I tested cordless robot vacuums – the winner even has a mop function and can be sent to specific rooms using an app

WHILE I don’t want robots to take over the world, getting them to help out with the cleaning is another matter entirely.

We spend more than an hour a week vacuuming our homes, but with robot cleaners becoming more affordable, could buying one save valuable time?

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With two boisterous boys aged eight and five, there are days when my cordless vacuum gets two outings to suck up crumbs from under the sofa and mud that’s been tracked over the carpet.

So, as the robots set to the task of making my three-bed terrace floors spotless, I took the chance to put my feet up.

Afterwards, I checked the work of the machines and awarded marks out of five.

Eufy G50 Hybrid, £200,

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THIS hybrid version gave my floors a really thorough clean and it got right into the edges.

On my landing, it even brushed between the wooden gap on every balustrade, a spot where the gathering dust irks me every time I climb up the stairs.

This machine felt quieter than the others too, despite having up to 4000Pa (pascals, the unit used to measure suction).

It was a bit annoying that the water tank and dust trap were attached to each other though – but it’s not the only model with that issue.

The makers recommend you wet the mop pad before use, but that made it tricky to slide it over the holder. But it did do a good job on my kitchen floor.

This particular model did struggle with a few door thresholds and the voice was erratic – on more than one occasion, it spent 30 minutes declaring that it was shutting down.

The G50 Hybrid has up to 120 minutes of run time and it certainly held the charge well, but my app wouldn’t record the clean history.

Rating: 3.5/5

Ultenic D10 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, £159.99, 

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I CERTAINLY didn’t get off to the best start with this bot. I struggled to get it lined up properly with the charging pins and only got 40 minutes of use out of its first outing, not the potential 150 minutes that was promised.

Water also came running out when I tried to apply more force to one end to get the charger connected.

However, it won me round with its mapping technology, which is very effective and fast, with the device building a plan of the floor in minutes before getting to work, which it then stored for next time.

Using this later on to send the D10 to specific rooms and cordon off areas was a real timesaver, like when I just wanted the kitchen floor mopped.

You need to remove the mop pad if you want to avoid items such as damp rugs, but I really liked the automatic suction increase on carpeted spaces, with up to 4000Pa.

Rating: 4/5.

Beko Robot Vacuum Cleaner, £249, 

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THE app instruction booklet gave me high hopes – it meant that I understood this vacuum’s functions from the off.

But after half an hour exploring my ground floor with it, there were still visible crumbs. It was good at getting into corners to brush them out, but failed to pick some up.

This is no doubt because the top suction strength is 2000Pa, which is lower than some other models.

While it maps your progress, so you can see the space covered, it isn’t stored to aid smarter future use.

The best approach is selecting “wall follow” to get the edges, then “smart” for the rest.

You can also manually direct this cleaner from the app, set timers and give commands via Alexa.

The mop isn’t exactly vigorous, but it does the job and I liked that the dust trap and water tank disconnect from each other.

It has a generous 150 minutes of running time in “quiet” mode and you can expect a still decent 120 in “standard”.

Rating: 3/5.

iRobot Roomba Combo 2 Essential Robot + AutoEmpty Dock, £229,

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HERE, the charging station doubles as an emptying dock with a vacuum bag inside, which allows the robot to cleverly unload the dust trap when full.

This ensures it doesn’t stop mid-clean and saves you a few trips to the bin.

With a pet-free, three-bed home, this felt like an unnecessary extra (the £149 version would have sufficed), but I can see the value for larger, carpeted houses with dogs.

It also means that the water tank and pad access are at the back when it returns to charge, so you have to disconnect to remove them.

You’ll also need to buy dust bags, which last around two months if you clean daily.

It’s a pretty basic model and app, without any mapping, which meant a damp rug when I let it loose on the vacuum and mop setting.

But it did quite a decent job cleaning my hallway tiles and the kitchen floor.

Rating: 2.5/5.

Midea i5C 4-in-1 Cleaning System, £199, 

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IF YOU’RE a tech-phobe, this 4000Pa vacuum can be operated phone-free with an effective remote control.

But the app is also very user-friendly and supports Alexa and Google Home.

I liked that the 450ml water tank is separate to the dust box, which empties from the bottom and has a cleaning brush set into the lid.

It also has two rotating side brushes instead of one, plus up to 120 minutes of running time.

But all this sadly didn’t make for more efficient cleaning. I saw it completely miss crumbs on my sons’ bedroom floor, despite going round twice.

With no mapping, the Midea circulated the same ground a fair bit and needed manually moving to one room. I also failed to get the mop working, as the water simply wouldn’t soak through to the pad.

On the upside, the “edge cleaning” function helped to finish off rooms nicely.

Rating: 2/5.

Hobot Legee Q10, £299,

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THIS model found a fan immediately in our household. My five-year-old loved it from the moment it announced – in its charming voice – “Legee go!” as it set off on its cleaning mission.

And for many reasons it was my favourite, too, not least because of the six cleaning modes and up to 5,000Pa of suction.

“Standard” was my go-to mode, as it responds to the surface and means there’s no need to worry about carpets getting wet.

The side brush is especially effective, as it sits on a responsive extending arm to really get into crevices.

The mopping function is decent, with a “polish” mode and vibrating microfibre pad, plus a perfect measuring bottle for mess-free filling of the water tank.

However, a filter inside the dust trap makes it slightly more fiddly to empty than others.

The app’s mapping function is great, allowing me to send Legee to specific rooms, delegate areas for cleaning and set smart timers.

It also found its way back to the charger without help – not every model could manage that.

You’ll see below we have a great offer for readers on this machine. Legee go!

Rating: 4/5.

• Sun readers can get a Hobot Legee Q10 for the special price of £240 by visiting Amazon and using the checkout code TheSunQ10. UK buyers only, valid for 30 days until stocks last.