As somebody who has spent more than 250 hours testing vacuum cleaners, I'm more than familiar with Dyson's offerings. They make some of the most advanced vacuums in the world, with high suction and useful features to transform how easy it is to clean our homes.
So, when they announced a new handheld vacuum, I was excited to get my hands on it. The Dyson Car+Boat is a rare release from a brand that typically only makes full-sized vacuum cleaners, and I was intrigued to see whether Dyson's signature suction power translates to a small device.
Find out how well the Dyson Car+Boat performed in my tests at our dedicated center, a local cat and dog shelter, and my own home – to find out if it's one of the best Dyson vacuums worth buying.
Dyson Car+Boat: Specifications
Type |
Cordless handheld |
Battery life |
Up to 50 minutes |
Charge time |
5 hours |
Dustbin |
0.14 gallons |
Power |
Up to 115 air watts |
Air flow |
7.8mph standard / 11.6mph max mode |
Noise level |
58 to 70 decibels |
Suction modes |
2 |
Weight |
4.2 pounds |
The one-minute verdict
The Dyson Car+Boat is a powerful handheld vacuum that can remove dust, dirt, hair and pretty much any mess from any surface. Its motorized attachment is great for pulling hairs from furniture, even if it occasionally misses a few.
Its dustbin is bigger than some of Dyson's full-sized cordless models, and you can clean every component including the filter, avoiding replacement costs down the line.
It's a great choice for vacuuming furniture, cleaning up when crumbs and pet hair clumps start appearing, and giving your car the deep clean it deserves.
But even with this stand-out cleaning power, it's around twice the price compared to other handheld vacuums that largely achieve similar results. If you're keen to find the best of the best, then this is the handheld vacuum to go for, but if not, I'd save the money and shop the alternatives.
Dyson Car+Boat: Setup
The first thing I noticed when unboxing the Dyson Car+Boat is the large 'Dyson V8' graphic printed onto the box. After digging deeper, I learned that the Car+Boat is essentially a repurposed Dyson V8, which we've reviewed.
I was initially skeptical about what seemed like a lazy release from one of our favorite brands, but as it's sold for around $100 less than the V8, the Car+Boat is still a great option if you only need one of the best handheld vacuums.
It took around three hours to fully charge the Car+Boat, then no other setup was required.
Dyson Car+Boat: Design and features
The Dyson Car+Boat has the features of any classic Dyson. There's a toggle to switch between normal and max suction modes, the dustbin empties by pulling the latch, and you swap out attachments by slotting them in and out of the vacuum unit.
As it's a handheld vacuum, there isn't a great deal to learn. It's powered via a trigger, which users of the Dyson V15 Detect found to be a bit cumbersome in long cleaning sessions. But as this is a handheld vacuum, the trigger is perfect to save battery life between those quick bursts of cleaning.
The mini motorized tool is the star of the show, with anti-tangle brushes to vacuum hair without the frustrating task of cutting it out afterwards (it's one of the best vacuum attachments for pet hair for a reason).
I also tested the vacuum's airflow using an anemometer, and the Car+Boat can generate 7.8mph of airflow in standard mode and 11.6mph in max mode. That's almost as high as some full-sized best cordless vacuums, which can generate around 13mph of airflow on average.
What is the Dyson Car+Boat like to use?
The Car+Boat might be my favourite handheld vacuum I've tested. It takes no time at all to figure out everything that it does and how to effectively use it to clean furniture, vacuum pet hair, or use it as one of the best car vacuums.
At just over four pounds, it's a little heavier than other handheld vacuums (our current best-on-test, the Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster, weighs just two pounds). But it's still light enough that most people will be able to hold it comfortably.
I tested the Car+Boat's noise levels using the DecibelX app and, depending on suction mode, it ranges from 58 to 70 decibels – a little quieter than a full-sized Dyson like the Dyson V12 Detect Slim.
The mini motorized tool is flexible and adjusts to the angle you're vacuuming. I found this to be a huge help when vacuuming sofas and upholstery as it suctions itself to the furniture's cushions and edges.
Dyson Car+Boat: Flour and sugar test
I tested the Dyson Car+Boat using a quarter cup of flour and sugar on linoleum, hardwood and carpet in our dedicated test center. This is a great visual test to see what the vacuum leaves behind, while the flour and sugar also act as proxies for dust and dead skin.
On hardwood, the Car+Boat left no flour or sugar behind after a single forward and backward pass. Even some full-sized cordless vacuums can't handle that. This could be one of the best vacuums for hardwood floors if you're looking for a handheld vacuum.
On carpet, it struggled on standard mode, but on max mode it cleared it all in one forward and backward pass. Impressive.
Dyson Car+Boat: Pantry test
I tested the Dyson Car+Boat using a quarter cup of cereal and lentils on linoleum, hardwood and carpet in our dedicated test center. This test demonstrates how well a vacuum can handle larger debris of varying consistencies, as lentils can easily bounce around, while cereal pieces can be crushed down and fling across the floor.
Using the motorized attachment on hard floors, the Car+Boat flung lentils and cereal around the room because of its spinning brushroll. I then switched to the crevice tool and it sucked them all up without any issues.
Pieces were also thrown around when vacuuming carpet but not quite as far. I didn't need to switch to the crevice tool, and if I did, it wouldn't really clean the carpet. So instead I switched to max mode which cleared the rest of the debris. When on this high suction mode, it's one of the best vacuums for carpet from the handheld models I've tested.
Dyson Car+Boat: Pet hair
I tested the Dyson Car+Boat in a local pet shelter, Bristol ARC, to see how well the handheld vacuum can handle pet hair and lots of mess.
It was by no means as powerful as the best vacuums for pet hair, but for a handheld model, it did a great job at pulling stubborn fur from carpet and furniture.
On one of the trickiest tests at the pet shelter, a soft padded chair, it vacuumed all the long hairs but couldn’t vacuum the stubborn smaller ones, even on max mode and after many repeated passes.
Dyson Car+Boat: Attachments
All three attachments – the crevice tool, combination brush and mini motorized brush – work exactly as you'd hope. As you can see above, the vacuum's suction is strong enough that you can clear mess from tight corners using the crevice tool.
The dusting brush is great for cleaning furniture, and I've used the mini motorized brush to vacuum my mattress. It might not be the most exhaustive set of attachments but this is really all you need to tackle cleaning tasks around the house.
Dyson Car+Boat: Cleaning & maintenance
The first time I opened the dustbin, I was worried I was breaking something. It isn't as fluid as other Dyson vacuums I've tested, and it sounds almost like something is snapping. But over time, the mechanism has become smoother, making it easier to avoid overfilling the vacuum.
All the parts are removable and can be thoroughly cleaned. You can even clean the Dyson vacuum filter yourself to avoid having to spend on replacement filters every few months.
How does the Dyson Car+Boat compare?
Now, while the Dyson Car+Boat is a powerful and straightforward handheld vacuum, it's a lot more expensive than others. The Black+Decker dustbuster furbuster is our favorite handheld vacuum so far, and it costs just $79.99 at Amazon. It also has two suction modes, a motorized brush, a crevice tool – plus it comes with a handy charging dock. It just isn't quite as powerful as the Car+Boat.
Any cordless vacuum can be turned into a handheld vacuum by detaching the wand. As this is essentially a repurposed V8, you could spend a little extra for the real thing. The Dyson V8 costs $349.99, just $65 more than the Car+Boat, and you can use it as a whole-home vacuum cleaner. I recently wrote about why the Dyson V8 is still worth it in 2025.
Should you buy the Dyson Car+Boat?
The Dyson Car+Boat is an excellent handheld vacuum, certainly one of the best we've tested. Its strong suction and well-designed attachments make cleaning almost effortless, and being able to clean every part means it can last for years.
But there's no ignoring the cost. This is 2-3 times as expensive as most handheld vacuums which largely do the same thing. So, if you want the best suction power, choose the Car+Boat. If not, there are plenty other handheld vacuums to choose from.
How we test vacuums
At Homes & Gardens, we have a dedicated and thorough procedure of how we test vacuums. At our test center, we test various substances (outlined above) on three floor types (carpet, wood, linoleum) to recreate real-life circumstances.
I tested the Dyson Car+Boat over two weeks in our test center, a local pet shelter, and my own home.
Next, browse through our tested guides of the best lightweight vacuums and the best vacuum-mop combos for ultimate home cleaning.
