Put children, food and cars together, and you will invariably end up with a mess. Yet grubby cabins can harm your vehicle’s value come resale time. So, a mini vacuum cleaner is a good investment – and here, we pick the best buy for you.

There are three types to choose from: cordless (denoted in our test with a C), 12-volt portable (P) and 230V mains (M).

Where you live will usually be a big factor in your decision. If you have on-street parking, a cordless or a 12V model is a wise buy. But if you have a driveway, a mains product may be the right one for you.

The test
We put 10 vacuums through our tough trial.