Hands-On Review: Get Showroom-Clean With These Car Vacuums

Black+Decker offers the least expensive car vacuum on this list, but it punched above its price and earned the top spot with outstanding performance. During our debris test, it had more than enough power to suck up dirt, crumbs, and grass on the first pass. During regular detailing, the flexible hose made it the most maneuverable vacuum on our list, and the best for reaching into all the nooks and crannies of our test car. 

Where it really surprised us, though, was the dreaded pet-hair test, where the Max Flex Lithium performed on par with the more powerful (and more expensive) competition elsewhere on this list.

Unfortunately, all that air getting sucked up has to go somewhere, and the exhaust here is positioned on the side of the vacuum, which can cause dust and pet hair to scatter if the filter isn’t clean. Also, its motor is really loud.

Time after time, though, we found ourselves drawn to the plucky little Black+Decker. It might not have the same versatility offered by the competition but it excelled in the most important place: our cars. If you need a dedicated detailing companion, this car vacuum is up to the challenge.

The affordable WandVac was surprising, too — in a good way. As a car vacuum, it handles regular cleaning duties with ease. The attachments worked great in narrow spaces and the attached brushes swiveled into place to protect more delicate surfaces. The best-in-test value award comes from the optional attachments that turn the WandVac into a cordless upright vacuum. That makes it slightly more expensive than some car vacuums, but far less expensive than an upright. 

One drawback was the WandVac’s shape, which proved tricky to maneuver in tight spaces like footwells and floorboards. It’s no more ungainly than a traditional cordless vacuum but not quite as convenient as alternatives that use a hose to reach into the small spaces in your car’s interior. It also struggled with large debris during our hands-on test. It eventually got the job done, it just took more passes than we expected.

As tested, our WandVac costs about double what you’d pay for most car vacuums. So is the extra money worth it? 

We would argue that it is. The floor-cleaning attachment and extension tube make this the most versatile option on our list and it performed just as well around the house as it did in the driveway. If cost is a factor or you don’t need all the available attachments, the basic package is more than enough for detailing your car.

A Shop-Vac might be overkill for most car-cleaning situations, but since when is that a bad thing? Our test Shop-Vac generated big-time suction and the massive collection bin was big enough to hold more dirt than we ever want to see in our car. 

We found the short power cord to be the main setback; an extension cord is mandatory. The bucket also wasn’t convenient in spite of its wheels, but the long hose made up for it. That’s a small sacrifice to get this kind of cleaning power. 

Ours also came with several car detailing accessories including tiny nozzles and brushes designed for seat crevices, air vents, and all those tiny cracks where interior surfaces meet. It made quick work of car cleaning duty and can earn its keep in plenty of other instances around the garage and workshop.

This powerhouse is similar to the renowned Shop-Vac but mounts directly to the wall, so the canister is never in the way. Instead, the 32-foot hose lets you chase down all those stubborn pockets of dirt in your car. 

It’s also a wet/dry vacuum, so you can clean up non-toxic spills in your garage quickly and efficiently, then empty the four-gallon bucket when you’re done. Attachments for hard floors, carpet interiors, and narrow cracks are included. Airflow can also be reversed to blow out your garage or dust off your car without risking scratches.

Because the vacuum needs to be hard-mounted to a wall, it becomes a semi-permanent appliance and can’t be used outside your garage. If you do all your cleaning at home, that shouldn’t be a problem.

A full-size home vacuum like the Shark Navigator S2 wouldn’t be our first choice for car cleaning duty, but this will certainly get you by in a pinch. 

The flexible hose is long enough to reach most of your car’s interior, but we found the main body cumbersome, prone to knocking into the car’s doors, and significantly limiting in terms of maneuverability. The need to stay plugged in also required us to do all our detailing within reach of a wall outlet. 

On the other hand, the full-size electric motor generates more than enough suction and you'll have no problem removing dirt, grass, and even gravel from your car’s interior. 

If you need to do all your work with one vacuum, this is definitely a viable option.

This take on the utility vacuum from Armor All is a compelling alternative to the famous Shop-Vac. It’s nice to see some variety in price with this much power on tap.

The 2.5-gallon tank makes it noticeably easier to maneuver, as long as you aren’t bothered by the lack of wheels on this vacuum. Get heavy-duty suction from the two-horsepower electric motor and take on big garage messes with confidence. Since this vacuum is capable of handling wet and dry messes, you can make it your go-to for keeping your garage, workshop, or basement nice and clean.

The hose might not be quite as long as what you’ll get on similar products, but the power cord is a bit more generous. That will come in handy when you’re moving around a parked car. It also offers a blower function for quick cleanup and touchless drying and comes with several attachments to get the job done right. 

Full disclosure: We didn’t get the chance to test the AA255 in a head-to-head comparison with the Shop-Vac, but this many satisfied customers can’t be wrong.

Maybe you’d rather clean up small messes as they happen, rather than letting them accumulate until the next car wash day; in that case, toss an Ionvac cordless vacuum in your glove box or center console and be ready anytime.

Each charge provides up to 15 minutes of runtime, so you can keep your car tidy with touch-up cleanings every now and then. The 100mL dust collector doesn't hold much, but it’s enough to freshen up your passenger seat before taking a coworker or client out to lunch. 

This is also the least powerful vacuum on our list, but we didn’t include it for outright power. What sets it apart is the smallest-in-test size that makes it easy to keep in your car so it’s ready whenever you need it.

With this much convenience, and at this price, the Ionvac is worth adding to your tool box.

The Dirt Devil Scorpion Plus offers comparable suction and size to most of the other car vacuums out there, but it has one party trick that earns it a special place on this list.

What sets the Scorpion Plus apart is the spinning brush attachment that leaves automotive carpet clean and smooth, like you’d see after having it detailed. (This is also a great advantage for cleaning up pet hair from the cargo hatch in your SUV.) Like the other handheld vacuums here, it’s easy to maneuver and use with one hand. It’s light to carry and small enough to get all those troublesome places that collect dirt and debris in your car.  

The one disadvantage is the fact that this car vacuum needs to be plugged in, and the cord makes it a little less convenient than cordless alternatives. This feature does result in more power and eliminates downtime for battery charging, so we’d say it breaks even. If you prioritize size and want a little extra power, this is the way to go. 

Full disclosure: We couldn't get our hands on a Scorpion Plus to test. But we sure tried.