9 best affordable vacuum cleaners to shop on a budget
When your vacuum stops working, you quickly notice its absence. And replacing it can be a real inconvenience, especially when leading brands can set you back upwards of £400.
However, after testing innumerable vacuums of all shapes and sizes, the Good Housekeeping Institute has found some more affordable buys you can still rely on – including upright and stick vacuums – so your home will be sparkling again in no time.
If you don’t know which type of vacuum is right for you, our detailed buying guide covers the pros and cons of each. If you do, here are our best buys at a glance (and you'll find our full reviews below):
If you’re replacing an existing vacuum, there are plenty of places for you to safely recycle your old one. Find your nearest electrical recycling point, or read our guide on how to donate or dispose of your appliances and tech for extra guidance.
How much should I spend on a vacuum cleaner?
How much you spend on a new vacuum cleaner really boils down to what type you’d like. You can pick up a handheld model for as little as £35, whereas most cordless vacuum cleaners will cost over £100, as the technology is more advanced. Upright and cylinder vacuums tend to sit somewhere in between.
To help with your search, we’ve highlighted the best vacuum you can get for different budgets below. As you’ll see, the higher scorers do tend to cost a little more, but none of the models on our list exceed £200.
Currently there's not a robot vacuum within budget – although the Beko Robot Vacuum Cleaner VRR60314VW comes close at £249. You'll find our review in our robot vacuum buying guide.
How we test vacuum cleaners
Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts test vacuums across a range of floor types – carpet, laminate and floorboards – so you can find the best buy for your home.
They assess a machine's general pick-up by laying down a set amount of specially formulated dust on each surface, then weighing how much each vacuum collects after a set number of sweeps.
Next, they grind fur into the carpet to create a worst-case scenario, then see how the vacuum fares against pet hair.
For some vacuums – handhelds and sticks – they also test how well they pick up crumbs and use them to clean the car.
Every machine is also tested on stairs and floor edges before being assessed for its design, ease of use and instructions. After all that, they are awarded a score.
Here are our best vacuums to buy on a budget.
Best budget stick vacuums
ONEPWR Blade 4 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Score: 94/100
This intuitively designed and simple to use Vax boasts well-placed controls and LED lights on its floorhead, helping to highlight every speck of dust as you go.
Its impressive boost mode picked up dirt excellently, no matter the surface, and you can turn the motorised brush off if you're tackling more delicate flooring.
It moves well as a stick vacuum, but if you want to use it as a handheld, testers found the bulky design isn’t well suited to tight spaces. Otherwise, its dust canister empties easily, making it a pleasure to use from start to finish.
HF4 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum
Score: 92/100
This vacuum’s RRP is over £200, but you’ll often find it on offer, and it’s well worth a spot here as it has a score to rival some of the higher-priced vacuums in our list of top buys. Our testers found it lightweight and easy to set up, use and empty. The battery life lasted for 30 minutes on average, and 15 on turbo mode – but it will warn you when it's close to needing recharging.
It excelled at cleaning our carpets and hard floors, whatever dust or debris was put in its path. Even pet hair was lifted in two sweeps. There’s no room for storing accessories on board, and while it’s not freestanding, you can mount it on the wall to make storage easier.
Airxcel Turbo Vacuum Cleaner
Score: 89/100
Despite its modest price tag, this stick vacuum fared well in our tests. Admittedly, it’s not the jazziest when it comes to its capabilities (it has just one power mode, for example), and isn’t cordless, so unlike most stick vacuums, you will have to navigate plug sockets. However, its cable stretches six metres, which our experts found helpful for car cleaning, and it also doubles as a handheld, which is where it performed best on test.
It had great suction on hard flooring and did a quick job at lifting pet hair. But without a power boost mode, it struggled to fully lift all the dust we laid on carpet. Bigger crumbs and food spillages are best tackled in handheld mode too. It's compact and easy to empty and you can also mount it on the wall if storage space is tight.
Best budget upright vacuums
H-UPRIGHT 300 HU300RHM
Score: 77/100
With a compact design and weighing in at under 5kg, this upright moves around the home more easily than most. It still holds a lot of dirt in its 1.5-litre canister, though, and it lifted dust reliably across both carpet and hard flooring.
While it struggled to get fully into crevices, it cleaned floor edges effectively and only needed a couple of sweeps to lift pet hair. With just one power mode, this is a neat vacuum for light day-to-day cleaning.
RHUV5101 ATHENA2 Upright Vacuum
Score: 74/100
This well-priced machine is one of the lightest we've tested and doesn’t compromise on performance. It lifted most dust from carpet and hard floors, even cleaning crevices well, but the small amount it failed to pick up was pushed around a bit. It cleaned up pet hair quickly (some detangling of the brush was required) and its hose could clean eight stairs up from the base.
Note that the rotating brush can’t be turned off, so choose another model if you have delicate flooring or rugs, as this could cause damage.
Best budget cylinder vacuums
HP320PET Bagless Pet Cylinder Vacuum
Score: 84/100
A star performer on hard floors, this is another reliable buy from Hoover. It cleaned short pile carpets well too, but struggled a little with long pile. If you have pets, be sure to use the turbo brush, which should lift hair in a couple of sweeps.
A standout feature of this vacuum is its wide reach, making it suited to bigger homes; its hose can extend up to four metres (meaning less unplugging), and it's good on stairs, with our testers able to vacuum ten steps before needing to move the body. It’s also easy to use, even when it comes to emptying the dust canister.
Best budget handheld vacuums
Wet and Dry Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
Score: 94/100
Bringing considerable power for just over £50, this tied for performance with the Shark model below. On test, it was a stellar cleaner across all flooring and easily gobbled up everything from dust to crumbs to pet hair. Cleaning our test car was easy and effective, too.
Testers found it simple to set up and use throughout (apart from its 'on' switch, which must be held down continuously during use). With only one power setting, it’s not the most advanced model, but it can quickly clean up liquid spills, too, making it a versatile buy.
Classic Handheld Pet Vacuum CH950UKT
Score: 94/100
Our joint winning handheld vacuum has a lot to shout about. Its motorised tool banished pet hair in one speedy sweep and it lifted food crumbs and dust from all surfaces with aplomb.
While its battery lasts for only 10 minutes, that was long enough for us to clean a small car. It could be lighter to hold and you’ll need to make room for its extra tools, but for quick clean-ups, it's a star.
Airlite Cordless Hand Vacuum
Score: 85/100
Unlike the heavier Shark above, this weighs less than one kilogram, and our testers found it comfortable to hold. It reliably cleaned up dust and crumbs from any flooring, but it struggled lifting pet hair.
We also noticed some wear around the nozzle after a few uses. However, it’s compact, and with room on the charging dock to store tools, it’s a smart buy for tucking away if storage is limited.
The verdict on cheap vacuums
There’s no doubt about it, there are some great performing vacuums that won’t set you back hundreds of pounds. They may have fewer bells and whistles, but they still do their main job – cleaning – well.
Ultimately, the best buy comes down to your budget and what type of vacuum you’re after. Our overall best value picks are the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner if you want a stick vacuum or the Hoover HP320PET cylinder vacuum if you're after a model you can plug in.
Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute
Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, we’ve tested hundreds of vacuums in our time, so it’s fair to say we know what to look for. That includes classic upright and cylinder vacuums, as well as more innovative stick and robot vacuums.
Our experts – Blossom Boothroyd, homes testing manager, and and Hannah Mendelsohn, homes editor – look for consistent performance, clear instructions and quality design, to bring you the very best vacuum cleaners for your home.
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