I tested the Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum — and it's a miniature yet mighty cleaner

Dyson has firmly made its mark as one of the best vacuum cleaners to date.

And since I've tested my fair share of vacuum cleaners for a living, I've always been impressed by Dyson’s exceptional cleaning power, advanced tech and innovative features to make light work of household chores.

So when Dyson announced the launch of its very first portable, handheld vacuum cleaner, I was intrigued to know more about the Dyson Car + Boat.

As the name suggests, the Dyson Car + Boat handheld vacuum cleaner is designed to deep-clean cars or (if you’re lucky enough) your boat.

But even if you own neither, this handheld is the ideal candidate for cleaning sofas, mattresses or picking up stubborn pet hair around the home.

In any case, I was keen to see how well the Dyson Car + Boat handheld vacuum would tackle my grimy car that was in serious need of a good clean. And whether it's really worth the premium price tag. Here's what happened.

Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum review: Price and availability

The Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is available to buy in the U.S. from Dyson.com, and costs $279. But it's currently cheaper on Amazon for $199.

It is quite expensive for a handheld vacuum cleaner, and you could probably buy a cordless stick for an equivalent price.

However, if it's pure power that you're after, and you're always on the go, this could be a worthwhile investment.

Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum review: Design

Setting up didn’t take any time at all, as everything was all ready-to-go, inside the pint-sized box.

The Dyson Car + Boat handheld vacuum is essentially a miniature or condensed Dyson V8 cordless cleaner. The only difference is that it doesn't have the long wand and the big brush roll head.

Weighing in at just 4.2 pounds, it felt light to handle and its compact size is ideal for traveling with (especially if you have a boat or yacht!)

Design-wise, it's as basic as you can get (for a Dyson model). But this is fine by me, as I simply want it to do a great job, without figuring out any fancy mod cons or complicated settings.

Its clear dust canister is small (at 0.14 gallons), but this should be adequate for quick cleaning of smaller areas.

It comes with three handy attachments that you can swap out. This includes a motorized brush (best for hair and dirt ), a combination tool, and a crevice tool for those awkward nooks and crannies.

While it has the Dyson signature colors and design, it doesn’t have the usual LED display screen, and it only has two power modes (normal and Max).

Perhaps the only downside is that you can’t detach the battery to charge separately as you would normally with Dyson cordless cleaners. In fact, this probably would have benefited from a clip-in battery system in newer models, such as the Dyson Gen5detect. However, this is more of a preference and isn’t a major deal breaker.

Overall, it’s a sleek-looking, handheld vacuum that is easy to store — although you'll probably need to find extra space for the loose attachments.

Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum review: Performance

Armed with my 'dust busting' handheld vac, I couldn't wait to get to work on our family car. Having a son who loves to travel with snacks meant I'd regularly have unsightly crumbs buried in awkward places, not to mention dust and debris from grubby shoes on the floor mats.

Using the motorized brush on the seats and floor mats, it quickly sucked up dust, debris and even gravel. Once I put it to ‘Max’ mode, it gave an extra boost to ensure no traces were left, and the mats almost looked brand new again.

Now for the back seats, which were always prone to dirt and food crumbs. I found the crevice tool particularly handy for getting into those hard-to-reach spots such as around the seatbelts and between the upholstery.

It was also powerful enough for sucking up dust that had settled on the car doors, and the brush tool handled the upholstery with ease. Impressive!

Next, I was interested to see how well it would deep clean the car trunk — which was probably the grimiest area by far. Literally, everything would get thrown into the trunk from footwear and suitcases to garden waste bags.

After a couple of swipes, the Dyson Car + Boat quickly sucked up dirt, dust, and was even powerful enough to suck up some of the fibers of the cover (on Max mode). Which would make it the perfect handheld vac for pet owners who struggle with removing hair on a daily basis.

Perhaps the only downside is that it doesn't clean up liquids. Considering the accidental drink spills that I've had to deal with on road trips, this feature would have come in handy.

Additionally, while the Dyson Car + Boat was pretty simple to use, there were a couple of caveats.

Like all Dyson stick vacuums, it comes with a trigger operation, meaning you’ll need to hold it down to clean. I found this got tiresome after 30 minutes of solid cleaning, and the handheld started to feel weighty.

What's more, it was tricky to keep your finger down on the trigger constantly whilst trying to quickly maneuver inside the car, especially at an angle. In which case, a simple on/off button, would have been more convenient.

What's more, I noticed the noise level ramped up significantly when using the Max mode. So you might want to consider the time of day when cleaning to not disturb your neighbors! Still, these are no major deal breakers in the grand scheme of things.

Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum review: Verdict

If you’re simply after a handheld vacuum cleaner that offers sheer power and convenience, the Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum does a splendid job.

Not only did it suck up gravel, dirt, debris and dust inside my car, but was able to tackle ingrained crumbs in hard-to-reach spots. It's also versatile to use indoors and will spruce up your sofa and get rid of pet hair in no time.

And thanks to its compact and lightweight size, it was easier to manage and manoeuvre around inside my car. My only gripe was having to constantly keep my finger on the trigger operation, which can become tiresome on the arm after a long period of time.

One thing to bear in mind is that it's not a wet and dry vacuum, so it won't tackle liquids or stains, and it doesn't come with a LCD display or any fancy mod-cons.

Still, the battery life is impressive and gave a solid, fade-free performance after 35 minutes, which is always a bonus. Just note that the battery can't be removed to charge separately.

Honestly ,at $200, you could probably find a decent car handheld vacuum cleaner for half the price — but that wouldn’t necessarily get the job done well.

If you simply want exceptional power and spotless results each time (without the back-breaking labor), I'd say the Dyson Car + Boat is a worthwhile investment.