If you’ve shopped for a robot vacuum before, you’ll know that under $300 is a steal. Many homes have hot spots—a weird door jamb, a lumpy rug—where you will need to rescue your vac. Do a quick run-through beforehand for robot booby traps, like ribbons and pieces of string.
They have surprisingly small bins and so, unless you’re lucky enough to own a self-emptying model, these will need emptying after each run. On top of this, it’s good practice to cut free any shark robotic vacuums hairs which have tangled in the rotating brush as well as clean the filters. Some brands such as Eufy, iLife and Roborock will provide a cleaning tool which can help with these tasks.
The filters will need replacing as well — you should refer to your manual for guidance on how often to replace and where to buy. It’s quick to map out the home and easy to create no-go zones or select specific rooms to clean. This model also comes with a self-emptying base, which makes it low maintenance, but it is just as noisy as other vacuums when it empties.
The Roborock Q5+ performs exactly the same as the Q5 but comes with a charging station that can empty debris from the robot right into a disposable bag. Although the function works well, we found the Roomba i3/i3+ to be more affordable and a better cleaner overall. The Shark AV911S EZ Robot Vacuum can hold up to 30 days of dirt and debris before its’ charging stand needs to be emptied. With the push of a single button , and the push of one more single button , you can make vacuum cleaning your home a thing of the past. Save $200 on this Shark robot vacuum, and strike a chore from your to-do list, forever.
To put these vacuums and smart features through their paces in the real world, we sent our top vacuums to long-term home testers. We have updated our list with one-month test results and will provide more updates with our testers’ fresh and thorough insights in the coming months. Some do, shark dustbuster including a version of our top pick, the iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO, and our also-great pick, the Roborock Q5+. Self-emptying robot vacuums come with a big charging dock that sucks debris out of the robot through a trapdoor in the dustbin and stores it in a disposable bag or a bagless bin.
It’s just a better, more high-end approach to automated mopping, and one you won’t need to think about quite as much. Among those top models are flagship cleaners from companies like iRobot, Roborock and Neato, as well as compelling picks from lesser-known upstart brands. CNET will continue to test robot vacuums and update this best robot vacuum list periodically as new models become available — for now, let’s get right to the top models we’d currently point you toward. Still, finding the right robot for the job is easier said than done. While it doesn’t have LIDAR mapping, its optical sensors still generate a permanent map of your home, so you can set up virtual boundary lines or direct the vacuum to clean specific rooms within your home. If you have cats or dogs, you also probably have some of their toys on the floor, which can stop a robot vacuum in its tracks.