Many of today's best robot vacuums are pretty pricey, but if you're on a tighter budget, check out the Narwal Freo X Plus. Where it really shines is its vacuuming performance. It packs 7,800Pa of suction, which is more in line with what I'd expect in a much pricier model than one on the cusp between budget and mid-range.

Many of today's best robot vacuums are also able to mop floors. This can be useful if you have a mix of hard floors and carpet, but be aware that robovac mopping tends not to clean as well as good old manual mopping.

We'll also look at how the robot tackles the issue of switching between vacuuming and mopping – will it reliably detect floor type, and pick up its mop pad when moving from hard floor onto carpet, for example?

Most robovacs fling large debris about the room rather than vacuuming it up, so this is very impressive. Another area where many robovacs fail is on cleaning around the edges and into the corners of rooms. Again, the Freo X Ultra shines here: the side brushes get right up to the edges of rooms.

For this price, its downsides are tradeoffs we're willing to make. That's why it's also one of the best cheap robot vacuums.

The Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 offers the best of everything. It intelligently mops and vacuums your floors for up to 30 days. Just set a schedule and the robot returns to its base to empty the dustbin, wash the mop, and refill the tank automatically.

Alistair is a London-based journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. He has tested numerous robovacs over the years for TechRadar, from brands like iRobot, Eufy and Roborock. His favourites match intelligent navigation with smart design.

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With some 2-in-1 robovacs, the mopping is a bit of an afterthought, but the Eufy X10 Pro Omni has rotating pads that press down for a more thorough clean on hard floors. On test, it had pelo trouble at all cleaning a dried-on sugary drink and sticky sauce, automatically Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners choosing the right amount of water for the job.

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

Ease of use: This score is a combination of factors, such as the size of the dustbin, whether the vacuum has a handle for carrying it around your home, how easy it is to clean the brush roll, whether the vacuum scatters debris, and whether you can schedule it for routine cleaning.

It has advanced mapping which our top pick overall lacks, so it can record and remember a blueprint of multiple floors of your house after just a few trips; you can then label individual rooms, and tell the s9+ to clean specific rooms on specific days.

The app is easy to use and functions well. Our reviewer was also very impressed with the mapping – the X10 accurately mapped their apartment on its first exploratory outing – as well as the navigation and obstacle avoidance.

You need a compact tool to quickly clean up dry spills on bare floors and surfaces or to nab lint, pet hair and other debris on fabrics or carpeting. Some come with hoses and attachments; others can pick up wet spills too.