Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine Review: Powerful but Pricey

Comes with two cleaner heads, or three if you upgrade to the Submarine variant. Has crevice tools built into the wand and handheld motor. Packs 315 AW of suction.

The higher suction doesn't make a crazy impact on regular vacuuming. The docking station isn't available yet and will carry an additional fee. The Submarine head is also an add-on accessory, and it doesn't come with Dyson's cleaning solution.

Dyson's newest headliner is here: the Dyson V16 Piston Animal, along with a Submarine version that includes a wet cleaner head. The V16 is now Dyson’s most powerful stick vacuum, unseating the Gen5Detect ($840), which held that title since 2023. This new model reports 315 air-watts (AW) of power, which is a big step up from the Gen5's 262 AW. The latest update also includes a new style of cleaner head designed for vacuuming both soft and hard floors—the All Floor Cones Sense cleaner head—which expertly tackled all floor types and debris during my testing. But is newer and more powerful always better? While the Dyson V16 is an all-around great vacuum, I’m not sold on that being the case.

With the new cleaner head, the Submarine variant for mopping, and compatibility with the docking station that's due out later this year, the V16 has better add-on options than any other vacuum from the brand. But the older Gen5Detect still holds up against the V16—and will cost you much less. Ultimately, the V16 Piston Animal is the vacuum to get if you really want the add-ons. But if you just want a great Dyson vacuum, there are plenty of cheaper options.

New Vac on the Block

The Dyson V16 Piston Animal (and its Submarine variant, the model I'm testing) arrives five years after the previous model in its line, the V15 Detect. The V16’s “Animal” designation—a term long associated with Dyson—refers to the Piston’s specialized hair-screw attachment for cleaning pet hair. Its biggest change, though, is its new All Floor Cones Sense cleaner head that adapts to different types of flooring, responding in about a second when you switch from hard floors to carpet or a rug.

You’ll know it recognizes the surface correctly because on hard floors a green dust light turns on, and on soft floors, you’ll hear the suction power increase. This function worked well for me as I moved around between rugs and hard floors in my home. I also tested how well the vacuum could handle various debris I put in its path, but the All Floor Cones Sense head didn't always outperform the older Motorbar head.

The Piston has Eco, Auto, and Boost modes. During testing, Auto mode adjusted based on the debris it sensed for either hard or soft flooring. You can control these modes using the silver button on the built-in LCD screen. Notably, Dyson released three new stick vacuum models this summer (the V10 Konical and the V8 Cyclone also dropped in June), and the Piston is the only one with a screen.

Among its other highlights, the V16 also has two built-in crevice tools: one at the end of the handheld motor and another at the end of the detachable wand. These tools are shorter and wider than the crevice attachment head that you’ll also get with this vacuum, but the built-in capability is handy for addressing a specific spot quickly, without needing to hunt down all of your accessories.

There's a dust-compactor tool built into the dust bin, which aims to help you get out the debris. But I still had to grab and yank off fluffy debris from the dustbin. You'll also be able to dock the V16 at a self-emptying docking station, but that accessory won't be out until later this year—and you’ll have to buy it for an added fee. There's also a handy little red tube you can tug on to release the vacuum head without needing to bend down or lift the entire vacuum, which is a feature I really like.

Head to Head

The V16 Piston Animal’s 315 AW makes it inarguably powerful, but I didn't find that its higher suction capability necessarily outperformed the rest of Dyson's lineup.

The initial, early-release V16 model I tested had some clogging issues, but I've since retested a current version, and I didn't have the same problem. The V16 and its All Floor Cones Sense cleaner head had nice suction on my thick rug and bedroom carpets. Despite my having vacuumed the week prior, the powerful V16 still filled itself with dust and hair after covering two small bedrooms and a couple of stairs.

The V16 did a great job overall, but testing it alongside the older (and cheaper) Gen5Detect proved the two models mostly worked equally. In some cases, the Gen5Detect even outpaced the V16, which had mixed results vacuuming sand, struggling to catch more than half on a thinner rug, and pushing some sand into a pile in front of itself on a thicker one. It did a similar thing with cat litter on my vinyl plank floors. A second pass with the vacuum caught everything, but I'd prefer to see such an expensive machine get it right on the first try. That’s especially true considering cheaper vacuums, like the Shark PowerDetect Speed ($280), did so with no problem.

While I like the included Fluffy Optic cleaner head, you don't necessarily need it, since the All Floor Cones Sense head also works on hard floors. Whichever cleaning attachment you prefer, the built-in release on the vacuum's tube makes it easy to switch cleaner heads without bending over. Still, when I'm vacuuming on my top floor, where there are carpeted bedrooms and hard flooring in the hallways and bathrooms, I just stick to the All Floor Cones Sense head for ease. It's nice having a single head that can do a good job with both.

The Submarine version of the V16 that comes with the wet cleaning head costs an additional $120, and if you need to mop, it's worth the upgrade. The Submarine version of the V16 Piston Animal impressed me much more than I expected. When you use the wet head, the LCD screen switches to give you two modes—Basic and Max—and I found the Basic option to be plenty powerful for scrubbing dirty stains on my LVP flooring. The V16 also pulls itself forward with this head attached, as it does with other Dyson wet floor cleaners, like the Clean+Wash. This feature makes the mop easy to push around. It could handle various stains with just a few passes, though problem areas I mopped earlier in my cleaning sessions needed more swipes (likely because the roller wasn't optimally hydrated yet).

Before you start mopping, you'll need to roll the Submarine head back and forth for 10 to 20 seconds to make sure it’s damp enough to work. You’ll know it’s ready when you see consistent water trails. Before mopping, I also recommend using the Fluffy Optic head to pick up dust in the area, because the wet head’s debris tray looks smaller than those on the dedicated wet cleaners. You'll thank yourself for pre-vacuuming when the mop cleanup is less disgusting. Though the debris tray is small, I do like that it is fully plastic, since the mesh on my old Dyson WashG1 grew mold. To avoid a mess after you’re done, make sure to keep the Submarine head flat until you separate the trays, lift off the debris part, and then dump out the gray water that's beneath it into a sink or toilet.

Is It Upgrade-Worthy?

If you're looking for the best overall Dyson vacuum, know that this model scored high in my comparison testing, but you'll get a slightly better experience with the Gen5Detect while saving yourself some cash. Neither the Gen5Detect nor the V16 Piston Animal outperformed a much cheaper Shark vacuum in side-by-side tests, though, so it's hard for me to say you should definitely splurge on either Dyson model.

If you’re willing to invest in the add-on mop head and docking station (once it’s available), the V16 might be worth buying. But that'll be a big bill; the V16 Submarine will run $1,100, and at that point, you could invest in one of my favorite robot vacuums to do the same job without actually doing it yourself. (You can even get Dyson's Spot+Scrub Ai robot vacuum for just $100 more if you're set on a Dyson.)

Even so, it's nice to meet a Dyson stick vacuum that can do it all. It’s notably powerful, and not just because of its suction capabilities, but because of its range of abilities, little improvements to make using it easier, and the option to double as a wet floor cleaner. The strong HEPA filtration on the V16 is also a strong point of consideration if you have allergies and want to capture every micron possible, or get every inch of pet hair out of your carpet. But I won't lie to you: If I'm buying a new technology-powered mop, I'd rather get a robot vacuum.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.