Armor All, AA255, 2.5 Gallon 2 Peak HP Wet/Dry Utility Shop Vacuum, Orange

Why it's worth it

This is a compact shop vacuum, not a handheld, and that's the point. The 2.5-gallon wet/dry tank swallows a spilled drink, a muddy floor mat, or a beach day's worth of sand without stopping, as long as you have a wall outlet nearby.

Wet pickup is a capability nothing else here has. A toddler's sippy cup goes over, a soda spills on the carpet, or you come back from a rainy campsite with soaked mats. Every handheld in this guide is dry-only, and using one on liquid ruins it. The AA255 sucks it up and keeps going. If that scenario is part of your life, the decision is basically made.

The 2.5-gallon tank means you clean without interruption. You can do a full three-row interior — carpets, mats, cargo area — without emptying once. Handheld bins fill in a minute on a serious mess. That volume is what makes this the right tool for a quarterly deep clean instead of a weekly tidy.

From our review of 9 portable car vacuums, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +Wet pickup is a capability nothing else here has
• +The 2.5-gallon tank means you clean without interruption
• +The 2 Peak HP motor moves debris that lighter vacuums just push around
• +Blower mode solves the vents-and-jambs problem

What to know

• –It needs a 120V wall outlet
• –It's the biggest and heaviest thing in this guide
• –It's loud and it's a shop vacuum