The best Hoover vacuum in 2023

Whether you want a large capacity cylinder or upright vacuum, or a lightweight and versatile cordless model, read on to discover which Hoover vacuum is best. Hoover boasts a wide range of affordable vacuums for all types of cleaning needs, no matter what size your home. They design every vacuum cleaner with the end user in mind, making sure that cleaning your floors is a pleasure rather than a chore.

Some of their latest models boast innovative Anti-Twist™ features which eliminate the chore of having to remove hair that’s tangled round the brush bar - a job that no-one enjoys doing! Versatility is also key to many of their designs, which can easily be transformed into handheld vacs to make light work of cleaning the car, upholstery or small spills.

Tried-and-tested: Best Hoovers at a glance

• Best overall Hoover vacuum and Best lightweight vacuum: HF9 Home Edition cordless stick vacuum cleaner (Amazon £379.99, £284)
• Best for pet hair: HL5 Upright pet vacuum cleaner with Anti-Twist ™and Push & Lift™ (Amazon £299.99, £199)
• Best budget vacuum: H Energy 300 bagged cylinder vacuum cleaner (Hoover £149.99, £114)
• Best handheld: H Handy 700 (AO.com, £79)
• Breeze Evo upright vacuum cleaner (Amazon £89.99, £79)

Love the Henry hoover? We've tested the Henry HVR 160-11 vacuum cleaner, an

d have also tested a range of other models to find the best Dyson vacuums and the best Shark vacuum. We've also put together round ups of the best handheld vacuums, best vacuum cleaners and five of the best robotic vacuum cleaners on sale in the UK

The Best Hoover vacuums for 2023

HF9 Home Edition cordless stick vacuum cleaner

Best overall and Best lightweight Hoover vacuum

Score: 18/20

Pros

• Lightweight and easily manoeuvrable
• Fits easily under low furniture
• Anti hair wrap brush bar
• Can be used as a handheld

Cons

• Small bin capacity
• Run time not enough for large homes

It has a standard run time of 30 minutes and a run time of 12 minutes on Turbo Boost mode, enough to clean 120sqm, which is ample for most average-sized homes.

The Lowdown:

This vacuum has great manoeuvrability, gliding quietly over both carpets and hard floors with ease with the added bonus of LED floor lights to show up dust and dirt.

It folds down flat for easy cleaning beneath low furniture, and the comfortable handle has ergonomically positioned buttons to adjust the floor type and suction levels.

I loved the easy-to-read LED display that tells you how many minutes of run time you have left.

The bin releases and empties at the touch of a button, which is always handy, and there’s a transparent window that pops open effortlessly for instant access to the cleaning parts.

Perhaps best of all, this lightweight vacuum boasts advanced Anti-Twist™ technology that features an integrated comb to prevent hair becoming wrapped around the roller during cleaning - you gotta love not having to spend hours unravelling hair!

Features:

This vacuum is twice as powerful as Shark’s best-selling cordless vacuum, in fact, its efficient power management and powerful brushless motor will clean 120sqm of hard floor and carpet, with no loss of suction, from a single battery pack.

You can easily change between hard floor mode, when the brush bar spins more slowly to clean delicate surfaces, and carpet mode when it spins faster to lift up dirt from deep beneath the surface.

The Quick Park&Go system allows you to park the vacuum temporarily in the upright position on a hard floor, and it also converts quickly and easily into the handheld option, so you can easily clean stairs, sofas, car interiors etc.

The Turbo Boost function delivers 12 minutes of extra-powerful suction, which is ideal for tackling even the most demanding of messy floors. The removable battery pack can be charged on or off the vacuum and can reach 100% charge in just 3.5 hours, or 80% charge in just 3 hours. The handy at a glance LED display on the handle shows the run-time, power mode, floor type, so you know how much longer you have left to vacuum before the battery needs recharging.

Results:

This powerful cordless vacuum cleans up well on both carpets and hard floors and the Turbo Boost function is a real boon.

It has a standard run time of 30 minutes and a run time of 12 minutes on Turbo Boost mode, enough to clean 120sqm, which is ample for most average-sized homes. I gave it a 18 out of 20

Value for money:

This vacuum costs £299 and comes with a five-year warranty. We feel it offers great value for money due to its ease of use, versatility and smart functions.

What's in the box:

Crevice tool | Cleaning tool | 2in1 Dusting & furniture tool, ideal for hard surfaces and fabrics | Wall mount

Specifications:

• 0.7L bin capacity
• 21.6V
• Weight 3.4kg | H111x W26 x D21

HL5 Upright pet vacuum cleaner with Anti-Twist ™and Push & Lift™

Best for pet hair

Score: 17/20

Pros

• Large capacity bin
• Anti hair wrap brush bar
• Good for pet hair removal
• Push & Lift™ system makes it versatile

Cons

• Heavier than some other models
• Doesn’t fit under low furniture
• Only space for one onboard tool

This vacuum is efficient at picking up debris from both hard flooring and carpets and has easily adjustable suction options.

The lowdown:

This is quite a heavy vacuum cleaner, but it manoeuvres well. Although the body of the vacuum folds down, the large bin prevents it from fitting easily under low furniture, such as sofas and beds, however the hose and wand attachment helps get into smaller spaces.

The ergonomic handle has a suction controller which can be adjusted by simply sliding your thumb over it to give max power for hard floors and min power for deep pile carpets and rugs. The button can be set in the middle for most floor types.

I loved the large capacity bin (which is 20% bigger than the UK’s #1 best selling upright vacuum cleaner), making it ideal for larger homes, and it releases at the touch of a button and is quick and easy to empty.

There is onboard cord storage, but no automatic recoil, as well as storage for the crevice tool.

A clever pop-off cover makes access to the brush bar easy, although the Anti-Twist™ technology means that you’re less likely to have hair getting tangled around the brush bar in the first place.

The 8m cable combined with the 2m hose give a generous 10 of total cleaning reach meaning you won’t have to unplug between rooms.

Features:

By stepping on the Push & Lift™ foot pedal you can transform this upright into a portable vacuum for all your above floor cleaning needs, such as stairs, curtains and cleaning the car.

The specially developed bristles and velvet brush bar clean deeply on all floors and the robust comb actively untangles hairs and pet hairs while cleaning so they don't get wrapped around the brush, while the rotating bristles penetrate deeply into the fabric to loosen the fur and vacuum it into the dust collection chamber.

This pet upright vacuum comes with a mini turbo brush to help remove stubborn pet hairs from cushions, sofas and carpets.

Results:

This vacuum is efficient at picking up debris from both hard flooring and carpets and has easily adjustable suction options. The 8m long cable and 2m hose means you can clean easily between rooms without having to unplug. I awarded it 17 out of 20.

Value for money:

This vacuum is very well built and ideal if you vacuum a lot of rooms or a have large home and don’t want the hassle of having to empty the bin frequently. At £299 with a five-year warranty it offers great value for money.

What's in the box:

Crevice tool | Motorised mini turbo pets brush | Washable allergy care H13 HEPA filter | Swivel floor head | LED nozzle lights | Adjustable brush bar | Washable Allergy Care H13 HEPA filter

Specifications:

• 8m cable
• 2m hose
• 2.5L bin capacity
• 850W
• Weight 5.9kg | H115 x W35 x D29

H Energy 300 bagged cylinder vacuum cleaner

Best budget vacuum

Score: 16/20

Pros

• Large bin/bag capacity
• Quite lightweight
• Compact for storage

Con

• Bagged
• Not many features or accessories
• Onboard 2-in-1 tool was fiddly to remove

This vacuum performed well, provided good suction on all floor surfaces and the generous bag capacity meant it didn’t need changing too frequently.

The Lowdown:

This compact cylinder vacuum is light, quiet and easy to pull around, thanks to its four 360º rotating castor wheels.

The extendable wand means it’s easy to adjust the wand length to suit your height, helping to avoid backache when vacuuming.

The brush bar and wand fit easily under low furniture and extend smoothly to reach up high to vacuum cobwebs and curtains.

I loved that a light on top of the vacuum indicates when the bag is full and the automatic bag disposal system means you don’t have to get into contact with the dust.

Features:

An onboard dial allows you to adjust the suction power to one of four levels for upholstery, curtains, hard floors and carpets, although it feels a bit basic. While a slider on the brush bar also allows you to change the suction level for rugs, hard floors and carpets.

The vacuum is supplied with three EPA bags, but they’re not reusable, so you’ll need to buy spares over time.

The cable has an automatic recoil and unwind function and, thanks to the Nanopack™ system, the hose, telescopic tube and nozzle fit neatly on board this compact vac to provide easy storage - you only need 58cm of cupboard space to fit it in!

The long cable, combined with the telescopic wand, give 9.5m of total cleaning reach, which means you don’t have to unplug the vacuum between rooms.

Results:

This vacuum performed well, provided good suction on all floor surfaces and the generous bag capacity meant it didn’t need changing too frequently. However, it felt a little basic so I gave it 16 out of 20.

Value for money

Compact and lightweight, this is a good value model for those who prefer bagged cylinder vacs to cordless or bagless models. At just £99 with a one-year warranty, it’s a great budget buy.

What's in the box:

Telescopic tube | Stretch hose |All floors nozzle | 2-in-1 tool | 3 EPA bags

Specifications:

• 7m cable
• 2.5 hose
• 3.5L bin capacity
• 850W
• Weight 3.8kg | H54.5 x W31 x D32

H Handy 700

Best handheld

Score: 15/20

Pros

• Compact
• Lightweight
• Easy to use

Cons

• Small bin capacity
• Fiddly 3-in1 attachment
• Charging time

With its 12-minute run time, this handy little cordless vac does a great job of cleaning up the occasional small spill.

The Lowdown:

The wand shape of this lightweight handheld vac makes cleaning as easy as pointing a stick at the mess you want to clean up.

Its compact charging stand, which also holds the 3-in-1 cleaning attachment, means there’s no fiddling around with cables before or after use.

To charge the vac, simply pop it into the stand and the vacuum begins to charge; a full top-up takes around three hours and gives the device enough power to clean for around 12 minutes.

To empty the bin you simply hold down the button on the top, and then snap the vacuum in half. You then need to detach the filter from inside the bin before emptying the debris. The filter can be washed in running water and Hoover supplies a brush to help you clean it, too.

Features:

The nifty 3in1 cleaning accessory combines a crevice tool for difficult to reach areas, a dusting brush for hard surfaces and a furniture nozzle for textiles. The attachment is a little bit fiddly to use, as you have to manipulate it into the tool you want to use each time, but it isn’t too much of a chore. A sliding collar lets you adapt this into a dusting brush, or you can flip it around to access a furniture nozzle with a felt-like micro brush for fabrics and upholstery.

There is only one suction setting, but it is powerful enough for most spillages.

I loved the powerful LED light at the front of the vac, which makes it easy to see where you’re cleaning - especially useful if you’re cleaning the car or down the back of the sofa!

Results

With its 12-minute run time, this handy little cordless vac does a great job of cleaning up the occasional small spill. It’s compact and lightweight with a neat charging dock, which means you can have it out and ready to go all the time. However, as it’s best reserved for smaller jobs because of the limited space of the collection bin, I gave it 15 out of 20.

Value for money

With a RRP of £56 and a one-year warranty, this handheld vacuum offers fairly good value for money, although it is really only suitable for small clean-ups due to its 150ml bin capacity.

What's in the box:

3in1 accessory | Compact docking station | Washable filter | 12-minute run time | 3-hour charging time | 11.1V Lithium battery

Sepcifications:

• 150ml bin capacity
• 120W brushless motor - powerful suction, longer lifespan and high efficiency
• Weight 640g | H69 x W418 x D66

Breeze Evo upright vacuum cleaner

Score: 14/20

Pros

• Bagless
• Budget option
• Energy saving
• Long reach

Cons

• Heavier than some models
• Bulky to store
• Not many features
• Felt quite cheap quality

This vacuum did a good job at cleaning both hard floor and carpets, however switching between the suction settings and accessories was a bit cumbersome.

The Lowdown:

This vacuum requires a bit of setting up and before it can be used, such as screwing the handle into place and attaching a wiper blade to the soleplate. Putting the wand, crevice tool and long hose together was a bit of a chore too.

Unfortunately, it felt quite hefty to use and the large brush head didn’t fit under low furniture. The 7m cord is good for reach between rooms, but got in the way while vacuuming as it doesn’t have an automatic recoil function, it simply winds round the body of the vacuum.

The generous capacity bin is easy to remove and empty at the push of a button and the EPA filter was washable.

Features:

This vacuum has a rotating brush bar with five suction settings for different carpet heights and hard floors, although you have to bend down to adjust these using a dial on top of the brush head.

Designed to help save money on your electricity bills, this vacuum has a A+ rating for energy efficiency.

The combination of the 7m cable and the 4.5m stretch hose allows you to clean a full 13-step staircase without having to carry the vacuum upstairs or having to unplug between rooms.

The long hose and wand, combined with the 2in1 tool allows you to clean high cupboards and curtains with ease, and all of the tools can be stored on the vacuum for easy access.

Results

This vacuum did a good job at cleaning both hard floor and carpets, however switching between the suction settings and accessories was a bit cumbersome so I scored it 14 out of 20.

Value for money

Although it performed perfectly adequately, this vacuum felt a little basic to use. However, at a RRP of £89 with a one-year warranty, it’s a good entry-level model.

What's in the box:

Long, flexible crevice tool | 2in1 dusting brush and furniture nozzle | Extension wand

Specifications:

• 7m cable
• 4.5m hose
• 3L bin capacity
• 850W
• Weight 5.2kg | H109 x W32 x D31

FAQs:

Who founded Hoover?

The Hoover brand name has been synonymous with vacuuming for decades and the brand has been in existence for more than 100 years. The first vacuum cleaner, designed by janitor James Spangler, comprised a box, a fan, a silk pillowcase and a broomstick. His cousin’s husband William Hoover, immediately sensed the enormous potential of this futuristic “stick”. He bought the patent and started production, establishing the company with the name - The Hoover Company in 1908.