(If you want even more impressive mopping, check out the Eureka J20 at #6, which has a roller mop that supplies continuous fresh water, and siphons off the dirty stuff as it cleans.)

But its navigation needs a lot of work. If you have a simple floor plan with a lot of carpets, it is worth considering, but the short battery life and lack of an auto-empty dock are major cons. Read more in this hands-on.

Filter and Brush Cleaning: Regularly remove and clean brushes and filters to maintain suction and prevent clogs, especially if you have pets or high dust levels.

Our tester ran it in a house with two French Bulldogs and four adult humans, and found it got the floors impressively clean, picking up everything from fine dust to larger debris, and tackling hair very well too. Two side brushes mean it's able to pick up debris on either side of it, too.

The X40 can also clean its washboard, something the Roborock can’t. That area can get quite grungy, so it needs a cleaning every few weeks. The X40 has AI-powered smart dirt detection that uses its cameras to identify spills like milk or particularly dirty areas.

Experience effortless cleaning with the eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX. Its super-thin design slips under furniture with ease. Enjoy powerful suction that tackles hard floors and medium-pile carpets.

There are several great vacuum / mop hybrids in this guide. Of them, the S8 MaxV Ultra is the best at vacuuming and obstacle detection, and it’s a very good mop. It can also do both in one run, as it can lift its mop 20mm, which will clear all but the highest-pile rugs.

Onboard dustbins tend to be small, so if you're dealing with lots of dust or hair then I'd recommend prioritizing a self-empty dock. However, be aware that the more functions you add, the bigger the dock will be – the ones with water tanks can be pretty massive.

Pet owners and those who want a low-effort cleaning routine will appreciate the Shark AI Ultra’s combination of powerful cleaning and self-empty technology.

Roborock’s app is also more stable and easier to use than Dreame’s, which often crashes and can take a while to load. While the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is my top pick overall, the Dreame X40 is a very good vacuum, and the two companies are neck and neck regarding innovative features.

✅ You want great vacuuming and mopping: This combination robovac's cleaning powers are excellent – it even managed to vacuum into the corners of rooms, which is generally an issue for robovacs.

❌ You're dealing with high levels of dirt: This robovac doesn't self-empty dust, and while the onboard bin will compress dust so it can hold a surprisingly large amount, you'll still have to empty it more than you would a traditional self-empty model.

Robot vacuums have come a long way from when they first hit the market. Gone are the rumbly, round machines that bumped into walls—they’ve advanced to lean, mean, cleaning machines with smart programming, self-emptying mechanisms, surface detection, and even mopping features. Here at The Spruce, my team and I have tested more than quarenta robot vacuums in The Lab and in our homes to come up with a list of top recommendations.

5 seconds when the system detects more stubborn debris or moves onto carpeted surfaces. This adaptive suction ensures optimal performance across Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners hard floors and medium-pile carpets, efficiently picking up dirt, pet hair, and crumbs.