Finding a right cordless vacuum for your vehicle can be daunting task.
Would you go with a big shop vacuum?
It’s too big and unless you own a detailing business, this may not be a sustainable for the weekend DIY warrior looking to keep his / her car clean.
Related: You can also find the best Dyson deals here to get the best price possible on various Dyson products.
How about an upright vacuum?
Yes, modern upright vacuums are lighter, more maneuverable and often times have a hose attachment for nooks and crannies.
Again the same problem with a shop vacuum, even modern upright vacuums weigh more than 12 pounds – even cordless uprights are bulky.
You can also opt for the cheap China made compact vacuums with a gamut of attachments. But I tell you having owned one myself, these products do not last very long.
Great quality
While these aren’t bad products with decent power, the plastics they use are of inferior quality.
The plastics of these vacuums wear out at a faster rate and crack. And rarely do you see a locking mechanism that hold the attachment in place. It only relies of friction.
Dyson has come up with a solution for car owners to with a compact and yet powerful hand vacuum complete with the just the right attachments to clean every nook and cranny inside your vehicle.
It has been the product I’ve been looking for and having owned a Dyson V6 Mattress, I know the quality products Dyson produces for consumers.
The V6 motor has enough juice to clean carpets inside your car and also remove dust. The V6 Car + Boat has tools that will work great in an automobile. These include an extension hose, mini motorized brush, crevice tool and brush tools.
A quick look at the features
- Equipped with the same V6 motor found in the V6 Absolute
- 2 tier radial cyclones
- 20 minute run time
- Trigger grip means this vacuum will turn on when you pull the trigger
- Lithium ion battery delivers fade free power
- Fully washable filters – both the primary and post motor filters
- Comes with six attachments – flexible hose, crevice tool, combination tool, mini motorized tool, stubborn dirt brush and mini soft dusting brush
- 2 year warranty
Pros
- Excellent suction for a handheld vacuum
- Versatile toolset allows you to clean not just your vehicle but also upholstery and even your bed (remember it has the same mini motorized brush as the V6 Mattress)
- Decent 20 minute run time
- Lithium ion batteries ensure fade free power throughout the charge cycle
- Attachments click on the body and lock into place
Cons
- Very expensive
- Batteries aren’t removable – if it dies, you’ll have to bring it in to a Dyson service center
- Dirt bin can be messy to empty and clean – you may need another vacuum to do so
- No HEPA filtration
What to expect from this Dyson handheld
If this is your first time to see this handheld vacuum, it is exactly the same as the Dyson V6 Absolute, DC59 Motorhead and the V6 Mattress.
All these variants come equipped with the class leading V6 motor (nope that’s not a car motor but a vacuum motor). This motor produces around 24 air watts of power on normal mode around 100 air watts in boost or max mode.
To put that in perspective, a Dyson upright can produces as much as 280 air watts of power and this compact vacuum is capable of producing more of a third of that power. You will not need all that power if you’re just cleaning your vehicle.
No HEPA filtration
Unlike the V6 Mattress, the V6 car does not have the HEPA filtration the V6 has. Dyson did not include a HEPA filter since this product is purpose built for cleaning your vehicle.
Attachments included
The V6 has a total of 6 attachments that will help you reach every nook and cranny of your car. My favorite is the hose attachment that allows you to clean really tight areas like the dashboard and under the seats.
All the tools above can be attached on the hose attachment so this is the central part of this product.
You can even use this inside your home for cleaning upholstery, keyboards, lamp shades, venetian blinds, vents, etc. It is that versatile. If you don’t need the floor tool of the V6 Absolute, save yourself some money and get this.
Bare Floor Cleaning
The absence of a wand makes it hard for you to use this as a standalone floor cleaner even on bare floor but Amazon gives you the option of purchasing the wand where you can attach the combination tool to help you spot clean high traffic areas.
You can also use this tool to clean up non-carpeted stairs using the combination tool.
Remember that this does not come with the fluffy tool found in the V6 Absolute or the V8 so this will be relegated to a spot cleaner.
Carpet Cleaning
Again, this vacuum does not come with the motorized direct drive tool designed to clean carpet.
If you have the need for a cordless vacuum for carpet then you can opt for the V6 or V8 Absolute. These are more expensive but it makes your life a whole lot easier cleaning high traffic areas both bare floor and carpet.
Upholstery Performance
This is perhaps the strongest suite of this product. It comes with an assortment of tools all you can attach on the hose to clean various types of upholstery.
You can clean fabric, leather and suede using the different brush tools that you find in this product.
What I like is the versatility of this product.
You can combine this with a carpet cleaner to deep clean fabric upholstery inside cars or your home.
Pet hair
Travelling with your pets is fun but it can be messy. The biggest headache for of lot car owners is the pet hair that accumulates inside seats and carpet.
This vacuum has a few tools that can help you deal with pet hair.
First is the mini motorized brush that you can use on generally flat surfaces like car seats and carpet.
But if you need more agitation or the area is tight, switch up to the stiff bristle brush tool.
Charging time
Dyson says that the V6 car will fully charge in around three and a half hours.
Filter clean up
There are two filters inside a V6. The main pre-motor filter is in the middle of the cyclonic system. A secondary post-motor filter is at the back of the motor.
Both of these are washable. See the diagram below…
Dyson says that these filters will last the lifetime of the vacuum.
The cyclonic filtration inside the V6 motor does a good job in preventing really fine dust from clumping together which extends the time you need to wash the filter.
Don’t use any soap when washing these filters, just water and air dry. Make sure the filter is completely dry before putting it back.
Warranty
Dyson V6 and V8 vacuums have a 2 year warranty.
Product Specifications
| Attachments | Extension hose Crevice tool Combination tool Mini motorized tool Stubborn dirt brush Mini soft dusting brush |
| Brush roll on/off | No |
| Battery | Lithium Ion |
| Charger | Plug-in charger |
| Charging time | 3.5 hours |
| Battery life | 20 mins 6 mins (on Max mode) |
| Net weight | 3.4 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 6.8 pounds |
| Cleaning path | Approx 5" |
| Overall length | 15.6" |
| Battery indicator | Yes |
| Filter type | Lifetime washable filter |
| Dust capacity | .03 gallons |
| Air Watts | 100AW (max) 24AW (normal) |
| Voltage | 110v |
| Manufactured in | USA |
| Warranty | 2 years on parts and labor |
Customer Reviews
A lot of consumers were happy with how this handheld vacuum performed.
What they said was pretty much consistent – strong suction, lightweight, cordless convenience and the ability to clean every nook and cranny inside a vehicle.
Short run time with the max mode on
For a cordless vacuum its power is next to none. Capable of removing even pet hair but the problem is when you use the max setting, it runs for only 6 minutes.
And this perhaps is the biggest complaint.
One consumer even compared it to a sports car. I’m just paraphrasing here – he said that you cannot realistically expect an eco-car mileage from a performance vehicle.
Expensive
Another complaint was the price which was understandable. I cannot argue that this is the most expensive handheld vacuum in the market right now but you get what you pay for.
Remember I mentioned that you cannot replace the battery? One lady in the reviews section said that you can – you just have to remove the dirt bin to reveal the two Philips screws – remove those screws to replace the battery.
Despite the negative complaints, this is still a very good and versatile product that has good build quality and suction power.
Just make sure to find a good place to store the attachments.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this handheld vacuum from Amazon for less than $240. And it is eligible for Amazon’s free 2-day shipping if you join Prime. If you want extra peace of mind, you can also buy extended warranties of up to 3 years
To Wrap Up
The V6 Car + Boat is great for the discerning car owner who wants a cordless tool that’ll clean their vehicle. Tools that come with this variant are great for cleaning tight spots inside an automobile. You can use this inside a sedan, SUV or even an RV.
Don’t let the title “car and boat” limit the use of this hand vacuum – it is a versatile piece of machine that can clean above the floor areas and even spot areas on floors.
You can purchase the extension want if you have high ceiling areas inside your home or for spot floor cleaning.
Remember that this machine does not have the HEPA filtration of the V6 Mattress or Absolute so if you need that feature then go for either of these two and then purchase the handheld toolkit.
