The best robot vacuum cleaners of 2022

If you’re after the robot vacuum cleaner that does everything, this is the one to get. It’s also a great option if you want to set up a cleaning schedule and forget about it for weeks at a time.

The X1 OMNI not only empties itself, but if you’re using the mopping function, it’ll empty and refill its water tank, clean and dry itself.

It has powerful suction (a whopping 5000PA), a clever mapping system that allows you to target specific rooms, or even pieces of furniture within those rooms, for cleaning. And you can even do it via voice commands, thanks to the integral voice assistant. It has a 4 hour 20 minute running time and there’s an onboard camera that you can access remotely. 

But all that tech has to go somewhere and what this means is a huge dock. The dock is also noisy when it comes to emptying and cleaning the robot vac.

The S6 Max V is far from budget but it eclipses some of the more expensive robot cleaners in terms of features, as well as cleaning power.

It identifies and avoids obstacles (including pet poop), has an excellent mapping system that easily allows for the creation of exclusion zones and will even allow you to schedule the cleaning of your rooms in a specific order at specific times.

It’s also got something extra in the form of the camera, which you can view remotely from your phone, turning it into a secondary home security device. You can check up on its progress or see how your pets are getting on while you’re out.

Most robot vacs are interchangeable looks-wise but the X8 Hybrid has some stylish bronze flourishes that set it apart from its unadorned competitors.

This mid-range addition to the Eufy stable is worth a look if you want up-to-date features such as LIDAR, mapping and scheduled cleaning but you’re after an option that won’t break the bank.

It’s already available for considerably less than its RRP and if you can find it for a good price, you won’t be disappointed. It’s quiet, powerful, has a 180-minute runtime and is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The mop is a little disappointing but we are not often blown away by the mopping prowess of a hybrid model.

The Neato Botvac D7 Connected is one of the few non-disc-shaped robot vacuums. Its distinctive shape gives it an advantage when it comes to cleaning right to the edge of a room and into the corners.

It has a runtime of 120 minutes and good suction. It also decent mapping features: zone cleaning, virtual no-go lines and the capacity for multiple maps. In our tests, we found it had a problem getting tangled up in cables, but otherwise did a good job avoiding obstacles.

It was expensive when we first reviewed it, which made it harder to recommend. But now that the price has come down and the app has been updated, this is a solid robot vacuum option at a decent price. 

The Ecovacs Ozmo Deebot 920 is a recommended mid-range option. It’ll give you 110 minutes of cleaning time and it’s quiet, operating at a very reasonable 66dB. It has good climbing ability and a 10cm height, making it among the more manoeuvrable cleaners – both under furniture and over obstacles. During our testing period, we didn’t have to rescue it once.

Its Lidar system helps it to navigate an efficient course around your home and you can use its map function to create custom cleaning modes and exclusion zones.

It also has a mop function which works well enough but is sadly no substitute for mopping by hand. 

The 360 Heurist is a stylish and powerful robot vacuum that’s instantly recognisable as a Dyson. As is its price tag.

Via Dyson’s Link app, you can schedule vacuuming, as well as map and zone your home for different levels of cleaning.

It has a decent 75 minute running time before it needs to trundle back to its dock and recharge, but this is somewhat offset by its very small bin (0.33 litres). 

It doesn’t take up much floor space, which is handy when it’s not in use. However, its height means that it won’t fit under as many piece of furniture as most other robot vacuums. Measure up if you’re considering buying.

There’s a lot to like about the Roomba i7+. Buy it with the vacuum dock and it’ll empty itself after each clean. And you’ll only need to change the bag in the dock every 1-2 months.

Another clever feature is its mapping, which allows you to target not only rooms but specific pieces of furniture within them.

This means that you can set up a cleaning schedule to target the cat litter (which you can opt to mark up) first thing every morning, or get the i7+ to vacuum under the sofa in the living room once everyone has gone to bed.

However, it’s not without its flaws. It’s noisy in operation and in spite of its promises of sophisticated navigation, it repeatedly bumps into furniture.

If you want to be able to set and forget cleaning schedules, a self-emptying robot vac is a must. Otherwise, you’ll have to remember to empty it each time it runs, or every other time, at least.

If you go for the N8+, you’ll get impressive suction, acceptable mopping and a brilliant mapping system that’ll allow you to set up sophisticated cleaning schedules, with no-go areas marked up. Its carpet auto-detection means it’ll automatically ramp up the power when it encounters a rug or carpet, saving power for when it needs it.

On the minus side, the N8+ isn’t the best climber and got itself stuck more often than many of the robot vacs we test. You’ll also need a big, dedicated space for the oversized dock.

The S6 is a smart vacuum cleaner. It does a great job of cleaning hard floors and carpets, and has plenty of battery power and suction for the task.

It isn’t very good at mopping up ground-in or dried up dirt, so don’t buy it and think it will replace those jobs entirely: it won’t.

Spare parts are readily available and inexpensive, which is good. The app lets you control the S6 and even choose specific rooms to clean, although we’d love the Alexa skill to be updated so it supports this feature too.

Given that it’s cheaper than a few key rivals and does a better job of vacuuming than most, it’s easy to recommend.

As with any robot vacuum cleaner the RoboVac 30C will not eliminate the need for a traditional vacuum every so often, but it has sufficient suction power (1500Pa) to keep your floors and carpets tidy on the days you’d rather put your feet up and chill.

The ability to connect it to your home Wi-Fi network for remote operation is cool, although nothing new, but we love the voice assistant integration for proper lazy boy cleaning.

It’s not the newest robot in town any more but at its current low price, it’s one of the best value.