Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners Secrets
Why we love it: In addition to a HEPA filter, the Shark Stratos also features a sealed system to help keep dust inside the vacuum, making it a great choice for families with allergy sufferers.
This robot vacuum cleaner from Wyze makes the list because of its exceptional performance on hard floors. When we put it to the test, it picked up 100% of pet fur and cereal — it just missed a perfect score, as it collected roughly 97% of kitty litter.
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.
The S8 Max Ultra is a very solid all-rounder, and only lost its place in our ranking because Roborock came out with some even better models very shortly afterwards.
In our Lab tests: The Dreame H12 Pro is an updated version of a previously tested pick with many of the same capabilities and features. We sent it out to consumer testers who confirmed it was easy and effective to use.
Who it's best for: Vacuum mops is an excellent floor-cleaning innovation for those who have small storage spaces and want to clean all different floors and messes with one tool.
Alistair is a London-based journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. He has tested numerous robovacs over the years for TechRadar, from brands like iRobot, Eufy and Roborock. His favourites match intelligent navigation with smart design.
In our Lab tests: Dyson stick vacuums are always among the best in our tests for both excellent performance and incredible features, and this V15 Detect is no exception.
Because maneuverability can be different from one consumer to the next, we have consumer testers rate the vacuums’ maneuverability by running them on a bare floor and carpet, around corners and under furniture.
Although the RS20 Pro did a decent job at maintenance cleaning, has plenty of settings, and a great app, it fell short on several other things. It couldn't cope well with heavy-duty messes, particularly when tested on cat litter.
If your home has an equal ratio of hardwood floors to carpets then iRobot's hybrid robot mop and vacuum is tough to beat. You get a thorough clean with a mopping pad that automatically retracts atop the vacuum.
The impressive suction pulled huge volumes of hair from carpet, and handled hard floors extremely well too. We had no issues with the hair clogging the self-empty mechanism, and a larger-than-usual dock dustbin also means you won't need to replace the dust bags too frequently.
Eufy X10 Pro Omni is the best robot vacuum for most people. This self-empty robot vacuum and mop checks pretty much all our boxes. The suction power is excellent, pulling all kinds of debris, fluff and hair and fluff out of our tester's carpet (although it did flick larger debris about rather than sucking it up – a problem with almost all robovacs). It's relatively quiet in Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners all but it's very highest vacuum setting, too.
Navigation: Our technicians attach a tracking device to the vacuum and map its movement through a multiroom lab. Then they calculate the coverage of the room over multiple runs and note what the vacuum avoids and what it doesn’t. They conduct several runs to see whether the vacuum is able to learn the layout and improve its navigation.