It’s time for our Best Cordless Vacuum Awards for 2025, where we’re rolling out the red carpet for our favorite cordless stick vacuums in several categories!
In addition to the over 100 cordless vacuums we’ve already evaluated, we purchased almost every cordless vacuum currently on the Top 100 Best Sellers list on Amazon to ensure we had up-to-date contestants for this year. We put them all through an extensive series of evaluations, including some all-new assessments, and gave them scores, ranking them based on those results.
As a reminder, Vacuum Wars buys all the products that we review. We don’t do sponsored content of any kind, so our reviews are based on actual use.
Let’s start off with some awards based on pricing. The first category is the budget category, and for this year’s awards, we broke it down into two different sections — Cordless Vacuum Under $100 and Best Budget Cordless Vacuum.
Best Cordless Vacuum Under $100: Tikom V500
The highest-ranking vacuum under $100 is the Tikom V500. The V500 is one of the new bestsellers we bought, and it was impressive for the price.
At just 3.4 lb at the handle, the Tikom V500 punches well above its price class: its anti‑tangle brushroll, roomy 1.3‑liter dustbin, LED headlights, digital battery gauge, and handy crevice‑and‑dusting tools make quick work of daily messes on both hard floors and carpets, while filtration that’s better than most budget rivals keeps fine dust in check—even passing our 14‑inch hair test with minimal tangling. Although raw suction and runtime land below the class average, the V500’s balanced design, solid pickup scores, and feather‑light handling deliver everything you need for under a hundred dollars—earning it Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Best Cordless Vacuum Under $100 award. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Active Hair Removal | Adjustable Wand
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LED Lights | LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display
Design & Build: Lightweight
Air Filtration: HEPA Filtration
| Scores | Tikom V500 | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.08 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 3.21 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 1.70 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 3.49 | 3.73 |
| Features | 2.22 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 3.20 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 1.24 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 32 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1547 gr |
| Noise Level: 75 db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 1300 ml |
We found a lot to like about the Tikom V500:
- It has a very light handle.
- It was great at pickup on hard floors and carpets.
- It has a decent attachment set.
- Its filtration wasn’t terrible, which is great at this price point.
- It performed well in resisting hair tangles during our 14-inch hair evaluation, which is a rare feat.
However, the Tikom was below average in power and battery life. But that’s expected in this price range.
Despite its modest specs, the Tikom V500 checks every essential box for everyday cleaning. It has solid pickup, tangle‑resistant brush, and feather‑light handling—all for under a hundred dollars. That unbeatable value is why it walks away with our 2025 Best Cordless Vacuum Under $100 award.
Read more about why the Tikom V500 received our Best Cordless Vacuum Under $100 Award for 2025.
Best Budget Cordless Vacuum: Smoture VAC02
Our next price-based award, the Best Budget Cordless Vacuum, goes to the Smoture VAC02.
Named Vacuum Wars’ Best Budget Cordless Vacuum for 2025, the Smoture VAC02 packs premium punch at a wallet‑friendly price: its 550 W motor delivers up to 45 kPa of suction—plenty for lifting embedded dirt as well as everyday debris—while eight high‑capacity batteries keep it running for an impressive 60 minutes in standard mode (25–30 minutes on boost). A self‑standing floorhead makes quick pauses easy, and the wall‑mount dock both recharges the unit and stores the crevice and dusting brushes; you can also remove the battery for off‑vac charging. The LED color touchscreen puts mode selection, runtime, and an auto‑adjust setting at your fingertips, tailoring power to floor type—ideal for pet owners battling hair, litter, and kibble. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Active Hair Removal
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LED Lights
Design & Build: Lightweight
Air Filtration: HEPA Filtration
| Scores | Smoture VAC02 | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.13 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 3.40 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 0.70 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.58 | 3.73 |
| Features | 2.73 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 3.59 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 1.66 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 60 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1579 gr |
| Noise Level: 75 db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 1500 ml |
Smoture is a brand to watch. Earlier this year, we reviewed their VAC01, which was at the time the highest-ranking cordless vacuum in this price range. But this new version is even better. Its suction power was incredibly high for a vacuum of any price range. It also had above-average carpet deep clean scores, and its battery life and efficiency scores were good for the price. Its current overall rank in our system is number 17, which is pretty good for a budget vacuum.
Blending class‑leading suction with a runtime that rivals models twice its price, the VAC02 resets expectations for budget cordless vacuums. It’s the rare low‑cost unit that feels truly “next tier,” earning Smoture our 2025 Best Budget Cordless Vacuum title.
Read more about why we picked the Smoture VAC02 for Best Budget Cordless Vacuum of 2025.
Now let’s move on to some performance-based awards, starting with battery life.
Best Cordless Vacuum Battery Life: Dyson Gen5 Detect
Battery life is a crucial factor in cordless vacuums, and this year, we designed a new assessment to more accurately quantify battery efficiency. We assessed battery life on each vacuum’s maximum power setting and combined that number with their airflow measurements at maximum power. This way, we can see how efficient the battery is, as well as how efficient the battery works with the motor—think of it as a CFM per minute score.
Dyson actually designs its own motors and batteries, and interestingly, all of the top five battery efficiency scores were Dysons. However, it was the Dyson Gen5 Detect—Dyson’s latest flagship—that received the actual award for Cordless Vacuum Best Battery 2025.
Crowned Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Best Performance and Best Battery Cordless Vacuum, the Dyson Gen5detect couples the brand’s fifth‑generation Hyperdymium motor—our airflow champ—with a jumbo, high‑efficiency power pack that delivered class‑leading runtimes across every power level in testing. An onboard particle sensor and green‑laser Fluffy Optic head reveal and react to hidden dust in real time, automatically boosting suction while the LCD screen tracks battery, mode, and particle counts. Two premium floorheads (Fluffy Optic for hard floors and Motorbar for all surfaces), the motorized Hair Screw tool, and a fully sealed HEPA system make quick work of fine dust, pet hair, and embedded grit, earning perfect marks in deep‑clean and filtration tests. A new push‑button power switch replaces Dyson’s old trigger for easier room‑to‑room use, and while the 5‑lb handle is heavier than most, the payoff is unmatched battery endurance and raw cleaning muscle—proof that Dyson’s flagship still sets the cordless benchmark. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Soft Roller | Active Hair Removal | Motorized Handheld Brush
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LED Lights | Laser Light | LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display | Particle Collection Display
| Scores | Dyson Gen5 Detect | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.42 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 4.74 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 3.70 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.56 | 3.73 |
| Features | 3.87 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 4.67 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 1.66 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 70 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 2258gr |
| Noise Level: 84db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 750ml |
The Gen5 Detect has really amazing battery life numbers across all three of its power settings and various configurations. It also has the ability to adjust its suction automatically depending on surface type, which helps battery efficiency even more.
The Gen5’s bigger battery does make it heavier than most, though. There is always a trade-off between battery life and handle weight.
Intelligent power management, enormous capacity, and Dyson’s custom motor make the Gen5 Detect the endurance champ of 2025. No other unit we evaluated struck the same balance of runtime and raw airflow, which is why it takes home our Battery Life award.
Read more about how the Dyson Gen5 Detect won our Cordless Vacuum Best Battery Award for 2025.
Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum: Dyson Digital Slim
The next category is Best Lightweight Vacuum, and the winner here is the Dyson Digital Slim.
Weighing just 2.6 lb at the handle, the Dyson Digital Slim is purpose‑built for effortless, one‑handed cleanup: its compact frame slips around furniture and up stairs with ease, yet still delivers the strong suction, anti‑hair‑tangle brush, and fully sealed filtration you expect from a Dyson. While its 20‑minute medium‑power runtime and petite dustbin limit marathon sessions, the Slim excels at quick pickups and above‑floor jobs where agility matters most—making it an ideal fit for apartments, smaller homes, and anyone who finds full‑size cordless models unwieldy. That unmatched blend of feather‑light handling and “big vacuum” performance earned it Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum award. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Active Hair Removal
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display
Design & Build: Lightweight
Air Filtration: Whole Machine Filtration
| Scores | Dyson Digital Slim | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 3.24 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 3.29 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 1.84 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 2.62 | 3.73 |
| Features | 2.15 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 2.18 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 2.04 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 40 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1232 gr |
| Noise Level: 77 db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 378 ml |
If weight is your primary concern, then the Digital Slim is the answer. Its handle only weighs 1,210 g. That’s a little over 2.6 lb, which is one of the lightest handles we’ve ever weighed compared to the Dyson Gen5 Detect handle, which weighs almost double that at 5 lb.
The Dyson Digital Slim is also a well-performing vacuum, and it excels at handheld tasks due to its lightweight design and maneuverability. However, you’ll sacrifice battery life—it only lasts around 20 minutes on its medium power setting, which is the most common setting to use. Also, its dust bin size is incredibly small—like robot vacuum levels of small—and it’s a bit pricey for what you get.
If you want a super lightweight vacuum at a significantly cheaper price, you can check out the Tikom V500 or the Smoture that we mentioned earlier as the budget winners. They’re nowhere near as light as the Digital Slim, but they’re lighter than average and significantly cheaper.
At just over 2.6 lb at the handle, the Digital Slim is the definition of grab‑and‑go convenience. If maximum maneuverability is your top priority, nothing else we evaluated feels as effortless while still delivering “big vacuum” results.
Read more about why we picked the Dyson Digital Slim for our Best Lightweight Cordless Vacuum Award for 2025.
Best Cordless Vacuum for Hard Floors and Carpets: Shark Stratos
The next two award categories are Best for Hard Floors and Best for Carpets. These awards are based on the surface pickup assessments we do, but they also take into account our crevice pickup evaluation, carpet deep clean evaluation scores, and hair management scores. And this year, the same vacuum won both awards, and that winner was the Shark Stratos.
The Shark Stratos marries Shark’s signature DuoClean floorhead with one of the brand’s most powerful cordless motors to date, delivering class‑leading suction that aced our tests with a perfect 100 % carpet deep‑clean score and flawless debris pickup on both hard floors and carpets. Features like Clean Sense IQ auto‑suction, anti‑hair‑wrap rollers, a removable battery with digital runtime readout, MultiFlex wand, HEPA filtration, integrated LED lights, a generous dustbin, and a built‑in odor neutralizer make it as practical as it is powerful. That compelling blend of raw performance and smart usability earned the Stratos Vacuum Wars’ 2025 awards for Best Cordless Vacuum for Hard Floors and Best Cordless Vacuum for Carpets—a rare double win in our most competitive categories. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Duoclean Roller | Soft Roller | Active Hair Removal | Pivoting Wand
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LED Lights | Digital Battery Life Display
| Scores | Shark Stratos | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.48 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 4.36 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 4.50 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.80 | 3.73 |
| Features | 3.94 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 3.99 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 0.83 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 60 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1640gr |
| Noise Level: 80db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 800ml |
It has Shark’s DuoClean floor nozzle, which has a soft roller in the front and a standard roller in the back. And that’s combined with its exceptional power, which we saw with things like the unsealed suction and crevice evaluations. All of which makes it particularly good with debris pickup on both surfaces.
On hard floors, it picks up everything from super fine dust to extra-large piles of debris. It also picks up pet and human hair like it were magnetized.
But what was surprising with the Stratos is its carpet performance. It was able to pick up debris from the surfaces of carpets just as well as hard floors. It also achieved a perfect score in our carpet deep clean evaluation, which evaluates how well vacuums can remove deeply embedded debris, such as sand, from carpets.
Also, its pickup scores were very close to the more expensive Shark Power Detect—such that it was almost a tie between them for these awards. But the Stratos had enough of an edge here to get both awards.
From fine dust on hardwood to embedded grit in high‑pile carpet, the Stratos behaves like two specialized vacuums in one. Its across‑the‑board dominance is why it captures both our Hard Floor and Carpet awards for 2025.
Read more about how the Shark Stratos won BOTH the Best for Hard Floors and Best for Carpet Cordless Vacuum Awards for 2025.
Most Innovative Cordless Vacuum: Tineco Pure One Station FurFree
The next category is Most Innovative, and we could have also given it to the Dyson Submarine with its floor washing attachment, but we ended up giving it to the Tineco Pure One Station FurFree.
The Tineco Pure One Station FurFree reimagines cordless convenience with a self‑cleaning dock that both empties the vacuum’s bin into a bagless canister and scrubs the brush roll clear of hair, sparing you two of cordless cleaning’s biggest hassles. On the floor, its lightweight body, HEPA‑sealed filtration, and iLoop sensor continuously adjust power for impressive pickup and above‑average carpet deep‑clean scores, while a versatile attachment set rounds out its whole‑home utility. That breakthrough blend of hands‑off maintenance and smart, high‑performance design earned it Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Most Innovative Cordless Vacuum award. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Active Hair Removal | Motorized Handheld Brush
Battery & Charging Features: Auto Empty Charging Dock
Lighting & Display: LED Lights | LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display
| Scores | Tineco Pure One Station FurFree | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 3.47 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 3.24 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 2.05 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.51 | 3.73 |
| Features | 4.01 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 3.34 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 4.83 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 60 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1268gr |
| Noise Level: 73db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 400ml |
The Tineco Pure One Station FurFree has a charging stand that auto-empties the contents into a bagless bin. The vacuum itself is light, it’s easy to use, and it’s full of useful tech. It comes with a nice set of attachments, but the real thing here is its bin, which self-cleans the brush as well as the vacuum—which was unique enough for us to give it the award.
Tineco’s self‑cleaning dock eliminates two of the biggest cordless pain points—emptying the bin and clearing the brush—while its smart sensor tech optimizes power on the fly. That leap in user experience secures our 2025 Innovation crown.
Read more about why the Tineco Pure One Station Fur Free won our Most Innovative Cordless Vacuum Award for 2025.
Best Cordless Vacuum Performance: Dyson Gen5 Detect
The next category is a big one: Best Performance. The Performance category takes scores from all the tests we do—things like sealed suction, unsealed suction, airflow, crevice pickup tests, and more—and the clear winner here was the Dyson Gen5 Detect.
Crowned Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Best Performance and Best Battery Cordless Vacuum, the Dyson Gen5detect couples the brand’s fifth‑generation Hyperdymium motor—our airflow champ—with a jumbo, high‑efficiency power pack that delivered class‑leading runtimes across every power level in testing. An onboard particle sensor and green‑laser Fluffy Optic head reveal and react to hidden dust in real time, automatically boosting suction while the LCD screen tracks battery, mode, and particle counts. Two premium floorheads (Fluffy Optic for hard floors and Motorbar for all surfaces), the motorized Hair Screw tool, and a fully sealed HEPA system make quick work of fine dust, pet hair, and embedded grit, earning perfect marks in deep‑clean and filtration tests. A new push‑button power switch replaces Dyson’s old trigger for easier room‑to‑room use, and while the 5‑lb handle is heavier than most, the payoff is unmatched battery endurance and raw cleaning muscle—proof that Dyson’s flagship still sets the cordless benchmark. See additional info
Price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Soft Roller | Active Hair Removal | Motorized Handheld Brush
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: LED Lights | Laser Light | LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display | Particle Collection Display
| Scores | Dyson Gen5 Detect | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.42 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 4.74 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 3.70 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.56 | 3.73 |
| Features | 3.87 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 4.67 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 1.66 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 70 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 2258gr |
| Noise Level: 84db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 750ml |
As previously mentioned, the Gen5 is Dyson’s latest and most advanced cordless vacuum, and though it costs almost $1,000, it is packed with top-of-the-line specs and features.
It has the highest airflow we’ve ever measured, almost the highest suction scores, it was perfect on the deep clean and filtration tests, and as we saw earlier, it has the best battery scores too. Its attachment set is one of the best around, and it has a lot of features like the green laser on the soft roller, auto suction and auto particle detection, and more.
It is expensive, and it’s a little heavy at 5 lbs, but for many that will a pretty safe trade off given that this vacuum is packing a powerful motor, high-functioning battery and premium features.
Record‑setting airflow, near‑perfect deep‑clean scores, and advanced particle sensing make the Gen5 Detect the new performance benchmark. If you want the absolute best cleaning muscle available in 2025, this is it.
Read more about how the Dyson Gen5 Detect was named our Best Cordless Vacuum Performance Award for 2025.
The final two categories are Runner-Up and Best Overall, and we have to say it was very close to a tie here, with a narrow margin of victory.
Runner Up – Overall Best Cordless Vacuum: Dyson V15 Detect
Runner-Up for the Best Cordless Vacuum of the year was the Dyson V15 Detect.
The Dyson V15 Detect still sets the benchmark for cordless performance: its class‑leading 124‑inch sealed suction and 17.6 kPa unsealed pull lift everything from fine dust to chunky debris, while the Fluffy Optic™ head’s green laser reveals hidden hard‑floor dirt and an onboard particle sensor automatically boosts power when heavier soil is detected. Paired with the versatile Digital Motorbar™ for all surfaces, a real‑time LCD particle‑and‑battery readout, a removable battery with above‑average efficiency, and a trimmer 4.6‑lb handle for easy maneuvering, the V15 delivers flagship power, smart tech, and lasting value at a price well below many newer rivals—earning it Vacuum Wars’ 2025 Overall Runner‑Up for Best Cordless Vacuum. See additional info
Current price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Soft Roller | Active Hair Removal
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery
Lighting & Display: Laser Light | LCD Screen | Digital Battery Life Display | Particle Collection Display
| Scores | Dyson V15 Detect | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.77 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 4.51 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 3.70 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.56 | 3.73 |
| Features | 4.24 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 4.31 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 2.48 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 68 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 2069 gr |
| Noise Level: 76 db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 880 ml |
Technically, the V15 came out a couple years ago, but it still ranks higher than the newer Dysons in our system. It still has the highest sealed suction and highest unsealed suction scores on our list, but it’s also lighter than the Gen5, which really helped its score. It has similar battery life numbers, it has the same auto suction adjustment, particle detection, green laser on the fluffy head, and more. But it has slightly better reviews and is selling for a much lower cost compared to the newer Gen5, and when all the scores are added up, it currently ranks number two in our Best Cordless Vacuums list.
Two years on, the V15 Detect still posts elite suction and smart‑cleaning tech—now at a lower street price and lighter weight than the Gen5. Those advantages secure its place as our 2025 Runner‑Up.
Read more about how the Dyson V15 Detect received our Best Cordless Vacuum – Runner Up Award for 2025.
Best Overall Cordless Vacuum: Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty
And finally, the Best Overall Cordless Vacuum of 2025 is the Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty.
Winner of Vacuum Wars’ Best Overall Cordless Vacuum of 2025, the Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean and Empty pairs a redesigned DuoClean floorhead and class‑leading suction—good for perfect scores in our carpet deep‑clean and hard‑floor pickup tests—with a smart “Detect” suite that automatically tweaks power, roller speed, and edge performance to match every surface and debris load. Its flexible MultiFLEX wand glides under furniture and folds for compact storage, LED headlights reveal hidden dust, and a removable battery delivers up to 40 minutes of intelligently managed runtime before docking on the optional auto‑empty stand, which empties the bin into a bagless 45‑day reservoir. Add in anti‑hair‑wrap rollers, fully sealed HEPA‑grade filtration, and a price hundreds below flagship rivals, and the PowerDetect Clean & Empty stakes its claim as the year’s most compelling blend of innovation, performance, and value. See additional info
Current price as of June 27, 2025
Automations: Auto Suction Adjustment | Edge Detect | Direction Detect
Cleaning Heads & Attachments: Duoclean Roller | Soft Roller | Active Hair Removal | Pivoting Wand
Battery & Charging Features: Detachable Battery | Bagless Auto Empty Charging Dock
Lighting & Display: LED Lights
| Scores | Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty | Average Cordless Vacuum Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum Wars Overall | 4.77 | 3.3 |
| Performance | 4.24 | 3.15 |
| Hard Floor | 4.0 | 2.3 |
| Carpet | 4.80 | 3.73 |
| Features | 4.94 | 2.19 |
| Battery | 3.85 | 3.39 |
| Attachments | 3.73 | 1.68 |
| Official Battery Life: 70 Minutes |
| Handle Weight: 1804 gr |
| Noise Level: 82 db |
| Dust Bin Capacity: 700 ml |
This year Shark released their latest flagship cordless vacuum, which comes with or without the bagless auto-empty bin, and it did really well in our various tests. Its pickup, of course, was great with its newly designed DuoClean roller, but it also has really high suction and airflow scores. It too had perfect filtration scores. Its anti-hair tangle system is probably the best in the business.
It has tons of new electronic features related to the “Detect” in its name, such as dirt, floor, and edge detection. Its battery life and battery efficiency scores were well above average. It’s just a really great all-around vacuum, and even the version that comes with an auto-empty bin is selling for more than half the cost of the Dyson Gen5 Detect, which makes it a really good value comparatively.
By pairing flagship‑level power with an auto‑empty dock and a price that undercuts most premium rivals, the PowerDetect Clean & Empty stands tall as our Best Overall Cordless Vacuum of 2025.
Read more about how the Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty received our Best Cordless Vacuum Award for 2025.
Celebrating the Standouts of 2025
So that’s it for this year’s Best Cordless Vacuum Awards. It was an incredibly competitive field, with several new releases raising the bar across categories like suction, battery efficiency, and innovation. From high-performing budget picks to premium flagships with cutting-edge features, this year’s contenders showcased just how far cordless vacuums have come. We look forward to seeing how manufacturers continue to push the limits in next year’s competition.
And don’t forget—we update our Best Cordless Vacuums list regularly, whenever we test new models or introduce innovative testing methods. It’s the best place to find Vacuum Wars’ always up-to-date rankings of the top cordless vacuums available.
