Unfortunately, there isn’t a single, universal vacuum that’s perfect for everyone, but there are some things to consider to help you make the best decision.

Why we love it: Its whole-machine filtration helps keep allergens from escaping and the V15 Detect automatically increases the suction and speed of the brush roll to match the floor type and amount of dust it senses during cleaning.

Why we love it: While it doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles of pricier vacuums, like multiple suction levels, a HEPA filter or a brush roll that can be turned off, it does have five height options ranging from bare floors to high pile carpets, an oito-foot hose for cleaning above the floor and a large, easy-to-empty dust cup.

Clear instructions meant testers found it easy to set up and use, and they liked its app control, but struggled to get the voice tech working. Its docking station is available separately and performed well on test generally, even though the vacuum’s canister didn’t always fully empty into it.

While the app is intuitive, and the mapping good, there is a major issue for anyone with an open plan living space. Namely, you can't separate it into different zones. It won't be a problem for everyone, but if you live in an open plan home, you'll probably want to opt for a different brand.

❌ You're dealing with lots of dust: There's pelo self-empty on the dock, and the small onboard bin will fill up quickly if you're dealing with lots of dirt or hair.

As well as allowing the robots to clean routinely, we subjected them to some more rigorous tests, too: spilling cornflour and rice in their path to measure their effectiveness at dealing with different types of mess.

✔️ Cord or cordless: Decide whether you want a vacuum with a cord, which can limit how far you can vacuum until you need to find another outlet, or if you prefer cordless, which has a battery life you'll need to monitor.

We use industry-standard rayon fibers to simulate pet hair that we evenly spread on a carpet’s surface to see how well each machine cleans it up.

If your pet occasionally makes a mess on the Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners carpet, look for models that are designed to recognize and avoid poop.

Our experts also liked the drop pin function, which means you can precisely direct your vacuum to a spot for cleaning. And on that note, it mopped effectively and vacuumed well enough for light refreshes.

It does create a lot of dirty water though, and is a little slow because it'll wash its mop pads multiple times per cleaning session. Elsewhere, it boasts an excellent app and the vacuuming is strong, too.

We test fine dirt pickup by sprinkling a mix of flour and cookie crumbs on the floor, and large debris pickup using oats.

This bot was previously our top pick for hard floors, thanks to hot water mopping that's more than a match for greasy spillages.