REASONS TO BUY
Great filtration
Affordable for Dyson
Good on low-pile carpet
REASONS TO AVOID
Lackluster hardwood performance
Inefficient battery
No specific hardwood floor head
Dyson V8 Review
For those keen on a Dyson, this is the most affordable option, albeit not the most powerful or efficient
Maneuverability is important in most living rooms.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
By Rachael Lamore ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ July 18, 2025
Contributions From: Chris Maxcer
Our Verdict
If you mostly vacuum low-pile carpet and typical, everyday debris, the Dyson V8 is a smart and affordable addition to your cleaning routine. This midrange-priced model has strong filtration, runs quieter than many other cordless vacuums, and picked up more pet hair than most in our tests. However, its standard cleaning head can struggle on hardwood, sometimes pushing larger debris rather than picking it up. If that's a concern, consider the V8 Absolute version, which includes Dyson's soft roller head that's much better suited for hard floors. But if you don't mind making an extra pass here and there, the base V8 still delivers a lot of value, especially since it's one of Dyson's most affordable models.
Editor's Note: An update to this review was published on July 15, 2025, to include more content on our testing experiences.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Dyson V8 includes well-designed accessories like Dyson's hair screw tool, combination tool, and crevice tool attachments.
The Dyson accessories help you get the full cleaning experience.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Carpet Performance
While some of the more premium vacuums topped the charts, this vacuum wasn't far behind in cleaning carpets.
This vacuum's 92% pickup is very good, nearly matching the percentage collected by the much more expensive winner, Dyson Gen5detect. After weighing the collection and examining the carpet, we did find a trace of sand left behind, suggesting this lower-priced option is not quite as thorough with small, heavy debris as Dyson's higher-end models, though the difference was minor and likely unnoticeable in everyday use.
If you're willing to make a couple of extra passes, we believe most people will likely be able to clean their floors to satisfaction and even suck up the errant sand with this option.
Different cleaner head designs can affect how they handle different kinds of debris. The Motorbar on the left has slightly taller front head gates and less suction, letting it roll over large debris easier than the Digital Motorbar cleaner head on the right.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
When using this vacuum on thicker rugs, it tended to move the lightweight Cheerios rather than suck them up. It simply needs a few more passes to suck up the heavier sand. The 44% collection rate is a solid performance here, but you'll need to go over the same spots more times to finish the job, making it not the most efficient model we've tested.
In this 24-second high pile carpet stress test, the V8 was able to average 44.25% of the sand, rice, and Cheerios we spread over our test area.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Hardwood Performance
This Dyson has good suction, but the head that comes with it is not very good on hardwood floors. We consistently plowed Cheerios and sometimes rice during our tests, but we will say it collected sand better than we expected.
By collecting an average of 82% of test debris, this model technically performed slightly above average, but the multipurpose head made us work for it. It tends to backplow Cheerios when shifting directions, forcing us to turn quickly to hit leftover piles head-on. Even so, they sometimes plowed.
In one of the test runs, it experienced a clog, but it cleared immediately simply by cycling the machine on and off. For small debris on hardwood, the performance seemed better than it did with larger debris.
The V8 was able to suck up most of the coffee grounds in the head-on pass and nearly all in the parallel pass. Those with long sections of hardwood floors can do a decent job fully completing routines close to walls with this vacuum.
Our edge test is helpful for those who have long hallways and walls that tend to collect dust and debris.
Credit: Rachael Lamore
If your household tends to track in larger pieces of dirt or leaves from your yard — or you spill cereal on your kitchen floors — you might want to consider the V8 Absolute model option because it includes a second taller, softer brush roll head that's designed specifically for hard floors. “As the V8 now ships in the standard version with a single head, I wouldn't recommend this vacuum to friends with a lot of hardwood floors, especially for the price,” another tester noted.
Pet Hair
The V8 sucked up more pet hair than average on conventional low-pile carpet. On shaggy rugs, it had more of a tendency to roll over embedded hair, which might be a red flag for pet owners with shag carpets and rugs.
“Overall, it got most of the large clumps of hair up on the thick carpet, but when I took a closer look at the carpet, it tended to leave a thin layer of hair throughout the carpet,” said a tester. “This experience tells me the head likely isn't agitating the hair as effectively as our higher performing models.” If you have only thinner rugs or conventional carpet lining a room, you'll be pleased with the results.
The Dyson Motorbar head did a nice job of moving pet hair toward its suction tube, but longer hair extensions wrapped.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Filtration
Interestingly, even though this model doesn't have a HEPA filter, it still performed nearly identically to the premium Dyson Gen5detect, which does have a HEPA filter, giving us some evidence that you don't necessarily need a HEPA-certified filter to contain the tiny, potentially harmful particles from escaping into your house.
Filtration Particle Count
| Dyson V8 | |
|---|---|
| Small Particle Count | 36 |
| HEPA Filter | ✖ |
| Dylos Air Quality Designation | Excellent |
Ease of Use
To achieve easier maneuverability, this vacuum does sacrifice some power. But for many people, it's easier to make a few extra light passes than to fight against strong suction that makes each push harder. On hardwood floors, the V8 glides smoothly and reaches easily under tables and furniture.
Better yet, the measured handheld weight is just 3.5 lbs, which is much lighter than other Dyson vacuums in our test fleet, making the V8 much friendlier to aging adults who may have less arm and shoulder strength.
To address various cleaning needs, the vacuum includes three additional tools: a crevice, hair screw, and combination tool, alongside the primary cleaning roller head. However, we could conveniently attach these cleaning tools directly to the base for added versatility.
For furniture, upholstery, stairs, and pet beds, the included hair screw attachment makes small jobs easy.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
All in all, it will provide great cleaning across different soft surfaces, thanks to the tools that come in the package deal.
Battery
The battery life isn't very impressive, lasting just under 33 minutes on the lowest setting and just 7 minutes on high.
For short jobs and small households, this vacuum may provide enough time, but for full-house cleaning sessions, some might need to stop and recharge between sections of their homes.
While the V8 won't blow you away with its power, it's a more affordable Dyson option that's easier to use on carpet.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Should You Buy the Dyson V8?
If you're set on a Dyson product, the V8 model is worth considering as it's one of the more affordable options in the brand's lineup and offers some good features. However, considering its overall performance in many of our testing metrics, we can't fully recommend it because there are other vacuums that deliver similar — and sometimes better results — for about the same price or less.
What Other Stick Vacuums Should You Consider?
If you're aiming for a similar price range and are open to exploring other brands, the Shark Stratos Cordless outperforms the Dyson V8 in several of our test metrics. For a higher-end and pricier alternative, consider the Dyson V15 Detect. Although it comes with a significantly higher cost, it offers superior performance and keeps you in the Dyson family.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Dyson V8 versus top competing products:
—Rachael Lamore and Chris Maxcer
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