Best Car Vacuums

• Cost: Around $125
• Amazon review score: 4.6 out of 5.0 (approximately 270 reviews)
• Weight: 15.0 pounds
• Power: 120.0V
• Tank capacity: 8.0 gallons
• Accessories: Extension wand, crevice nozzle, utility nozzles (two), accessory bag
• Power source: A/C outlet
• Wet or dry: Both

The DeWalt DXV08S is not designed solely for car cleaning use, but to pick up any type of workshop spill. Because of its maneuverability (the DeWalt is big, but it has wheels), versatility, and suction power, this style of vacuum is popular for cleaning vehicles and is often used by professional detailers.

It should be noted that this car vacuum is too big to comfortably store in your vehicle and will need its own special place in a closet or workshop to lay its hose while off the job. You can see how the DeWalt DXV08S performed in each of our review categories below:

It should be noted that this car vacuum is too big to comfortably store in your vehicle and will need its own special place in a closet or workshop to lay its hose while off the job.

Below are the pros and cons of the DeWalt DXV08S:

The DeWalt is easy to use and maneuver. It has several attachments to access every part of your vehicle and the suction power to remove tricky pet hair without concern of clogging the vacuum. There’s a large collection tank, meaning it can easily be used to detail your entire car several times before changing the bag.

Suction Power

Corded vacuums typically have the greatest suction strength, so this vacuum can easily pick up anything in your vehicle. You’ll even need to hold down the ends of your floor mats when vacuuming them.

Maneuverability

The DeWalt has wheels so it can easily move around your car. The hose is long enough to reach across the seats, and there are extension nozzles and wands that can help you reach floor mats and under the seats. Because the vacuum requires a power source, you will likely need an extension cord to use it in your car. The size of the vacuum prevents you from easily picking it up, though, with the long hose and nozzle, this isn’t necessary.

Ease of Maintenance

When you need to clean the DeWalt, the top pops off easily to reveal the filter inside. If you want to use the wet vacuum function, you’ll need to get a foam filter (sold separately) to cover the paper filter. You can buy such a filter for around $20. Debris collects in the can, but the DeWalt includes a bag that can be attached, which is easily removed and discarded when full. Overall, this vacuum is easy to maintain. It even comes with an accessories bag to help store the extra hoses and attachments.

Versatility

The DeWalt earns top marks for versatility. The crevice tool can help you get between the seats and the wide nozzle makes vacuuming the other parts of your car quick and effective. The vacuum was able to pick up glitter, chip crumbs, and pet hair with ease. The high suction power makes it an effective vacuum for any car spill, including wet spills. It can also be used as a blower, though this may not be especially useful for detailing.

The most-praised feature is the DeWalt’s high suction power, especially for the cost. The product’s only negative review is a complaint that the vacuum is only 4.0 horsepower rather than 5.0. This seems relatively unimportant, as we found the suction power strong enough for car detailing.

• Cost: Around $145
• Amazon review score: 4.6 out of 5.0 (approximately 800 reviews)
• Weight: 2.2 lbs.
• Power: 18.0V
• Tank capacity: 2.0 gal.
• Accessories: Crevice nozzle, wide nozzle
• Power source: Rechargeable 18.0V lithium-ion battery (sold separately)
• Wet or dry: Both

The Milwaukee 0880-20 is a battery-powered vacuum with decent suction strength. The excellent design makes this vacuum easy to store and maintain. However, if you don’t already use Milwaukee tools, the cost to purchase the required battery and charger nearly doubles the purchase price.

You can see how the Milwaukee 0880-20 performed in each of our testing categories below:

Below are the pros and cons of the Milwaukee 0880-20:

The Milwaukee was our team’s favorite vacuum to test. Storage for the hose and attachments is elegantly designed into the vacuum body. The entire kit is easily converted into a small box that takes up very little space. Latches on the top provide access to the hose and attachments, while the bottom latches provide access to the collection area for emptying and cleaning.

Without significantly increasing your budget, you’re unlikely to find a cordless handheld vacuum with better suction power. The Milwaukee is not as powerful as the DeWalt, Vacmaster, or other plug-in vacuums, but it is strong enough to remove embedded pet fur.

Suction Power

The Milwaukee packs enough suction for anything you’d need to clean from your car seats, including crumbs and pet fur. While it is not quite as powerful as plug-in models, it boasts top-tier suction for a cordless option.

Maneuverability

Because it is uncorded and portable, the Milwaukee is easy to maneuver anywhere in your car. It’s a bit larger than a 12.0-V vacuum, but not especially heavy. One drawback is that the hose is a little short. You’ll need to hold the box near whatever you’re vacuuming, which can become cumbersome.

Ease of Maintenance

Of all the vacuums on this list, the Milwaukee is the easiest vacuum to store and maintain. It features an easy-access bagless collection area, and every attachment perfectly fits into the small package. Storing the Milwaukee is simple, and the convenient size means you can easily keep it in your trunk. You will need to keep the battery charged to use the Milwaukee. The battery has around a 40-minute runtime, which is enough time to detail one car but could be inconvenient for those who require several continuous hours of suction.

Versatility

This vacuum can pick up most car debris and includes both a thin and wide nozzle. The portability is a big selling point for this vacuum, as it’s easy to use in the car for nearly any mess or spill. The Milwaukee features wet and dry functions and can even be used as a blower.

The Milwaukee vacuum earns high marks from reviewers for portability, weight, and suction power. There are a few complaints. One customer says the vacuum is too noisy, and another is upset that it was not manufactured in the United States. However, none dare cast doubt on the Milwaukee’s raw suction strength.

• Cost: Around $90
• Amazon review score: 4.4 out of 5.0 (approximately 80 ratings)
• Weight: 3.8 lbs.
• Power: 10.8V
• Tank capacity: 17.0 ounces
• Accessories: Soft carry case, stiff brush head, soft brush head
• Power source: Lithium-ion battery
• Wet or dry: Dry

The Fanttik V10 Apex is a handheld car vacuum with impressive suction power. In general Fanttik handheld vacuums are some of the best-designed that we’ve used. Common across their offerings are exceptional ease of maintenance, intuitive design, and excellent suction strength.

The downside of this handheld vacuum is that the small collection canister makes it unsuitable for large car messes.

Below are the pros and cons of the Fanttik V10 Apex:

The V10 Apex is our favorite handheld car vacuum. Relative to the cost, it offers impressive suction power. Not only that, it charges quickly, lasts long enough to clean an entire vehicle, and is easy to use and clean.

Suction Power

Few handheld vacuums that we’ve tested match Fanttik when it comes to suction strength, especially options under $100. The V10 model offers a noticeable step up in suction from Fanttik V7 and V8 models.

Maneuverability

The V10 Apex has exceptional reach in vehicles. The only spot it has trouble reaching is deep underneath the car seats. The rotating head and extendable nozzle help reach seat belt crevices, cup holders, and door storage areas, which many larger vacuums struggle to reach.

Ease of Maintenance

The brushless design makes the V10 easy to clean. All Fanttik vacuums feature a minimal design with only a few parts, making them easy to clean and maintain.

Versatility

This great car vacuum only includes a few attachments, but they are most of what you would need to clean a car. A stiff brush can help with crusted and stuck-on debris, while a soft brush is good for materials like leather seats.

The suction nozzle is small enough to get into cupholders, but this also means it isn’t ideal for cleaning car floors. You can get the job done, but it will take longer compared to a shop vac with a wider suction nozzle.

Most reviewers are impressed by the suction power offered by the V10 Apex, which surpasses most other handheld vacuum cleaners. Users are also impressed by the sleek, easy-to-clean design.

Complaints about the V10 have to do with the battery life. This vacuum has two power modes: low and high. On the low setting, the vacuum is powerful enough for most debris, but the high setting is required to get up embedded pet fur. On the high setting, however, the battery drains very quickly – in around 10 to 15 minutes.

• Cost: Around $220
• Amazon review score: 4.5 out of 5.0 (approximately 1,200 reviews)
• Weight: 28.0 lbs.
• Power: 120.0V
• Tank capacity: 14.0 gal.
• Accessories: Extension wands (two), brush squeegee, crevice nozzle, utility nozzle, floor brush tool, foam wet filter, tool storage bag
• Power source: A/C outlet
• Wet or dry: Both

The Vacmaster Beast is a large shop vac with superb suction strength, many accessories, and a huge stainless steel collection tank. This strong car vacuum is built for heavy use and big messes. It features both dry and wet vacuuming functionality and includes the necessary foam filter for wet vacuuming.

You can see how the Vacmaster Beast performed in each of our testing categories below:

Below are the pros and cons of the Vacmaster Beast:

The Vacmaster Beast was the most powerful vacuum we tested. The suction power is second to none, and the vacuum comes with all the bells and whistles. The extra-long power cord made the vacuum easy to maneuver around the car, and it was the best for picking up embedded dog hair.

The size of the vacuum makes it a little unwieldy, and it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for something that is easy to store. The included accessories bag doesn’t fit all the attachments. If you only need a basic car vacuum for small messes, look for something smaller and cheaper.

While the Vacmaster Beast outperformed the DeWalt DXV08S when it came to suction power, the attachments and construction weren’t quite as good as the DeWalt, which is why we named the DeWalt DXV08S the Best Car Vacuum.

Suction Power

The suction power of the Vacmaster Beast is beyond reproach. In addition to testing each vacuum by picking up pet fur, glitter, and crumbs, our tester applied the hose of each vacuum to his face to feel the incredible power on his own skin. The Vacmaster Beast was the only high-power vacuum to make our tester question the wisdom of this choice.

Maneuverability

The size of the Vacmaster Beast makes it harder to maneuver than a handheld car vacuum. However, few handheld vacuums can match its tank size or suction power. The vacuum is mounted on wheels and has a long power cord. You’ll likely still need an extension cord if you’re using this to clean out your car.

Ease of Maintenance

The Vacmaster Beast requires some assembly out of the box. You’ll need to attach the hose, hose brackets, and wheels. The included assembly instructions are not very good, but the vacuum only took us a couple of minutes to assemble. This short assembly time is a greater hassle than other vacuums (which require no assembly), but overall this is a minor drawback. Once constructed, the Vacmaster Beast is easy to clean by removing the top.

The vacuum bags don’t fit as securely as they could, which can result in some debris in the canister. However, even this debris is cleaned out easily enough. One drawback is that the power cord is built into the top of the vacuum, which makes it more cumbersome to remove when cleaning.

Versatility

The Vacmaster Beast is one of the more versatile vacuums on this list. The only drawback to the Beast’s versatility is its size. It can’t be stored in your trunk for use on the go, but once you get your car to your garage, the Beast can clean up any mess. It has high suction power and both wet and dry vacuum capabilities.

Most reviews speak highly of the Vacmaster Beast because of its second-to-none suction strength. One negative reviewer mentions receiving a broken vacuum, but this is uncommon. There are a few comments about hose length and quality, though, for most vehicles, the hose length is more than enough.

• Cost: Around $55
• Amazon review score: 4.7 out of 5.0 (approximately 100 reviews)
• Weight: 1.1 lbs.
• Power: 7.4V
• Tank capacity: 3.0 oz.
• Accessories: Crevice nozzle, push-in brush, cleaning brush, USB-C charging cable, storage bag
• Power source: Battery
• Wet or dry: Dry

The Fanttik V7 Vacuum is the most compact car vacuum that we tested. Despite its battery-powered operation and small size, it offers decent suction strength. Since the V7 has a small chamber, this hand vacuum isn’t suitable for cleaning out your entire car, but is perfect for getting dirt and crumbs out of your cupholders, cigarette lighter, crevices, and around the dashboard.

You can see how the Fanttik V7 performed in each category below:

Below are the pros and cons of the Fanttik V7:

While the small size makes this dustbuster easy to maneuver, we found that it lacked the suction power and versatility to pick up items that other vacuum cleaners excelled at. We concluded that this vacuum would be best suited for small messes and crumbs that get stuck in between seats and cup holders.

Suction Power

The suction power of this vacuum lacked when picking up larger trash particles, like paper or dirt. The suction was most effective when used on cloth seats with the push-in brush attachment. This vacuum would be best for light cleaning or detail work, but we don’t recommend it for any type of deep cleaning.

Maneuverability

Due to the small size, this vacuum was fairly easy to maneuver. The small size made vacuuming many of the hard-to-reach areas of our vehicle easier, including between car seats, inside cup holders, and floor mat crevices. Where we struggled to pick up debris was toward the back of the dashboard. The angle of the crevice nozzle made it harder to vacuum smoother and flatter surfaces that had little maneuvering space.

Ease of Maintenance

After vacuuming, we found cleaning out the vacuum cleaner to be incredibly easy and quick. The simple lock and unlock system to open the tank and remove the filter was an overall smooth process. Since this vacuum is best for picking up crumbs and small debris, it was simple enough to dump out the debris in the tank and wipe out the inside to keep the vacuum cleaner in top condition.

Versatility

The push-in brush proved to be the most effective attachment for picking up crumbs off cloth material, while the regular crevice nozzle was best for picking up debris off floor mats and cup holders. You can also adjust the suction power of this vacuum, making it easier to pick up larger messes in a quick amount of time.

While this vacuum has only a handful of reviews, buyers are overall pleased with their purchase of the Fanttik V7. Many reviews highlight the battery power, claiming it stays charged for a good amount of time. The adjustable suction power was also a highlight for many, making it easy to clean debris from small spaces that are otherwise out of reach.

• Cost: Around $25
• Amazon review score: 4.0 out of 5.0 (approximately 295,000 reviews)
• Weight: 2.4 lbs.
• Power: 12.0V
• Tank capacity: 8.0 oz.
• Accessories: Flexible extension hose, crevice nozzle, replacement HEPA filter, floor brush attachment, filter dusting brush, carrying bag
• Power source: Car auxiliary power outlet
• Wet or dry: Dry

The ThisWorx 12V car vacuum is an inexpensive and easy-to-maintain car vacuum. While it lacks the suction power of other vacuums, it’s easy to use and effective for daily cleaning. You won’t want this vacuum if you plan to deep clean your entire vehicle, but it’s a good option to keep handy for quick jobs. There is no need to recharge batteries and it can be easily stored in your trunk, back seat, or glove box.

You can see how the ThisWorx 12V performed in each of our testing categories below:

Below are the pros and cons of the ThisWorx 12V:

The ThisWorx 12V lacks the suction power of the other best car vacuums that we tested, but it is strong enough for many jobs. We recommend this vacuum if you need something small to keep in your car for minor spills. It easily picks up minor debris like glitter or sand.

Suction Power

Suction power is where the ThisWorx 12V vacuum performs the weakest. Again, it is strong enough to pick up glitter and crumbs but is not suitable for embedded pet hair. One Amazon reviewer said that they used it to vacuum up pet fur, but it performed that task inadequately during our tests. For this reason, we don’t recommend the ThisWorx 12V for deep cleaning, though it is a handy tool to have in your car for a quick clean.

Maneuverability

The portable vacuum cleaner’s light weight makes it very easy to use around your car. The flexible hose attachment can extend your reach but is not very useful because of the vacuum’s low suction power. While the vacuum is small, it does need to plug into your car’s auxiliary outlet. The power cord is long enough to reach the back seat with compact and sedan cars but may be a bit short if you have a larger vehicle like a minivan.

Ease of Maintenance

This was one of the easiest filtration systems to maintain. The top snaps off for emptying, and the filter can be cleaned with the provided brush. The small size makes it easy to store in your trunk or back seat. The included carrying case can hold the vacuum but does not easily fit all of the included accessories. The extendable hose attachment isn’t especially useful, so you could leave it behind and fit everything else in the carrying bag.

Versatility

What makes the ThisWorx 12V versatile is the ability to store it in your car and the fact that it doesn’t require a battery. You can leave this vacuum in your glove box and suck up minor messes as soon as they happen. The weak suction power means this vacuum shouldn’t be your only solution for detailing your car. To get a deep clean or remove embedded pet hair you’ll need something stronger. This vacuum is not suitable for wet spills.

Reviewers happy with the ThisWorx 12V vacuum mention the ease of use and low price point. Complaints mention the short power cord and weak suction power.