I throw in Cheerios or popcorn to see if they know to vacuum that up rather than avoid it. I also run them over oatmeal and flour to see how well they pick up fine debris and have them tackle both thick and low-pile carpets. I watch to see how they handle rug tassels, skinny chair legs, and room transitions.

The Eufy’s brush is supposedly anti-tangle — a cutting tool inside the robot should shred the hair — but this wasn’t effective.

Robot vacuums are quite an investment, and it’s important to be able to buy replacement parts to keep them going for longer and have access to good support in case your robot has a serious issue.

Spacious homes require vacuums with robust battery life and effective navigation. Models like the MAMNV T7S Combo with its 180-minute runtime, and the Shark AI Ultra with mapping, allow for fewer interruptions and wide coverage. Self-charging ensures they continue seamlessly, even across multiple cleaning cycles.

With some 2-in-1 robovacs, the mopping is a bit of an afterthought, but the Eufy X10 Pro Omni has rotating pads that press down for a more thorough clean on hard floors. On test, it had no trouble at all cleaning a dried-on sugary drink and sticky sauce, automatically choosing the right amount of water for the job.

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Ready to use straight out of the box, the Roomba Q0120 offers quick setup and operation Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners via app or integration with Alexa, providing hands-free voice commands and scheduled cleanings.

This vacuum is able to sense dirt and boost its power to pull up more debris. And unlike some vacuums that can only clean when you move it forward, this one picks up debris moving both forward and backward.

The Shark PowerDetect AZ4002 offers both strong cleaning performance and convenient features. It’s stellar at cleaning bare floors, making it the ideal vacuum for kitchens, bathrooms, and hardwood floors. It also earned near-top-level scores in our carpet cleaning tests and automatically adjusts the speed of the brush rolls depending on the floor type.

If you have shedding pets and carpet, look for models with higher suction power (5,000Pa or ideally more), and a boost/Em excesso suction mode option. Models with rubbery brushrolls are also typically good at gripping hair.

An easy-to-use app offers you plenty of control, should you want it. Plus, you can use it for advanced functions such as a Pet Patrol mode, where you can ask the bot to find your furry friends while you're out, and even let you talk to them via the onboard mic and speaker.

It's not rare these days to see range-topping models run to four figures, but the rate of meaningful improvement has started to slow, and for many people, the features included in those models are far from essential.

Through smart navigation, the robot moves methodically in neat rows to maximize coverage, with built-in sensors to avoid furniture and prevent falls.

❌ You want something that mops well: The mopping here is just dragging a wet wipe across the floor, and not worth bothering with.