Introduction

There are few things that keep home chores quiet on a quiet evening. Yet robot vacuum cleaners may have the culprit in mind. As it’s constantly pumping out dust, pet hair, and pollen, robots can be really good at keeping your home sparkling clean, particularly during spring cleaning when it takes more time to empty bin after bin. But how well do they really clean? We sent seven consumer robotics teams around the world to try out the latest models to find out. Which? You tried: The only way to test how a vacuum will actually clean is to tell it to do the job. We were contacted by eight groups representing the different industries and technologies to ask them about their products. The short answer was yes. These had been created to help out in various ways, including to increase efficiency or extend the use of battery-powered devices and cleaning robots.

Buying the best cheap vacuum cleaner

Whether your vacuum seems like it’s already got it down, it might be worth checking out one of our cheap robot vacuum reviews. Each of the models in the reviews includes an average price, dust rating, speed, cleaning and size and battery life. Whether they are air mops, cylinder vacuum cleaners, upright or cylinder cleaners we have tested. You can get different models from specific brands. We’ve found the cheapest models below can’t handle dust; so head to our best cheap vacs to see our top picks for both cleaning tools and batteries. The Lidar T3S ($329), the Best Buy by Ikea (£269) and the top-scoring Gtech Pro ($229) are an excellent choice, too. Check out our robot how-to guide for more videos, advice and features, or follow our very own living room platform on Facebook to find out more about how they clean.

How well will it clean dust and dirt from my floors?

What you get in return for your money is connected to app control so you can set a timer, control the machine using voice commands or manually schedule cleaning times for specific areas. You can buy both free and paid dongle versions depending on the model. We’ve seen offers from all major manufacturers but have also found the cheaper handsfree models seem just as effective in picking up large debris. A Roomba 675 is the best robot vacuum, with full auto-emptying cleaning. If you’re keen to use your hands, pick up an option called Virtual Room Clean, which should get the vacuum mopping up spots on your floor faster. Most of the cost is a bit of a trade off for convenience, though. For example, if you want to clean the doorways or look in a light, you’ll be happy with the Dyson V10 Spot Clean instead.

The contenders

There’s a range of robot vacuum options to choose from. We’ll break down some of to-do lists and what you’ll likely do with them. The 90-minute drive time cuts down on cleaning time considerably, but it often takes only a few minutes to get up and clean those hard floors. Our testers often found the bot a top performer, doing a better job of picking up crumbs, detritus and larger debris from carpets than regular vacuum cleaners, and carrying bigger debris around in smaller dustbins than our pick-up-firsts. Doing the same job in a fleet-like garage is the only way to ensure every canister in your home is completely zapped of dust. Because the sensor in the vacuum isn’t on the dustbin itself, we found that the remote controls, which the tech takes over, work in tandem with the intelligent app, depending on how big the area you’re cleaning is. It doesn’t figure out exactly where the broom head needs to be. It can get confused, and sometimes, as with our first comparison between the HomeBot DC3110 and the Roomba s9+, you have to remember that both have two buttons instead. However, the home bot works best with its base station and can be run autonomously. How well it performs in terms of picking up and fluff, compared to less expensive services, was a fluke. Once you’ve given your robot an expected clean, you’ll only want to clean it a few times on dedicated hard floors, or until it gets stuck on steps or if its battery is running low and it needs a refill. This costs every clean that costs a couple of hundred dollars more. You’ll also get 100 more mopping power than the robot offers.

Our verdict

Some robovac machines do a great job of cleaning your carpets, but others just lack the suction power to really clean your floors – let alone the flexibility to get around your home. All of the above can be improved if more money is invested in the software that they run. This is likely to be cheaper for households with smaller budgets, who also require more maintenance than multi-floor models or larger homes. So if you need a robot vacuum, we’d say get a standalone model, or a machine with dual-zone cleaning for the best overall cleaning. Check out our reviews of: Roomba s9+, V4s Max, Shark Ion Robot, Dyson V15 Detect, iLife Triflex, Powerbot Mini 4 and iRobot Roborock S6 Max.