The Best Car Vacuum for a Clean Interior

Car vacuums are often very affordable, they list cool features and have great reviews. Then they usually don’t work. The best car vacuum promises to make car cleaning easy: Just plug it into your 12V port or pick it up off the charger, and in just a few seconds you can clean up your seats, floor mats, cupholders, and console. Your actual experience is likely to be a lot more disappointing: When we started testing, we were surprised by just how bad they were. After testing, we didn’t find any 12V car vacuums we thought were worth your money. Struggling to remove dust, crumbs, and dirt, and absolutely failing against pet hair.

Fortunately, there are other kinds of hand held vacuums that do work great for car cleaning. The best car vacuums come from reputable name brands and have enough power to pick up dirt from tight spots in your interior. They come with useful accessories like crevice tools, long hoses, and brushes; and have either built-in lithium-ion batteries or, like the #6 pick Milwaukee, use a cordless tool battery system. The best car vacuum should be ready at a moment’s notice, either just to tidy up, or for a deeper cleaning; and all our picks are just as good for other shop or household use.

There are other good options, too. Wet-Dry vacs, which all threaten the Shop-Vac brand into becoming a generic, have a lot of power and long hoses. These powerful suckers are the first tool any detailer breaks out when starting on a car interior. Plus, they’re very useful both around the shop and for household jobs. There are also conventional handhelds that we like. Either should be part of your car care and detailing kit. Car interior dust can be surprisingly harmful to your health as well, and regular vacuuming is the only way to take care of it.

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We drive the latest new cars, trucks, and SUVs, but did you also know the team at AutoGuide.com tests tires, waxes, wiper blades, and pressure washers? Before we recommend a product as a top pick in one of our popular product lists, our editors put it to the test. We run through all its features, test the claims that the brand makes about each product, and then give an honest opinion on what we like and don’t like from our personal experience. As experts in all-things automotive, from minivans to sports cars, and from portable jump starters to ceramic coating, we want to make sure you buy the product that’s right for you.

We purchased a selection of the best rated car vacuums in different styles to test, and had several people try them out throughout car interiors. We looked at how well the accessories worked, suction power, convenience, and compared them to other kinds of vacuums for the same jobs. Several cordless rechargeable vacuums do a good job, but all of the 12V vacuums and several of the cordless models that we tested were too bad to recommend. We left one in (with warnings) because it’s the most popular option on sale today. For more information on the best car vacuums, refer to our table of contents.

Your first instinct might be to just use your household vacuum to clean up your car, and it may do an adequate job depending on the vacuum. Some household vacuums are now cordless and come with a variety of attachments, but they will never be as convenient as a car vacuum. Upright or canister household vacuums will, at the very least, need a hose attachment to help clean your car, and you're unlikely to be use a stick vacuum at all. All large household vacuums are cumbersome and can tip over, making the task of cleaning your car’s interior more difficult than it should be. As you can imagine, household vacuums are designed to clean large surface areas efficiently and quickly. They may work well enough on your car’s floorboards and floor mats, but some home vacuums will have a difficult time getting into hard-to-reach places. Like most things automotive, you need the right tool for the job, which is why a car vacuum is recommended to keep your cabin nice and clean.

We've certainly done that—hauled our household upright bagged vacuum outside, run an extension cord, hooked up accessory hoses and cleaned a car. But it's cumbersome and inconvenient, and can potentially damage your vacuum as you stretch short and easy-to-tear hoses to reach inside. Stick vacuums are lighter than traditional uprights, but often don't have the optional hoses to reach many spots, or the powerful suction to deal with dirt and gravel from your floors. Canister vacuums are a much better choice, have the best suction of all three types of household vacuums, and are always equipped with longer hoses. You'll still have to deal with getting it, its cord and hoses and accessories out to your car, and potentially scraping it along the ground as you work.

No. Our short answer is no. Car upholstery is easy to stain, whether with coffee, kids or pets, but in our testing carpet cleaners do a poor job of removing those stains and often leave marks of their own. Even if you rent a Rug Doctor or the equivalent carpet cleaner with a special upholstery wand, in our experience it won't clean evenly, leaving permanent dark and light spots or strips. If you have seats that need cleaning, it's worth using a professional detailer, and to preserve your car's appearance and resale value, we recommend a high-quality set of waterproof, washable seat covers. If you're able to, you can remove you car's seat fabric and test an area you'll never see, like the underside. If it doesn't stain or discolor, then you can risk using a carpet cleaner on the seating surfaces.

One of the most important factors in picking the right vacuum for your car is determining how your car is used every day. Maybe your vehicle is often used for work and gets wet and muddy, or you have a pet that loves taking rides with you. If you have kids, there’s a good chance they’ll accidentally spill food inside the car. If your car sees heavy duty use, you’ll likely want to pay close attention to the car vacuum you’re planning to purchase. Some vacuums specialize in picking up pet hair, while others will operate wet or dry. Now if none of the above applies to you, then a lightweight, handheld cordless vacuum might suffice. Determining how often you need to clean your car’s interior plays an important role in choosing the right car vacuum. Aside from budget, you’ll want to decide whether you want a corded or cordless car vacuum. Cordless vacuums are generally more expensive and have the added convenience of not being tethered or having to look for a power outlet. The downside, of course, is that they are often less powerful need to be charged after use. If you are unable to vacuum your car within a garage, there are also corded car vacuums that use the 12-volt cigarette lighter in your car. While they may seem to be the best option, they’re not as convenient as cordless vacuums and are often not as powerful as vacuums that plug into a wall. Recently, some automakers have been outfitting their vehicles with AC power outlets, which is something to consider when shopping for a car vacuum. If your vehicle has a power outlet built-in, you could use a corded option without having to fuss with the power outlet in your garage, although you should be careful of draining your battery.

Regardless of whether you’re shopping for a corded or cordless car vacuum, you will want to pay attention to a vacuum’s power rating. But don’t be fooled into thinking the bigger the number, the better. Along with wattage, you will want to research its suction pressure, which is often measured in pascals, along with cubic feet per minute of airflow—basically, how hard it can suck and how much it is sucking. You will also want to check whether the car vacuum you’re looking at comes with a variety of accessories. You may not need any of those accessories if you’re using the vacuum for general cleaning, but having additional nozzles and brushes could prove handy if your car sees heavy use. If you’re shopping for a cordless vacuum, pay close attention to its advertised battery life and weight. You might find it uncomfortable to use a heavy handheld vacuum for an extended period of time in awkward positions. If you have a larger vehicle, smaller batteries may not allow you to completely clean your car on a single charge. One aspect that’s often overlooked when shopping for a car vacuum is its tank capacity. For smaller, compact cars, you may not need a large canister. But if you own an SUV or a minivan, you’ll want to make sure you don’t have to constantly empty out the canister while vacuuming your car. Along the same lines, you may want to do some research to see how easy or difficult it is to clean a particular vacuum. You likely don’t want to purchase a vacuum that’s complicated to disassemble and maintain. Prepare to be overwhelmed by the number of manufacturers who offer car vacuums. You’ll likely recognize familiar brands such as Black+Decker, Bissell, and Dyson, but they may not necessarily be the best for your needs. If you’re shopping for a shop vac, Armor All is a brand you likely recognize since the company specializes in car detailing products. Once you’ve decided whether you want a corded, cordless, or shop vac, narrow down your product choices by budget and power. You will also want to pay close attention to the warranty that is offered when comparing vacuums. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay a bit more for a product from an established company, knowing you have warranty support you if something breaks. The last thing you should consider is how easy it is to find replacement parts for the vacuum you’re interested in. Can you purchase replacement filters easily? If you’re looking at a cordless vacuum, are replacement batteries expensive? Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time, so eventually you’ll have to purchase a replacement. You may also want to check if accessories can be purchased separately, in case you only need one specific item.

Making an investment into a car vacuum may not be cheap, so you’ll want to take a few steps to maintain and keep your vacuum clean. If your car vacuum has a filter, change it on a regular basis and more often if you’re using the vacuum frequently. Some filters can also be washed, so you’ll want to check your specific product to see if that’s an option. Make sure to empty out your vacuum canister every time you’re done cleaning, even if it’s just a little amount of debris or dirt. This is especially important if you’re using a wet-dry vacuum, since leaving anything wet for a long period of time can lead to mold and mildew. If you’re using an attachment that has a brush or roll, make sure you clean it on a regular basis. Over time, certain objects can get caught in the brush or roll, preventing it from spinning and performing as effectively as it should and potentially burning out a motor. If you’re using a vacuum with a hose attachment, make sure nothing is stuck inside the hose after each cleaning, so you don’t cause a clog next time you use the vacuum.

We're fans of the "work your way out" philosophy. Our theory is that when you're working on the interior, you're more likely to get the exterior dirty by accident. And when you're done inside and move to the exterior, you don't have any reason to open the doors until your cleaning is finished and the whole car is ready. On the other hand, we also know very good detailers who start with the exterior, because they feel that way they won't track anything into the exterior when they start. We think that increases the chance of bringing something wet into the interior, but the professionals know what they're doing. Either way, no one recommends doing part of one and then the other. Do the entire interior or exterior, then move on to the rest. Which you choose first depends on your preference, your style, and your situation.

May 3 2023, Removed BISSELL AeroSlim Cordless Vacuum. Added Bissell Pet Hair Eraser. January 3, 2023: Removed promoted product recommendation. December 21, 2022: Removed discontinued Dyson V7 and Milwaukee 0082-20, added Dyson V12 Slim and Milwaukee 0940-20. December 15, 2022: Updated product links. October 27, 2022: Updated product links. September 1, 2022: Added ThisWorx back to list as an example of what not to buy.

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