Best robot vacuums 2026, tried and tested

Best: Robot vacuum for mopping

What we love: Powerful suction system, mighty mopping, and UV detection cleans up everything

Take note: Mopping can leave too much water behind and obstacle detection is too keen

The Shark was already impressive when it cost a grand, but now it’s less than £700. The vac eschews Pascals for a dynamic, sensor-driven auto-adjusting suction power – a smart system they call Dirt Detect – which gives it dominance across all floor types, including deep-pile rugs.

Comfortably covering areas up to 290m2 with up to 180 minutes runtime, the robot boasts a 380ml onboard dustbin and somewhat less generous 1.5-litre base dustbin.

Then there’s the UV Reveal thingie to take into account. This robotic vacuum can “see” the dirt that you can’t, like pet piddle and sweat, diligently cleaning it all away with its powerful HyperSonic Mopping system. Indeed, with the Shark, you’ll have floors so clean you could eat off them; and you could, because this auto-emptying, self-cleaning, auto-charging will clean that up afterwards too.

Controlled by an app, buttons and/or voice, there are pros aplenty here, so what of the cons? Well, it can get a bit water-mad, leaving floors overly doused at times, and obstacle detection is over-sensitive, leaving the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal in a literal bit of a spin at times. But these are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of domestic robots, especially when weighed up against all that other awesome spec; and may I remind you: now just £639…

Suitable surfaces: Hardwood, Vinyl, Tile, Carpet, Deep-Pile Rugs

Controller type: App, Voice, On-Device

Compatible devices: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

Running Time: 180 minutes

Dimensions: 34 x 34 x 10.4cm