Best robot vacuums in the UK, tested

Robot vacuum cleaners take the drudge work out of cleaning floors and carpets. Compact machines regularly trundle out from their docks to suck up dust, hair and debris, and many now mop hard floors and sit in base stations that empty dust collectors and clean mop pads.

With affordability improving, the hardest part is deciding which model to buy. I tested 11 popular robot vacuums in my three‑bedroom, two‑floor home over three weeks. The house has a mix of wooden and composite floors, rugs, carpets, awkward corners and two shedding cats; the living room proved an obstacle course.

I used a smartphone sound meter and a plug‑in power meter, spilled flour and crushed cereal on a mat to judge suction, and relied on each app’s mapping and scheduling tools. After testing, cleaners were returned or donated. Top picks include the Eufy X10 Pro Omni as best overall — a self‑emptying, self‑cleaning unit with 8,000Pa suction and twin rotating mop heads — and the compact Roborock Q7 L5+ as the best budget option for small homes.

United Kingdom

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