It's easy to use, doing much of the heavy lifting itself; it maps your home and stores its route in the clear, accompanying app.

Combo models might also have mops that can kick out from the side of the vacuum to get closer to the sides of rooms.

✅ You have pets: This bot tackled the hair in our reviewer's pet-filled home incredibly well – and better than any other robovac they'd tested .

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we tried them on both hard floors and carpets, assessing their performance by measuring how much of our specially formulated dust was picked up after a number of sweeps.

These small-scale vacuums are ideal for cleaning up spilt food and keeping on top of dust in between more thorough cleans.

It is one of the most expensive canister vacuums we’ve tested, but it is a favorite in our Lab and will last for years, preventing you from needing to replace it down-the-line.

❌ You want high levels of control: This robovac doesn't always do exactly as its told when it comes to more complex instructions.

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Who it's best for: Designed to last for years, this Miele canister vacuum does an excellent job of picking up and trapping dust and dirt.

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The cheapest robovacs will only have a dock for charging. Pricier models incorporate self-emptying of the onboard dustbin, and draining/refilling of the onboard water tanks. The Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners very fanciest models offer automatic mop pad cleaning, and detergent dispensing for the mopping fluid.

On the navigation front, we'll also test the robot vacuum's edge cleaning abilities – does it get right up to the edges of rooms, or leave a margin that needs manual cleaning.

The app is easy to use and functions well. Our reviewer was also very impressed with the mapping – the X10 accurately mapped their apartment on its first exploratory outing – as well as the navigation and obstacle avoidance.

However, it won't be perfect for everyone, so read on for a range of options for different needs and budgets. And if you want to supplement your robovac with a manual model for stairs and deep cleans, head to TechRadar's best cordless vacuum cleaner guide.