The Best Robot Hoover

The best robot hoover can mop and vacuum without needing your attention. It will leave your floors spotless. Its low cost and top-of-the-line features (such as dirt detector) are a plus.

Be sure to examine the brushes of your robot for hair that is tangled and large particles, and wash them when required. Some models can also automatically empty their onboard dust bin into a larger bin in the base, which decreases the amount of fine dust released into the air.

1. Roomba Q5 pro

The Q5 Pro, and its more expensive sibling, the Q7 Max Series are among the most powerful robotic vacuums we've examined. They are equipped with motors that are top-of-the quality and can suction up to 5,500 Pascals. Similar to other iRobots that are premium (including the most powerful model) they employ smart mapping to produce precise floorplans that avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs. They also feature a feature called carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it detects the presence of dirt on the carpet in order to get it cleaned quickly.

Both the Q5 as well as the Q7 Max Series get very good scores in our bare floor tests, and they're particularly adept at cleaning pet hair. There are some issues however, which prevent them from being our top choice. One of the weaknesses of the Q5 is its navigation system doesn't have AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's also prone to become stuck on socks and shoes and could not navigate densely packed rooms very well in our tests. Also, it doesn't have cameras that let it see the corners of a room.

However, it's a good choice for those who want to save money on a iRobot Roomba and you have a mostly bare-floor home or office. It's also extremely quiet and works while you are at work or in school. The only thing it doesn't have that you can't find in the pricier iRobot Roomba X30 is edge-to-edge vacuuming on bare floors. It's also less effective at mopping, as it relies on disposable wet wipes that don't stay on very well and can't take on dried-on debris. The Q5 does have self-emptying docks, however. If you need to, the mopping pad can be changed for one that is wet in just a few just a few seconds.

2. iRobot Roomba

The iRobot Roomba X30 is a compact sleek and stylish vacuum cleaner that also has the ability to mop floors. Its intelligent cleaning maps and nimble navigation make it easy to clean, and efficient in dealing with larger particles, like pet hair. It also has strong suction and self-emptying bin. It's the most efficient robotic hoover for carpets but it falls behind some competitors when it comes to deep cleaning.

This high-performance vacuum and mop uses sensor technology that can keep away from obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the patterns of your home over time to offer better cleaning. You can alter its cleaning schedule and customize zones with the well-designed app. It comes with a battery life that is similar to other models.

It is possible to instruct the X30 Ultra to remove its mops and extend them when in a carpeted area to prevent cross-contamination. The flex arm is great to get under furniture with low levels and along baseboards. However, it doesn't have the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ as well as the iRobot Combo j9+.

During testing, X30 Ultra was the quickest robot vacuum/mop that could clean an entire home with just 66 percent of its battery remaining. It did a great cleaning robot mop and vacuum job on different floors and rooms with different kinds of flooring, including some area rug. Its obstacle detection was superb and it was able to avoid fake dog turds and socks, shoes and bundles of cables.

It's a bit more expensive than iRobot Combo v9+ or iRobot Roomba j9+ but offers superior suction and an onboard bin that automatically empties into the base. It also supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after vacuuming it, something we haven't seen in other robotic cleaner and mop vacuum/mop combos.

3. iRobot Roomba X40

The robot vacuum and mop combination has a sleek, circular look that looks more like the regular Roomba model than the boxy models of the rivals. It's among our most attractive robot vacuums. iRobot’s latest flagship model is also the most intelligent. It features advanced features like Enhanced Dirt Detection and future compatibility (another company's robot that can wash mop pads autonomously).

It's also the only robot vacuum/mop to score a perfect 10 out of 10 in our evaluations. This is thanks to the combination of modern sensors, including a restructured light system, camera and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could refill and empty its basestation in a self-contained manner. It also boasted a suction of 12,000Pa as well as self-cleaning mops.

The X40, like other iRobot products, is simple to operate. It comes with a simple mobile app interface that integrates with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only issue is that it's still quite a noisy unit which could be an issue if you use it in the morning prior to work or in the evening as you try to fall asleep.

It's also quite expensive, but not as much as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or the Roborock S8 Omni, which are equally powerful and more attractive. It's a dual-purpose vacuum that's very capable however it's going to cost you more and produce more noise.

4. iRobot Roomba L20 Ultra

The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the high-end robot mop and vacuum. It has a number of features that are advanced and will 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 charge of both mopping and vacuuming, with a multi-function dock that automatically empties the vacuum's dustbin, refills its water tank, and washes and dry the mop pads.

The smart robot utilizes LIDAR and structured lighting to draw out floor plans and detect obstacles. It is more efficient in its navigation than its competitors with premium features. It also comes with a front-mounted camera for real-time hazard detection, although this wasn't quite foolproof in our testing and was occasionally confused by power cords or other obstructions.

Its vacuum has a suction maximum of 7,000 Pascals, which is more than enough to get the job done. It also has "Intelligent Dirt Detection", which regulates how hard the vacuum works and alters the frequency of cleaning for different areas of the home according to how dirty they are.

If you have a bigger home, you should consider selecting a model with a the option of cleaning zones or spots. This lets you inform the robot of which area of your home must be cleaned by using the app or voice control. A stair mode can be useful if you have a large furniture. Also, a recharge and resume function that lets your robot vacuum with mop vacuum take over exactly where it left off is ideal for busy families.

iRobot RX3

The RX3 is more sophisticated than its price would suggest. It is a good vacuum cleaner and was able to remove 55% of debris in our tests. (It was second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops with only one pad and a reciprocating movement that cleans better that most of the robot mop cleaners that we've tried. It's self-sufficient too, with a fully-featured app as well as an auto-emptying, washable base.

The well-designed iRobot app guides you through a mapping run that gathers information about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you have marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules, plan a spot clean or to prioritise your dirtiest rooms for better performance. The app also gives access to a host of features like seasonal suggestions, custom maps and advanced settings for your cleaning.

Its shape is more rectangular than other robot vacuums, which means it can get to corners and underneath furniture more easily. It features a powerful 8000 Pascal suction and sophisticated combs that remove pet hair. You can also create a spot-cleaner which will thoroughly clean an area.

The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker more affordable alternative to iRobot Roomba. It has a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras resemble cute eyes. It does a good job vacuuming but is more prone to get caught on low thresholds and is more noisy than the other top robotic hoovers vacuums we've tested. It also comes with an app that's less intuitive and a small base station that doesn't double as a bin for emptying.