If you need something with supreme suction power for proper deep cleaning, one of today's best best upright vacuum cleaners will often be the best tool for the job. Upright vacuums tend to offer far more outright power than cordless stick vacuums, and they typically come with generous sized dirt canisters and larger cleaner heads, for bigger cleaning tasks. The fact they're generally corded means you'll never run out of juice – and they should last a good, long time too.
At TechRadar, we've been testing vacuum cleaners for the past nine years. During that time we've reviewer over 185 different models, including 41 new vacuums last year. To earn its place in our guide, each upright here has been put through its paces by an experienced reviewer. We run standardized suction tests, as well as assessing how well each vacuum performs on a range of floor types, how easy and comfortable they are to use, and whether they deliver good value for money.
If you need something lightweight and easy to maneuver, and don't mind sacrificing a bit of power for that convenience, you're better off with one of the best cordless vacuums. And if you're undecided, our general best vacuum cleaner ranking will walk you though all your various options. But if you've decided an upright is the vacuum for you, read on for our top picks.
The quick list
Best for most people
Packed with essential features including Anti Hair Wrap and odor control plus a powered lift-away mode, this is an outstanding all-rounder.
Best affordable
Affordably priced (and heavily discounted these days), the Hoover HL5 delivers strong suction and a decent featureset for its low price, but it is heavy and loud.
Best for pets
Designed with pet hair in mind, the Dyson Ball Animal is really maneuverable with terrific suction, but it's the heaviest option on our list.
Best compact
This straightforward freestanding vacuum is far lighter and more maneuverable than most uprights, and its cordless too. Don't expect a massive dust cup, though.
Best vacuum and mop
For keeping hard floors clean, this cordless upright is a fine option. It mops and vacuums and it's self-propelling, although battery life is short.
The best upright vacuums 2025: tried and tested
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The best upright vacuum for most people
✅ You want versatility: The bin section can be removed and the cleaner head used on the end of a flexible wand, making this suitable for more awkward spaces.
✅ You have a pet: This vacuum has an anti-odor puck designed to stop bad smells building up from the dust canister.
❌ You want a longer cord: The cord here is about standard length, but if you want more maneuvering room, the Dyson at #6 gives you a couple of extra meters.
❌ You want a bigger bin: Again, the bin is about standard size, but the Dyson #6 has a bigger one.
The best upright vacuum we've tested so far is the Shark Stratos Pet Pro Upright Vacuum. This is a UK-only model, but there are very similar models in the US (AZ3002) and Australia (AZ913). It has an impressively versatile design that can be used in a number of configurations for different cleaning tasks. The dust canister can be lifted off and held in the hand, enabling you to vacuum high-up or awkward spaces – like stairs – with the flexible hose.
It borrows many of the same features from today's best Shark cordless vacuums. The DuoClean floorhead is designed to work equally well on hard floor and carpet, and it has anti-hair wrap features so you won't need to manually clear matted hair from the rollers after every clean.
On which note, our tester found this vacuum did a great job of pulling hair from carpet, and it comes with an anti-odor puck designed to prevent bad smells from building up in the dust canister. All of that means it's well worth considering if you're a pet owner (although our favorite pick for pet hair is the Dyson at #4).
On test, our reviewer had very few complaints about this model, although one minor quibble was that the cord could be a touch longer. At 8 meters, it's about standard length, but some brands do occasionally give you a bit more cable to play with (specifically the Dyson at #4).
Read more: Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum review
The best budget upright vacuum
✅ You want versatility: Like other models here, it's possible to use the wand on the end of a flexible hose, to tackle awkward spaces.
✅ You're on a budget: This vacuum comes with a very wallet-friendly price tag, and these days it's regularly discounted further.
❌ You want something easy to move about: We found the bin could pull away when used to lift this vacuum.
❌ You want something reasonably quiet: No vacuum is especially quiet, but this is one of the loudest we've tested.
If you're in the UK the best budget upright vacuum you can get is the Hoover HL5, which is affordable even at full price, but these days is regularly heavily discounted further. It comes in a standard spec, which is the model we reviewed, and a pet version that comes with a motorized pet tool. If looks are important to you, the Pets edition is available in a yellow/blue colorway, whereas this Homes edition is in a grey/red. Performance-wise there's no difference between the two.
The HL5 comes fully loaded with the features we look for in pricier models, including an Anti-Twist brush bar which genuinely didn't get any hair wrapped around it during our testing period, even in a household full on long-haired humans, and headlamps on the floorhead to help you see dirt in dingy corners. Like a few of the upright vacuums here, there's a flexible tube onto which detail tools can be added for cleaning up high or under furniture.
It's not the highest quality upright here, but it is good for the price. There were a few more downsides we uncovered during our tests: it's loud in use, and while it's not especially heavy compared to the other models in this list, it's a little hard to maneuver around given the bin can lift off when you try to pick it up.
Read more: Hoover HL5 Push&Lift Upright Vacuum Cleaner review
The best upright vacuum for pet hair
✅ You want the best suction: This upright vacuum is ultra-powerful and makes light work of pulling pet hair from carpet.
✅ You need a big bin: This model has the largest bin of any vacuum here, so you can get plenty of cleaning in without having to empty it.
❌ You want something not too heavy: This model is very weighty and difficult to shift about.
❌ You need to get into awkward spaces: The flex hose here isn't as flexible as we'd like.
The Dyson Ball Animal (called the Ball Animal 3 in some territories) is the best upright vacuum for pet hair. Our tester has two 'crazy-hairy' spaniels and invited a heavily molting Labrador over for a sleepover during their review period, and the Ball Animal cleared up all traces of shedding with no issues at all. The powered main floorhead is outstanding at pulling up hair from carpets, and a very effective tangle-free turbine tool tackles any stuck on furniture and between sofa cushions. The massive bin capacity also means you won't be traipsing to and from the trash can too often, too.
On test, we were also extremely impressed with the overall suction offered by this model. It aced our tests with large and small debris, requiring just a single pass to pick up both kinds of spillage on carpet. However, it didn't perform so well on hard floors, pinging around the oats rather than picking them up.
As is the case with all of today's best Dyson vacuums, the maneuverability of the floorhead is outstanding – it can pivot every which way, and get into any corner or crevice. However, overall this is a very cumbersome and heavy cleaner. Those used to lightweight stick vacuums will find it quite a departure – you'll find alternative recommendations in our dedicated guide to the best vacuums for pet hair.
Read more: Dyson Ball Animal review
The best compact upright vacuum
✅ You want something maneuverable: This is far lighter and easier to drive about than most upright vacuums – and it's cordless, too.
✅ Your home is on one floor: There's no flexible tube or detail tools here, so this isn't the best for stairs. It's great at cleaning the edges of rooms, though.
❌ You want maximum power: Although this vacuum performed well in our suction tests, 'true' corded uprights will almost always have more power than a cordless vacuum.
❌ You need a large dust cup: At 0.8L, the dust cup on this vacuum is far smaller than most uprights.
The Gtech AirRam 3 is a bit of an outlier, because the design that falls somewhere between an upright and a stick vacuum. But given that it stands up on its own and can't be pulled apart, we think it's most like a streamlined, lightweight upright vacuum; if that appeals to you, then read on.
Unlike most of the models on this list, the Gtech AirRam 3 is cordless, so you won't end up tethered to a wall. It's also relatively lightweight, and because all the weight is in the base, it's more comfortable to use for long periods than your average stick vacuum. The floorhead will also help propel the machine forwards in use.
The design is straightforward – there's no bendy hose, it can't be reconfigured for use in handheld mode, and there are no detail tools. Our tester was a big fan of this no-frills, function-first approach, but it is probably best suited to those who live on one floor, as it won't be great at handling stairs. What is is good at handling is edges. That's because it comes with spinning edge brushes, which sweep dust and debris into the cleaner's suction path.
In fact, the AirRam 3 performed well in all our suction tests, although do bear in mind that for maximum suction power, you'd really be better off with a bulkier, corded model. The dust cup is relatively small, and sized more like those on a stick vacuum than what you'd expect on an upright, which is something to be aware of if you're regularly dealing with lots of dust or pet hair.
Read the full Gtech AirRam 3 review
The best upright vacuum and mob combo
✅ You want to give hard floors a proper clean: This wet-dry cleaner is excellent at tackling hard floors.
✅ You're dealing with lots of dirt and debris: It's a more heavy-duty option that not only mops but also deodorizes and disinfects.
❌ You need something for carpet: This vacuum can't be used on carpet.
❌ You're mainly just dealing with dust: It's probably overkill if you just need something for a light clean.
This is a little different from the other upright vacuums in our list – it's a wet-dry cleaner (in fact, the best wet dry vacuum we've tested). If you really want to keep your hard floors clean, then the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro is your best option. It both vacuums and mops, and it'll disinfect and deodorize at the same time.
It's a super-heavy model, weighing in at 21.5lbs / 9.76kg, but it's not a struggle to use as it's self-propelling and it'll glide across your floor with ease. The downside to this a a short battery life; at best you'll get 40 minutes out of one charge. It's also worth noting that there's no bin on this because there's no vacuum-only mode, and instead there's a clean water tank and a dirty water tank; you'll need to refill the first as well as emptying and rinsing the second on a regular basis.
The Floor One S7 Pro has an effective self-cleaning system, as well as voice prompts and an LED display, but what really matters is just how well it cleans. This one might not be cheap, but if you're tired of vacuuming and washing your hard floors separately, you'll almost certainly find it's worth the investment. It can't be used on carpet, though.
Read more: Tineco Floor One S7 Pro review
How we test upright vacuums
✅ Over 185 vacuums and robot vacuums tested in total
✅ ... including 41 new vacuums reviewed in 2024
✅ 9 years of vacuum testing experience
Before it can appear in this guide, each upright vacuum undergoes a vigorous testing process. Here's a quick run-down of what that involves:
Suction tests
Our reviewers try out each vacuum on spillages of different kinds. So we spill fine dust (biscuit crumbs and flour) on the floor and see how thoroughly it cleans it, on each suction mode. We then repeat the test for dry oats, to see how it copes with larger debris. Both tests are run on hard floor and on carpet.
Testers will also use the vacuum as their regular cleaner for a couple of weeks or more, to get a feel for how it performs in real-world scenarios. During this time, we focus particularly on how well the vacuum copes with hair (pet and human) and how versatile it is for different cleaning tasks.
Usability tests
We assess how comfortable the vacuum is to use, how easily it can be maneuvered into different spots in the house, and if the cord is long enough to allow for general cleaning tasks. We consider how easy it is to put together and swap attachments, as well as trying out any included tools to see how effectively they do the job they were designed for.
We rate each model on how simple it is to empty the dust canister, how loud it is during use, and how durable it is. In addition, for cordless models (rare for upright vacuums), we record how long they last in each power mode, and how long they take to recharge.
Read more on how we test vacuum cleaners.
The best upright vacuums: specs compared
| Model | Weight | Bin size | Cord length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shark Stratos Upright | 6.7kg | 1.3L | 8m |
| Hoover HL5 Push&Lift Upright | 6.4kg | 1.4L | 8m |
| Dyson Ball Animal 3 | 7kg | 1.7L | 10m |
| Gtech AirRam 3 | 3.8kg | 0.8L | N/A |
| Tineco Floor One S7 Pro Wet-dry vacuum | 9.8kg | 0.9L (clean water), 0.7L (dirty water) | N/A |
Tested by
All the upright vacuums in this ranking have been rigorously tested, either by one of the TechRadar Homes team or an experienced reviewer. Meet some of the expert reviewers who put these vacuums through their paces.
Jenny is now the editor of Top Ten Reviews, but prior to she was TechRadar's Homes Editor. As part of that role, she tested dozens of vacuum cleaners of all shapes and sizes, trying to find one that could deal with the levels of dust generated by her ongoing home renovation project.
Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen and home appliances, and has been testing vacuums since 2008. She has reviewed well over 100 different models, from the likes of Shark, Dyson and more. Although her preference is for a lightweight, maneuverable vacuum, she appreciates the extra suction power you get with an upright model.
Best upright vacuum FAQs
What to consider when buying an upright vacuum
There’s a range of upright models to choose from, which may leave you confused when selecting the right one for you. However, if you focus on these considerations, you’ll quickly be able to identify the model that’s best suited to you.
Start by deciding whether you want a corded or cordless upright vacuum. Those that rely on electrical sockets often have larger dust canisters and wide cleaning heads than cordless models, which means you can vacuum sessions will be completed quickly. However, they’re also heavier than the best cordless vacuums, which may be a problem when punching one around your floors. In addition, depending on how long the cable is, you cannot reach certain parts of your home without unplugging the vacuum and moving it to a closer electrical socket.
If you’ve opted for a cordless upright vacuum cleaner, check how long the battery will last between charges and whether it’s swappable. If the battery runs out of power mid-clean, you don’t have to wait for the vacuum to recharge before you can carry on.
If you have hard floors, look for an upright vacuum with different floor modes, which see the brush roller switched off, so it doesn’t damage the flooring, or for models that come with an additional cleaning head featuring a softer brush roll designed for this purpose.
Also, check the vacuum will be able to reach under furniture and in any tight spaces, you have in your home to ensure you’re thoroughly cleaning your floors every time you push a vacuum around.
If you’re still unsure, read our advice on which type of vacuum should you buy?
What's the difference between a stick and an upright vacuum?
A stick vacuum has the motor, dust canister, controls and handle at the top. A long wand is attached, with a floorhead at the bottom. Generally, they have a modular design where the wand can be removed and a detail tool attached, enabling the machine to be used as a handheld vacuum.
Upright vacuums are larger and freestanding, with the floorhead attached to the main machine, and a large dust canister between that and the handle. Sometimes, there's also a flexible hose and detail tools for tackling areas above the ground.
Stick are typically lighter and easier to maneuver. Most modern options are cordless, so you won't be tethered to a power outlet. Uprights are bulkier and heavier, and you'll generally have a cable to deal with. However, they're almost always more powerful than a stick vacuum, and better for deep cleans thanks to a larger dust cup. They're also generally much more durable (here's more on how long your vacuum should last).
