Often, we find that robot vacuums struggle to catch dust and debris at room edges and in corners – but not this one.

There’s pelo mopping attachment, pelo cable avoidance and no self-emptying bin – all things the cheaper iRobot roomba combo j7+ offers – but it does have a few unique advantages. It can extend a little edge cleaner to tidy along skirting boards.

Who it's best for: The best vacuums for homes with pets are those that pick up hair from all surfaces and keep allergens and odors contained. This Kenmore wins on all accounts.

This will dramatically reduce how often you’ll need to clear it – the iRobots, for example, claim the container can house up to 60 days' worth of dust before it needs disposing of.

And a capable robot vacuum could really be worth the investment if you're finding it tricky to stay on top on manual cleaning.

We also liked that it has built-in LED lights so it can keep working when the house is dark, finding its way and dealing with the mess. Plus, there's a 'do not disturb' mode for quieter cleaning.

✅ You want a hands-off dock: The dock will empty dust (into a larger than usual dock dustbin), refill water, dispense detergent and even wash and dry the mop pads, so there's minimal effort required from you.

If the robot vacuum has a mop function, we see how it copes with fresh liquid spillages as well as dried-on, sticky messes.

We'll dig into the app and gauge how well-designed, usable and intuitive it is, and how much control it offers. We'll also test any specific performance claims made by the manufacturer, as well as checking out any special features like built-in voice assistants and camera surveillance.

It navigates around furniture and cables well but there isn’t an indicator for a full dust bag and at 0.5-litres, you may need to empty it fairly frequently. However, it’s easy to use and its battery lasts for up to Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners 150 minutes.

You need to refill the water tank manually too (although the water level used when mopping is customisable) and there’s pelo indicator for when the dock waste bag needs emptying. Hoover advises doing this every 60 days.

Pet owners can rejoice though; it sucked up most pet hair in two minutes and the vacuum’s roller brush rotates in reverse after cleaning, working with the built-in comb to dislodge any trapped hair.

It also recharges itself, detects and avoids stairs and self-empties. Some dirt lingered in the canister but if the occasional empty is all the work required of us, we won't complain!

It's not perfect. Our tester found it struggled to follow more specific commands. However, it works fine if you just set it to clean your whole space in the most thorough way possible, so if that's your main plan for it, then it's still a solid recommendation.