Lab-Tested Robovacs Dominate the Home

Two robot vacuums just won a CNET Lab Award, and your pet hair finally has a challenger.

Testing shows that the latest lab-tested lineup didn’t just skim the surface—they cleaned hard floors and carpets with real muscle, and the winners stood out for navigation and obstacle avoidance as much as for suction. In hands-on reviews, testers found the two Lab Award winners delivered consistent pickup power across room types, handled edge-to-edge cleaning without getting tangled in cords, and mapped multi-room layouts with a confidence level many budget models still lack. It’s a reminder that “smarter” software isn’t a buzzword when it translates into fewer do-overs, fewer missed spots, and fewer trips to rescue the device from a rug fringe.

The shift in this year's test is less about a single feature and more about a holistic performance profile. Real-world performance reveals that the best robots don’t just shove dirt into their dustbins; they combine strong suction with reliable navigation so the machine doesn’t get stuck in doorways, trip over pet bowls, or replay the same loop for half an hour. The two winners demonstrated robust obstacle avoidance, better cliff sensing on stairs, and smoother re-entry onto chargers, which matters when you work long days and want “set it and forget it” reliability.

From a practitioner’s lens, here are concrete takeaways. First, navigation quality is the gatekeeper. Machines that build accurate maps of your home—and persist those maps when you move rooms or rearrange furniture—save you time and prevent repeated cleaning cycles from turning into a chore. Second, suction and runtime are a trade-off you’ll live with in real homes. The champs typically balance strong carpet pickup with efficient power use, but heavy rug zones still demand a capable battery so you aren’t sprinting to a recharge midway through the cycle. Third, maintenance matters more than many buyers admit. Accessible replacement parts, reasonable filter costs, and brush wear rates define the true ongoing cost of ownership more than the sticker price on day one. Fourth, firmware and app behavior can swing satisfaction. The best performers keep software updates frictionless and minimize quirky connectivity issues, which otherwise erode the convenience promise.

Looking ahead, the market’s maturation matters for your wallet. The Lab Award seal signals a higher bar for 2026 models, but it also means premium pricing and, sometimes, a steeper learning curve for setup in homes with multi-floor layouts and irregular clutter. If you’re primarily cleaning a single-story, open-plan space, and you value simplicity over polish, there are solid midrange options that still approach the top performers in core tasks. If you want hands-off reliability and pet-hair resilience, the Lab Award winners are the safe bet. If budget is the priority and you’re willing to trade some polish for function, a capable non-award model can still do the job well.

Verdict: Buy one of the Lab Award winners if you want the least intervention and the strongest real-world performance. Skip if you’re chasing the absolute lowest price or dislike app-based controls; otherwise, you’ll likely be happier with a model that prioritizes navigation and stability over every last millisecond of suction tuning.

Sources

Best Robot Vacuums: Our Latest Lab-Tested Robovacs Can Clean Just About Anything