Dyson's cordless range now runs from a lightweight V8 to a flagship with a piston-driven motor. We compared the current line-up on suction, run time, weight and what each one is actually for.
Eleanor WhitfieldEleanor covers sleep, homes and the appliances that live in them. She has a low tolerance for products that are mostly marketing.
Dyson effectively invented the premium cordless vacuum and has spent a decade iterating on it. The result is a range where six machines all look broadly similar, cost wildly different amounts, and are suited to different homes.
The honest shortcut is this: run time and weight pull against each other, and bigger batteries make heavier machines. The right Dyson is the lightest one that still lasts long enough to finish your floors in a single go.
Straight to it For most homes the V15 Detect remains the sensible middle of the range. Buy the Gen5detect instead if allergies are the reason you are shopping: it is the one with whole-machine HEPA filtration.
Dyson's cordless range is now wide enough that the wrong choice is an expensive mistake.
Affiliate disclosure: Reviews Lounge earns a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no additional cost to you. Commissions never influence our rankings, scores or recommendations. Full disclosure.
The shortlist
The shortlist
Three machines covering the three situations most people are buying for: a large home, a dust-sensitive household, and a small flat.
Best overall
Dyson V16 Piston Animal
★★★★★4.7/ 5
Current flagshipAnti-tangleLarge bin
Dyson's newest and most powerful cordless, and the one the brand is currently pushing hardest. Built for larger homes with pets.
Three things still separate Dyson from the cheaper cordless machines that copy its shape.
Motors that justify the price
Dyson's digital motors spin far faster than conventional ones, which is how a machine this light moves this much air. It is the one part of the specification where the premium is visible in use.
Filtration that holds what it catches
The better models seal the whole machine, so fine dust leaves through the filter rather than the seams. For allergy households this matters more than raw suction, and it is where budget cordless machines usually fail.
A real accessory ecosystem
Heads for hard floors, carpet, hair, crevices and cars, and a dock that holds them. Converting to a handheld in a second is the feature owners end up using most.
Buying guide
How to choose the right one
Three questions settle this quickly. Answer them in order.
1
Start with floor type, not suction
Hard floors are best served by the laser-equipped heads on the Detect models, the light truly shows dust you would otherwise miss. Carpet rewards a motorised brush bar and raw power, which points up the range. Mixed floors are the normal case, and the machines that ship with both heads are worth the premium because swapping is the thing you will do daily.
2
Then be honest about how long you clean for
Headline run times assume the lowest power setting with a non-motorised tool. Using a powered head on carpet in boost mode will cut it dramatically – often to single-digit minutes. Work out roughly how long your floors take now, and buy a machine whose realistic run time covers it. Running out halfway is the single most common complaint about every brand's cordless.
3
Last, weigh the machine, literally
These are held up, not pushed along, so weight is felt in the wrist within minutes. The flagships are the heaviest machines in the range, and for a small flat or anyone with grip problems a lighter model is the better vacuum in practice even though it is worse on paper.
🔋 Batteries and run time
Batteries are consumables. Capacity fades over years of charge cycles, and a replacement is a significant fraction of the machine's price, worth factoring into the real cost of ownership. Some models take a removable battery, which makes replacement easy and allows a spare; check this before buying if you expect to keep the machine a long time.
Leave it on the dock. Lithium cells are happiest kept topped up rather than run flat, and a cordless vacuum that lives in a cupboard uncharged stops getting used within a month.
In-depth reviews
All 6, reviewed
Ranked by how well each one delivers on what it promises – not by price.
1
Best overall
Dyson V16 Piston Animal
★★★★★4.7/ 5
4.7Score
The flagship exists for people whose floors take a long time; if yours do not, the money is better spent further down the range.
Why we rate it
The V16 Piston Animal sits at the top of Dyson's current cordless line-up and is the machine the brand leads with on its own vacuum pages. It is aimed squarely at larger homes, pets and the kind of cleaning session that defeats a smaller battery, and it carries the biggest bin in the range so you are not stopping to empty it halfway round.
It is also the heaviest and most expensive option, and that matters more than the spec sheet suggests. A heavier machine is harder on the wrist at full stretch, and the extra capability is wasted on a flat that takes ten minutes to clean. Treat it as the right answer for a big house with pets, and the wrong answer for almost everyone else.
Position: current cordless flagship
Built for: larger homes and pet hair
Bin: largest in the cordless range
Trade-off: heaviest machine here
Pros
The most capable cordless Dyson currently sells
Large bin means fewer interruptions on a big clean
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
2
Best for allergies
Dyson Gen5detect
★★★★★4.6/ 5
4.6Score
Filtration is the specification that matters in an allergy household, and this is the model where Dyson seals the whole machine.
Why we rate it
The Gen5detect is the allergy machine. Dyson quotes whole-machine HEPA filtration, which is the meaningful claim: the entire body is sealed so fine dust leaves through the filter rather than escaping around it. Plenty of vacuums fit a HEPA filter; far fewer seal the machine around it, and that difference is what decides whether dander ends up back in the room.
Dyson's published figures put run time at up to 70 minutes, weight at 7.72 lb, bin volume at 0.2 gallons and charge time at 4.5 hours. Worth noting on suction: Dyson's own pages quote both 262 air watts and 280 air watts for this machine depending where you look, so we are not quoting an air-watt figure – check the listing for the exact variant you are buying.
Filtration: whole-machine HEPA
Run time: up to 70 min (Dyson's figure)
Weight: 7.72 lb
Bin / charge: 0.2 gal / 4.5 hrs
Pros
Sealed whole-machine HEPA filtration, not just a HEPA filter
Dyson's longest quoted run time in the cordless range
Strong choice for households with allergies or asthma
Laser head reveals fine dust on hard floors
Cons
Heavy for a cordless at 7.72 lb
Dyson quotes conflicting air-watt figures for this model
Small bin for a machine aimed at whole-house cleaning
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
3
Best for most homes
Dyson V15 Detect
★★★★★4.6/ 5
4.6Score
The V15 is the one that stops feeling like a compromise without starting to feel like an indulgence.
Why we rate it
The V15 Detect is where Dyson's range stops making you choose. It has the laser head that makes hard-floor cleaning truly better, the particle-sensing display that tells you when a patch is actually clean, and enough power and run time for a normal house, without the weight and cost of the flagships.
It is also the model whose extra features you will use daily rather than admire once. If you have a mix of hard floors and rugs, no specific allergy requirement and a house rather than a flat, this is the machine to start with, and the one to compare anything else in the range against.
Position: mid-range, Detect series
Hard floors: laser illumination head
Display: on-board particle sensing
Best for: mixed floor types
Pros
Best balance of power, run time and weight in the range
Laser head makes a real difference on hard floors
Lighter and cheaper than the flagships
Cons
Still not a light machine for extended overhead work
Does not have the Gen5detect's sealed HEPA filtration
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
4
Best for hard floors
Dyson V15s Detect Submarine
★★★★★4.5/ 5
4.5Score
It is the rare accessory that removes a chore instead of adding a feature; provided you actually have floors to mop.
Why we rate it
The Submarine is a V15 with a wet cleaning head in the box. The roller wets, washes and wipes hard floors in the same pass as you vacuum, which for a home with a lot of tile, vinyl or sealed wood removes the mopping step rather than simply duplicating it.
The caveat is obvious but worth stating plainly: on carpet the wet head is useless, so you are paying for something you would never fit. If your home is mostly carpeted, buy the standard V15 and keep your mop. If it is mostly hard floor, this is the most useful machine in the range.
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
5
Best lightweight
Dyson V12 Detect Slim
★★★★★4.3/ 5
4.3Score
For a small home, the lighter machine is the better vacuum, because it is the one that actually gets picked up.
Why we rate it
The V12 Detect Slim keeps the laser hard-floor head that makes the Detect range worth buying, in a noticeably lighter body. For a flat, a small house, or anyone with wrist or grip problems, that trade is overwhelmingly worth making, a lighter vacuum is easier to use above shoulder height and far less tiring over a full clean.
You give up outright power, run time and bin capacity against the models above. In a small home none of those limits bite; in a large one all three will. Be realistic about your floor area and this is an easy recommendation.
Weight: lighter than V15 and Gen5
Hard floors: laser illumination head
Bin: smaller than the flagships
Best for: flats and small houses
Pros
Much easier to handle, especially overhead
Keeps the laser head that makes hard floors easy
Easier to store in a small flat
Still unmistakably a Dyson in use
Cons
Smaller bin needs emptying more often
Less power and run time than the V15
Not enough machine for a large or heavily carpeted home
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
6
Best entry-level
Dyson V8
★★★★★4.2/ 5
4.2Score
Older, simpler and cheaper – and for a small flat or a second machine upstairs, that is the whole point.
Why we rate it
The V8 is the entry point and has been in the range a long time. It has none of the laser heads, particle sensors or screens of the Detect models, and that is rather the point: it is light, it is simple, and it costs substantially less than anything else here.
As a main vacuum for a house it is underpowered by modern standards, with a short run time and a small bin. As a second machine for upstairs, a small flat, a caravan or a car, it is still a capable cordless from a brand that supports its machines, and often the sensible purchase.
Position: entry level
Weight: light and simple to handle
Features: no laser, screen or particle sensing
Best as: second machine or small flat
Pros
By far the cheapest way into the Dyson range
Light and actually easy to use
Converts to a handheld like the rest of the range
Cons
Short run time and small bin
None of the Detect features that define the modern range
We may earn a commission from this link, at no extra cost to you.
Methodology
How we chose these picks
We assess products on construction and claims we can verify — not on which brand pays most.
Claims checked against spec
We test marketing claims against the actual published construction and specification, rather than taking a product name at face value.
Like for like within a range
Every product in a guide is judged against its siblings, so the ranking reflects what you actually choose between.
Certification and durability
Independent certification, materials and build quality all feed into the score, not just headline features.
Matched to real people
A score means nothing without context, so every pick states who it suits, and who should skip it.
Total cost of ownership
We weigh what's included and what isn't, because delivery, fees and accessories change the real price.
No sponsored rankings
Brands cannot buy a position. Affiliate commissions fund the site but never determine the order or the wording.
FAQ
Worth knowing
Which Dyson is best for pet hair?
Any of the models with a motorised, anti-tangle head will handle pet hair, so the question is really about capacity and filtration. If someone in the house is allergic, prioritise the sealed whole-machine HEPA filtration on the Gen5detect, catching the hair matters less than not blowing the dander back out.
If it is purely volume of hair rather than allergies, the mid-range Detect models are enough, and the money is better spent on a second charging dock upstairs.
How long do Dyson batteries actually last?
A battery's stated run time is the best case: lowest power, non-motorised tool, fresh cell. In normal mixed cleaning with a powered head, expect considerably less, and in boost mode far less again.
Over years, capacity fades with charge cycles as with any lithium battery. Replacements are available and on some models the battery is removable, which makes this a repair rather than a reason to replace the machine.
Is the laser on the Detect models a gimmick?
It is more useful than it sounds, but only on hard floors. The light is angled very low across the floor so fine dust casts a shadow, and it reveals dust that is invisible under normal room lighting.
On carpet it does nothing useful, because the dust sits down in the pile rather than on a flat surface. If your home is mostly carpeted, do not pay extra for it.
Cordless or a corded upright?
For most homes, cordless has won on convenience, and convenience is what determines whether a vacuum gets used. For a large, heavily carpeted house, a corded machine still moves more dust per hour and never runs out mid-job.
A reasonable compromise many people land on: a cordless as the everyday machine, kept on a dock, and an older corded vacuum kept for occasional deep cleaning.
Which one, then?
For most homes the V15 Detect is the right balance of power, run time and weight. Go up to the Gen5detect for allergies, or down to the V12 if weight in the wrist is your main concern.
Compare current Dyson prices
Specifications were taken from Dyson's published information and change between regions · Confirm before buying
From the best-selling Classic to the adjustable Solaire and the pain-focused Rx – we compared every mattress in Saatva's lineup and matched each one to a sleep style, body type and budget.
Samsung's 2026 range runs from a 165Hz QD-OLED flagship to a Micro RGB LCD and an art panel that hides in plain sight. Here's which one belongs in your room.
