The best carpet vacuum cleaners in 2024

All vacuum cleaners featured on CNET’s best lists are tested and rated in our state-of-the-art testing labs. CNET’s test labs go beyond product specifications and conduct real-world testing with real messes. Our test lab was created specifically to evaluate robot vacuum cleaners, which is an exhaustive testing environment unlike any other.

Here’s a breakdown of how vacuum performance is measured:

Scoring differences

At CNET, we carefully test as many products as possible to ensure we can give you the best advice. When we apply this to vacuum cleaners, there will inherently be differences in testing methodologies. With cordless vacuum cleaners, operation and comfort are important factors because you physically hold the device in your hand to use it. In the case of a vacuum cleaner robot, this is not an important factor, but the functions are. That’s why you’ll notice the difference in the charts below.

Methodology of cordless vacuum cleaners

Wireless stick vacuum scoring methodology
Subclass category	Libra	What were we looking for?
Efficiency	30%	Performance score extrapolated from the average sand score and average rice score on hard floors, short and medium pile carpets.
Value/price	25%	Retail price rating taking into account all other features compared to the value of the features offered.
Characteristics	20%	Usefulness of additional functions (i.e. self-emptying station, handheld conversion, additional tools, multiple batteries, NAV technology, mopping)
Service and comfort	15%	Overall comfort and handling of the product. (i.e. heavy and light, comfortable grip).
Ease of use	10%	Overall user experience regarding setup, functionality, smartphone app availability and smart home features.

Robotic vacuum cleaner methodology

Subclass category	Libra	What were we looking for?
Efficiency	30%	Performance score extrapolated from the average sand score and average rice score on hard floors, short and medium pile carpets.
Price	25%	Retail price rating taking into account all other features compared to the value of the features offered.
Characteristics	15%	Usefulness of additional functions (i.e. self-emptying station, handheld conversion, additional tools, multiple batteries, NAV technology, mopping)
Execution time	20%	Navigation efficiency rating (1-10) based on the time it takes to complete a full cleaning cycle in the CNET LABS custom robot vacuum NAV test room.
Ease of use	10%	Overall user experience regarding setup, functionality, smartphone app availability and smart home features.

Robot vacuum testing

Test 1: Ability to cover the floor

The first test is to check how well the robot cleans the floor. We have built an industry-standard test room for this purpose, as specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission. IEC is the international standards organization responsible for managing robotic vacuum testing procedures, including for vacuum manufacturers.

Inside this room are objects designed to simulate the typical obstacles a robot vacuum cleaner encounters to navigate while cleaning. These obstacles include wall edges, table and chair legs, couches, other furniture, etc., as well as bare tiles and wooden floors, as well as carpets. We install LED lighting at the top of each vacuum cleaner. The dimensions of the lights correspond to the measured width of the nozzle of each robot we tested.

As the robots move around the room while cleaning, the top camera captures images of the entire room with a long exposure in low light. The photo will then show a light streak created by the LEDs, which shows the exact areas where the robot moved (and the position of its nozzle) during operation. We also see areas of the floor where the vacuum cleaner may have missed or gotten stuck. You can see the navigation results of all the robot vacuum cleaners in our test group in the gallery below.

Test 2: Pollution collection efficiency

The second type of test allows you to determine exactly how much physical dirt the vacuum cleaner is able to collect from the floor. To imitate small particle dirt, we use a mixture of play sand and landscape sand. For soil with larger particles, we use uncooked black rice grains. The robots then move in a straight line over three types of floors (short pile carpet, medium pile carpet and bare wooden floors).

We also control the specific nozzle width of each vacuum cleaner. We built an adjustable tool to stain our test floors. It allows us to lay out a strip of precise soil surface tailored to the dimensions of each robot’s nozzle. The mass of the soil is also not selected randomly. We measure the proportional amount related to the floor material, type of dirt and nozzle width of each vacuum cleaner.

We perform three cleaning cycles (at least) on each type of floor. We also perform cleaning tests separately with sand and rice. This means at least 18 tests per robot vacuum cleaner. We weigh the robot basket both before and after each start. Based on this, we can calculate the percentage of dirt collection in each cleaning cycle and the average amount of dirt that the machine is able to remove. Additionally, we perform anecdotal (visual) pet hair testing for each robot, on all three floor types.

Our rice-based medium particle test didn’t show enough variation between the individual cleaners, meaning they all handle larger particles without any problem. For pet owners, we assessed anecdotally for fur removal.

Testing cordless vacuum cleaners

As in robot testing, the width of the test stand is proportional to the width of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. We measure this width ourselves. We also use the nozzle width and floor type to calculate soil density for each test, in accordance with IEC guidelines. Here we also use the same types of soil; sand, rice and animal hair. We perform (minimum) three passes on each type of floor. We also test the suction power separately with sand and rice. This gives you at least 18 tests per vacuum. We weigh the vacuum cleaner’s garbage container before and after each use.

From this we can calculate the percentage of dirt and debris collected in each cycle and the average amount of dirt that the vacuum cleaner manages to remove. Additionally, we perform anecdotal (visual) pet hair testing for each vacuum cleaner, on all three floor types, to help us choose the best cordless vacuum cleaner.