The Best Robot Hoover

The most effective robot hoover will mop and vacuum without needing your attention. It will leave your floors clean. Its surprisingly affordable price and features that are high-end (such as dirt detection) are great features.

Be sure to examine the brushes of your robot for tangled hair as well as large debris, and wash them when needed. Some models also self-empty their dust bin on board into a larger bin at the base, which reduces the amount of fine dust that is released into the air.

1. Roomba Q5 Pro

The Q5 Pro and its sibling, the more expensive Q7 Max Series, are among the most powerful robot vacuums we've test. They are equipped with top-of-the-line motors which can produce up to 5,500 Pascals of suction force. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the most powerful model) they employ smart mapping to create detailed floorplans that avoid obstacles like cords and furniture legs. They also come with carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it spots the presence of dirt on the carpet, allowing it clean quickly.

The Q5 and Q7 Max Series both scored excellently in our tests of floors with no carpet and are especially adept in cleaning hair from dogs. However, they have a few flaws that keep them from being our top pick. One of the weaknesses of the Q5 is that its navigation system doesn't feature AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's thus susceptible to getting stuck on shoes and socks and couldn't navigate through rooms with a lot of people well during our tests. Also, it doesn't have cameras that let it see the corners of the room.

It's still a great deal for those whose home or office has a lot of unfinished flooring and you're looking to save money. It's also very quiet and can be used while you're at work, or at school. It doesn't have the edge-to-edge floor vacuuming feature that's offered by the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. It's also less effective when it comes to mopping. It relies on disposable wet wipes that don't stick well and aren't able to deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 is self-emptying cradle however. And, if you have to, you can switch the mopping pad to dry ones in just a few minutes.

2. IRobot Roomba

The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive vacuuming and mopping capabilities into a compact, sleek package. Its quick navigation and smart cleaning maps make it easy to clean and effective at tackling larger particles like pet hair. It also has a self-emptying dustbin, powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the best robotic hoover for carpets but it's not as good as other hoovers when it comes to deep cleaning.

This top-performing mop and vacuum combination uses advanced sensor technology to avoid obstacles and pet waste, and it will learn the layout of your home over time to ensure more efficient cleaning. The app allows you to customize zones and change the cleaning schedule. It has a battery lifespan that is comparable to other models.

If the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted area, you can instruct it to pull back and extend its mop. This helps prevent cross contamination. The flex arm is perfect for getting under furniture that is low and along baseboards. However, it's not equipped with the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Professional+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.

In the course of testing, X30 Ultra was the quickest robot vacuum/mop that could sweep the entire house, with 66 per cent of its battery remaining. It also did an excellent job cleaning a variety of floors and rooms that had different flooring types, including certain area rugs. Its obstacle detection was top-notch and it was nimbly avoiding fake dog turds, socks, shoes and cables.

It's more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, but it has superior suction, a built-in dust bin that automatically emptys into its base, and also supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It even cleans the floor after vacuuming this feature, which we've not seen on other robot vacuum/mop combinations.

3. iRobot Roomba X40

With a sleek circular design that appears like a regular Roomba rather than the boxes, this robot vacuum cleaners best rated robot vacuum (advice here) vacuum and mop combo is among the most attractive designs in our tests. iRobot’s latest flagship model is also the most intelligent. It comes with advanced features like Enhanced Dirt Detection and future compatibility (another company's robot vacuums uk that is able to wash mop pads autonomously).

It's the only robot vacuum/mop to score a perfect 10 in our testing due to a mix of high-tech sensors, including cameras, a structured light system, and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could fill and empty its basestation in a self-contained manner. It also boasted a suction of 12,000Pa and self-cleaning mop mops.

The X40 as with other iRobot products, is easy to use. It has an intuitive mobile application interface and is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only drawback is that the X40 still a loud unit. This could be a problem in mornings before work or at night when you are trying to sleep.

It's also quite expensive, but it's not as pricey as the Ecovacs Omni or Roborock's S8 MaxV Ultra, both of which are similarly capable and look better. If you're willing to live with a little more noise and a little more cost this is a powerful two-in-one that will satisfy most people.

4. iRobot Roomba L20 Ultra

The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the best robot mop and vacuum. It comes with a variety of advanced features that help you forget your chores. Similar to Ecovacs' range-topping X2 Omni and Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra, the L20 is designed to be a hands-free cleaning machine that takes the care of mopping and vacuuming, with a multi-function dock that automatically emptys the vacuum's dustbin, refills its water tank, washes and dries its mop pads.

The smart robot utilizes LIDAR and structured lighting to map out floor plans and spot obstacles. It is more efficient in its navigation than its top competitors. It also has a front mounted camera for real-time hazards detection but this wasn't 100% reliable in our tests and was often confused with power cords or obstructions.

The vacuum cleaner has a maximum suction of 7,000 Pascals which is more than enough to complete the task. It also has "Intelligent Dirt Detection", which regulates the intensity at which the vac works and adjusts the frequency of cleaning for different areas of the home in accordance with how dirty they tend to be.

If you have a bigger home, it is worth choosing a model that has zones or spot cleaning modes. This allows you to inform the robot vacuums that mop of which area of your house needs to be cleaned by using the app or voice control. A stair mode can be useful if you have a number of furniture. Finally a recharge and resume feature that allows your robot vacuum to pick up right where it left off is ideal for busy families.

5. iRobot Roomba RX3

The RX3 is a smarter cleaner than you would expect from its price tag. It does a stellar job vacuuming, removing 55% of the debris we found in our tests (it was second only to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops using one pad, which uses a reciprocating motion that is cleaner than the other robot mop cleaners we've tried. It's also self-sufficient, with a full-featured application and an auto-emptying, washable base.

The iRobot app is designed to guide you through an exercise in mapping, which gathers information on your floorplan as well as any "no go" areas that you've marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules, plan an area for cleaning or to prioritize your most filthy rooms to improve performance. The app comes with a variety of options, including seasonal suggestions, customized mapping, and advanced cleaning settings.

It is also able to reach corners and under furniture better because its shape is more rectangular. It is equipped with an impressive 8000 Pascal suction, as well as sophisticated combs that remove pet hair. And you can create a spot-clean that intensely cleans a localized area.

The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker and more affordable alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It's got a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras appear like cute eyes. It's good at vacuuming, but is more prone to getting caught on low thresholds and is a bit more noisy than the other top robotic hoovers vacuums we've examined. It also has a less user-friendly app and a tiny base station that can't be used as an emptying bin.