Given the allure of avoiding a dreaded chore, a robotic vacuum can be hard to resist. But if your home has more carpeting than bare floors, these little robots might not be the best choice for keeping it clean—at least not as your primary vacuum.
To really keep your carpets up to snuff, you’ll need an upright or canister for deep cleaning. But a robovac can serve as a handy backup to keep your carpets looking good when you just don’t have time to haul out the big machine. There are three robotic vacuums that passed our carpet-cleaning test with flying colors, and even more that scored admirably.
In our labs, we evaluate robotic vacuums for their ability to pick up surface litter (such as cereal, rice, and peas) and embedded dust from both bare floors and medium-pile carpets. Here, listed in alphabetical order, are the standouts in our robotic vacuum carpet-cleaning tests. For results on every test we conduct, check out our robotic vacuum ratings, and for handy advice to help you choose your next vac—no matter what the type—visit our vacuum cleaner buying guide.
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- Dyson 360 vis nav
- Neato D9
- iRobot Roomba i4+ Evo
- iRobot Roomba Combo i5
- iRobot Roomba S9+
- iRobot Roomba Combo j9+
- iRobot Roomba 675 (Target)
- Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
The Dyson 360 vis nav stands out for its unique features and powerful cleaning performance, despite some limitations. It’s notably heavier than some robovacs but compensates with extremely strong suction, effectively picking up pet hair and embedded dirt. Instead of a conventional side brush, it uses an extending side duct to tackle edges and corners. It has a large brush roll that spans the full width of the vacuum for effective cleaning, and though its dustbin is relatively small, it’s equipped with a convenient one-touch ejection system for easy emptying.
Neato is a great name for a vacuum brand and is especially apt for the capable Neato D9. In addition to its excellent prowess on carpet, it aced our bare floors and pet hair cleaning tests, and it was judged pretty easy to operate, including emptying the bin after vacuuming runs. It also navigates a room pretty smoothly, with few collisions with obstacles like extension cords. As a brand, Neato gets middling marks for both data privacy and data security, which means that your data is not as secure as you may want. This robovac is also a bit noisy, but who cares! You can run it while you’re asleep.
The Roomba i4+ EVO uses smart mapping technology to move in a gridlike pattern. It earns top marks in most of our tests and was also pretty powerful at picking up embedded dirt from carpets. This model comes with an easily removable brush roll and has a self-cleaning base to boot. Once the bot is docked, a vacuum in the docking station automatically sucks the contents from the bin into an enclosed, disposable bag in the base. A few downsides: You have to purchase replacement bags for the base and the vac may scatter debris.
The iRobot Roomba Combo i5 does very well in most of CR’s tests, including carpeting. The vacuum has smart mapping technology that allows it to learn, map, and adapt to the areas to be cleaned. It also has mopping capabilities. You simply swap in the mopping bin (and a cleaning solution of your choice) with the attached mopping pad. Testers like that it’s easy to remove hair from the iRobot’s signature dual green rubber brush rollers.
The Roomba S9+ may be pricey, but it delivers great performance across the board. The vacuum earns top scores down the line in our cleaning tests, and it earns a very good score when it comes to cleaning carpets. This is a self-emptying model that empties its dustbin into a dirt bag, no hands required, but its dustbin in among the smallest we’ve tested.
The iRobot Combo Roomba j9+ receives solid performance scores across the board. It has smart mapping technology as well as avoidance technology to help it move around household obstacles like cords. Once the robot is docked, a vacuum in the docking station automatically sucks the contents from the bin into an enclosed, disposable bag in the base.This vac also has mopping capabilities, but unlike the Combo i5, you don’t have to swap out the bin for mopping; it vacuums and mops simultaneously.
The iRobot Roomba 675 (a Target model) performs on a par with some of the best vacs in our ratings despite being a basic and inexpensive model. It gets outstanding marks for cleaning bare floors and pet hair, and its navigational skills are top notch. The Roomba 675 is also very good at cleaning dirty carpets and the edges of bare floors and carpets.Our testers say that debris often gets stuck in its bristle roller and rubber scraper, though. And it has a tendency to scatter debris. It also has one of the smallest dirt bins, which lowers the vacuum’s ease of use score.
The expensive Roborock S8 Pro Ultra has an auto-empty base, meaning it cleans up after itself. Like other highly rated models, once the bot is docked, a vacuum in the docking station automatically sucks the contents from the bin into the base.It also sports WiFi connectivity, and it performs superbly at cleaning carpets, bare floors, and pet hair, as well as navigating under furniture and around obstacles. This model also couples as a mopping system, and Roborock claims that it’s self-washing and self-drying. That said, it’s one of the noisier models we put to the test, and though it receives a satisfying score in data security tests, it performs near the bottom for data privacy.
Mary H.J. Farrell
Mary H.J. Farrell is a senior editor at Consumer Reports whose real passion is for cooking and all that entails. She has expanded CR’s cookware category to include not only more pots and pans but also other essentials like stand mixer attachments, sheet pans, and vacuum sealers. Mary also covers vacuums but finds cooking way more fun than cleaning. Since the mid-1990s, Mary has held senior positions at People.com, MSNBC, and Ladies’ Home Journal. One of her earliest jobs was at Good Housekeeping.
Anna Kocharian
Anna Kocharian is a shopping editor at Consumer Reports who focuses on home, organization, and the consumer marketplace. She previously covered interior design, product reviews, and market trends as the digital editor of Domino. Anna has over a decade of experience in lifestyle journalism and has written extensively on the subject matter for publications including Apartment Therapy, Food52, and more. She currently resides in New York City.
