Best robot vacuum cleaners of 2024 reviewed
The Evening Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2020/08/05/17/neato-d7-lifestlye.jpg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=1024)
![ES Best](https://www.standard.co.uk/img/newsletters/newsletter_es_best_embed_desktop.png)
Genuinely labour-saving home appliances like the robot vacuum cleaner are invented once in a blue moon. These remarkable robots navigate around the floor, vacuum-cleaning as they go. Some of them also have a mop mode, providing a 2-in-1 shortcut to spotlessness.
Almost all robot vacuums have two core components: the robot itself, which will be a circular or roughly-circular bot with an in-built vacuum and dust tank; and a slender charger called a base unit, which can be placed up against a wall. The robot vac docks back to the base unit once it has finished cleaning, so it can charge its on-board battery ready for the next bout.
An important point of difference among robot vacuums is their method of navigating around obstacles. Many robot vacuums have one or more bumpers around their circumference. When the robot bumps gently into an obstacle, the bumper detects the impact and changes the direction of travel. Some robot vacuums remember these collisions so they can avoid the problem areas in future. Higher-end vacuums sometimes use cameras to enhance their collision avoidance, meaning they can avoid bumping into obstacles pretty much entirely.
All the robot vacuums featured in this article can be operated either manually, or using an app. Manual operation tends to be the simpler approach, while robot vac apps can support more advanced features such as floor mapping, no-go zones and remote operation.
Shop our edit below
iRobot Roomba i7+
We didn’t know just how lazy we could be until we tested this amazing robot which really can be left to do all the hard work. It’s surprisingly simple to set up through its app and has clever smart-mapping capability to plan the floor of your home for quick and easy cleaning. It takes a few days for it to really figure out every crevice and corner but within a week, ours navigated the house like it had always been there.
Best of all, it remembers up to ten individual floor plans at once and can be operated by Alexa and Google Assistant so you can specify which room it should clean with just a voice command. This was so easy to use that even our children loved calling it out to clean up if they made a mess – an almost life-changing development.
It has no problem automatically switching between hard floors, carpets and rugs and we were astounded to see pet hair posed no problem either, though we think longer hair may occasionally tangle on the brush. When it’s full, the Roomba simply heads back to the base where dirt is automatically (though noisily) sucked out and sealed in an enclosed bag, then whizzes back to finish cleaning. The app will give you a nudge when the bag needs changing - around once a month if used daily – so be aware there is an ongoing cost for replacement bags. But if you fancy cleaning up after your pet with zero effort, this is a no-brainer.
Dyson 360 Vis Nav Robot Vacuum Cleaner
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/03/15/13/59/RB03_SUBLNK_003-qq-RGB-TopDown-A4_WS copy.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=640)
If there’s one thing that Dyson can be complimented for, it’s creating good-looking and intuitive products. However, the brand’s previous robotic hoover model, the 360 Eye, had all of the promise and none of the follow-through.
Thankfully, the 26-year-long project that is the D-shaped Dyson 360 Vis Nav Robot Vacuum Cleaner has finally arrived to right those wrongs. The powerful piece of kit can pivot and accelerate with remarkable smoothness and accuracy, so much so that it’s difficult not to picture a miniature F1 driver at the wheel.
Unlike those strangely brittle carbon fibre brushes of ol’, Dyson’s newest brush bar is equipped with a fluffy nylon brush which is imbued with anti-static carbon fibre filaments. Stiff and durable nylon bristles will then dig into carpets and rugs to scoop up debris. This brilliant design has resulted in zero hair-wrap pain and fuss-free emptying.
When the Vis Nav changes pitch, that’s just the Piezo sensor working - an innovative device which detects dust particles invisible to the human eye and changes the suction power accordingly.
The device comes with a lifetime HEPA filter and has a run time of up to 65 minutes. A simple 2.75-hour charge will get your Vis Nav back up to full battery. It weighs an impressively light 5kg and extra docking stations can be purchased for larger homes.
eufy clean X10 Omni
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/04/11/13/30/8.jpg.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=640)
Best for: Cordfree, carefree vacuuming
Okay, I may have gone slightly off-script here, but technically the stunning new X10 Pro Omni from eufy is, for all intents and purposes, a cordless cleaner; the fact that it also happens to be an advanced robovac too, notwithstanding.
If your intolerance of domestic work goes beyond getting tangled up in cords, then outsource such onerous effort to the eufy which, navigating automatically to and from its charging base station, can glide around the carpets and hard floors of your home, quietly disposing of dirt and dust for up to 173-minutes per sucking session, before returning to charge to 100 per cent power again over the course of six hours.
A powerful player in the vacuum stakes, the eufy’s AI can recognise and avoid over 100 objects around the home, so you’ll never need to work about it vandalising your stuff while you’re out, and if the X10 Pro Omni encounters some stubborn stains, it’s also a robomop, capable of cleaning 1500-200 sq. ft. of floor, automatically filling with clean water and ditching the dirty back at the base station with no finger-raising required from the likes of you. Similarly, featuring a 2.5-litre dust tank, the eufy empties itself into the base, leaving you free to twiddle your thumbs while it does – literally – all the work.
Exceptional at tackling pet hair, too, the combination of rubber and bristles scoops up any floor-lurking crud, no matter how deeply stomped into the carpet it is and, taking the convenience to the nth degree, the eufy even features a Pro-Detangle Comb that automatically removes hair for the ultimate in hands-off laziness.
Finally, making this the perfect addition to any smart home, the eufy X10 Pro Omni is Alexa and Google Assistant enabled, meaning you can just tell it what to do when you can’t be bothered to find your phone.
Slick-looking and super-smart, the eufy is the pinnacle of the current robovac crop, something which makes the incredibly affordable (for this level of tech) £700 price tag very surprising indeed.
- Weight: 12kg
- Height: Robot: 11.4cm, Station: 48cm
- Power: 110V
- Run time: 173-minutes
- Charge time: 6-hours
- Collection: 2.7l bacteriostatic dustbag
- Carpet: Yes
- Hard floor: Yes
- Pets: Yes
Kärcher RCV 5
While you’ll need to fiddle around with this device to connect it to the internet, and set up maps and program schedules, once it’s up and running, it will make the chore of cleaning a breeze. It charges up in 230 minutes and then has two hours of run time. Not content with just scooping up dirt and grime, there’s a 240ml water tank tool for the mop function to take elbow crease out of your regular clean-up jobs.
One thing to note is that the charging base needs to be plugged into a socket that has 50cm on either side and 1.5m in front of it that is completely clear - but other than this potential issue with space and the need for WiFi connection and downloading the app, it’s intuitive with a dual laser system that prevents it bumping into obstacles. It can navigate around and sense where there are stairs or items as small and flat as cables.
The slimline design makes it ideal for reaching under furniture like sofas and beds. Voice assistant is coming.
Proscenic 850T Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Not all robot vacuums are up to scratch when it comes to handling pet hair but this makes the grade. This had a hefty 3000pa of suction power so managed to suck up everything in its path, automatically increasing the suction to max mode as soon as a carpet was detected and pulling out even deeply-embedded hair.
It has a clever laser navigation system to plan the best cleaning path and can be controlled by remote control, app or Amazon Alexa. On the app, it’s possible to establish no-go areas, and room-specific cleaning and schedule cleaning jobs so you can set it to work when you’re walking the dog. The battery is excellent too and it was a good two hours before ours returned to the charging station, though we needed the most powerful mode to deal with the worst pet hair and this drains the power quicker.
Better still, the Proscenic mops too and we felt particularly smug seeing our clean kitchen floor once it had worked its magic. It only has a teeny 300ml water tank so sadly won’t replace a good mopping from a real human but is great for in-between cleans. Our only complaint is the automatic dust collector is sold separately, so you’ll need to empty it by hand after every clean unless you spend extra.
iRobot Roomba s9+
In the world of domestic robots, iRobot reigns supreme - with a kingly price tag to match, although it is currently on sale at Amazon.
It’s not just a status buy though, the Roomba s9+ is packed with features that will leave you slack-jawed with wonder. As well as offering a thorough clean across hard floors, thick rugs and carpet, its biggest draw is that it empties itself in the clean base, trapping dirt, hair and bacteria into a closed system. You’ll still need to clear this out into your main bin, but it won’t be as often.
It can be voice-controlled through Google or Alexa and the simple-to-use app allows you to create no-go zones or set the robot to clean certain rooms only.
It is quite a noisy little thing which could be annoying when you’re trying to unwind in front of the telly but not an issue if it’s cleaning while you’re working or at the office.
Miele RX3 Scout Home Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The quality and design of the Scout RX3s components seem to be a level higher than most of the competition. Each piece feels resilient and beautifully finished with rose gold details. Every accessory from the remote control to the side brushes is pleasingly designed.
Perhaps the most noteworthy example of the Scout RV3’s smart design is the slight angling of the two side brushes, which seems to give them an advantage when it comes to winkling dust and detritus out of nooks and crannies. This is an important feature, as the robot is not the most powerful in terms of hoovering performance. It sweeps brilliantly and vacuums fairly well for 120 minutes straight if required. It’s also Alexa-compatible and, if you’re having a slow day at work, you can monitor how it’s doing through a Home Vision feed on your smartphone via an app.
We were really impressed with the Scout RX3’s collision avoidance tech. In our testing, the cameras and infrared sensors on the robot did a great job of detecting obstacles like furniture before the Scout RX3 touched them (a few stray chair legs were the exceptions).
Further to their practical use, the eye-like cameras give the robot a friendly appearance, which may lead some users to start thinking of it as a pet with an unusual penchant for cleaning.
Comes with a two-year guarantee.
iRobot E5152 Roomba Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Launched in 2002, iRobot Roomba is an elder statesperson among robot vacuum brands. Based on our testing of the Roomba E5152, the company is comfortably keeping pace with more recent entrants into the market.
In our testing, the Roomba E5152’s cleaning performance proved to be very good, with powerful suction and thorough coverage of the test space, collection of 99 per cent of mould, pollen, dust mite, dog, and cat allergens as it goes.
We were particularly impressed with the Roomba’s Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes that adapt to the surface and the Dirt Detect sensors that work harder on the dirtier areas of your home. This interesting tech proved to be highly effective.
Ultenic D5s Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2020/08/05/17/ultenic-d5s.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=640)
The Ultenic D5s Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner impressed us during testing. It took a range of floor surfaces in its stride, ranging from smooth to what might kindly be described as rustic. The robot did seem to get stuck on a particularly bumpy stone flag at one point, but it valiantly righted itself within just a few seconds.
The DS5s Pro did a great job of following the profile of walls and furniture. It seems adept at covering all the ground in a room, using a variety of movement patterns. One minor downside is that the robot was not able to recognise some lighter objects (specifically, a cat toy and a cat bowl), and so it proceeded to shunt these unfortunate items across the floor.
All things considered, the DS5s Pro is a really effective operator, available at a reasonable price. Its abilities were proven beyond doubt when we came to empty its dust drawer and saw the impressive amount of detritus it had gathered up.
Neato Robotics D7 Intelligent Robot Vacuum
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/03/01/15/neatobotvac.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=640)
Gentle and meticulous, the Neato Robotics D7 Intelligent Robot Vacuum is a delightful robot vacuum to have around the house. It moves quite slowly, and operates quietly, which we found refreshing after testing some of the more high-octane robot vacs on the market.
We were impressed to note the D7 could traverse uneven areas of floor which other robots couldn’t manage, including a fairly steep barrier between rooms.
The D7 seems to dwell for a relatively long period in small areas of the room before moving on, leaving each area well-cleaned without requiring a second pass. As you’d hope, the D-shaped design of the robot seems to help it get the dust out of corners.
Beko Robot Vacuum Cleaner VRR60314
![](https://static.standard.co.uk/2023/05/24/14/Beko VRR60314VW Dock.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=640)
Housed in a sleek, spherical shell measuring approximately the size of an especially large sourdough loaf, the Beko Robot Vacuum is a great fit for even the smallest of spaces.
The small but mighty machine has a run time of up to 150 minutes, four cleaning modes, four suction modes and three noise levels to choose from. It is suitable for pretty much all floor types including carpet, hard floor, vinyl and tile.
What’s more, you can use the preset function in order to map out your robot vacuum’s route, and even set it to quietly clean your space overnight so that you wake up to spick and span floors all-round.