One thing to be aware of is that this robovac doesn't actually self-empty dust; there's no dock dustbin. Instead, the onboard dustin compresses its contents so it can hold more – Narwal claims up to seven week's worth of debris.

Beyond performance, we tested ease of use by examining how intuitive the controls were, the clarity of the initial setup, and how simple it was to remove and clean all components after use. We also rated the user manuals for their helpfulness and clarity.

So, ideally you will still want to run your regular vacuum every so often, while the robot vacuum helps keep dust down in the interim. By keeping on top of the light debris, you won’t need to use your full-sized vacuum so often.

Q Revo has 30 water flow levels so you can fine-tune cleaning to match your floor types and preferences.

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There are all the smart sensing systems that you need, offering anti-bump, anti-fall and obstacle detection. The Proscenic will also recognise when it needs charging and return automatically back to the charging base.

This prevents any water from dripping onto fabrics. But for the price it is a hassle to have to manually remove and wash the mop after each cleaning session.

The charging dock automatically empties the dustbin into a larger dust bag, a feature we appreciated. We also liked that the dustbin includes a HEPA filter that’s simple to pop out for washing or replacing.

Lefant M210 robot vacuum automatically returns to the charging station when the cleaning cycle is complete or the battery gets low.

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.

"Both the vacuum itself and the charging unit/dust bin are attractively designed while remaining inconspicuous. The accompanying app is intuitive and clearly illustrates how the robot maps the areas its cleaning, as well as providing the ability to specify 'pelo-go zones'. The power settings can be changed between Quiet, Standard, Strong and Max.

There's not much this hybrid vacuum misses with an overall 93 cleaning score. It excels in picking up cheerios and cat litter but like our top pick struggled to remove pet hair from the carpet.

Some robot vacuums do however feature self-emptying functions, where dirt and debris are emptied into their charging base/ home point, which again will need to be emptied but on a less regular basis.

With proper care and maintenance, robot vacuums can last just as long as full-size vacuums. This means that as long as you are cleaning the rotating brushes regularly (hairs will get tangled here!), using your robot vacuum according to the manufacturer’s instructions and replacing Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners parts like batteries and wheels, it’ll be helping you keep your home clean for years to come.