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From keeping your car clean to tackling small household messes, handheld vacuums are a useful tool to have around the house. They may not always be as powerful as an upright or stick vacuum cleaner, but you can use them to tidy up the kitchen counters or floor of crumbs, quickly pick up pet hair from furniture or stairs, and suck up those goldfish that your kiddo spilled in the footwells of your car. They are also great for reaching into tight corners or dusting off electronics and office equipment.

There’s a lot to consider when buying a new vacuum, handheld or otherwise. You’ll likely want something with powerful suction, but not so powerful that it may damage upholstery. If you opt for a handheld vacuum, weight is certainly a consideration — you don’t want something that’s too heavy to tote around. If you purchase a cordless vacuum, you should consider both run and charging times. You’ll also want to consider what tools it comes with, filtration, how you empty the bin, and, of course, price.

Shoppers are often overwhelmed with choices in our modern world, so even with a list of must-haves and a budget, you may still find it hard to choose the best vacuum for your needs. User reviews may help, but companies like Consumer Reports, GearLab, and Wirecutter conduct hours of testing and evaluations to rate the best of the bunch. All three of these organizations tested handheld vacuums using real-world scenarios in the lab but also at home, in vehicles, and even in multi-pet households.

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The name may be a mouthful, but the Dyson Car+Boat model 586119-01 is Consumer Reports’ top pick in the best handheld vacuums of 2026, and was also included in GearLab’s 2026 list, though it didn’t crack the top five in that ranking. Additionally, CNET named it the “best handheld vacuum splurge.” This Dyson retails for about $250 to $300, depending on where you shop, making it one of the pricier options. It gets high marks for its run time, averaging about 24 minutes, and a large dust bin. It takes about four to five hours to fully charge, according to GearLab. It offers powerful suction that is especially adept at picking up pet hair and other debris from bare floors. It has a pistol-style grip that is unusual amongst its peers, and some users may find it easier to hold than other styles.

GearLab reported that instead of picking up bigger pieces of debris, this Dyson Car+Boat sometimes breaks those pieces apart and spits out the pieces. Consumer Reports found that it doesn’t fit into those narrow spots as easily as competitors, and it’s also a bit heavy, coming in at four pounds.

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If you’re looking for a well-rated, less expensive option, Wirecutter’s top pick for handheld vacs is the Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum Kit. The kit includes the battery and charger, so if you already have a Ryobi 18V ONE+ battery and charger, which are compatible with other Ryobi products, you can buy just the vacuum for about $55, while the kit retails for approximately $99 and, in addition to the battery, comes with a crevice tool and a brush tool.

Wirecutter raves over this vacuum, which also made GearLab’s list, citing its excellent suction after testing its pickup capabilities on everything from baking soda to glitter. Its one suction mode matched or almost matched most other handhelds’ strongest modes. This Ryobi has a runtime of about 18 minutes, which doesn’t quite live up to the Dyson Car+Boat but is still plenty of time to clean up a kitchen mess or give your vehicle a once-over. It also fully charges in one to two hours.

The Ryobi 18V One+ Performance Hand Vacuum has a large dustbin and a replaceable battery, which should extend the life of the vacuum. Some users may find it awkward to hold, and it doesn’t stand upright, though you can store it out of sight even while it’s charging since the battery is removable. Buyers may also struggle to find this vacuum and should note that Ryobi products are only sold at Home Depot.

GearLab’s pick for best overall handheld vacuum is the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, which is obviously also a recommended choice if you have pets. This handheld vacuum weighs less than three pounds and offers some useful tools, including a scrub brush that will help you clean the toughest messes and a crevice tool that works great in between couch cushions. It’s made to tackle homes with pets, with an attachment that has both rubber and bristles to lift fur, and GearLab found that the fur doesn’t get caught in the bristles and easily makes it into the dustbin. It’s also easy to empty, boasting a single button.

This Shark, which has a list price of $99.99, has about 15 minutes of runtime, which does lag behind some competitors, and the dust bin is also smaller than others. However, it does have an unobstructed path into the dustbin, meaning you can vacuum larger pieces of debris without a problem. RTINGS gave it a shout-out for its “outstanding performance” but noted its short battery life and its advertised charging time of six hours. That being said, both RTINGS and GearLab found that it typically charged in about half that time.

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If you’re shopping on a budget, Wirecutter recommends the Black+Decker Dustbuster Blast Cordless Handheld Vacuum model HNVD220J00. The Dustbuster is arguably one of the most well-known names in handheld vacuums. This model retails has a list price of $49.99. It isn’t well-rated for upholstery, but it did well in testing on other types of furniture and on countertops.

This Black+Decker is a lightweight handheld vacuum that is very portable. It comes with a crevice tool and has a built-in brush that you can flip up when needed. It has a trigger for additional power for those tougher cleaning jobs, and it runs for almost 14 minutes and charges in about two hours.

If this model doesn’t suit your needs, Consumer Reports recommends the inexpensive Black+Decker Dustbuster model CHV1410L, which costs about $55. It performed well on both bare floors and carpet, and it’s easy to clean out the dustbin. If you’re the type to misplace detachable tools, this handy vacuum includes a built-in crevice tool and brush. Consumer Reports did note that it’s a bit noisier than some competitors.