Detailing your car can be fun, but challenging sometimes. I know I’ve had plenty of experience detailing it myself since my grandpa owned a detailing shop for 20 years (and I worked there several summers in high school). But finding the best carpet cleaner for cars in 2019 shouldn’t be difficult since we have all this great technology now.
So I created this little walk-through to help people uncover their best car vacuum cleaner based on their specific needs. Here’s what I found:
QUICK NOTE: In case you came looking for something else… This article is specifically about CAR CARPET VACUUM CLEANERS.
If you want to see more of a spray/shampoo click here.
If you want to see more of an upholstery cleaner click here.
Page Contents
Best Carpet Cleaner For Cars Quick Comparison Guide
here
The Best Carpet Cleaner For Cars Reviews
So we are going to give you 6 reviews to consider. With 2 in each major category that we feel is useful to you. The categories are wall-mounted, corded, and cordless. You can choose which category you like best, and which vacuum in each category makes sense for you. Let’s start with our recommended category: corded portable car vacuums.
Workshop Wet-Dry Portable Auto Vacuum WS0301VA
“The best overall VALUE for the money car carpet cleaner”
This WORKSHOP brand vacuum cleaner is the ideal combination of good price, good functionality and good portability. That’s why we ranked it first in our list. It’s the best of all worlds in my opinion.
PROS:
- Great value for the money
- Handles both wet and dry
- Extremely portable with handle
- Weighs about 12lbs.
- Decent 3.5 HP motor
- Decent drum size of 3 gallons
- Versatile to use in your home
- Locking hose tab
- Several accessories including dust brush and wand
CONS:
- Not enough suction power for HP
- Wet Vac filter not high quality
- Shorter cord length at 10FT
- Car nozzle tool still pretty large to use
The WORKSHOP Auto Vac is a great overall value. It’s not super expensive for a portable vacuum, but it delivers decently well on suction and portability. It’s got some nice features like a handle for carrying and plenty of accessories. Overall, it’s our first recommendation if you need something simple but effective that fits within a budget.
My two favorite features on this vacuum are the 3.5 HP motor and the locking hose tab. The motor size is quite large for how small this vacuum looks. This should provide enough suction to do most things in a car, but probably won’t pick up larger pieces of debris.
And the locking hose is extremely helpful to prevent the hose from popping off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve popped the hose off my vacuum in the middle of vacuuming. I would get so frustrated and I assume you feel the same.
I also love how portable this vacuum is. That awesome handle design makes this extremely easy to pull into and out of any car or truck. I used to have the clunky shop-vac style of vacuum and that was just a crazy hassle to move around. I definitely love portability now!
Obviously this vacuum isn’t perfect. It’s got some downfalls. Like the overall suction power; it’s not as good as some other vacuusm on the market. If you need more heavy-duty cleaning because you have a big truck that gets messy, you may need a bigger vacuum. If you typically get your car or truck wet and need the wet vac feature, you might need a different model.
This is just a good overall value vacuum. If you have nothing and want a good starting point, check out this WORKSHOP Dry-Wet Vacuum here on Amazon.
Shark Rocket TruePet Corded Hand Vacuum
“The best quality handheld corded vacuum for car carpet cleaning pet hair”
Shark is a well known brand that brings quality to everything they do. I personally own a Shark brand upright vacuum that made many lists here. They deliver on the good stuff, but it does come at a premium cost.
PROS:
- Extremely lightweight (under 4 lbs)
- Excellent on vacuuming pet hair
- Longer 15FT power cord
- Bagless design
- Multiple accessory tools
- Great suction for the size
- Versatile to use indoors
CONS:
- More expensive for handheld vacuum
- Slightly cumbersome design for cars
- Extendable hose is weak design
- Struggles with large items
The Shark Rocket TruePet is a fantastic choice for pet owners. Especially those who bring their pets in the car with them regularly. Check out another article here where we went in depth on the best dog carpet cleaning vacuums.
The best aspect of the Shark TruePet is the portability. It weighs less than 4 pounds in total which makes this extremely easy to haul around. And with a 15 foot cord, it can get pretty far in your garage or home.
Obviously we’ve mentioned the good quality it does on pet hair. And that’s because of the unique TruePet motorized brush attachment that comes with the Shark. It’s a brilliant design for a handheld vacuum that combines the hard-working brush aspect of an upright vacuum with the portability of a handheld. And many other people have loved how well it handles pet hair.
And for its size, the Shark has solid suction power. Many handheld vacuums lack comparable power to an upright vacuum, but this Shark gets the ball very close in comparisons. So it can tackle tough dirt and debris in most vehicles.
But the Shark doesn’t come without flaws. There’s the obvious one that is cost. This handheld car vacuum is slightly more expensive than many other options out there. So it’s not the best option for everyone. However, if you have pets in your car constantly, this one is worth the extra dollars.
The other drawback is the slightly awkward design. This handheld vacuum was originally designed for home use where space is abundant. But in cars, it’s tougher to maneuver. I chose this vacuum though, because of the pet aspect so the design will have to do in order to have that motorized brush.
The Shark is a solid choice with great suction. If you want to see more, check out the Shark Rocket TruePet here on Amazon.
HoLife Handheld Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
“The best quality cordless car carpet cleaning vacuum”
So yes that name on the vacuum is real. And yes it is a real product from a real company. If you can get past the initial giggles of the vacuum name, you’ll come to see that it’s actually a great quality cordless car vacuum.
PROS:
- Cordless design for ultimate portability
- Large 14V battery for 30 minutes of use
- Extremely lightweight under 2.5 lbs
- 100ml liquid suction capacity
- Low noise production at 78dB
- Dual filter design
- Multiple accessories tools
CONS:
- Poorer suction on small debris and hair
- Can’t use soap on filters to clean
- Only operates for 30 minutes
- Takes 3+ hours to charge battery
The number one aspect of this vacuum is its insane portability. At less than 3 lbs and with a lithium ion battery, this vacuum can truly go anywhere you need. That includes inside your home or outdoors in any vehicle you may own.
And since it can do both wet and dry vacuuming, you won’t have to worry about little liquid spills being cleaned up also. You may wonder how much is 100ml of liquid anyway? Well it’s the same amount that you’re allowed to bring on an airplane. So it’s not a ton, but definitely better than nothing.
And with the its 4 tool accessories, you’ll have plenty of versatility in the types of messes you can clean up. There is a rubber jar tool for liquid messes, a crevice tool (which is standard), a brush tool and a dusting tool. Many of these come standard with most vacuums, so you’ll know how to use them instantly.
And lastly it’s got easy to replace dual filtering inside. Filters are all the rage with vacuums these days. Everyone is talking about HEPA filtration and the high quality filters that continue to evolve. Now this HoLife vacuum doesn’t have HEPA, but it does have two simple filters that are easy to clean.
Here’s the biggest downside to this HoLife vacuum. You CANNOT use soap to clean or wash the filters. Many people have tried and it actually destroys the filter itself and renders the vacuum useless. It is stated in the instruction manual NOT to use soap, but I’m reminding you here because it’s so critical.
The other downside is the minimal run time. I have larger vehicles so 30 minutes isn’t always long enough to clean everything. These battery powered car vacuums may be best suited for spot cleanup instead of heavy duty cleans. So keep that in mind.
Overall, if you need a super portable and reliable car vacuum, check out this HoLife Handheld Cordless Vacuum here on Amazon.
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Handheld Vacuum
“The best cordless car vacuum for pet hair.”
A big company in Bissell that most people recognize for their vacuums and other cleaning products. This little handheld vacuum is definitely a solid creation from them and it highlights the specialty right away – pet hair!
We’ve had Bissell products several times on our lists. Like here.
PROS:
- Cordless design for maximum portability
- Lithium Ion battery
- Excellent on pet hair
- Lightweight at 4 lbs
- Triple layer filter
- Bagless design
- Multiple accessory tools
CONS:
- Small battery that’s only rated for 17 minutes
- Difficult to replace filters
- Accessory tools don’t fit well
Overall, Bissell usually creates solid products out in the world. I believe this Pet Eraser Cordless Vacuum is one of those solid creations. It is obviously designed for pet owners, and in our case – pet owners who bring them into their cars.
The best feature on this vacuum is the suction power that is strong enough to get stubborn pet hairs up. If you have a pet like me, you know this pain well. And having a portable little vacuum handy can be a true life-saver for your car.
And obviously the next great feature is the portability. With the lightweight design at 4 lbs and the lithium ion batter, this little vacuum can go anywhere. And it’s a much more compact design than several other vacuums we’ve discussed. It will fit in more nooks and crannies in your car than a few other car vacuums cleaners on this list.
On the downside, the battery life of this vacuum is sub-par. With only a 17 minute run time, this little vacuum is truly meant for spot cleaning only and not a full-duty cleanup of a car or truck. So that is very disappointing. But truthfully, looking at all the options available, I don’t think there is a great option for cordless car vacuums cleaners. You’ve got to make sacrifices in one area or another because battery life technology still isn’t there.
The other downside about this Bissell vacuum is the non-washable filter. Many people have commented about this so you need to be warned now. The filter is “rinse-able” but you CANNOT use soap on this filter. Of any kind. The soap erodes a special chemical that surrounds the filter and once that chemical is gone, the filter is completely useless (thus making suction power basically zero). So just use water for rinsing this filter or you’ll end up having to buy tons of filters.
Here’s the bottome line for this vacuum, if you have pets that come in your car often, you’ll definitely want to consider this for spot cleaning of hair. Check out more on the Bissell Pet Eraser Cordless Vacuum here on Amazon.
WORKSHOP Wet-Dry Heavy Duty Vacuum For Cars
“The best VALUE traditional shop vacuum for cars and trucks”
This more standard and traditional drum-style shop vac is a great choice for most people. It has enough drum size and power to handle nearly everything for the average user. Only heavy wood-working or metal working people should look for more power.
PROS:
- Extremely durable to handle both wet and dry
- Huge 12-gallon drum
- Strong suction with 5HP motor
- Long 7 FT hose
- Long 15 Ft cord
- Locking tabs for hose connection
- HEPA filtration
CONS:
- Larger and clunkier for less portability
- Poor storage design for accessories
- Hose connections are mediocre in quality
This finally brings us to the more traditional shop vacuums on the market. These are what most people are familiar with then thinking of the best car carpet cleaning machine. And shop vacs are a great investment, but most often they are overkill for what you need to clean car carpets.
The obvious benefits of traditional shop vacs like this WORKSHOP model are it’s suction power. None of the other vacuums on this list come close to the insane suction power here. But you won’t always need this much power in cleaning car carpets (some will need it, but most won’t).
The WORKSHOP vacuum also comes at a reasonable price. For the heavy duty cleaning that you can do with this shop vac, it’s very well priced.
Lastly, you combine the HEPA filter with a 12 gallon drum and you can vacuum for ages continuously. That’s a nice feature.
The downsides are obvious. When you move to a shop vac, you lose portability. Yes having a 15 foot power cord and 7 foot hose are amazing, but it doesn’t always help. We all know the struggle of vacuuming a car while dragging a shop vacuum by the hose. The hose always falls out and you spend more time reconnecting everything than actually vacuuming.
And that was a commend some people made about this vacuum. The “locking tab” feature isn’t as secure as you’d like. So accessories and hoses still fall out sometimes. This can be extremely annoying.
My final opinion is this. If you need a heavier duty vacuum (or you just prefer shop vacs for your car), this is a great value! Check out the WORKSHOP Wet-Dry Shop Vac here on Amazon.
VacMaster Wet-Dry Beast Mode Shop Vacuum
“The great option for needing higher suction power at a good price”
PROS:
- Extremely durable to handle both wet and dry
- Strong suction with 5.5 HP motor
- Long 7 FT hose
- Long 20 Ft cord
- Great on-board storage for hose & accessories
- Multiple accessories to use
CONS:
- Larger and clunkier for less portability
- Small drum size at 5 gallons
- Using bags inside the drum is poorly designed
- Extension accessories don’t stay well
In truth, there isn’t much difference between this VacMaster shop vac and the WORKSHOP vacuum mentioned earlier.
The small difference are this. The VacMaster has a longer cord at 20 feet. And it also was designed to have better storage of the hose and accessories. And lastly, the VacMaster has slightly more suction power by leveraging a 5.5 HP motor.
And on the downside, if you use bags in your shop vac (which I personally don’t), you might have trouble attaching the internal bag. That design wasn’t created well so the bag struggles to stay in place.
Other than those small difference, it’s a very similar shop vacuum for car carpets compared to the others on the market.
You can see more about the VacMaster Wet-Dry Shop Vac here on Amazon.
Car Vacuum Carpet Cleaner Buying Guide
There’s a few key measures you’ll want to think about before purchasing a carpet cleaner for your car. So let’s jump into them quick so we can be on the same page. And I can provide you the best recommendation based on your specific needs.
Wall Mounted Carpet Cleaners for Cars
There’s some types of vacuums that mount to a wall in your garage or home. Think of the types of vacuums you’d find in a car wash. These are higher grade and more industrial car vacuums. If you have the means and the ability, these are a great option.
They handle tough dirt, mud, ice and other chaos that can happen in a car. Or if you’re like me, all the kids and toddler mess that comes along with… well, everything!
The biggest downside is their lack of mobility and upfront cost. These aren’t cheap, and you need a super long hose to make them work well for you. These aren’t our first recommendation, but you can use them if you want.
Corded Carpet Vacuums For Cars
The more traditional model of carpet cleaner vacuums is a corded drum vacuum. These are the ones everyone knows well and we see commonly in someone’s driveway on a Saturday afternoon.
Although they are a little bigger and clunkier, they provide excellent cleaning at an affordable price.
They have strong suction for almost any demand. And they can store well in a good-sized garage. If you are budget conscious, these are definitely something to look at.
Cordless Car Vacuum Cleaners
The new and improved models are now battery powered car carpet cleaners. They are extremely portable and offer a wide variety of sizes and shapes to fit nearly every car.
These are ideal for quick spot cleanup and smaller vehicles. And you can easily travel with one on your daily commutes. Many of them even perform well with pet hair.
However, they are a little more expensive because of the high quality batteries. And the other downside is that they have shorter run times. If you have large vehicles, these likely won’t do a full cleaning for you.
Lastly, don’t forget that sometimes cordless vacuums can have less suction power than the corded versions. So keep that in mind as you keep hunting for the best carpet cleaner for cars in 2019.
What To Look For When Buying A Carpet Cleaner For Cars?
Here’s a few important pieces to consider about your car carpet vacuum cleaner.
Portability
Do you need something really portable? It seems like an obvious question, but still something that should be mentioned. Do you have a huge vehicle with a lot of tight spaces of nooks? Then you might need something with a battery that is also lightweight.
Or do you have a smaller vehicle that always sits in a nice garage? Then, you might be able to work with a wall-mounted version since it’s always in a garage.
Probably the most common one we will recommend is a smaller, more portable corded car vacuum cleaner. Because it will be a good middle ground for most users and their vehicle.
Power & Capacity
Since most car mats are made of a tough rubber underside and a carpeted top side, you’ll need a vacuum with enough power to truly clean those dirty areas. So don’t skimp on power when investigating a great car carpet cleaning machine.
Also, don’t forget that the vacuumed dirt has to go somewhere. We usually recommend bagless (canister) type vacuums for cars since you’re usually outside. And dumping the canister contents into an outside garbage can isn’t as risky as dumping it inside.
So you’ll want to insure you’re getting a dust canister large enough to handle a full car. Seems silly to think this is worth mentioning, but trust me it is.
Lastly, if you’re going with a battery-powered option, make sure the battery is large enough to handle at least 1 full vehicle. Regardless of your vehicle size. This will be a huge headache if you only buy one battery and find out the vacuum can’t operate the entire time you need to clean your car.
So pay attention to battery size and estimated run time. You should assume that most cars will take at least 40 minutes to fully vacuum (depending on the size). And with the power you will need for these tough jobs, not all batteries are created equal.
Warranty
Just a quick note on warranty. Most everyone knows a new car carpet vacuum will have. But just keep it in mind real quick as you glance around. Most companies (at least major ones) are good about their warranty. And you should expect no less than a full year of coverage.
Price
Obviously we can’t have a car vacuum buying guide without mentioning price. Clearly price has it’s level of importance, but that’s an individual determination. Only you know how much you’re willing to spend on a car carpet vacuum. But remember, the saying is usually true – you get what you pay for. So don’t skimp too much.
Wrapping This All Up
Well I hope you’ve enjoyed this article reviewing the best carpet cleaner for cars in 2019. As you can see, there’s several categories depending on what you truly need for your car (and how messy your car gets).
If if were me, I would probably go with something like the WORKSHOP portable vacuum. It comes at a great price and is solid enough to handle most aspects of car carpet cleaning.
Also feel free to check out some other great reviews for vacuum cleaners. Like this one on vacuums for carpeted stairs.
If you have another brand or model you love, feel free to comment below and share. We’re always open to new ideas and carpet cleaners here! Thanks for stopping by!
