11 best upright vacuum cleaners for covering a lot of ground, fast

Score: 93/100

This top scorer aced our testing, earning full marks for its dust pick-up on all surfaces. It performed solidly when taking on pet hair too, lifting everything within two sweeps. Happily, there was none tangled in the brushes afterwards, either. The only area where it faltered was collecting dust from the edges of our room – but using the crevice tool should help capture any stubborn particles.

It’s a smooth mover too, gliding across all our flooring. Not to mention, its push and lift technology lets you remove the canister from the main body, which is helpful when moving from room to room or up the stairs, especially if you prefer carrying something less cumbersome. Finally, all controls are sturdy and straightforward to use.

Score: 91/100

If it feels like you spend all your time vacuuming behind your furry friends, this model will impress. One swift sweep was enough to lift all our ground-in pet hair, and none of it got caught on the brushes. It was a star on carpet too, sucking up 96% of the dust laid on short pile and rooting out more than the set amount on deep pile.

It tackled floor edges brilliantly, getting notably close to the wall for an upright. To increase reach on stairs, we suggest using the hose and lifting the canister from the body.

While a fairly bulky model, this has the largest dust capacity on our list. There's no onboard storage for accompanying tools, but our tester still found it easy to manoeuvre and lift.

Score: 90/100

Scoring full marks for its slick design, this vacuum would make a fantastic addition to any home. It’s easy to use, with intuitive controls and clear instructions, which means switching on the carpet brush is simple. As was turning it into a portable vacuum for tackling stairs; all you do is press a foot pedal. Its handle felt comfortable – a relief if you have a big house to clean – and it moved seamlessly across all floor types.

Performance-wise, it impressed with its dust pick-up across every surface. It was also a stand-out pet hair lifter – every strand we laid was lifted in one sweep, and thanks to its anti-twist technology, none got stuck in the brush head either.

Score: 90/100

This pet-specific model is similar in design to the Hoover vacuum above, except that it’s a different colour and comes with a mini rotating brush to help you lift fur from stairs and upholstery – simply press the foot pedal to turn it into a handheld then attach it to the end of the nozzle.

It scored a perfect ten for its pet hair pick-up, removing it from carpet in a single sweep, and its anti-twist mechanism stopped any longer strands from tangling around the brush roller. It struggled slightly on stairs, edges and corners – its large front frame blocked it from getting into crevices – but its strong, adjustable suction power helped it impress in our dust pick-up tests across all floor types.

Quick and easy to fit together, all its parts felt premium and its clearly-labelled buttons proved responsive. Testers did find the bin hard to empty fully. However, if you’ve got a dog or cat, they didn't consider that a dealbreaker and found this robust, reliable model the best choice for stubborn pet hair.

Score: 86/100

With a cord that’s over 10 metres long, this should make light work of most rooms, saving you from having to pause and change plug sockets mid-clean. It scored full marks for its swift pet hair removal, and it excelled at dust pick-up on all surfaces from laminate to floorboards.

On short pile carpet, its suction proved so powerful that it even lifted stubborn dirt that we hadn’t laid, meaning it picked up an average of 125%. However, it struggled somewhat on long pile carpet, removing just 79% of debris. When tackling stairs, it cleaned up to nine steps easily and testers found it lightweight and easy to manoeuvre. A wide array of tools (including a tangle-free tool and a combination tool) makes it a versatile choice.

Score: 84/100

Scoring full marks for its dust pick-up on short and long pile carpet, as well as floorboards, our testers were thoroughly impressed with this great value vacuum.

It glides smoothly over most floor types (a little extra effort is needed on long pile carpet) and all the controls are accessible and well-labelled. The hose only managed to reach up seven steps before tipping over and was a little stiff to move, but the vacuum can be transformed into a handheld model with the tap of a single pedal for better reach and flexibility.

Suction lacked a little oomph along the front of the floorhead, leaving dust behind on our edge cleaning test but the provided crevice tool should help with any corners and tight spaces. Pet owners will also love the ‘Pet Mate’ tool and WrapFree brush roll, which ensures no hairs get stuck as you vacuum.

Score: 83/100

You know that musty smell vacuums leave in their wake? Well, this new Shark model aims to eradicate that thanks to an innovative air freshener cartridge, which means it can neutralises nasty scents while gobbling up dirt. The premium model has impressive suction power too; it scored full marks for its pet hair pick up on every surface on test.

Its wide head makes navigating corners tricky, and the bin is a faff to empty, but it's otherwise easy to use with clear, illustrated instructions. It also proved pleasingly quiet – ideal if you have a nervous pet.

Score: 77/100

This handy Hoover weighs under 5kg, making it pain-free to carry around the house. It's also compact so you’ll likely find a nook to house it in, even if storage is tight. What’s more, its 1.5-litre canister has ample capacity for dust, so you won’t be emptying it too often.

On test, it proved consistently reliable, lifting almost 90% of dust from both carpet and hard floors. The head missed some dust in crevices and blew a little around, but it proved effective on floor edges.

It only took a couple of sweeps to pull up all pet hair; some did catch on the brush, but it didn’t tangle so was easy to loosen. Note, it only has one power mode, making it best suited for lighter, everyday cleans.

Score: 76/100

We weren’t sure this cordless would rival the traditional upright models on test, so we were pleasantly surprised by its performance. On hard floors, it picked up nearly all the dust laid down, and it lifted 80% from short pile carpet.

It made light work of pet hair, too, scoring perfect marks by pulling it all up in one sweep. It only struggled on deep pile carpet, so opt for another model if that’s your main floor type.

Our tester found it lightweight and easy to use, with clear, accessible controls. It’s also notably compact. It doesn't come with tools or a hose, limiting its ability to clean stairs, but this won’t trouble anyone living in a single-storey apartment or bungalow.

If you don’t like faffing around with a cord but need more capacity than a stick vacuum can offer, this Vax would be perfect.

Score: 74/100

It weighs 0.2kg more than the cordless Vax above, but this Russell Hobbs vacuum is the lightest of our traditional uprights. It will also set you back less than most, without compromising on performance. Our tester found it good on short pile carpet and even better on deep pile, where it picked up 92% of dust.

On hard floors, it was better still, lifting 93% and getting most specks out of crevices. That said, it did push dust around a bit.

It banished pet hair quickly but a little tangled on the brushes, which could get frustrating if your dog or cat is long-haired.

Its hose reached up eight stairs and its substantial 2-litre canister proved easy to empty. But if you have delicate flooring or rugs, you may want to look elsewhere; you can’t turn off its rotating brush, which could cause damage.

Score: 73/100

This upright won’t break the bank but will still provide a good clean. It lifted over 80% of dust from short pile carpet and averaged 89% on deep pile.

On hard floors, it improved again, lifting 93% and cleaning edges and crevices well. It did disperse some of the dust as it travelled, though, and its wheels trapped some in their ridges. It picked up pet hair in one sweep but this tangled slightly.

Its hose has a long reach and its 2.5-litre canister houses a lot of dust. The controls are straightforward, but it’s bulky and not the easiest to carry upstairs or store. And, as with the above Russell Hobbs model, you can’t turn off the beater bar.