315 air watts and a genuinely sealed five-stage HEPA in one machine, for people who will use the ceiling they're paying for.

Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine

Dyson

It cleans as well as anything, and its sealed filtration is the real story for allergy homes. But even Dyson-friendly reviewers admit a cheaper V15 cleans about as well day to day. Buy it for the compaction, the wet head, and the seal, or save hundreds and skip it.

The V16 Piston Animal Submarine is Dyson's flagship cordless, built around the new 900W Hyperdymium motor and rated at 315 air watts. For the way I read this category, the number that matters more sits behind it: a fully sealed, five-stage whole-machine HEPA that Dyson certifies to trap 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 micron. A vacuum with big suction and a leaky body just moves fine dust from your floor into your air; the sealing is what keeps it out. Two things here are genuinely useful rather than spec-sheet garnish. The CleanCompactor bin squashes debris with a lever so you empty it far less often, and ejects it without putting your hand near the dust. And the All Floor Cones head auto-adjusts between carpet and hard floor while its twin conical brushes shed long hair into the bin instead of wrapping the roller, which solves the single most tedious cordless-vacuum chore. The Submarine version adds a wet roller head that mops hard floors and handles spills. It works, but reviewers are split on whether the wet head earns its premium, and the machine will not stand on its own, so you are committing to the wall dock. The redesigned head also is not compatible with older Dyson attachments. None of that changes the core tension: this is the priciest cordless Dyson, and by several testers' own accounts a V15 Detect or Gen5detect cleans about as well in daily use for meaningfully less. If sealed filtration, no-touch emptying, and integrated mopping are worth the money to you, the V16 is the ceiling. If they are not, that is not a knock on you, it is the smart read.

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Last reviewed Jul 8, 2026

What we like

• ✓Fully sealed five-stage HEPA, so fine dust and allergens leave with the bin, not back into your air
• ✓CleanCompactor bin empties without a dust cloud and holds far more before it needs emptying
• ✓All Floor Cones head sheds long and pet hair into the bin instead of wrapping the roller
• ✓315 air watts with an auto-adjusting head that handles carpet and hard floor without fiddling
• ✓Submarine version adds real hard-floor mopping in the same machine
• ✓LCD screen and piezo dust sensor show what is actually being pulled off the floor

Trade-offs

• −The most expensive cordless Dyson, and testers say a cheaper V15 cleans about as well day to day
• −Will not stand on its own, so you are committed to wall-mounting the dock
• −Redesigned head is not compatible with any older Dyson attachments you own
• −The pointed floorhead makes cleaning flush to edges more awkward
• −Reviewers are split on whether the Submarine wet head justifies its premium