Stick vacuum cleaners
Find the best stick vac for your home with our buying guide and test results for 32 current and 70 discontinued models.
In the market for a cordless vacuum? Find the best stick vacuums in New Zealand with our buying guide and test results. We've tested over 40 models from Dyson, Samsung, LG, Anko and more.
Buy the best stick vacuum for your home
We’ve tested cordless stick vacuums to find which are best at cleaning carpet and hard floors, and removing pet hair. We’ll only recommend stick vacs you’ll love to own, that work well and keep working well for a long time. Our testing includes how well it performs on:
• Hard floor cleaning
• Carpet cleaning
• Pet hair removal
• Ease of use
In-depth vac reviews
Best stick vacuums of 2024
Stick vacuums are great for cleaning everything from small spills to the whole house. Our expert recommendations help you find the right one for your home, looking at vacuuming performance, bin size, ease of use and manoeuvrability.
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Best all-round performer
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Best vacuum for hard floors
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Best value for money
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Best model with hand-held mode
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What you need to know when buying a stick vacuum
Stick vacuums are light, portable and ideal for quick cleaning jobs. Their performance now rivals corded vacs, but which model is right for you? Check out the top questions and features to look for from our stick vac buying guide.
Charging and runtime: Weigh up the charge time compared to runtime for models you like.
Filters: We explain the different kinds of filters and which one is best.
Weight and balance: The placement of the motors affects manoeuvrability and suction power.
Modes: Most stick vacuums come with 2 or 3 power settings.
Get the most out of your stick vacuum
Stick vacuums keep your home clean and tidy, but it's essential to use them effectively and maintain them properly.
Vacuum cleaner heads and tools – what are they all for?
There is a plethora of tools and heads that come with vacuum cleaners. What are they all for and how should you best use them?
The easiest way to remove hair from your vacuum cleaner brush
How to easily remove hair (and string or thread) that’s wrapped around your vacuum cleaner brush head.
Sucky stick vacuum? Try these simple tips to keep it running longer
When your stick vac’s performance starts to wane, some simple maintenance tips and DIY repairs can work wonders.
How to make your stick vac battery last longer
How to find out if your stick vac battery sucks, and what you can do about it.
Can't decide what you're looking for?
No matter if you're tackling carpets, wooden floors, or pet fur, we explain which type of vacuum is right for your home.
Looking for a standard vacuum?
Check out our buying advice and test results for standard corded vacuums.
Looking for a robot vacuum?
Find out more about how robot vacuum cleaners work and how 15 models rated when we tested them.
People's Choice
Our People's Choice awards are granted to brands that consistently rate above average for customer satisfaction and meet out other performance criteria. Become a member and see which stick vac brands have earned a People’s Choice award.
Which brands are most reliable?
We asked thousands of Consumer members about their experience with products they've used to find out which brands are most reliable and satisfying to own. The results are available to members and Digital Pass holders.
How we test stick vacuums
We put stick vacuums through their paces in a lab setting, so you know our recommendations are backed by the latest science.
Our overall score combines test performance (how well the stick vac works) with predicted reliability (how likely models from the brand are to remain free of faults) and owner satisfaction (how likely owners of the brand are to be very satisfied).
We’ll only recommend stick vacs you’ll love to own, that work well and keep working well for a long time.
We've tested 102 stick vacuum cleaners.
Find the right one for you.