The 7 Best Dyson Vacuums of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5
• Portability
  4.5/5
• Noise Level
  4/5

Dethroning our previous best overall, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra has all of the features that we've come to know (and love) about Dyson's Ball series—but this new upright model has a few extra capabilities that make it even better than its predecessors. An anti-tangle motorbar (Dyson's trademarked term for the floor head roller) is the star of the show. While the previous model, the Dyson Ball Animal 2, was geared toward high-level filtration and auto-adjusting suction, the Animal 3 Extra has both of those previous components, plus it is designed for households with pets, children, and multiple surfaces.

Setting up the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra was slightly tricky, as the instruction manual only includes photos and no written instructions. This made it difficult to discern how separate parts connect to each other, but we figured it all out in about 12 minutes! (Not bad, right?) This vacuum excelled during our different debris and surface tests, thanks in part to the various settings, which adjust the motorbar to heights based on floor type. We did notice that the Animal 3 Extra has a tendency to spit larger debris, like popcorn kernels, in front of its path before eventually sucking it up. We recommend adjusting the motorbar to the highest setting to avoid this issue.

The only other problem we noted with this vacuum is that it's not ideal for cleaning stairs. While this vacuum technically has no issue sucking up debris or hair on stairs, we see its design and weight as potential issues (not uncommon for upright vacuums). Using the stair cleaning attachment while holding onto the upright unit can be a challenge, too. For this reason, we wouldn't recommend this vacuum to users with limited mobility or a narrow staircase. The rest of the vacuum's attachments performed well during testing, and we're especially intrigued by the pet grooming tool, which can be used directly on dogs (or calm cats) to de-shed them (if they'll tolerate the sensation and noise, of course). It's not quite as lightweight as Dyson's impressive stick vacuums (more on those soon), but we think for a versatile machine that can tackle messes big and small, it's an excellent choice.

All in all, this vacuum's consistent suction, innovative motorbar, and easy-to-use attachments make it our top choice among Dyson vacuums.

Price at time of publish: $500

^{Dimensions: 42.2 x 11.02 x 15.5 inches | Weight: 17.3 pounds | Cord Length: 35 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Cleaning Path Width: Not listed | Compatible Floor Type: Hardwood, carpet, hard floor, multi-surface}

Best Budget

Dyson v8 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  4/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.5/5
• Portability
  5/5
• Noise Level
  4.5/5

Even though Dyson keeps coming out with new technology to better its appliances, the Dyson v8 Animal continues to impress since we originally tested it back in 2019—few vacuums remain that competitive for that long! It's our top budget-friendly pick because it blends powerful suction with a slightly more affordable price tag (when compared to other Dyson models). It's also extremely easy to assemble as well as break apart and store away in a closet or laundry room. Mutlow says that "a good vacuum should do four things properly: pick up the dust from the floor, lock the dust inside, expel clean air. All the while ensuring that it does not lose its suction." This vacuum checks all of those boxes.

This model's motorized cleaning head and brush bar suck up dirt, dander, hair, and other debris from the fibers of carpet and area rugs to give you a deep clean. Its included direct-drive cleaner head is designed with carpeted floors in mind. It pairs stiff nylon bristles with up to 115AW suction power to deep-clean even high-pile carpets or area rugs. While the Dyson Omni-glide+ is our pick for hardwood floors, the v8 Animal performs well on hard surfaces, too, making it an excellent pick for anyone with multiple types of flooring in their home.

As a cordless stick vacuum, this pick is also convenient to use and ideal for daily maintenance or quick cleaning sessions before company arrives. It has a built-in rechargeable battery that provides 40 minutes of run time in standard mode. Just be forewarned that the max mode delivers more power, but it shortens the battery life to under 10 minutes. (Save it for spot-cleaning, especially dirty areas.) Like many Dyson cordless stick models, we didn't love that you have to hold down the trigger the whole time you're vacuuming either. This not-super-intuitive feature makes us believe that it wouldn't be a great pick for a large home.

In typical Dyson fashion, the vacuum's design is stunning, and it comes with a wall mount so you can hang it up when it's not in use. We are confident that you'll enjoy using this Dyson vacuum daily.

Price at time of publish: $450

_{Dimensions: 49.45 x 9.84 x 8.7 inches | Weight: 5.51 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 40 minutes | Cleaning Path Width: 8.8 inches | Compatible Floor Type: Carpet and hardwood}

Best Splurge

Dyson Outsize+ Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Noise Level
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  4.5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.9/5

If you're looking to splurge on your next vacuum, the Dyson Outsize+ should be at the top of your list. It proved exceptional with its powerful suction and sleek engineering, blowing some of our other favorites out of the water. Those features, combined with easy maneuverability and easy yet convenient technological advances make it a clear standout for us.

One feature that knocked our socks off was how the head pulls debris from corners like a magnet. Now, this head is larger than certain other Dyson models, so we had reservations about how well it would fit into corners. It turns out that just getting the head of the Outsize+ near a corner is enough to pull dust and dirt out. It has three power settings that can be selected and adjusted on the touchscreen panel, giving you easy control over your cleaning—but if you don't want to constantly adjust your settings, you won't have to because each setting proved to be efficient. Of the included attachments (multiple cleaning tools, brushes, a crevice tool, to name a few), our favorite was the Laser Slim Fluff cleaner head, which has a green laser that reveals dirt and grime that was invisible to the naked eye (be warned that once you see what it reveals, you can't unsee it—until it's vacuumed up, of course).

We also love that you can effectively use this vacuum with or without the app, Plus, it's the only Dyson designed with two batteries, so you can clean twice as long without pausing to recharge (a regular complaint that we hear with cordless vacuums). All in all, this is an extremely impressive machine, and if it's within your budget, we definitely recommend it. The one area of caution we'd offer is that its size (more than 4 feet tall) can feel unwieldy, so expect that it may take some getting used to.

Price at time of publish: $950

_{Dimensions: 50.39 x 11.02 x 9.06 inches | Weight: 7.98 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 120 minutes| Cleaning Path Width: 11.02 inches| Compatible Floor Type: All floors}

Best for Pet Hair

Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Setup
  4.3/5
• Effectiveness
  4.8/5
• Noise Level
  4.5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  4.8/5

We were thrilled at how this model evaporated everything from dust bunnies and fuzz to large pieces of debris, like pretzel and cracker crumbs, all while being super easy to operate. The power of its three motor levels, combined with the five attachments (including a hair screw tool designed for—you guessed it—hair of varying lengths), make for an efficient and effective combination. If you're constantly vacuuming up after a cat or dog (or a human) that sheds, you'll be pleased with the results.

We found its shape and size to be lightweight and maneuverable, but nowhere near flimsy. It's also a great fit for homes with stairs, too, as we had no trouble moving it up and down stairways in our home testing. Its handle can move in a full 360-motion, so you can angle it around corners, into small spaces, and under furniture, and those aforementioned attachments will really help you reach anywhere that a pet might hang out or hide. It's also super easy to empty the dust bin, and even better, it has a mechanism that allows you to push the debris out (as opposed to reach in with your hands to tug or pull at it).

It's worth mentioning that, like a number of other Dyson models, users need to manually hold the power button when it's in use, which may not suit everyone. We really don't have a lot of complaints about this machine so far, but are continuing to test it (along with other vacuums recommended for pet hair) and will report back with our findings.

Price at time of publish: $470

_{Dimensions: 48.74 x 9.53 x 9.84 inches | Weight: 5.71 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 60 minutes | Cleaning Path Width: 9.84 inches | Compatible Floor Type: Carpet, hard floor, multi-surface}

Best Upright

Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Upright Vacuum Cleaner

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The Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 Upright Vacuum offers reliable performance and powerful suction, alongside a clever design and impressive maneuverability for an upright vac. It's fairly straightforward when it comes to Dyson offerings (it doesn’t feature new Dyson innovations like the Dyson v15 Detect+'s laser for counting captured dust particles, and it lacks the ability to convert into a handheld vac), but there's still lots to appreciate here. It offers a respectable 196AW of suction power. Plus, it's well-suited for most types of flooring, although we found it a chore to use on high-pile carpet since it required lots of muscle to keep the vacuum moving. However, all of the effort paid off with a canister full of cat hair, a very satisfying sight during our testing process.

Notably, the upright-style vacuum is quite heavy, but we think the design keeps the weight from being too problematic. Despite weighing over 15 pounds, we found the vacuum to be manageable in our at-home testing. We think it benefits from a bottom-heavy design, and the ball base makes it easy to swivel and maneuver. Plus, because most of the weight sits at the bottom of the vacuum, it doesn't feel like it'll easily tip over.

While the vacuum is quite loud, you'll enjoy the whole-machine filtration, as well as the motorized brush bar and self-adjusting cleaner head for effective cleaning on both bare floors and rugs. The washable filter and quick-release dust bin make for easy maintenance, too. Overall, we think this vacuum is a great pick.

Price at time of publish: $400

_{Dimensions: 41.93 x 15.59 x 13.39 inches | Weight: 15.6 pounds | Cord Length: 31 feet | Battery Life: Not applicable | Cleaning Path Width: 13.39 inches | Compatible Floor Type: Hardwood, carpet, laminate, and tile}

Best for Hardwood

Dyson Omni-Glide+ Cordless Vacuum

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Our Ratings

• Effectiveness
  5/5
• Maneuverability
  5/5
• Ease of Emptying
  2.5/5
• Portability
  4.8/5
• Noise Level
  4/5

Equipped with dual soft roller cleaner heads, four 360-degree casters, and an articulating, or jointed, neck, the Dyson Omni-glide+ Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner was engineered to do one thing exceptionally well: clean hard-surface floors. Whether you push or pull the vacuum cleaner, the Omni-glide+ will just slide along, capturing dust and debris in its path with its dual soft rollers.

We were pleased with how easily this vacuum transitioned across different hard floor surfaces, including hardwood and tile. It's also extremely lightweight, and in our lab, we were able to lift it with very little effort. When we weighed the vacuum with a luggage scale, we found that it clocked in at just 2.52 pounds (lower than the manufacturer's listed weight of 4.19 pounds) These features also help make it easy to move, including around and under furniture. While a lightweight design and maneuverability aren't necessarily unusual among cordless stick vacuums we've tested, the combination was still impressive to us.

The most obvious downside to this vac is that it isn't designed for carpet. Other drawbacks we found in our testing were that the dust bin is rather small, so it requires frequent emptying, and the battery life could be too short to fully clean a large home. On the other hand, the push-button operation is a standout feature. Instead of holding a trigger down to activate suction, like you would with Dyson's v8 Animal, simply select the button you'd like to control the operation and mode of this cordless vacuum. While this Dyson vacuum for cleaning hardwood floors is an expensive option for a single purpose, it’s an excellent choice for homes designed primarily with tile, wood, or laminate flooring.

Price at time of publish: $500

_{Dimensions: 42.4 x 3.62 x 8.89 inches | Weight: 4.19 pounds | Cord Length: Not applicable | Battery Life: 21 minutes (according to our testing) | Cleaning Path Width: 8 inches | Compatible Floor Type: Hardwood, laminate, and tile}