Top robot vacuums for carpet and rugs
By Emma Walsh
Carpet is harder work for a robot than a hard floor, because the dirt sits down in the pile where a quick pass can leave it behind. A rug adds a second problem if the robot mops as well, since nobody wants a wet pad dragged across the wool. So a carpeted house has two questions to settle before it looks at anything else: how hard the robot vacuums, and what its mop does when it reaches the edge of the rug.
Best overall
Dreame
X50 Ultra
- Can leave its mop pads at the dock for a carpet run
- A 395 ml bin, the biggest in our list on a self-emptier
- Climbs a 4.2 cm single step and stands under 9 cm tall
- It costs $1,000 to $1,800, two price bands above the Roborock
Best vacuum only
Dyson
R1 Nurovi Dry
- 21,000 Pa of suction, the most of the three picks on this page
- Tells carpet from hard floor and adjusts its suction
- There's no mop on board, so nothing wet meets a rug
- A 70-minute runtime, and 6.5 hours to charge again
Best budget
Roborock
Q7T+
- Detects carpet and raises its suction while it's there
- 10,000 Pa of suction for under $500
- Its dock empties the bin into a dust bag, so you don't have to
- The mop pad doesn't lift when the robot reaches carpet
What we look for in a robot vacuum for carpet
Suction
Suction is measured in pascals (Pa), and carpet is where a bigger figure has a job to do, because the dust is down in the pile. On a hard floor the crumbs sit on top, so the same gap between two robots counts for less.
Read the explainerCarpet detection
Some robots sense when they've rolled onto carpet and turn the suction up by themselves. That puts the effort where the dirt is hardest to shift, and it means you aren't running the whole house on the loudest setting.
What the mop does
A mopping robot has to do something with a wet mop when it meets a rug. Some lift it a centimetre or so, some leave it behind at the dock, and on some the pad stays down. Check which before you buy one for a carpeted house.
Read the explainerThe brushes
The main brush works the dirt loose so the suction can take it. Look at what it's made of and whether it's built to shed hair, because a brush wrapped in hair does less on a rug.
Rug edges
The edge of a thick rug is a step the robot has to climb. Check the single-step height against your tallest rug the same way you would for a door sill.
Side by side
| Best overallX50 Ultra | Best vacuum onlyR1 Nurovi Dry | Best budgetQ7T+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price band | $1,000 to $1,800 | $500 to $1,000 | Under $500 |
| Suction | 20,000 Pa | 21,000 Pa | 10,000 Pa |
| Mop | Spinning pads | No mop | Flat pad |
| Mop on carpet | Lifts 1.05 cm | No mop | Does not lift |
| Dock | Empties the bin, Washes the mop, Dries the mop, Refills the water, Adds detergent | Empties the bin | Empties the bin |
| Climbs a step of | 4.2 cm | 4 cm | Not stated |
| Bin in the robot | 395 ml | Not stated | 200 ml |
| Check price | Check price | Check price |
"Not stated" means the brand doesn't give that number. Open a product's spec sheet to see where each figure was read.
Which one is for you
- Your house is part carpet and part hard floor, and you want both cleaned
X50 Ultra - It's carpet nearly wall to wall and you'd never use a mop
R1 Nurovi Dry - You want carpet detection and a self-emptying dock for the least money
Q7T+ - A rug edge or sill of more than 4 cm sits between roomsX50 Ultra
Best overallDreame X50 Ultra
A house with carpet in the bedrooms and tiles or timber everywhere else asks two things of a robot: vacuum the pile properly, and keep a wet mop off it. The X50 Ultra is our pick because it lets you choose how it keeps the mop off the carpet. It can leave its mop pads behind at the dock for a carpet run, steer around carpet altogether, or raise the suction when it’s on it. When the pads do stay on, they lift 10.5 mm.
Suction is 20,000 Pa, with two brushes working as a pair underneath. The bin holds 395 ml, which is the biggest of any robot in our list whose dock empties it. Its battery, at 6,400 mAh, is as big as any we list, and it runs for up to 220 minutes.
The robot stands just under 9 cm tall and climbs a single step of 4.2 cm, so a rug edge or a sill up to that height is within its reach. A front camera helps it steer around whatever is on the floor.
Back at the dock, the bin is emptied into a 3.2-litre bag, the pads are washed in water heated to 80°C and dried, and the robot’s tank is refilled with the detergent added for you.
The catch is the price. The robot sits in our $1,000 to $1,800 band, and its dock measures 45.7 x 34 x 59 cm, so check the spot you have in mind. If your home is carpet nearly all the way through, you’d be paying for a mop and a washing dock you’d hardly use, and the Dyson has slightly more suction from a band lower. The Roborock is two bands cheaper, but it has half the suction and a pad that stays down on carpet.
Best vacuum onlyDyson R1 Nurovi Dry
Wall-to-wall carpet changes what you should pay for. A mop has nothing to do in that house, so the money is better spent on suction. At 21,000 Pa the R1 has more of it than either of the other two picks, and only one robot in our $500 to $1,000 band has more. It’s a vacuum and nothing else, which also means there’s no wet pad to keep off the hallway runner.
That suction isn’t left on one setting. The robot carries an ultrasonic sensor that can tell when it has moved from hard floor onto carpet, and it adjusts to suit. Switch it to Auto and a dust sensor joins in, counting what comes up and pushing the suction higher wherever there’s more of it.
Underneath is a silicone brush bar with a chevron pattern. The side sweeper has anti-static nylon bristles meant to shed hair, and it extends 27 mm to get into edges and corners.
A thick rug is a step as far as a robot is concerned, and the R1 climbs a single step of 4 cm, only a couple of millimetres short of the Dreame. It’s 9.6 cm tall, and a front light sensor helps it avoid obstacles. The dock empties the robot into a bagless bin, so there are no bags to keep buying, and that bin is rated for up to 90 days between empties, though that’s an estimate.
What holds it back is running time. It goes for 70 minutes and then needs 6.5 hours on the charger, so in a large house it may not get round everything on one charge.
That makes it our pick for a smaller home that’s carpet nearly all the way through. If you have a kitchen or bathroom floor you’d like mopped as well, the Dreame does that for one band more. The Roborock costs less than either and has less than half the Dyson’s suction.
Best budgetRoborock Q7T+
You don’t have to spend much to get a robot that knows it’s on carpet. The Q7T+ sits in our under-$500 band, detects carpet, and raises its suction while it’s on it. That suction tops out at 10,000 Pa, which is about the middle of our under-$500 band.
The main brush is a comb-style anti-tangle design and the side brush is an anti-tangle one too, which is welcome on carpet in a house with long hair. The dock empties the robot’s bin for you into a dust bag, which is rated for an estimated seven to nine weeks between changes. The dock measures 21.2 x 17.8 x 25.9 cm.
That dock matters more than usual here, because the bin in the robot holds 200 ml, the smallest stated in our list. The battery is 3,200 mAh and the robot runs for up to 180 minutes, with about 4.5 hours needed for a full charge. It’s 9.9 cm tall, and it makes 65 dB.
Now the catches, and for a carpeted house the first one is the mop. It’s a flat pad, and it doesn’t lift when the robot reaches carpet. The dock doesn’t wash or dry it either. The robot also has no obstacle avoidance, so cables and socks need picking up before it runs.
If your rugs matter to you and you want the floors mopped too, the Dreame is the one that keeps its mop away from carpet, though it’s two bands dearer. If you don’t want a mop at all, the Dyson has more than twice the suction and climbs a 4 cm step from one band up.
Final thoughts
Work out how much of your floor is carpet. That decides which of the three to buy. If it's a mix of carpet and hard floor, the Dreame X50 Ultra vacuums one and mops the other, and it lets you choose how the mop is kept off the pile. It's our pick for most homes.
If the carpet runs nearly wall to wall, skip the mop and get the Dyson R1 Nurovi Dry, which has a little more suction from one band lower. The Roborock Q7T+ is the one for a small budget. It turns itself up on carpet and empties its own bin, and you accept a mop pad that stays down.
