O melhor lado da Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners

You can also use the app to access the camera on the vacuum and see where it is in real-time – handy if it has got stuck or you want to check up on your pet (you can guide it remotely, too). We were impressed with how clear this image was.

Combo models might also have mops that can kick out from the side of the vacuum to get closer to the sides of rooms.

Vacuum cleaners can be pricey, so it's best to do some research on high-quality models and consider what will work best for you, your home and your floor types. I've tested dozens of vacuums while working in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, so I know which brands and models are best for each individual.

Great at cleaning a whole room, improving with each of its three runs as it learned more about where to go and what obstacles it faced

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

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a robot vacuum article if we didn’t point you in the direction of at least one iRobot – the brand that pioneered the appliance.

❌ You want high levels of Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners control: This robovac doesn't always do exactly as its told when it comes to more complex instructions.

We consider pet hair, too. Using the real thing, our expert grinds it into the carpet to create a worst-case scenario before putting each vacuum to work.

It lifted most pet hair, and cleaned room edges well, in part thanks to its effective spin brush and three driving modes that let you select when you want it to tackle them. Despite not having a spot clean function, it mopped our flooring in one sweep (although our testers found a second sweep was required to leave it fully refreshed).

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.

Why we love it: We've tested many Dreame stick vacuums, robots and vacuum mops in the GH Cleaning Lab and can confidently say that it's one of our favorite brands because it performs well for the price in multiple categories, including robot vacuums, vacuum-mop combos and mops for hardwood floors.

❌ You want something that mops well: The mopping here is just dragging a wet wipe across the floor, and not worth bothering with.

The maximum-power boost mode lasts a paltry 12 minutes before needing to recharge, but it is practical enough to use if you’re away from home for most of the day. Dyson claims the 360 viz nav is six times more powerful than any other robot vacuum, and the results from our home tests seem to back that up.

In fact, it lifted over 90 per cent of the dirt in both tests, something we don’t often see with robot vacuums.