The best budget robot vacuums to take the chore out of cleaning, tried and tested by us

This smart-looking robotic vacuum cleaner is a great fuss-free option. It takes about five to six hours to fully charge for the first time before you can use it, and you will need to download the eufy Clean app and have wi-fi nearby to set up. Preparation done, the eufy Clean L60 is satisfyingly easy to use. Simply release from the charging station and it immediately starts automatically mapping and vacuuming each room.

The app shows in real time the eufy L60’s location. It’s extremely easy to customise, for example we could adjust the suction required for each room from quiet to standard to turbo to max. It’s easy to name rooms, merge areas and apply ‘no-go’ zones. The dust box is easy to remove and empty. It’s also simple to remove the rotating brush and clean, if necessary. This vacuum has been such a game changer for cleaning in my home. I'd 100% recommend!

This self-emptying vacuum cleaner with an intelligent mopping function came with a comprehensive instruction booklet, which made getting started a breeze. Mapping and scheduling cleans was straightforward, and the auto-empty station uses a large dust bag, so you only need to clear it a few times a year.

You can adjust the suction from quiet to max, and it works reliably on both carpet and hard floors in max mode. While the other modes are effective, they sometimes struggle with larger debris. It also cleans room edges well, even in corners. Overall, it’s a sleek addition to any home that’s become an invaluable part of our cleaning routine, now that we’ve played with the settings to suit our needs. We’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking to invest.

Setting up this vacuum works by the partnering smart app to map out your floors. If you don’t fancy using the advance settings of the app, there is also a remote control for easy use. We were so impressed by how quiet the vacuum was and found that it didn’t disturb us at all. The suction was good and we particularly loved the mop function on our wooden floors.

It navigated corners and thresholds with ease, however when it came to our thicker bedroom carpet we found that the vacuum wasn’t cleaning as efficiently and was missing spots.  The battery life is good and the vacuum automatically returns to its charging dock when the battery is low, so you are never caught short in the middle of a clean.

We were impressed with the look of this modern, and stylish model. The Q10 is navigated through an app on your smart phone, which is pretty tricky if you’re not tech savvy. It has great suction and picked up every bit of dust, dirt and pet fur and we were surprised how much it found. The tangle free suction is great if you have a pet, although our dog wasn’t a big fan of the cleaner! The LiDAR navigation is very clever and makes a map of your room to find its own route around your home.

We did find it a little noisy but this isn’t an issue if you leave it on while you’re out. It manoeuvres very well and there is a small brush that reached into the hard to get to corners. There are six modes in total from a deep clean to spot cleaning. We liked the mop mode, which washed the floor without leaving it too wet.

After an easy set-up process using the Hoover app, the stylish HG4 moved around our rooms creating maps. We then created no-go zones to prevent it entering areas where there was a risk of knocking anything over.

The cleaner is suitable for use on both carpets and hard floors and, of the four power options, we found maximum worked best. The ability to create customised cleaning schedules via the app for each room is useful and you can use the cleaner for about 90 minutes before recharging.

Measuring 325x325x99mm, the robot’s size means it can’t clean small spaces or under low furniture. It couldn’t get right into corners either, so we had to use another cleaner. It did a good job elsewhere, but did miss crumbs, especially around the threshold strip between rooms, which was disappointing, given the price.

Both a vacuum and mop in one, this compact cleaner can either be managed through the app or simply a button press on top. When using as a vacuum, the suction is pretty strong and made easy work on hardwood flooring – carpets were slightly tougher.

It has a brilliant battery life and navigates over thresholds by itself, so you can do more than one room at a time. It also empties itself automatically into the bin on the charging station which means you don’t have to empty it after every use. But we have had some problems with the navigation – it can be a bit glitchy and keeps going over the same area and has been stuck a couple of times. We’re hoping this is a teething problem and will improve as it gets used to the layout of our home.