Best robot vacuums to keep your home effortlessly clean

If you'd prefer to get your floors cleaned completely hands-free, you may want to consider one of the best robot vacuums to keep your home dust and debris free. Let's be honest, there are very few people out there that genuinely enjoy vacuuming and if you're not one of them, we don't blame you! These clever machines do a brilliant job of cleaning your home, tackling all different floor types from hardwood floors to pile carpets without needing to get out a regular vacuum cleaner.

With impressive suction power to tackle all that pet hair, dirt, and dust that’s far too small for the human eye to see, it’s no wonder more and more people are turning to a robot vac to keep their floors clean. Not only do they do an amazing job of keeping your floors clean but they will also give you some of your precious time back. With the robo vac taking care of the floors, you can use that time saved to tackle another household chore or simply kick back and relax on the sofa. It doesn't matter whether you're looking for a vacuum cleaner for hard floors or one that will make light work of your carpets, robot vacuum cleaners are designed to tackle a variety of floor types with ease.

Best robot vacuums at a glance:

• Best overall: eufy Clean by Anker RoboVac G40+ Robot Vacuum Cleaner – view on Amazon UK
• Best robot vacuum for all floor types: Miele RX3 Scout Home Robot Vacuum Cleaner – view on John Lewis
• Best robot vacuum for homes with pets: Roomba j7+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum – view on iRobot.co.uk

The best thing about robot vacuums is that they come equipped with a wide range of clever features to make the task of keeping your home spick and span as straightforward and simple as possible. Many models come with apps so you can control them from your phone and set up cleaning schedules to work around you. Some can even work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistants so you can control them using voice commands alone. Not to mention, fancy navigation systems that help it to recognise objects, like your furniture and pets, so they know what to avoid, and extra brushes for a wider cleaning area with every movement.

If you're not sure where to start with your search for the best robot vacuums, you've come to the right place. We've searched the web for robot cleaners that are from well-known brands or come highly rated in a range of price points so you can find the right one for your cleaning needs as well as your budget.

Best robot vacuums

Best robot vacuums FAQs

How do robot vacuums work?

You've read all about our top picks of the best robot vacuums but how do they actually work? Well, they use a combination of clever sensors and programming to keep your home spick and span.

There are four common sensors that robot vacuum cleaners use: bump sensors to detect physical contact with your walls or furniture, cliff sensors that detect sudden drops to stop it from falling down stairs, optical or infrared sensors to help them navigate around your furniture, and floor sensors, which some robot vacs have to help them adjust their cleaning modes to different floor types.

A robot vacuum will then use this information to create a map of the area and make cleaning paths and patterns to ensure it gets the best coverage, without bumping into your furniture and other obstacles. As many robo vacs can be controlled and scheduled through smartphone apps or smart home systems like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, you can create a cleaning schedule that will be automatically triggered to when you have programmed them.

Is a robot vacuum cleaner worth it?

Whether a robot vacuum is worth it will all depend on your individual preferences and lifestyle as well as your cleaning needs. Here are some of the factors to consider when deciding whether to invest in a robot vacuum cleaner:

Convenience

Robot vacuums offer the convenience of automated cleaning. They can be programmed to clean at scheduled times or activated remotely through an app on your Smartphone. This can particularly be helpful if you’ve got limited mobility.

Timesaving

As the cleanings are automated, it will free up some time that you’d normally be spending doing manual vacuuming. You can then use that time to pick up another household chore, take part in an activity you enjoy or simply pop your feet up.

Cleaning efficiency

While robot vacuums are designed to clean various floor types and can navigate around obstacles, it’s not always smooth sailing. The cleaning performance may not match that of an upright vacuum cleaner, especially for deep-cleaning carpets with matted pet hair or handling tough stains. They also have a tendency to get stuck in places so you may end up having to do additional cleaning to catch up with the bits it missed.

Battery life

Most robot vacuum cleaners have a decent battery life but the run time may not compare to more traditional cordless vacuum cleaners. You may need to pop it on charge multiple times if you want it to clean your whole house but should be more than enough to tackle one room at a time.

Capacity

As robot vacuum cleaners are smaller compared to most cordless and stick vacuum cleaners, they won’t have as large of a dust capacity. This will be fine if you’ve only got a small space you need it to clean up, but you may need to empty it a few times in large spaces.

Home layout

Robot vacuums work best in homes with open floor plans and minimal obstacles. If your home has a lot of clutter or complex room layouts, the effectiveness of the cleaning may be compromised.

Budget

Lastly, you’ll want to think about your budget. Robot vacuums can vary significantly in price so deciding whether one is worth it for you will depend on how much money you’ve got to spend and how much you value the convenience they offer.

Rosie Floyd is a Pets, Homes and Garden Product Writer for Yours, specialising in home appliances, décor and furnishings, as well as all things dogs. After completing her Journalism & Media degree from Coventry University back in 2015, she started her career writing about must-visit holiday destinations, moving on to creating content around outdoor living and garden buildings, before joining the team at Bauer.