By Maisie Arnold-Barron
Digital Journalist | Kairīpoata Matahiko
Don’t you hate vacuuming? Having a robot clean your floors while you sip your morning coffee once seemed like a utopian dream, but now it’s reality. Choose the wrong model, though, and it may suck away your dosh – and not much else.
We test robot vacuums and score them on hard-floor cleaning, carpet cleaning, pet-hair removal, reaching pesky corners, mopping and general user-friendliness. We buy all the models we test and don’t accept advertising, so everything we recommend is legit!
On this page
- How robot vacuums compare to stick and corded vacuums
- Will a robot vac suit your home and lifestyle?
- How well do robot vacuums clean?
- Which features do you need?
- What size robot vacuum should you buy?
- Don’t forget to check battery life
- How much does a good robot vacuum cost?
- Which robot vacuum brand is best?
How robot vacuums compare to stick and corded vacuums
PROS
More compact and easier to store
Can be programmed to clean on a certain day/time
Do the vacuuming (and often mopping) for you
Usually clean hard floors well
Can clean hard-to-reach areas like under beds
CONS
Usually don’t clean carpets as well
Best-performing models cost more than comparable stick or corded vacuums
Can’t climb or vacuum stairs
Usually can’t clean larger houses on one battery life
Models without an auto-empty station may need frequent emptying
Find the best robot vacuum
We’ve independently tested models across a range of brands and prices to help you avoid an expensive mistake.
Will a robot vac suit your home and lifestyle?
A robot vac could be a great option if…
you like to have the house clean when you come home from work
you have mobility issues
you have pets and want to keep up with daily shedding
you have mostly hard floors
your home is mainly on one level
you’re prepared to tidy cords and toys away before the vac can attack.
A robot vac may not suit you if...
you have a mostly carpeted house
you have a lot of stairs, split-level areas or tight spaces
you have a large house and don’t want to wait for the vacuum to recharge
your floors are often cluttered.
Decided a robot vacuum isn’t for you? Check out our corded vacuum and stick vacuum buying guides instead.
How well do robot vacuums clean?
Most (but not all!) of the robot vacuums we’ve reviewed can clean hard floors well, but carpets are another story. While our top-performing corded and stick vacuums scored in the 80s and 90s for carpet cleaning, the best robot vacuum only managed a shocking 41!
If you have a furry friend that likes to shed, make sure you consult our test results before choosing a robot vacuum. Some models performed well in our pet-hair test, but many struggled.
Which features do you need?
Most robot vacuum cleaners are pretty savvy, but some trump others in the high-tech department, with features like built-in cameras and self-cleaning mop heads.
Scheduled cleaning
All robot vacuums we’ve reviewed have a scheduled cleaning setting, so you can program them in advance.
Mopping
All our current models have a mopping function. Many have advanced mopping systems that automatically clean or refresh the mop as they work, while others are more basic and require you to clean the mop pad yourself after each use.
Live camera feeds
Some models have cameras that help them navigate your home and spy any rogue socks. With some super-savvy models, you can speak from your robot vac – great for freaking people out and talking to your pets while you’re at work.
Smart app controls
All the current models we’ve tested can be controlled via a phone app. Some higher-end apps add AI-powered features such as recognising obstacles, automatically adjusting cleaning settings for different rooms and generating personalised cleaning plans.
Auto-empty stations
All our current models have a dustbin attached to their charging station. This allows the vac to empty itself with your having to clean it out after every clean. We found that some self-empty docks could hold 10 times the amount of the built-in dustbin. Most auto-empty stations contain a bag, but some are bagless, saving you money on buying replacements.
Area mapping and detection
While older robot vacuum cleaners moved around blindly, course-correcting whenever they bumped into something, many models now use LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to map your home. If you have a multi-level house, you’ll find many – but not all – can map different levels. All the currently available models we’ve reviewed have a stair detection feature, to stop the robo from taking a tumble down the stairs.
Robot vacs do sometimes collide with objects while cleaning, but they have spring-loaded bumpers to minimise impact.
Virtual walls
Most models we’ve reviewed allow you to create invisible walls, which they will not cross – for example, to stop them stumbling into the fireplace. This is done through the robot vacuum’s app.
What size robot vacuum should you buy?
The robot vacs we’ve tested differ quite a bit in height (92–115mm) and weight (3–6.2kg). The diameters are more consistent, all falling between 320 and 365mm.
Measure the space under your lowest furniture to make sure the model you choose will fit underneath it.
Think about what weight you can comfortably manage – you’ll need to pick your robot vac up sometimes.
Don’t forget to check battery life
The battery life of a robot vac depends on its usage and model. Our testing found major differences in battery life, ranging from about one hour to almost two hours.
If you have a large house and want your robot to clean it with one charge, check our reviews before buying.
How much does a good robot vacuum cost?
Are the crème de la crème, top-dollar models really the best? Not always. Our Consumer Recommended models sit in the $2,200 to $3,200 range, but price is no guarantee of performance — some other pricey models scored very poorly, while one model under $400 outperformed robot vacuums that cost four times as much.
Check our reviews before you buy to avoid a costly mistake.
Which robot vacuum brand is best?
We asked thousands of people to tell us about their experience owning a robot vacuum. We then used those ratings to calculate reliability and satisfaction scores for each brand.
In our latest survey, only one brand earned our People’s Choice endorsement for robot vacs. That brand also had the model with the highest overall score from our testing.
Find the best robot vacuum
We’ve independently tested models across a range of brands and prices to help you avoid an expensive mistake.
