I have nothing to recommend, but I am leery of vacs aimed for the automotive market. I tend to think they are under-powered.

You need to be searching for hand held. I would look at good quality brands and go from there. Black & Decker, craftsman, bissel, etc. Shark makes one that gets good reviews. Google for reviews and then look for best prices.

Oakley, I don't have a personnel recommendation. As much as I love my Dyson cordless stick vac, which can also function as a handheld, I don't feel it does a particularly great job on my car. But my go-to for product comparisons is always Wirecutter, which is a NYT publication. I've linked to their article on handheld vacuums. It's dated April 2021 so should be up to date.

Wirecutter Handheld Vacuums Review

I ordered the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Lithium Ion Cordless Hand Vac last year after having Black and Decker for years. I think Jinx might have recommended it to me, very happy with it so far.

I've had two of these for a few years - they work well indoors. I've not tried in the car and I use on hard surfaces. Not sure how it would work on carpet especially in a car.

Handheld vac

I bought the same Bissell as Eileen based on recs here and am very happy with it. I kind of wish it had a small hose for getting into tricky spots in the car, under seats etc, but all in all I am very happy with it.

I posted this one yesterday in your other thread. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CCYLBZ0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Regretfully, it is not $50; it is $90 but it does a good job.

I have a hard time believing any $50 cordless vac is going to be any good. (sorry but I've been burned by Black and Decker so many times, I just don't trust them anymore.) the cheapest model wirecutter recommends is too fat to get into tight areas and the run time is supposedly only 12 minutes (a bunch of reviewers on on Amazon says it's actually more like 10). the older it gets, the shorter the run time. and the battery is not replaceable.

If it needs to be cheap, small and powerful, then get corded. Would it be that hard to use a long extension cord? or a shop vac, which has a long hose and multiple other uses.

Tina, I forgot to write hand held. The two links above have that type.

Gray, I had one of the original Dustbusters and threw it away.

Best, I'm definitely going to take a look. Nothing worse than giving someone a cruddy vacuum.

Eileen, Amazon's is out of that model but I'll look elsewhere for it if that's what I decide on, except I don't want to pay that much in case DS doesn't like it. I also need to make sure the vacuums run long enough to do one vehicle at a time before recharging.

Bpath, doesn't your Bissell have a crevice tool?

My Bissell does have a crevice tool, but in tight spaces I’d like something where the vacuum can be a foot or two away and a little hose can twist to get behind something where thee is no other way to get there. Oh, and I got it at Target. But that was 6 months ago or so.

Bestyears, may I ask why you feel the Dyson doesn't do particularly well for the car? If it's access, do you have a hose? Mine didn't come with one but they're available on Amazon.

But if you use the ones at the car wash, how do you get your loose change and dropped earrings back?

I’m so glad some of you like the Bissell. I use mine near-daily. I’ve had two handheld Dysons and some other brands, none worked as well for me. I paid under $80 for it, well worth the price. I just wish it had come with a wall mount, like the Dysons.

I refuse to use public vacuum hoses after being at the car wash one day and seeing what a nearby person was vacuuming up. I felt very sorry for whomever would be rubbing that hose all over their car next.

Back to the Bissell — the battery on mine lasts just fine for regular vehicle vacuums. If it’s heavy-duty stuff, like spilled mulch, I use the shop vac.

Seattle, I'm old enough to remember when Black & Decker was the be all and end all. No more.

Using a corded handheld would take longer. He never lets his truck get pitted out on the inside, if he did I would buy a corded vac. Cordless is much more convenient but it has to have decent suction.

Like Jinx said, if the interior is a pit, he'd use out shop vac. I love the shop vac, those things are so cheap and super duper powerful.

Jinx, would you post a link to the Bissell you use? If it's good I'll pay more.

I bought the bissell referenced above by cutting and pasting the name and doing a google search. I got it from Bissell directly for $58. 2 min google search and 2 min to order while sitting in the waiting room at the dr.

But honestly, when I drove, I used a shopvac for my car... that or my hoover backpack vacuum.

Just curious.. what makes this an ASAP emergency?

ETA Link: and i got a discount for signing up for emails and a rebate from rakutan. There are higher priced ones but still less than $75 with the discount.

Handheld Vacuums, Portable Vacuums & Car Vacuums | BISSELL®

It’s this one:

Bissell

Thanks Jinx! Funky, because some items ordered for Christmas may not arrive in time because of overseas shipping. Even if an item is "made in America" the nuts and bolts they use could be sitting in a ship off China. News stations have been warning us for a couple of months now to get shopping done soon. Besides, having everything bought takes a load of stress off me.

I've got a "shopping cart" full of outfits for the kids, waiting to verify one's size. Then I'll just have to pick up little extras, books, stickers, hairbows, etc. Most websites will tell you if item is available and expected ship date.

I gave away a handheld vac years ago. It's just not my thing. We have a shop vac that has all the bells and whistles (attachments) and that's what the Mr. uses for our vehicles.

@Funkyart you made me laugh!

Oakley, one thing to consider when buying a vac for using in a car; be sure that it has a hose, otherwise, it's very awkward trying to get into hard to get to places in your car. I have a Black and Decker one and it cleans OK but you can hardly vacuum anything more than just the opened spaces like the front floor and that's about it. I think I would look into the one that BBSTX posted as it has a hose. If you could find a cordless small shop vac, that would work great. You simply cannot get into tight places with the average hand held vac.

Oakley, I know this is more than $50, but DH swears by his battery powered Ryobi tools. I use this little gem all the time. It is very portable and strong. And HD will ship to you.

If you dont like this, try searching shop vacs instead of hand held vac. There are several smaller ones.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-3-Gal-Project-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-with-Accessory-Storage-Tool-Only-P3240/303579585?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&&mtc=Shopping-VF-F_D25T-G-D25T-025_009_PORT_POWER-RYOBI-NA-NA-SMART-2231655-WF-SMARTSHOPPING_Q1Q2PLUS+UP+PL2&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_D25T-G-D25T-025_009_PORT_POWER-RYOBI-NA-NA-SMART-2231655-WF-SMARTSHOPPING_Q1Q2PLUS+UP+PL2-71700000083187721-58700007049582706-92700063451361509&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Uf44TVrdi0IoMCg2FaoNUc6P&gbraid=0AAAAADq61Uf44TVrdi0IoMCg2FaoNUc6P&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4OMBhCUARIsAILndv6CtNQ2Xy59j0vdBGrDUAnmos5ZIqY8z0YB838MBPsKSHsMoAUBTpwaAkrDEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Even though we have a large shop vac that DS can walk over and get, I think I might get one for him. I need to make sure he doesn't have one first. They're inexpensive and the suction is a 100 times stronger than any top dollar indoor vacuum cleaner. Okay, I exaggerated, but nothing beats it.

NIX the handheld vacs, off to shop-vacs!