Dreame V11 Review (UK)

Dreame V11

Last updated: 07.07.2023 Reading time: 13 Min.

We’ve put the Dreame V11 through the wringer for you. The key question that guided us through the process is:

Is it necessary to dig deep into our pockets to get a good cordless vacuum? Or can the device from the Chinese manufacturer Dreame - which is one of Amazon's bestsellers in the UK and costs only 380 pounds - hold a candle to more expensive devices?

After all, the manufacturer promises a sensational suction power of 150 AW and an almost unprecedented battery life of 90 minutes.

That would be too good to be true, wouldn't it? We took a very close look at it and wrote down all our experiences in this review.

The Dreame V11 cordless vacuum in the test
  • Strong suction power
    Dyson
    V15 Detect
    Price from £ 509.96 £ (599.95 )
    Dyson's new flagship convinces with excellent cleaning performance and innovative technology.
    Dyson
    V15 Detect
    Dyson's new flagship convinces with excellent cleaning performance and innovative technology.
  • Best value for money
    Dreame
    V11
    Price from £ 399.99
    The Dreame V11 is a cordless vacuum that’s a little cheaper. Its suction power really convinced us. It was unexpectedly strong which makes it a good companion in the fight against pet hair in your home!
    Dreame
    V11
    The Dreame V11 is a cordless vacuum that’s a little cheaper. Its suction power really convinced us. It was unexpectedly strong which makes it a good companion in the fight against pet hair in your home!

Advantages:

  • Good workmanship
  • OLED display
  • Decent overall cleaning performance
  • Good battery life
  • Relatively quiet
  • Many accessories

Disadvantages:

  • Battery cannot be replaced
  • Cleaning performance on carpets
  • Only soft roller is included as standard cleaning attachment
  • Manoeuvring capabilities

The most important facts at a glance

  • Low-priced cordless vacuum cleaner
  • Very versatile operation
  • The new flagship of the Chinese manufacturer Dreame
  • Practical 2-in-1 function
  • Bestseller on Amazon in the UK

The cleaning test of the Dreame V11 cordless vacuum cleaner

We test each cordless vacuum we get our hands on in the same way. We spread lentils, oat flakes and sand one after the other on different floors and then vacuum it all up again in the strongest mode.

Cleaning on hard floors

On hard floors, the Dreame V11 scored well in our test and achieved an overall performance of 96 %.

The before-after test on hard floors with the Dreame V11

The cleaning of short carpets:

The Dreame V11 had some problems with the sand and oat flakes on short carpets. Overall, it managed to remove 82 %. But we can’t really call that a deep cleaning of the carpet.

The before-after test on a short carpet of the Dreame V11

Cleaning the long carpet

On long (long-fibre) carpet, the result was similar to the one on short carpet. The combination of suction power and soft roller is simply not good enough to suck fine dirt out of the carpet.

The before-after test on long carpets with the Dreame V11

Cleaning in everyday use

Our experiences in everyday use matched our test results.

The Dreame V11 had no problem removing light to medium dirt from the hard granite floor in our dining room.

However, the Dreame V11 reached its limits when I wanted to vacuum the food residues - that were not always completely dry - from the floor after my children had finished eating.

The cleaning performance of the Dreame V11 is nowhere near the performance of a cordless vacuum from the higher-priced segments.

The design of the Dreame V11 in the review

We noticed a few special features in the design of the Dreame V11 in our review. The appearance of the battery-powered vacuum cleaner is quite chic, but it’s nothing special.

Similar to the Chinese Roborock H6, Dreame’s design is obviously inspired by the model V8 of the market leader Dyson - it’s almost chanting “Never change a winning team”, right?

Powerunit Dreame V11

Comparison of Dyson V8 and Dreame V11

This means that e.g. the motor unit in the Dreame is also arranged in the same way as in the V8. The dirt container is aligned vertically and opens downwards.

However, the workmanship of the motor unit of the Dreame is very good. Especially the emptying function didn’t give us any trouble, and it looks very valuable.

The Dreame’s getting smarter

Dreame has included a practical color OLED display in its latest model.

The display shows the battery status and the suction mode, which is quite convenient for handling. It’s also a nice extra that you can choose between different languages.

The OLED-Display of the Dreame V11

Is it possible to lock the power button?

You’ve got to press a pistol-like trigger to activate the vacuum cleaner, and then the cordless vacuum starts vacuuming right away. You don't have to hold down the power button constantly to vacuum, because it can be locked easily. This is more comfortable for you when vacuuming.

Testing the power button of the Dreame V11

The size and weight of the Dreame V11

The height of the unit is 122 cm (48 inches) and it can still be manoeuvred comfortably at a person’s height of 1,95 m (76.7 inches).

The weight is a more interesting criterion, as it contributes significantly to how well and, above all, how long you can use the cordless vacuum cleaner. You’ll barely notice the weight of 2,9 kg (64 lbs) when vacuuming, because it’s well distributed.

The size of the Dreame V11 in the test

Size and weight of the cordless vacuum at a glance

Category Dimensions
Height 122 cm (48 inches)
Width of Floor Roller (with Case) 25.5 cm (10 inches)
Width of Floor Roller (without Case) 21 cm (8.3 inches)
Height of Floor Roller 5.5 cm (2.1 inches)
Weight of the Cordless Vacuum Cleaner 2.9 kg (64 lbs)

Even as a hand vacuum cleaner, the weight of 1,5 kg (3.3 lbs) won’t give you any troubles. It’s still easy to handle.

Size and weight of the Dreame V11 as a cordless hand vacuum at a glance

Category Dimensions
Height Varies greatly with the accessories
Weight 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)

The Dreame V11 is therefore one of the lighter devices on the market.

What is included in the scope of delivery of the Dreame 11?

Opinions diverge greatly when it comes to the accessories included in the scope of delivery of cordless vacuum cleaners. The manufacturers try to score points and want to set themselves apart from the competition with their accessories.

You can quickly separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to quantity and quality of the accessories.

The accessories of the Dreame V11 at a glance

The first thing we noticed in our test of the Dreame V11 was that the manufacturer included quite a lot of accessories, even though it’s got a low price. Most of them are useful. We’ll get more into detail about that now.

The following accessories are included in the scope of delivery:

  • Motor unit
  • Soft roller
  • EU charger
  • Mini electric brush
  • Wall bracket
  • Multitool narrow
  • Multitool wide
  • Flexible vacuum tube

The Motor Unit (Power Unit)

The Dreame V11 includes, in addition to the motor and handle, an installed battery and a dirt container that can hold 0.5 liters of dirt.

The power unit with battery and dirt container

The Soft Roller (Electric Floor Brush)

is the standard cleaning brush of the Dreame V11 and also the only included brush that’s ought to be used for cleaning the floor.

The Softroller is the standard cleaning brush

The Mini Electric Brush

works very well when vacuuming upholstery or cleaning the insides of the car. It’s got its own electric drive motor.

The mini electric brush is particularly suitable for cleaning furniture.

The Wall Bracket

is now something that almost all manufacturers in the UK include in their scope of delivery. With this you can simply hang your cordless vacuum cleaner on the wall to save space and charge it at the same time.

The wall dock for storing and charging the Dreame V11

The Narrow Multitool

is a clever mixture of crevice nozzle and upholstery nozzle. With the push of a button, the bristles can be retracted, and you’ll be able to use a classic crevice nozzle.

Unfortunately, the finish looks a bit cheap.

The narrow multitool is the crevice nozzle of the Dreame V11.

The Wide Multitool

It’s basically the same as the narrow one from above, just with a wide opening. It comes in quite handy when vacuuming furniture and the like.

The practical wide multitool

The Flexible Vacuum Cleaner Tube

It can be inserted between an attachment and the motor unit or even the suction tube. This allows you to use your battery vacuum cleaner almost like the classic vacuum cleaner with hoses.

We liked it for cleaning cars, but we didn’t really need this extra in our everyday life yet, but maybe you’ll come up with a good use for it!

The flexible vacuum cleaner tube of the Dreame V11

What features improve the cleaning performance?

The "Softroller" electric floor brush

It helps the cordless vacuum cleaner to pick up dirt with its own electric drive and transports it at high speed into the suction tube.

As described in our cleaning test, this only works well with the Dreame V11 on hard floors. The device didn’t shine so brightly on carpeted floors.

On hard floors, the brush worked better, but the "gliding performance" wasn’t perfect. The brush glides not only on the actual roller, but also on narrow fibre strips on the edge of the housing.

These got stuck a few times during our test, which comes down to a rather clumsy workmanship here.

Electric brush from below

Other manufacturers in the UK (take a look at the Dyson V10 review) also supply different brushes for different floor types or use combo brushes (compare Dyson V11 Absolute review) that are suitable for all floor types. That’s much more convenient.

How many suction modes does the Dreame V11 have?

The Dreame V11 comes with three different suction modes. Each mode has a different level of suction power and is suitable for different kinds of dirt:

Eco, Mid and Turbo.

Suction modes and battery performance of the Dreame V11 at a glance

Suction Mode Battery Runtime Suction Power
Eco 90 minutes Too weak
Mid 45 minutes Good
Turbo 12 minutes 150 Airwatt, very good

The manufacturer states that the Dreame V11 brings up to 150 airwatts to the table in turbo mode. That is more than decent and puts the Dreame on a par with the Dyson V10, at least on paper. Our test showed, too, that you can achieve decent cleaning results with the Dreame's suction power.

It’s pretty difficult for us to verify the Airwatt number (read more...). In our practical test, however, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Eco mode of the Dreame V11 is insufficient when you try to vacuum some visible dirt. The suction power is just too weak. This also puts the top battery performance of 90 minutes in a different light.

The medium mode (Mid) is strong enough to work with it decently, and you have a solid battery life of about 45 minutes. But keep in mind that the runtime always depends on the attachment that is in use.

The Dreame V11 as a cordless hand vacuum cleaner

Converting the Dreame V11 from a cordless upright to a cordless handheld vacuum is quick and easy, and the plug-in system works flawlessly.

Thanks to the useful gadgets, you can also clean furniture, pictures or your car with the device. The Dreame V11 works very well here thanks to its low weight.

The Dreame V11 converted into a cordless hand vacuum cleaner

How easy is it to use the Dreame V11?

Generally speaking, the Dreame V11 is easy to use and the handling is mostly self-explanatory.

But let’s start from the beginning...

Setting up and unboxing the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11 comes with an instruction manual. To get to the manual, however, you first have to unpack the device. That didn't go smoothly, but that’s not really an obstacle.

In our opinion, the plastic packaging is not necessary, the carton alone would be sufficient. Then we would give it an environmental bonus.

Dreame V11 in its packaging

Once the device is unboxed, everything else is a no-brainer: charge it for three and a half hours, assemble it as needed and off you go.

The manoeuvrability of the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11's manoeuvrability is limited mainly due to the imperfectly manufactured brush. Otherwise, the weight and the joint on the brush ensure good manoeuvrability and cornering ability.

The volume of the Dreame V11

Dreame V11 in volume test

The results of the volume test of the Dreame V11 caught us off-guard. The volume was pleasantly low when vacuuming in comparison with other devices in the low-price sector. We measured dB values between 66 in Eco mode and 72 dB in Turbo mode in our test. This makes the Dreame V11 one of the quietest devices we’ve tested so far.

Is the Dreame V11 easy to maintain?

Maintenance of the Dreame V11 includes only four tasks:

  • Emptying and cleaning the dirt tank
  • Cleaning or changing the filter
  • Cleaning the brush
  • Changing the Dreame V11 battery

Emptying and Cleaning the Dirt Container

Emptying the Dreame V11 dirt container

To empty the dust container, you’ve got to hold the machine over the trash and press the small button that’s located at the bottom of the container. The lid will pop open and the dirt will fall out.

Emptying the Dreame V11

The lid works very well and it also closes well. However, if something gets stuck, it has to be removed by hand.

Extra tip: To keep fine dust from getting back into your home, empty the bin outside over the trash.

For people with allergies, we recommend reading our the Dyson V11 review or the Vorwerk VB100 review. These two manufacturers came up with more efficient emptying processes that are more convenient for allergy sufferers.

Cleaning the dirt container

You have to clean the dirt container with a cloth or brush. It’s too bad that it’s not possible to remove the container easily. This is also the reason why you cannot wash it out. Proper cleaning is annoyingly complicated and difficult.

Cleaning and changing the filter of the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11 comes with a HEPA Filter (High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter), which lasts a very long time and can be tapped out easily. The filter can be unscrewed from the motor unit.

The fact that Dreame uses a filter with a long service life saves money and also protects the environment.

If it does break down or become too dirty at some point, you can replace it at low cost.

Removing the HEPA filter from the Dreame V11

Cleaning the Brush

Cleaning the brush is easy. You have to press the small button at the bottom of the brush and a small latch pops out. Now you can easily remove the soft roller. The advantage of the soft roller is that hairs rarely wrap themselves around the brush. If it does happen, you can simply remove the hair from the brush with a sharp knife.

Cleaning the brush of the Dreame V11

Maintenance of the Battery

Unfortunately, the battery is permanently installed. This means that if there is a sharp drop in performance or the battery fails, you can only hope that it happens within the warranty period. Either way, you will have to send the device in to have the battery replaced, although no real information could be found on whether the manufacturer replaces the battery at all.

Anyone who pays attention to sustainability is therefore not advised to use this device.

Dreame V11 Review (UK): Conclusion and Price-Performance

For allergy sufferers, we would also recommend a different device, as the emptying and especially the cleaning function of the dirt container doesn’t entirely prevent the dirt from getting back into the apartment.

However, with the Dreame V11, we have reviewed a decent device from the low-price sector.

The biggest advantage of the Dreame V11 is also its low price.

Despite the low price and therefore rather low expectations, the Dreame V11 was able to surprise us in some areas.

We especially want to point out the strong suction power (except in Eco mode) and the solid workmanship. The interaction of these factors led to a decent cleaning result on hard floors. On carpets, the Dreame V11 could not really convince us.

A nice extra is the OLED display, which is far from being a standard today. It really does provide useful information.

We can recommend it if you have set a lower budget for the purchase of your new household helper and are ok with making compromises in terms of quality and performance.

We also recommend the device for households with little dirt or as a second device to a good vacuum robot.

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I buy Dreame V11 on Amazon UK?


    You can buy Dreame V11 crodless vacuum via Amazon in the UK.

Joe

I have always been excited about smart home products. User-friendliness is one of the most important criteria for new products for me and my reviews should also be user-friendly. This way, you can find the product that suits you best and I hope that our test reports offer you real added value in this way.

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