An easy-to-use app offers you plenty of control, should you want it. Plus, you can use it for advanced functions such as a Pet Patrol mode, where you can ask the bot to find your furry friends while you're out, and even let you talk to them via the onboard mic and speaker.

Opertating this robovac is nice and straightforward too. We found the app easy to use, with useful customization options. And the bot itself mapped our reviewer's home quickly and accurately, then proved reliable at object avoidance on test, too.

2,000Pa is on the low side, but might be fine for hard floors and light cleaning; if you're dealing with things like pet hair and have carpets, I'd definitely be looking at the upper end of that bracket.

A 2024 study from Roskilde University in Denmark explored how householders’ experiences with robot vacuum cleaners compared to their experience with manual vacuum, and found that "robotic vacuum cleaners are inferior in use, yet transform vacuuming".

The Freo X Ultra's mopping capabilities are not quite as impressive as its vacuuming, but still good. On test, it cleared up spillages well, but the mop pads couldn't get close to the edges of rooms.

As you’re getting a three-in-one system with this robot vacuum, we also tested the stick and handheld vacuums. The stick vacuum excelled at lifting pet hair and dust on hard floors while the handheld worked best at collecting lingering crumbs.

Lidar navigation powers some competent obstacle avoidance. During our tests, the RV30 could navigate without bumping mindlessly into furniture, building a detailed map of your floorplan as it goes, to help it clean more efficiently on future runs.

We consider pet hair, too. Using the real thing, our expert grinds it into the carpet to create a worst-case scenario before putting each vacuum to work.

One of the best roomba iRobot makes, the combo j7 is a robot vacuum cleaner with an intelligent mopping function that switches modes automatically when it moves from hard floors to rugs and carpets.

Today's top-specced robovacs can generate upwards of 10,000Pa of suction. That's rare though, and you're generally looking at machines that sit in the four-figure price bracket to get that kind of power.

❌ You have an open plan home: The Narwal app won't let you demarcate open plan Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners spaces into 'rooms'.

Mapping, setting no-go zones and scheduling cleans are simple, and while you’ll have to empty the dust bin yourself (note, alerts for this flashed up on our tester’s phone as a ‘fault’ although nothing was wrong), it self-charges at its neat and compact docking station.

Carolyn selected all of the picks for this round-up and advised the Cleaning Lab's former reviews analyst, Jodhaira Rodriguez, during the testing of wet-dry vacuum and mop combo devices, one of which was included in this list of the best vacuums.

This has an advanced docking station at a relatively mid-range price; it cleans and removes mop pads, empties the dust bin, and tops up water and cleaning detergent levels.