At a look
Knowledgeable’s Score
Execs
- Highly effective suction
- Efficient anti-tangle rollers
- Good options and equipment
Cons
- Sensible options appear pointless
- Pointed cleansing head creates work
- Compactor bin doesn’t work effectively 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 necessary improve. Sure, it has some glorious options for properties 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 lower your expenses and go for the superb Gen5detect or V15s Submarine as an alternative, as these fashions have now come down in worth.
Worth When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Greatest Pricing At present
Worth When Reviewed
Not but out there within the US
Greatest Costs At present: Dyson V16 Piston Animal
To coordinate with this yr’s IFA, Dyson unveiled a raft of latest gadgets with deliberate launch dates effectively 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 however it has a key characteristic in frequent with final yr’s V15s Detect Submarine.
That’s the truth that it is available in two kinds: 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 sort out 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 out there for below £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 out there – 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 properties with pets.
When you have pets who shed fluff and fur throughout your property, that’s a real purpose 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 characteristic as you don’t want to alter the pinnacle 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 typically been crucial of Dyson’s wild colourways for the straightforward purpose that I don’t need my vacuum cleaner to be probably the most eye-catching factor in my house. However I’ve to say that the copper and black colourway of the Piston (albeit with crimson and purple accents) is basically fairly enticing.
By way of equipment, you’ll additionally get the hair screw device, which is designed to take away pet hair from upholstery, stairs and pet beds. There’s additionally a traditional crevice device, and a redesigned combi device with a comfortable brush that’s ideally suited 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 device 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 vastly helpful and far most well-liked the inline device on the Gen5detect, which has a brush for dusting.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Nonetheless, it’s an honest variety of instruments that cowl all kinds of cleansing across the house. I did miss a low-reach adaptor device – which helps you vacuum below sofas, because the Piston can’t fairly lie flat, and on prime of excessive cabinets – however you should buy 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, however it additionally compresses mud and dust so it might probably maintain as much as a month’s particles. This goes some method to bringing Dyson’s flagship cleaner according to the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, which comes with an auto-empty dock.
Most significantly, there’s no set off that that you must maintain right down to function the vacuum
I’ve this mannequin at house and the dock is an extremely helpful, time-saving characteristic. Excellent news then that Dyson is planning an identical dock that’ll be appropriate with the Piston.
The dustbin additionally has a wipe-clean, easy-empty mechanism that goals to minimise the quantity of poking round you’ll must do to empty it. I did discover it efficient, however there’s at all times 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 Enhance). There’s additionally an LCD display screen that exhibits the mode you’re in and the way for much longer you’ll be able to vacuum earlier than that you must cost.
Most significantly, there’s no set off that that you must maintain right down to function the vacuum.
The display screen 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 very least).
The V16 Piston additionally has good options. Join it to the MyDyson app (which was fast and simple in our check) and also you’ll have the ability to troubleshoot issues and entry data on filter effectivity and battery life. You can even regulate the comb velocity so it’s optimised on your flooring kind.
The MyDyson app is great however the options do really feel like an pointless add-on relatively than a compelling purpose 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) however it feels the identical within the hand. To me, it’s a reasonably heavy vacuum however that’s not an issue throughout extraordinary 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 primary cleansing head’s conical rollers have been extraordinarily efficient when it got here to repelling hair – however that wasn’t the case for your entire flooring head
The V16 Piston is manoeuvrable and I discovered it simple to swipe round a flooring. And it cleans effectively 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 simple to hoover proper as much as a wall that’s forward of you. The second is that it might probably’t lie flat to hoover below sofas, so I did need to shift furnishings round whereas utilizing it.
In some ways, I’m the perfect individual to check the Dyson Piston as my family accommodates two individuals with lengthy hair and a big, monstrously fluffy cat. By way of cleansing challenges, hairballs are far and away the most important 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 your entire 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 usually. To be truthful, that is the case with nearly each vacuum cleaner on the market.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The Piston has three cleansing settings: Eco, Auto and Enhance. In Eco mode, you’ll stand up to 70 minutes of cleansing time so long as you’re not utilizing a motorised attachment. For basic cleansing, which meant I modified the ability as obligatory, 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 if you’d like 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 typically adequate. That’s as a result of the V16 Piston has actually robust suction: it has 315 air watts, up from the Gen5detect’s 262AW.
However what does that really imply? In cordless vacuum cleaner phrases, it’s simply the strongest on-paper suction out there proper now. At full energy it’s way more than you’ll want for vacuuming floorboards or tile, and it ought to give carpet a radical clear.
However keep in mind that the Enhance setting is extremely loud and can solely provide you with round 10 minutes of cleansing earlier than that you must cost. A full cost can take as much as 4.5 hours however, because the vacuum comes with a charging wall dock, you’ll be able to preserve it topped up between cleans. You would additionally choose to purchase a second battery to swap out.
Lastly, I didn’t discover the bin compression mechanism notably helpful. When loads of what you’re vacuuming up is pet hair, it expands to fill the house, regardless 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 await 2026 to get their palms on the Dyson V16 Piston Animal. Within the UK, you should buy it now for £749.99 for the dry-only model and for £899.99 with the moist cleansing head. It’s out there on-line from Dyson UK, Currys and AO.com, amongst different retailers.
There’s no getting round the truth that it is a dear vacuum cleaner. However if you’d like a Dyson and you’ve got pets, that is the most effective mannequin to purchase. Nonetheless, in the event you’re simply searching for a robust Dyson cordless mannequin, I’d say that the Gen5detect is greater than adequate. It’s out there from Currys for £589 on the time of writing, and also you’ll have the ability to discover comparable offers everytime you’re prepared to purchase in the event you store round.
As I haven’t reviewed the total moist cleansing equipment, I can’t say for sure whether or not the Submarine cleansing head is value the additional £150. However we’ve got 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 most effective Dyson cordless vacuums. And to see our prime suggestions throughout all manufacturers, take a look at the most effective vacuum cleaners we’ve examined.
Must you 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 characteristic was a hit for me.
The pointed flooring head means you’ll be able to’t vacuum proper as much as a wall and as an alternative have to show the vacuum to wash alongside it. The compactor didn’t work effectively with giant quantities of pet fur – and I needed to empty the vacuum as usually as doable 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 superb vacuum cleaner with vastly highly effective suction, conical rollers that genuinely resist hair wrap, nice equipment and lengthy battery life.