Updated November 2025

Robot vacuum cleaners

We've tested a range of robot vacuums to see how well they clean hard floors and carpet, and remove pet hair.

Robot vacuums should be able to clean any type of flooring. We test them on hard and soft flooring and around obstacles (chairs and a bench), so that the setup is similar to a home.

Overall score breakdown

Overall score is based on

Hard floors

We scatter a measured amount of sand evenly over a vinyl floor and let the robot loose for 25 minutes, or until the end of its cleaning cycle. We periodically measure the dirt collected and the score is based on the total amount picked up.

Carpet cleaning

Similar to the hard floor test, we sprinkle sand evenly onto a section of carpet and leave the robot to clean. The sand collected is weighed and recorded, and then a score is given.

Corners and edges cleaning

Sand is spread into a corner, and the robot vacuum is instructed to clean this area. A visual assessment of remaining sand checks how close to the corner it got.

Pet-hair removal

We embed cat hair into carpet and set the vacuum to run for six minutes. The score is based on a visual assessment of how much cat hair is left after the test.

Ease of use

How easy a robot vacuum is to use is vital, so we check the following:

Ease of emptying the dirt receptacle (models with self-emptying functions tend to score better for this)
How easy is the app to use? Are the functions labelled clearly and easy to find, and is there any lag in its operation?
Ease of connecting the robot and app to your home network
Ease of creating and saving room maps, creating and using cleaning schedules and changing settings and controls.
Cleaning logs such as details of paths and obstacles, time spent cleaning and how much battery was used.

Mopping

Many robot vacs can now mop as well as vacuum. We test these models by spreading several common stains onto a laminate floor – coffee, red wine, a mud mixture, soy sauce and jam, and record how well they are removed with the robot on it’s most intense cleaning routine. We also assess how easy it is to use the mopping function, including filling the tank and attaching the pads, along with removing and washing the pads.