At a look
Skilled’s Ranking
Professionals
- Highly effective suction
- Efficient anti-tangle rollers
- Good options and equipment
Cons
- Good options appear pointless
- Pointed cleansing head creates work
- Compactor bin doesn’t work properly with pet hair
Our Verdict
Like all Dyson flagship cordless vacuums, the V16 Piston Animal is highly effective and well-engineered. Nevertheless it doesn’t really feel like a vital improve. Sure, it has some glorious options for houses scuffling with pet fur. However another new options both don’t add a lot or are a little bit of a nuisance. Households with out pets can get monetary savings and go for the superb Gen5detect or V15s Submarine as a substitute, as these fashions have now come down in value.
Worth When Reviewed
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Finest Pricing Right now
Finest Costs Right now: Dyson V16 Piston Animal
To coordinate with this yr’s IFA, Dyson unveiled a raft of latest units with deliberate launch dates properly into 2026.
Chief amongst them was the gleaming new V16 Piston Animal, the newest in an illustrious line of cordless vacuums stretching again to the V8, which made its debut in 2016.
The V16 Piston Animal takes over from 2023’s Gen5detect as Dyson’s present flagship but it surely has a key function in frequent with final yr’s V15s Detect Submarine.
That’s the truth that it is available in two varieties: the Piston Animal and the Piston Animal Submarine. Purchase the latter and it comes with the Submarine 2.0 moist curler head for mopping. Which means you’ll get a whole-home cleansing system that may deal with vacuuming and mopping.
However you’ll pay for the privilege: the moist and dry mannequin presently prices a whopping £899.99, whereas the dry solely is priced at £749.99. That’s really lower than the Gen5detect at launch.
The issue is that the price of dwelling disaster has bitten laborious – and because the high-quality Gen5detect is now obtainable for underneath £600, does the V16 Piston Animal do sufficient to justify the additional spend?
Design and Construct
- Anti-tangle conical rollers on floorhead
- 1.3-litre compacting bin
- Pointed flooring head means extra manoeuvring
There are two fashions of the V16 Piston obtainable – the Animal and the Animal Submarine. We’re testing the previous mannequin: it’s a dry vacuum solely, and because the Animal a part of the identify suggests, it’s optimised for houses with pets.
You probably have pets who shed fluff and fur throughout your own home, that’s a real motive to go for this mannequin, as the principle flooring cleansing head has anti-tangle conical rollers that resist hair wrap.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
This cleansing head is optimised for each carpets and laborious flooring, a pleasant function as you don’t want to alter the top between rooms or while you come to a rug. It additionally options Dyson’s inexperienced LED illumination, which makes it a lot simpler to identify and goal hair and crumbs – a lot in order that I’ve taken to vacuuming at the hours of darkness.
As with all new Dyson merchandise, the equipment is neatly boxed in all-recyclable cardboard packaging, which is one thing we like to see.
I’ve usually been vital of Dyson’s wild colourways for the easy motive that I don’t need my vacuum cleaner to be probably the most eye-catching factor in my residence. However I’ve to say that the copper and black colourway of the Piston (albeit with purple and purple accents) is basically fairly enticing.
By way of equipment, you’ll additionally get the hair screw instrument, which is designed to take away pet hair from upholstery, stairs and pet beds. There’s additionally a basic crevice instrument, and a redesigned combi instrument with a mushy brush that’s best for dusting.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
However there are two extra instruments constructed into the Piston. Pop the wand off from the vacuum cleaner physique, or take away the instrument from the tip of the wand, and also you’ll discover inline nozzles for fast cleansing jobs.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
I didn’t discover these massively helpful and far most well-liked the inline instrument on the Gen5detect, which has a brush for dusting.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Nonetheless, it’s a good variety of instruments that cowl all sorts of cleansing across the residence. I did miss a low-reach adaptor instrument – which helps you vacuum underneath sofas, because the Piston can’t fairly lie flat, and on high of excessive cabinets – however you should purchase one individually for £35 (see it on Argos).
The Piston’s different large design innovation is its “CleanCompaktor” bin. It’s already bigger than the bin on most Dyson fashions at 1.3 litres, but it surely additionally compresses mud and filth so it will probably maintain as much as a month’s particles. This goes some strategy to bringing Dyson’s flagship cleaner in step with the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, which comes with an auto-empty dock.
Most significantly, there’s no set off that it’s essential maintain right down to function the vacuum
I’ve this mannequin at residence and the dock is an extremely useful, time-saving function. Excellent news then that Dyson is planning an analogous dock that’ll be suitable with the Piston.
The dustbin additionally has a wipe-clean, easy-empty mechanism that goals to minimise the quantity of poking round you’ll have to do to empty it. I did discover it efficient, however there’s all the time an odd strand of hair that will get caught and must be eliminated by hand.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The V16 Piston has two button operation: there’s an influence key and a second key to toggle between the three energy modes (Eco, Auto and Increase). There’s additionally an LCD display that exhibits the mode you’re in and the way for much longer you may vacuum earlier than it’s essential cost.
Most significantly, there’s no set off that it’s essential maintain right down to function the vacuum.
The display additionally exhibits what number of particles of every dimension the sensors are detecting at any time. I’ve by no means discovered it notably helpful to see, however the data is helpful to the vacuum itself: when it encounters extra mud and particles, it switches the ability up (in auto mode, at the least).
The V16 Piston additionally has good options. Join it to the MyDyson app (which was fast and easy in our check) and also you’ll have the ability to troubleshoot issues and entry data on filter effectivity and battery life. You may as well regulate the comb velocity so it’s optimised in your flooring kind.
The MyDyson app is great however the options do really feel like an pointless add-on somewhat than a compelling motive to maintain checking your telephone.
Efficiency and Options
- Heavy in handheld mode
- Highly effective suction
- Max 70 minutes of cleansing
At 3.4kg, the Piston weighs ever so barely lower than the Gen5detect (3.5kg) but it surely feels the identical within the hand. To me, it’s a reasonably heavy vacuum however that’s not an issue throughout bizarre vacuuming as its weight is well-distributed.
However in handheld mode, I did discover it heavy. When it got here to lifting it over my head to hoover blinds, I discovered it laborious to complete the job with out utilizing my different hand to assist it.
The principle cleansing head’s conical rollers have been extraordinarily efficient when it got here to repelling hair – however that wasn’t the case for the complete flooring head
The V16 Piston is manoeuvrable and I discovered it straightforward to swipe round a flooring. And it cleans properly to the sting of a room. However I discovered I had a few points with its design. The primary is that the ground head comes to a degree on the entrance, so it’s not as straightforward to hoover proper as much as a wall that’s forward of you. The second is that it will probably’t lie flat to hoover underneath sofas, so I did need to shift furnishings round whereas utilizing it.
In some ways, I’m the perfect particular person to check the Dyson Piston as my family accommodates two folks with lengthy hair and a huge, monstrously fluffy cat. By way of cleansing challenges, hairballs are far and away the largest downside. I discovered that the principle cleansing head’s conical rollers have been extraordinarily efficient when it got here to repelling hair – however that wasn’t the case for the complete flooring head.
On the bottom are tiny wheels to assist with manoeuvrability, and these did get gummed up with pet fur, which needed to be lower away commonly. To be truthful, that is the case with virtually each vacuum cleaner on the market.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Piston has three cleansing settings: Eco, Auto and Increase. In Eco mode, you’ll stand up to 70 minutes of cleansing time so long as you’re not utilizing a motorised attachment. For normal cleansing, which meant I modified the ability as crucial, I discovered I may simply clear for over 35 minutes earlier than I wanted to cost.
The Auto setting is what you’ll want to make use of in order for you the vacuum to adapt to your flooring kind (ie flip up the ability when it encounters extra mud or strikes from laborious flooring to carpet) however I discovered that Eco mode was usually ample. That’s as a result of the V16 Piston has actually sturdy suction: it has 315 air watts, up from the Gen5detect’s 262AW.
However what does that truly imply? In cordless vacuum cleaner phrases, it’s simply the strongest on-paper suction obtainable proper now. At full energy it’s far more than you’ll want for vacuuming floorboards or tile, and it ought to give carpet an intensive clear.
However keep in mind that the Increase setting is extremely loud and can solely offer you round 10 minutes of cleansing earlier than it’s essential cost. A full cost can take as much as 4.5 hours however, because the vacuum comes with a charging wall dock, you may maintain it topped up between cleans. You can additionally choose to purchase a second battery to swap out.
Lastly, I didn’t discover the bin compression mechanism notably helpful. When lots of what you’re vacuuming up is pet hair, it expands to fill the area, irrespective of what number of occasions you compress it. I used to be additionally detest so as to add extra weight to the vacuum cleaner by letting the bin fill as much as capability.
Worth and Availability
US customers must look ahead to 2026 to get their arms on the Dyson V16 Piston Animal. Within the UK, you should purchase it now for £749.99 for the dry-only model and for £899.99 with the moist cleansing head. It’s obtainable on-line from Dyson UK, Currys and AO.com, amongst different retailers.
There’s no getting round the truth that this can be a expensive vacuum cleaner. However in order for you a Dyson and you’ve got pets, that is the perfect mannequin to purchase. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re simply in search of a robust Dyson cordless mannequin, I’d say that the Gen5detect is greater than adequate. It’s obtainable from Currys for £589 on the time of writing, and also you’ll have the ability to discover related offers everytime you’re prepared to purchase if you happen to store round.
As I haven’t reviewed the complete moist cleansing equipment, I can’t say for sure whether or not the Submarine cleansing head is price the additional £150. However we have now reviewed and rated extremely final yr’s V15s Submarine. Just like the Gen5detect, you’ll have the ability to discover it on provide and it can save you your self a substantial quantity. Keep in mind although, that the V16 Piston mannequin comes with a redesigned 2.0 cleansing head that Dyson considers simpler.
To match the V16 Piston Animal to Dyson’s different cordless fashions, see our round-up of the perfect Dyson cordless vacuums. And to see our high suggestions throughout all manufacturers, take a look at the perfect vacuum cleaners we’ve examined.
Do you have to purchase the Dyson V16 Piston Animal?
In the event you don’t have pets, the V16 Piston Animal is an iterative replace that provides a handful of latest options and upgrades to an already glorious vacuum cleaner mannequin. Nonetheless, not like the Gen5detect, not each new function was a hit for me.
The pointed flooring head means you may’t vacuum proper as much as a wall and as a substitute have to show the vacuum to scrub alongside it. The compactor didn’t work properly with giant quantities of pet fur – and I needed to empty the vacuum as usually as potential to maintain its weight down. I additionally felt as if the good options have been extra of an obligation than a profit.
Nevertheless it’s nonetheless a wonderful vacuum cleaner with massively highly effective suction, conical rollers that genuinely resist hair wrap, nice equipment and lengthy battery life.