If you're disappointed we're not living Jetsons lifestyles by now, take the edge off by investing in a robotic vacuum cleaner. These programmable bots will automatically clean your floors while you put your feet up and relax. Today's robot cleaners offer vacuuming functionality that can rival traditional vacuums, like our overall pick the Coredy R500+ which can clean for two hours between recharges. Some models are even Wi-Fi enabled, so can be controlled via your phone, an Alexa speaker or even your Apple watch.
Best Overall: Coredy R500+ Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The R500+ is an affordable and slimline remote control robot vacuum cleaner offering five cleaning modes (Spot Cleaning, Edge Cleaning, Max Vacuuming Cleaning, Single Room Cleaning and Manual Cleaning), a three-point cleaning system with dual-edge brushes and the ability to work across both hard and carpeted floors.
Anti-collision and anti-drop technology should protect both the vacuum and your furniture. Also, you can buy extra boundary strips to mark off areas you don't want the cleaner to go. This model boasts 120 minutes of constant cleaning and will automatically return to its base when it has finished, or if the battery is getting low.
It's not Wi-Fi enabled, but the Coredy R500+ is a very capable robo-cleaner with comprehensive cleaning modes.
Best Value: iLife A4s Robotic Vacuum Cleaner
Suitable for any floor surface apart from deep-pile carpets or very dark-coloured floors, the iLife A4s offers powerful suction that you can control via the bundled remote. You can also preset the vacuum to clean every day at a specific time automatically. It has a decent battery life of 140 minutes of cleaning time and will automatically return to its base when it needs recharging.
Smart sensors stop the vacuum from hitting furniture and falling downstairs. While the tangle-free roller brush and two side brushes pick up most everyday debris, there is also a "Max" function for deep cleaning.
As an affordable option, the programmable iLife A4s has excellent battery life and a handy "Max" mode for deep cleaning.
Best High-End Choice: iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum Cleaner
iRobot's high-end Roomba 960 is jam-packed with technology including the "Aero force" three-stage cleaning system, the "i-adapt responsive navigation technology" that helps it avoid obstacles and the "Dirt Detect Technology" that identifies high-traffic areas that require more intensive cleaning.
There's also the ability to schedule cleaning routines for up to seven days. Plus, thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity built into this Roomba, you can control this vacuum via iRobot's mobile app and even with an Alexa or Google smart speaker. The battery life is only 75 minutes, but the Roomba 960 has "recharge & resume" functionality. That means it automatically returns to its base when the battery is low, then continues its cleaning routine.
A luxury option, iRobot's Roomba 960 is packed with tech and up-to-date connectivity functionality.
Best for Multiple Modes: Ecovacs Robotics N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner
A more affordable connected cleaner, the Ecovacs Deebot N79S is Wi-Fi enabled and can be controlled via the bundled remote control. You can also set it via the Ecovacs app to customise, schedule, and monitor cleaning sessions and via Alexa or Google voice commands.
As well as an auto-clean mode, this vacuum has specialised cleaning modes. Single room and spot mode are designed for targeted cleaning, edge mode concentrates on hard to clean edges, and Max mode gives you a burst of two times the normal cleaning power. Other features of note include auto-return charging, 100 minutes cleaning time, anti-collision and anti-drop sensors and protective bumpers to minimise damage to both your furniture and the vacuum.
This robot vacuum offers everyday routine cleaning backed up by specialised modes for extraordinary situations.
Best for Larger Homes: Neato Robotics Botvac D701 Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Unlike all the other options, Neato's Botvac D701 has a D-shape design which is devised to capture dirt in corners and along walls better than round robot vacuum cleaners. Wi-Fi enabled, the free companion app lets you control and monitor the vacuum from your phone, tablet and even an Apple Watch. The Botvac D701 "remembers" room layouts and can obey virtual "No-Go Lines" which you can set up in the app to get the cleaner to avoid certain areas.
With a large 0.7-litre dust bin and up to 120 minutes of battery life, the Botvac is suited to larger homes. Its "Quick Boost" battery technology means that if the vacuum needs more charging before it can finish a cleaning session. It only charges what it needs to get the job done quicker.
A large dust bin means the Botvac D701 can clean more square footage between emptying than rival models.
Best for Uneven Floors: Eufy RoboVac 15C Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Another Wi-Fi enabled option, Eufy's RoboVac 15C works with the EufyHome app allowing you to control the vacuum, set schedules, get notifications and even locate the cleaner via the "Find My Robot" functionality. This vacuum will also work with Alexa voice-controlled speakers, or you can control it directly with the bundled remote.
Offering 100 minutes of cleaning time in normal mode, if your floor is particularly dirty, the RoboVac has a "BoostIQ" mode which increases the suction power but reduces the battery life to an hour. The RoboVac also can climb up to 1.6cm ledges, an infrared-sensor for avoiding obstacles, drop-sensing tech to avoid falls and automatically recharges.
Connected and capable, the RoboVac 15C is a great all-rounder that can climb small ledges.
Floor scores
Smart home enthusiasts are well catered for by today's robot vacuum cleaner offerings. With connected Wi-Fi enabled devices that can be controlled via companion apps and even through voice-controlled smart speakers, there's no limit to what they can do.
This kind of functionality can up the cost, though. Our overall choice, the Coredy R500+, does not have Wi-Fi abilities, but it does offer a solid robotic cleaning solution in a slimline design.
Other features to consider are dust bin capacity, noise levels and battery life. Our best value choice from iLife will give you an impressive 140 minutes cleaning time, which should be enough to cover the floor space of the average home.
