Best robot vacuum cleaners UK 2026: what to look for, by type and price

By Eleanor Whitfield, home and gadgets editor
Updated 23 October 2026 · 9 min read

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A robot vacuum will not replace your upright, but a good one keeps the floors tidy between proper cleans without you lifting a finger. The hard part is the jargon: lidar, rotating mops, self-emptying bases, "all-in-one" docks, suction figures in the tens of thousands of pascals. This guide explains what each of those actually changes, what each price band gets you in the UK right now, and the running costs that the box does not mention. We compared published specifications and prices; we did not run our own cleaning tests.

The types, explained

How it finds its way: bump navigation vs mapping

Basic robots use infrared sensors and a gyroscope: they bump into something, change direction and carry on. Which? says these often miss patches. Mapping robots use a spinning laser (lidar), a structured-light sensor or a camera to build a floor plan, clean in rows, and let you mark rooms and no-go zones in the app. Which? calls reliable navigation and mapping the most important feature to look for. On the UK brand stores we checked, almost every current model now maps, even at the bottom of the range.

Vacuum only, or vacuum and mop

Most robots now mop too, in one of four ways:

• A static pad kept damp by a small pump (for example iRobot's Roomba 105 and 205).
• A vibrating pad that rubs the floor (Roborock's VibraRise models).
• Two rotating mop pads that spin and lift when the robot reaches carpet (Roborock Qrevo, eufy X10 Pro Omni, Ecovacs T30C).
• A roller mop that is rinsed as it turns (Ecovacs X11, eufy E25).

Which? found mopping "average" on all but one of the robots it assessed. Robot mops are good for keeping a sealed hard floor fresh, not for dried-on spills.

The base: charge only, self-emptying or all-in-one

• Charging dock only: you empty the robot's small bin after each run or two.
• Self-emptying base: the base sucks the dirt into a bag. Roborock says its Q-series bases hold up to 7 weeks of debris; iRobot quotes up to 75 days for the Roomba 105 AutoEmpty dock.
• All-in-one dock: also washes the mop pads, dries them with warm air, and on some models refills the robot's water tank automatically. These docks are big: Which? says they often need about 1 m of clear space around them.

What each price band gets you

Prices below were checked on the brands' own UK stores on 23 October 2026. Argos, Currys, John Lewis and AO could not be loaded by our checker that day, so check them too: retailers often match or beat the brand price. Roborock's UK store showed most models against a "was" price roughly double the current price; we quote only the price you would pay.

Which? puts the typical robot vacuum at around £500 and says a reliable one can be had for under £350 [6]. That matches what the brand stores show: the jump from £200 to £400 buys the all-in-one dock; the jump above that mostly buys convenience and obstacle avoidance.

What to check before you buy

Height and thresholds

Measure the gap under your sofa and beds. Published heights on the models above range from 7.98 cm (Roborock Saros 10, Qrevo Edge 2) to about 10–11 cm (Ecovacs T30C 10.04 cm, Roomba 105 10.4 cm). Check the climbing height too: most models quote around 2 cm, which covers typical door strips but not every rug edge or sliding-door track.

Floors, rugs and pets

Robots pick up better on hard floors than on carpet. If you have rugs and want mopping, choose a model whose mops lift (the T30C quotes 9 mm, the Qrevo S5V 10 mm, the eufy X10 Pro Omni 12 mm) or that avoids carpet altogether. For pet hair, look for rubber or "anti-tangle" brushes: Which? found only two of the robots it assessed handled pet hair well [7].

Running costs

Electricity is the small part. Ecovacs rates the X11 at 110 W; at the Ofgem price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026 [8], an hour at that rating would cost about 3p. Consumables cost more. On the brand stores today: Roborock dust bags are £29.99 for six, side brushes £19.99 for two and mop cloths £25.99 for four [1]; eufy bags for the X10 Pro Omni are £19.99 for six, and eufy says to change the bag about every two months [4]. Before you buy, check that the bags and brushes for your exact model are in stock.

Noise

Few brands publish it, and the self-emptying burst is the loud part. Ecovacs quotes about 64 dBA while vacuuming but 75 dBA when the T30C base empties, and up to 82 dBA for the N20 PLUS base; Roborock quotes 72 dB(A) for the Saros 10 self-emptying [1][2]. If the robot will run while you are home, schedule emptying for when you are out.

Cameras, apps and privacy

Camera-based robots avoid socks and cables better, but they put a camera on your floor. In 2022, images taken by development Roomba units were leaked by a data-labelling contractor; iRobot said they were special test units, not customer robots [9]. Check what the app uploads, whether you can turn the camera's image features off, and that your Wi-Fi works with the robot: many need a 2.4 GHz network.

Warranty and support

iRobot, Roborock, Ecovacs and Shark offer two years on the models above (Shark on registration). eufy offers 12 months on older RoboVac models and 24 months on models launched from 2026 [10]. iRobot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in December 2025 and said it expected no disruption to its app or support [11]; check the current position before you buy a Roomba.

Who each type suits

• Flat or small home, mostly hard floors, tight budget: a mapping robot with a self-emptying base, under £200.
• Family home with a mix of carpet and hard floors: an all-in-one dock with lifting mops, roughly £370–£600.
• Pets: anti-tangle brushes, a self-emptying base (pet hair fills small bins fast) and obstacle avoidance if there are toys or bowls on the floor.
• Lots of rooms and stairs: robots do not climb stairs; you would need one per floor or to carry it up. A cordless stick vacuum may suit you better.
• You want to stop vacuuming altogether: Which? says you will still need a normal vacuum for deep cleans and stairs [6].

Frequently asked questions