While the best robot vacuums can get nearly every inch of your floors, there's one place they can't reach: Your couch cushions. That's why the Ecovacs Deebot T30s Combo is a great option for those who want to clean their upholstery, but don't want to buy a second vacuum just for the task.

The only thing it had trouble on was kitty litter on carpet, but even its worst score of 83% is solid in the grand scheme of robot vacuums we've tested. Outside of a little more prowess on carpet, the Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 is nearly perfect.

On test, we were wowed by this robovac's mopping abilities. The mop pads assert downwards pressure as they rotate, leaving our tester's floors shining and spotless. In contrast, the vacuuming was good but not outstanding.

The S8 Max Ultra is a very solid all-rounder, and only lost its place in our ranking because Roborock came out with some even better models very shortly afterwards.

Any special features such as app control, mopping functions, and self-emptying bases are factored in too. This all adds up to days of testing; it takes time, but helps ensure we're evaluating them all properly. After extensive testing, we’ve compiled several buying guides to showcase our results, including the best Roombas, the best cheap robot vacuums and the best robot mops. We can even tell you what it's like when you use a robot vacuum in your home for the first time. So if you want to know more about robot vacuums so you can decide if one is right for you, you’ve come to the right place.

And based on our tests of similar Bissell models with many of the same features, I think it makes a great basic, affordable vacuum for cleaning hard floors, carpets and other surfaces.

I love the easy-to-use app that allows you to schedule cleanings and view the progress from a camera that is attached to the vacuum. This vacuum also came in second out of 10 vacuums for maneuverability.

If your robot vacuum has a mopping function, some bases come with water tanks and scrubbing abilities as well, so it can keep the mop cloth clean. However, there are some drawbacks to self-emptying bases. Besides the additional cost, these take up a lot more floor space.

It's an uncertain time, and while it'll be some months before we know what'll happen to the brand next, and there are currently no signs that anything will change, but since many features rely on the company's services and app, should these close, you may lose out on some of the device's functions.

The mopping is also a cut above average. On test, we found the rotating pads very effective – great news if you're regularly dealing with muddy pawprints. The does-it-all dock will take care of refilling the bot's water tank, dispensing cleaning fluid, and cleaning and drying its mop pads, too, meaning minimal hands-on time from you.

We look at how well the vacuums remove large and small debris, like gritty sand and dried orzo pasta, from hard flooring, how well they clean along edges and how much suction they draw through the tools.

Most people with robot vacuums need to supplement them with a manual vacuum – even if your robovac is great at corners and edges, it still won't be able to tackle stairs or upholstery. Ecovacs has taken the effort Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners out of that by bundling a mini handheld vacuum in with the T30S Combo (and if you get the Complete version, there's a full stick vacuum thrown in!

You want a vacuum to clean your car. Handheld vacuums come corded or cordless and are easy to take outside to clean car floors and seating.

Navigation is excellent and this bot can also be relied upon to identify and avoid obstacles as required, meaning you can leave it to do its own thing without having to worry about it getting stuck or trying to suction up something it shouldn't. On test we also found it was great at hosting itself over tall thresholds.