Best upright vacuum cleaners, expert-tested for tackling large areas

The Shark Stratos is one of the easiest uprights to get going straight out of the box. Assembly took less than five minutes, and the slimline design, finished in metallic purple and orange, looks modern and neat enough to leave on display. At 6kg, it’s also lighter than many uprights, making it less of a strain to move from room to room.

In my tests, the Shark really excelled on hard floors. Suction was powerful enough to lift flour and oats in a single sweep, while everyday dust and pet hair disappeared without fuss. Edge-to-edge cleaning was excellent, and the bright LED headlights made it easy to spot fine debris that might otherwise be missed. On low-pile carpets, it performed well too, though it did struggle on my deep-pile rug, where the brush roll tended to stall.

One of the Shark’s biggest selling points is its lift-away feature. With a quick-release button, the main unit detaches from the floorhead, so you can carry it up stairs, into cars, or lift it up high for cobwebs and dusting. This portability sets it apart from some of the heavier uprights in this guide, making it a versatile option if you want the capability of a cordless without sacrificing suction.

The main compromise here is the 1.1L dust canister. It fills quickly, especially in larger households, and the transparent bin shows every speck of dust – great for knowing when to empty, but less appealing if you like a vacuum that looks pristine. Attachments are basic too, with just a crevice tool provided, although other models carry a multi-surface tool, and you can buy extra compatible accessories from Shark direct.

The Vax mach air energise was the quickest upright to get going in my testing. Assembly took me less than five minutes – I just clipped the handle into place and slotted the provided accessories onto the body. At 4.9kg, it felt featherlight compared with many of the upright vacs in this guide, and I could carry it up my stairs in one hand without breaking a sweat. That portability does come with compromises, though, as some of the plastic fittings feel flimsier than more premium uprights.

On hard floors, the Vax surprised me. It picked up every bit of flour I scattered in a single pass, leaving the floor spotless. On my medium-pile carpet, it sucked up all the lentils I’d dropped, again without needing to go back over. The head reclines far enough that you can get under most furniture, which isn’t always a given with bulky uprights. Switching between floor modes using the sliding panel on the floor tool is straightforward, if a little stiff the first few times.

Where the Vax falls short is in its extras. The 2-in-1 crevice and dusting tool is fine for edges and skirting boards, and the small pet “fluff” attachment does lift fur, but the short 1.3m hose makes tackling stairs almost impossible without dragging the whole machine with you. Emptying the 1.5L bin is also messier than I’d like; if you’re not careful, dust can escape as you tip it out.

Despite these niggles, you can’t ignore how well the Vax mach air cleans for its price. At around £70, it’s far cheaper than anything else I tested, yet its suction was easily on par with the more expensive models. For me, it’s the best option if you want a no-fuss upright that really delivers on everyday cleaning power without spending much.

Sebo has a loyal following among vacuum enthusiasts, and the X7 pet shows you why. It takes around 10-15 minutes to assemble, but once put together, this upright feels reassuringly solid and almost professional grade. The glossy black finish with silver detailing is understated, and the integrated hose, wand and onboard tools are practical touches.

When it came to testing, the Sebo excelled at deep carpet cleaning. The 890W motor, combined with computerised height adjustment and a performance boost button, effortlessly lifted embedded dirt and stubborn pet hair from carpets. On hard floors, it transitioned smoothly without needing to fiddle with settings manually. The extension hose stretched easily to the top of my stairs, and the narrow but powerful motorised brush head made it easy to work around awkward risers and treads.

The generous 5L ultra bag swallowed far more debris before needing to be emptied than any other vacuum I tested, and the hygienic bag system and S-Class filtration made it feel noticeably cleaner to use than bagless competitors, with no dustbin cleaning required. If you’ve got plenty of carpet, pets, and a lot of floor to cover, great suction, fewer empties and cleaner air quality make all the difference.

The trade-off is weight. At 7.4kg, the Sebo feels hefty to carry upstairs, and it’s more cumbersome than cordless vacs or uprights with a lift-away function. If you have a modest home or limited storage, it might feel like overkill.

The Hoover HL5 has a sleek, modern look, with dark green and yellow accents, and the classic Hoover branding giving it a reassuringly high-tech feel. Assembly was straightforward, and I liked how accessible the in-built filter is for quick cleaning. The 2.5L dust canister is generous for a bagless upright, and the push-and-lift feature lets you transform the vacuum into a portable cleaner for stairs, cars, or high-up jobs like curtains and mattresses.

In my tests, the HL5 held its own against pricier rivals. Suction was strong enough to lift oats from carpet and flour from hard floors in a single pass, a standout performance for this price point. On carpets, it transitioned smoothly between short pile and deeper pile without clogging or stalling, although max suction mode made it a bit harder to push. The supplied mini turbo pet tool worked reasonably well on hair, though it needed a few passes to completely clear stubborn clumps.

At 5.8kg, the HL5 is lighter than many uprights, and the lift-off canister makes it far easier to tackle stairs compared with bulkier machines. The accessory set is more limited than some - there’s no dusting brush included, for instance – but the essentials are there. For under half the price of some competitors, the HL5 is an impressive all-rounder that balances performance with portability.

At just 3.3kg, the GTech airram platinum is by far the lightest upright I’ve tested in this guide. I could zip it up the stairs with one hand, and because the handle slots down, it slots neatly into a cupboard without hogging space. You can even remove the battery to charge it separately, which is a nice touch if you prefer to store the unit out of sight.

Thanks to GTech’s forward inertia drive, which gently propels it forward as you push, combined with the swivel steering, the airram platinum glides around furniture with barely any effort. The ultra-low profile means it gets further under low furniture than anything else I tried, too.

During my tests, it picked up lentils from carpet and muesli from hard floors in a single pass, and the LED headlights help spot hidden dust and debris in darker spaces. There’s also a scented cartridge built in, which leaves a fresh smell as you vacuum.

Emptying the (admittedly tiny) 0.8L bin is quick and mess-free, and there’s a built-in comb to keep the brush bar clear of hair. Battery life is impressive too, lasting up to an hour on a three-hour charge – more than enough to do the whole house in one go.

Of course, being so compact means there are trade-offs. You don’t get any accessories unless you buy the full platinum system with the handheld vac. That means it’s not as versatile as models like the Shark or Hoover HL5 if you want to clean curtains or tight corners, unless you want to spend a lot more cash.

The GTech airram 3 plus looks and feels more premium than most uprights, with its glossy white finish, matte steel accents and leather detailing. It clicks together in seconds and slots neatly onto its charging panel (the removable battery can’t be charged separately).

At 3.8kg, it’s very light. It reclines almost flat, sliding under sofas and low furniture, while LED headlights highlight debris you’d otherwise miss. The voice-assist feature gives you updates on battery life and filter cleaning – a handy touch while cleaning.

Suction is, as you’d expect from GTech, excellent: it lifts fluff from carpet and clears flour and oats from hard floors in a single pass. The edge brushes help guide debris toward the suction path, making cleaning dusty corners super easy. The automatic filter-cleaning feature means it self-cleans between uses, so you don’t have to do it manually.

The 0.8L bin is tiny, so you’ll have to empty often, but it’s a breeze to do – a single lever ejects everything cleanly. The voice updates and self-cleaning filter add polish. If you have a big budget and you want a cordless upright that combines smart touches with strong performance, this is a stylish and compelling option.

At just 5kg, the Hoover HL4 pet is one of the lightest uprights with the largest capacity (2.5L) I tested – and you feel it the moment you start pushing it around. Despite its slim build, it packs a decent punch when it comes to suction. In my tests, it lifted oats and lentils from hard floors and carpets in a single pass, even on medium power. It also picked up pet hair effortlessly. You can switch between carpet and hard floor modes with a simple button, and you can dial up suction from minimum through to maximum with a switch on the handle.

Lift-away mode transforms the HL4 from a floor vacuum into a more portable cleaner for stairs and upholstery. It’s easy to detach, although the supplied pet tool – with rotating bristles – felt a little awkward for stairs, so you may want a separate handheld if that’s a priority. Still, on pet hair, it performs admirably, pulling fluff and dander out of cushions and carpets without clogging.

At 2.5L, the dustbin capacity is generous for such a lightweight machine, and it empties with minimal fuss. Accessories are limited: you only get a crevice tool alongside the pet tool, so it’s not as kitted out as pricier models. A small gripe is the lack of a dedicated dusting brush, which would have made it more versatile.

On the plus side, it has headlights to spot hidden dust, and the 7.6m cord plus 1.5m hose give it decent reach. It’s bagless, easy to manoeuvre, and one of the best-value uprights I tested. It’s not the most premium-looking vacuum, but if you want lightweight portability, lift-off cleaning, and reliable suction on both carpets and hard floors, the HL4 pet is a great buy.

The Daewoo tornado F2 is a brightly coloured upright that really stands out, with its neon green accents and wide floor head. At just 4kg, it feels light and manoeuvrable, and despite the budget price, it packs in a fair few useful features.

The generous 4L dustbin is only second to the Sebo’s 5L, so you won’t need to empty it often. It switches between hard floors, low-pile and long-pile carpets with a simple dial at the front of the unit. The cyclonic suction is impressive, picking up flour on a hard floor in a single pass. Pet hair isn’t a problem either – the turbo tool lifts fluff from sofas and cushions with ease, and the suction is strong enough to reach most of my stairs with the 1.8 m hose.

It also comes with one of the best accessory sets I’ve seen at this price, including a crevice tool, upholstery brush, dusting brush and a 2-in-1 turbo pet and stair tool. I also like the onboard storage, so you don’t end up losing attachments in a drawer.

It’s not as refined as pricier uprights – there’s no lift-off portability and the pet/stair brush isn’t motorised, so it can stall if you press too hard. But for less than £100, this feels like great value.

The ball animal has that familiar sleek Dyson design and a reassuring sense of quality. It’s a little on the heavier side at over 6kg, but you can tell it’s built to last.

During testing, the suction power was excellent. On hard floors it picked up flour in a single pass and delivered flawless edge-to-edge cleaning. Lentils on a medium-pile carpet were mostly gone in one sweep too, although the low floorhead sometimes pushed a few forward, so I needed to go back and forth a little more.

It’s less at home on deep pile rugs – I really had to put some welly into pushing it along. And while the Ball design helps it glide smoothly on hard floors, it also makes it tricky to get under low furniture, which feels slightly counterintuitive.

That said, there’s a lot to love. The onboard storage is brilliant, with secure clips for all but one of the accessories included (flat out cleaner head, combi tool, stair tool, tangle-free turbine tool, soft dusting brush) – and the cleaning performance is top-tier. It’s not the cheapest vacuum here, but for its quality build, excellent suction, and strong all-round results, it feels like a smart, long-term investment.

The Karcher CV 30/1 is a proper professional upright – it looks and feels like a piece of kit you’d find in a workshop, garage or office rather than a home. The familiar black, yellow and grey design screams durability, and it really does feel built to last. The cord length is the longest I tested, at a whopping 12m, so you have plenty of flexibility of movement around large spaces.

Assembly is fairly straightforward, but the instructions aren’t the clearest, so I had to double-check a few steps. Once it’s together, operation is simple: a dial on the front lets you adjust for low pile or deep pile carpets, with multiple suction levels. The suction itself is impressive – it picks up lentils from medium pile carpet with ease, though fine flour on textured hard floors was a bit trickier.

It’s definitely a bit of a heavy beast, so moving it across deep pile rugs takes some effort. The included attachments are basic but cleverly stored in the back: a small floor/upholstery tool and a crevice tool. The hose suction is excellent, but I would have liked a dusting brush for added versatility. Overall, it’s excellent for commercial spaces, gyms, or workshops, but it feels a bit overkill for a typical home.