car with ease, while specialist cleaning attachments lift and refresh even old, ingrained marks from your seats and floor mats. The best part? It comes complete with a bottle of Wash and Protect Professional carpet cleaner - just wait till you see the colour of the dirty water that comes out when you’re done! 

If portability and convenience are high up on your wishlist, the Roidmi Nano P1 Pro is small enough (and stylish enough) to leave in your car all year round - ready for a quick refresh and clean up of dust and debris between deeper cleans. 

The sleek modern cordless design offers up to 24 minutes of run time, with decent suction power and wide angle LED light that helps you easily see in low light areas such as footwells and door pockets. 

The small dust bin means the Nano P1 does get full quite quickly, and it is a bit of a faff to empty. It’s also less suitable for deeper cleans and substantial snack spills due to its small brush head - so if you’re kids tend to get more crisps on the floor than in their mouth, you’d be better paying the extra for the Shark Premium Handheld.