One of our expert homes testers setting a robot vacuum to work on a crumb-covered carpet in our floor cleaning space.

The base station isn’t that pretty either, so you’ll need to hide it away. The setup is straightforward though, using a slick app which is easily accessed by a QR code.

She is an active member of the ASTM Committee on vacuum cleaners and chairman of the consumer information sub-committee.

This will dramatically reduce how often you’ll need to clear it – the iRobots, for example, claim the container can house up to 60 days' worth of dust before it needs disposing of.

There are also tools such as a mini-turbo brush that work wonders when it comes to getting your pet’s hair off furniture.

Though we rated it highly across all of our testing categories, we did note that pet hair clung to the brush attachment. Its dust cup is small, but it empties from the bottom with the click of one button.

✅ 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.

All vacuums are tested exactly the same way for more accurate performance comparisons, and our tests are based on the ASTM International industry standard test methods.

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is one of the more expensive robot vacuum cleaners on the market, but it’s packed with enough premium features to justify its price. It mops and vacuums, switching modes depending on the Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners surface.

As a robot vacuum, it was easy to use from the get-go. Testers navigated the app without a fuss and found it simple to add or edit rooms, change the power mode, schedule cleans and put on safety features such as the child lock.

Today’s robots are more sophisticated than ever. Most can be controlled with an app on your phone, and some are even voice-enabled. Many can return to the home base for a recharge and then go back to cleaning wherever they left off.

On the navigation front, we'll also test the robot vacuum's edge cleaning abilities – does it get right up to the edges of rooms, or leave a margin that needs manual cleaning.

A new robot vacuum can be a significant investment, so to ensure you end up with the right one for you, each model here has been tested either on-team, or by one of our regular, experienced freelance reviewers.

Carolyn Forté has tested and reviewed hundreds of vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, mops and other major (and minor) home appliances as executive director of the Home Care Lab. She oversees all testing done in the Cleaning Lab and recently tested all of the handheld, stick, upright and canister vacuums that were submitted for consideration in the most recent Cleaning and Organizing Awards.