Robot vacuum cleaners
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Mova V70 Ultra Complete White
40000 Pa, Wiping pads (rotating)
How to find the best robot vacuum for you
10.6.2026
Translation: machine translated
Making sense of the chaos: If you answer these four questions, you’ll find the robot vacuum that best suits your home.
«Which robot vacuum can you recommend?» I get this question via email from the Community every week – and my friends are always asking me for my expert opinion too. The range of robot vacuums on sale is huge and can be quite confusing. Now in stock, you’ll find over 800 models. There’s no such thing as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ model. So I always ask the same four questions to give specific advice.
First things first: the question of whether or not you want to clean the floor with water isn’t one of them. All robot vacuum cleaners can do that these days. Nor do I ask about data privacy. Without Wi-Fi, a mandatory account and the cloud , none of the devices will work.
Do you have thresholds – and if so, how high are they?
None, or up to two centimetres: Anyone living in a new-build flat with level transitions between rooms has the full range of robot vacuum cleaners to choose from. Small obstacles of up to around 1.5 or two centimetres are no problem for the vast majority of models.
Source: Lorenz Keller
Two to six centimetres: This narrows the choice of devices down to three brands: Dreame, Mova and Roborock. These brands offer robots with their own climbing function. Most can manage three to four centimetres. The current record holder that has been tested is the Roborock Saros 20X, which reliably managed a five-centimetre-high threshold. The upcoming Mova Z70 and Dreame X60 Pro are expected to reach this height; perhaps they will even manage six centimetres for the first time.
More than six centimetres: Anyone with very high thresholds in their home will either have to build ramps, do without a robot vacuum, or wait for the stair-climbing models.
The announced Dreame Cyber X, with its caterpillar tracks, can climb thresholds as high as stairs, but costs an additional 1,000 francs or euros on top of the robot vacuum itself. It is likely to be the first to hit the market, but the exact date is not yet known. Roborock, Mova and Anker have also announced robots that can climb stairs and thus overcome very high obstacles.
Please note: Manufacturers often advertise heights of eight, nine or even ten centimetres. If you look closely, you’ll quickly realise that this refers to «double thresholds». In other words, obstacles with a step in between. The robot can therefore, for example, negotiate a single threshold of up to 4.8 centimetres. If, as with a two-step mini-staircase, there is a further rise of up to 4.2 centimetres behind it, it can climb that as well. This is how one manufacturer arrives at a figure of nine centimetres.
Source: Mova
How much ground clearance do your pieces of furniture have?
A lot of dust accumulates under sofas, beds and chests of drawers. If the gap between the furniture and the floor is only a few centimetres high, no robot can fit underneath. With eight to ten centimetres of ground clearance, however, the specific robot you choose makes all the difference. The best examples are two new models from Roborock: the FlowX is twelve centimetres high, whilst the Saros 20X is just under eight centimetres.
Those four centimetres make a big difference. My sofa and my bed stand on legs just over ten centimetres high. Robots up to ten centimetres in height can clean underneath them; with taller models, I have to get the hoover out myself.
As a general rule, models with rollers tend to be taller, whilst those with round mops tend to be flatter. Using the filters now in stock, you can search specifically by the robot’s height. Roborock, in particular, has a range of fully-equipped robots under eight centimetres.
I can definitely recommend the eight-centimetre-tall Saros 20X.
How much of your home is carpeted?
The more carpets you have, the more important suction power becomes. On hard floors, this is less of a factor – instead, the quality of the mops is crucial.
More carpets: Robotic vacuum cleaners with plenty of power usually have round mop heads, which they store in the base station for cleaning the carpets. This prevents the appliance from dragging a wet mop across the carpet.
More on hard floors: Many users are satisfied with the round mops. Robots with a self-cleaning roller mop more thoroughly. If you’re primarily using the robot to clean tiled floors, parquet or laminate, then it’s worth it. The new Narwal Flow 2, which I recently tested, even mops the floor with hot water.
I would advise against models with a cloth or a vibrating plate, as the mopping quality is significantly poorer. However, if the robot is only to be used as a vacuum cleaner, this doesn’t matter.
Source: Lorenz Keller
What’s your budget?
The latest top-of-the-range models cost between 1,000 and 1,500 francs or euros. That’s a lot of money. However, the price of new models tends to drop after a few months. The Ecovacs X11 OmniCyclone launched in October 2025 for just over 1,000 francs or euros – it now costs 650 francs or 750 euros.
But you can save money not only on last year’s models: there are also devices coming onto the market that are affordable right from the start. Over the last few months, I’ve tested two of them in the 300 to 400 francs price range.
Both delivered good results. There were some shortcomings when it came to cleaning along edges and obstacle detection. So tidying up and hiding cables behind furniture remains essential for a hassle-free clean.
But which robot should I buy?
It’s difficult to answer this question. Which model is best depends heavily on your living situation, your own needs and your budget. What’s more, new models come onto the market every few months. I’ll be updating my top picks list in summer 2026, once I’ve tested the spring releases from Roborock, Mova, Dreame and Narwal.
My tip for choosing a robot vacuum: As well as my reviews, be sure to read the Community reviews too. My reviews provide an in-depth first impression. I use the devices for five to six weeks at a time, so I don’t have the long-term perspective. However, you’ll certainly find this in the feedback from buyers, especially if you opt for an older model.
I always look at the detailed reviews – both positive and negative. It’s striking, for example, that the top-rated models are all fitted with rotating mops. Feedback on models with a roller is more mixed. Where they work well, the Community is enthusiastic about these devices’ performance. However, the risk of teething problems and breakdowns seems to be greater than with round mops, which have now been virtually standard for several years across most manufacturers.
Header image: Shutterstock
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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