The 5 Best Car Vacuums - Fall 2021 Reviews

The best cordless car vacuum that we've tested is the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+. This small handheld vacuum is well-built and easy to maintain. It does a great job of cleaning low-pile carpets, where it easily cleans fine debris like baking soda, bulkier material like sand, and pet hair.

It's lightweight and easy to carry out to your car. It comes with a few useful accessories, including a turbo brush with a self-cleaning brushroll that you can use to clean fabric-covered seats and a crevice tool for getting into tight spots. The dirt compartment isn't a bad size for a compact handheld vacuum, and there's only one part that needs regular replacing, which keeps recurring costs low.

Unfortunately, the battery only lasts for a little over 10 minutes of continuous use, so you need to work relatively quickly when you're cleaning your car. Also, this vacuum doesn't have an allergen-trapping HEPA filter. That said, it's an excellent choice for cleaning your car.

The best vacuum for cars that we've tested is the Shark Vertex UltraLight Corded. This stick/handheld vacuum has a long power cord, allowing you to clean your car, even if it's parked somewhat far away from any electrical outlets. It feels decently well-built too, and its lightweight plastic construction makes it easy to pick up and carry.

It comes with a turbo brush with a self-cleaning brushroll for cleaning debris on fabric-lined car seats, as well as a crevice tool for tackling messes in tight corners. Performance on low-pile carpets is good overall, particularly with pet hair, though it might take an extra pass to fully clean finer debris like baking soda. Its bagless design and washable filters also keep recurring costs low.

Unfortunately, this vacuum lacks a HEPA filter to trap allergens as you clean, which could be a bit of an inconvenience if your pet sheds heavily. Also, many parts need regular cleaning, but it's worth mentioning that they're easy to access. Overall, if you value the virtually indefinite runtime of a corded vacuum, this is a good option for cleaning your car.

The best vacuum for cars in the budget category that we've tested is the Eureka Mighty Mite. This bagged canister vacuum is lightweight and fairly compact, making it easier to pick and move closer to your car. You can use it in a semi-handheld configuration by detaching a section of its wand and fitting the included crevice tool or combination hard-bristle brush/upholstery tool in place instead.

This vacuum clears pet hair and larger debris like sand from low-pile carpet without difficulty. While you might need to do an extra pass to fully clear fine debris like baking soda from this surface type, its overall performance in this regard is still impressive. The suction performance also remains very consistent as its dirtbag fills up, which is good if you have several large messes to clean. It's remarkably easy to maintain, with very few parts that you need to clean regularly.

Unfortunately, its pre-motor filter and dirtbag need replacing periodically, so recurring costs are somewhat high. Its power cord is fairly short, which can make it difficult to clean the inside of your car if you're parked far away from an electrical outlet. Still, if you're looking for a compact canister vacuum that can easily deal with messes inside your car, this is a great option.