Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are excellent at keeping your floors clean, they can't replace a full-size vacuum. Even the most advanced robots aren't able to get deep into carpets and rugs and they can become tangled in cords and socks.

Staying on top of routine maintenance (replacing filters, cutting tangled hair from brushes and emptying the dust bin) can help your robot last longer.

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a few cleaning sessions without needing to be charged. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is the runner-up of our top picks. It comes with a battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square foot) on a single charge. This should suffice for most small homes with carpets, hard flooring and carpets with low pile or larger homes with rooms that are about the same size.

A longer battery life means the robot will spend less time charging and can spend more time cleaning. It's a good idea to choose models that have a self-emptying dust bin, as those models are more efficient in collecting debris and returning to the dock for charging. It is essential to clean or replace filters and clean the sensors and the camera on a regular schedule so they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is a great feature to look for because it allows you to program your robot to only clear certain rooms or areas where it's likely to hit furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also helpful to ensure that your robot is able to reach under and around furniture, such as beds, sofas and other large objects. A few robovacs that are cheap robot vacuum have boundary strips that you can use to block off certain areas. Other high-end models rely on sensors and cameras.

Even the top robot vacuums can't replace a conventional vac when it comes heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's advisable to keep a traditional power vac on standby to handle these chores, and to schedule robot vacuums regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot should be capable of navigating your home without getting caught or running into things like metal screws, pet hair or sand. In our tests, we use an instrument to track the robot as it moves through a multi-room lab and maps out its surroundings. We also examine how the robot avoids obstacles like power cords, furniture legs and pet waste.

The top robots can map out multiple floors and can recognize landmarks like doors and Windows. The most advanced ones, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, come with a dual-sensor navigation device that uses an LIDAR sensor to map the room and a structured lighting camera in front of the robot vacuum deals to identify objects in real-time. The S8 is able to avoid obstacles like power cords as well as legs of furniture. It also has the capability to store up to four floor maps.

The majority of the models that are affordable use bump sensors, which aren't as precise. In my tests they were able see through dog poop and cords as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The most affordable choice the Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It has excellent carpet and hard floor pickup, excellent hair and tangle pickup and an auto empty score.

A large dust bin onboard, which does not need to be manually empty is another feature that's important. If you have models that mop the floor, this tank can hold enough water for several weeks of cleaning. Karcher's RCV 5 is a good illustration of this. It has a big enough footprint to fit under furniture but not so big that it is unable to fit into the space between your bathtub and toilet.

Apps

Robot vacuums are a lot like their upright counterparts and require a lot of tech to get them up and running at speed. The result is a pretty mature market that is brimming with options. Even the top models require interaction from their users, especially when it comes to schedule cleanings, create a floor plan for your home and install virtual barriers.

To help reduce the impact of this interaction, you should look for a model that has its own app to determine the location of your home, and save the settings for the future. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it left off when it runs again, instead of having the mapping process restarted each time.

It's also worth keeping an eye out for a vacuum that comes with zones or spot cleaning modes. These allow you to tell the robot vacuum to focus on a specific spot, such as under the dining table following the family's big meal. You can choose to do this using the app or by voice commands.

Many models also offer object avoidance. It allows the robot when it comes across something in its way such as a box shoes or a crate filled with dog toys, to instruct itself around. This will prevent it from running into objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.

This feature is available on some of the more expensive models we tested. They depend on the technology of bump sensors for this however they did not always avoid things in my test home.

Pet Hair

When it comes to picking up pet hair, choose one that is specifically designed to handle this kind of debris. The best models will have the highest suction, a brush which keeps hair from tangling and an automated emptying mechanism. Some models can also determine dirt levels and adjust the intensity of cleaning in line with the level of dirt. They can also detect objects that aren't part of your home flooring, like toys, furniture and food bowls.

Some robot vacuums include pet-friendly features, such as a small water dispenser that can be used for mopping floors and a HEPA filter that can reduce allergens such as pet dust. They could also provide an operation that is quieter, which can minimize the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums with maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They are designed to analyze your home, and create an strategy based on the arrangement of each room and obstacles. Shark Matrix Plus is a dual-purpose robot vacuum that can create a map of a room cleaning robot, and navigate around furniture, and other obstacles by using accelerometers and gyroscope smart sensors.

Apps allow you to establish zones that are not allowed. These are areas where the robot shouldn't be allowed, for instance, areas with fragile objects or pet feeding areas. This feature is particularly beneficial for families with a lot of activity, as it allows you to plan your cleaning schedule and adjust settings without having to be in the same room as the vacuum. Another excellent feature is spot cleaning which allows you to control the vacuum to clean a specific area that is particularly filthy or full of pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you're not looking for something small You should pick a robot that can carry at least a complete bag of garbage from one cleaning session. We recommend picking a model that has an enormous bin or a trash bin that automatically emptys. The former will enable you to keep track of emptying the bin frequently enough to ensure you are on top of its performance while the latter will help you save time and hassle by automatically dumping the contents into an internal bin every few cleanings.

Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities that enable them to "learn" the layout of your home and plan more efficient routes. They also detect and avoid objects that may hinder their routes (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Consider models that have intelligent mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the patterns of your house and devise more efficient routes, as well as models that detect and avoid objects that could block their paths (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables).

Some models provide spot cleaning. This allows you to manually target an area of your home to be targeted for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we found that the top models are able to take out small particles like baking soda, sand, orzo, metal screws, and pet hair, as well heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and metal screws.

According to the manufacturer the manufacturer, robots last for a long time and continue to perform well, as long as they're maintained. For example cleaning hair tangled of brushes and emptying dust bins after each use as well as wiping cameras and sensors down when needed. The best automatic floor cleaner-performing robots also tend to be more modular which makes them simpler and less expensive to replace or repair parts such as wheels and batteries when they wear out.