Generally, robot vacuums don’t have the power to replace your traditional vacuum when it comes to deeper cleans. But for keeping on top of spillages and daily grime, they’re a great help and will mean you have to vacuum a lot less – and who doesn’t want that?

✔️ Bag or bagless: Both types clean well in our Cleaning Lab tests. Bagless models come with a dust cup and filter that needs frequent emptying and cleaning. The advantage is that you don’t have to stock up on bags or ever worry about running out of them. They can be messy to clean and empty, though, and may not be the best choice for those with dust allergies.

Mapping is fast and accurate, and we were impressed that the floorplans will automatically update whenever doors are left open and the robovac “discovers” a new part of the house it hadn’t seen before.

Most uprights feature onboard hoses, wands and tools for vacuuming crevices and upholstery and cleaning above-the-floor spaces like door frames and crown moldings.

Premium, but decent value given the features and performance. Worth the investment for pet owners who want something for regular use.

We also factor in the weight of each model. All special features and claims are assessed, and we even give the tool storage and owner's manual a grade.

The pay-off of the small base station is that it can't self empty, so you'll need to take a trip to the trash every time the small onboard bin gets full. It'll be fine for smaller homes or light cleaning, but might be annoying if you're regularly dealing with lots of dirt or pet hair.

like traditional pleated HEPA filters and likely will trap some small particles, but they could miss the tiny, microscopic ones that can't escape a true HEPA filter. Vacuums with HEPA filters are generally more expensive.

We look at whether there's any remnants left after a single pass from the robot vacuum, and if it catches them on a second run. We repeat these tests for both hard floor and carpet.

Bagged vacuums are easier and neater to maintain and are great for allergy sufferers since all dust and allergens remain sealed in the dust bag. All you do is toss the bag when it’s about ⅔ full. You do need to keep a supply of replacement bags on hand.

However, I think it's fair to assume you'll need to manually empty it more than you would a traditional, self-empty robovac, given dock dustbins tend to hold 2.5L or 3L of dirt.

Why we love it: This two-in-one model sucks up both dry and wet spills and wash your floors all during the same cleaning session. Its edge-to-edge cleaning gets into corners and along baseboards, and a voice assistant provides cleaning and status updates.

That might not be an issue if you're cleaning on one floor as the bot will just return to its dock to recharge as required, but it becomes more annoying if you're using it on multiple floors.

You are looking for a lightweight, quick picker-upper for bare Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners floors and low-pile rugs. The cleaning performance of this type of vacuum is getting better and better, and it may be the only vac some homes require.