While those little suction hoses at car washes and gas stations are fun to use, they’re not the best solution to keeping your car clean long term. What you really need is something dependable, accessible, and strong—in other words, your very own car vacuum. Here are some of the most well-rated and innovative ones on the market right now.
The best heavy-duty car vacuums
First, let’s get into some of the big dogs, the ones you use in your garage or on the street to really get after major spills and crumbs.
The Armor All AA255W wet/dry car and shop vac ($69.99) is compact and easy to move, with a handle on top and a long hose, but it also converts to a leaf blower, which is wildly convenient for your outdoor cleaning needs. It has 13 accessories, like extension wands, a crevice attachment, a detail brush, and various nozzles. One YouTube review says this thing does really well yanking the embedded debris from upholstery.
The Black + Decker dustbuster Advanced Clean ($49.99) is small and portable, but powerful—and popular, with 4.4 out of 5 stars based on over 104,000 ratings. Reviewers call it “the most powerful” of dustbusters, herald its strong suction, and even talk about “the pleasure of using it.” Wirecutter, too, is into this one, saying it's not flashy, but does a solid job with finer dust and overall gets the job done well.
For a cheaper shop vac, consider the Koblenz WD-2L wet-dry vacuum ($37.98), with a two-gallon capacity and an attachment for cleaning carpet.
Best small car vacuums
Sometimes, you need to bust dust or obliterate crumbs on the go, but a shop vac or heavy-duty beast doesn’t fit well in the car. Try these smaller options so you can be clean whenever, wherever.
The Saker Mini 3 in 1 vacuum ($58.99) can suck or blow through its wide variety of attachments and recharges easily with an included charger. It’s ideal for crevices, seams along seats, and small messes and the nearly 2,000 people who’ve reviewed it agree: They say it removes pet hair and crumbs easily and is even powerful enough to handle carpets and mats.
For something truly affordable, the NEXPOW car vacuum ($17.99) is a good bet, plus it’s super tiny. It’s just a little cylinder that packs a big punch and includes three nozzle attachments, so it can fit right under your car seat. Reviewers say it’s even powerful enough to suck up sawdust and the filter is surprisingly mighty.
On the other hand, you could spend a little more and get major power from a tiny vacuum if you go with the Turbo Tube ($159). It also includes two attachments, a charger, and a storage bag, and PC Mag highlights not only its "whopping" 15,000 pascals of power, but its included flashlight, which is extra convenient for cleaning in the dark.
Finally, keep an ODISTAR desktop vacuum ($11.98) in the car. These things are super popular for home use, but are great for picking up small crumbs and dirt on your car seats, dashboard, or center console. They’re not much bigger than a computer mouse, either, so you can just pop yours right into the glove box. To see how they work, look at the endless amount of TikTok videos of people using them for everything from desk cleaning to sucking up acrylic nail dust.