In an ideal scenario, a robotic vacuum can help busy pet owners maintain the cleanliness of their homes by picking up any fur that their cat or dog has shed. But not every robovac is up to the task; some are more effective than others. In our lab tests, we’ve found that many robotic vacuums tend to drag strands of pet hair around instead of suctioning them up. Or the hair they pick up ends up stuck in the brushes, which can create a headache later when you have to clean the brush rolls.

On the other hand, the robotic vacuums that scored highly in our pet hair tests were able to pick up almost all the hair we embedded in carpets without getting it entangled in the brushes. We also found that the best robotics for cleaning pet hair usually come equipped with a turbo setting or booster mode, which helps them capture more hair than other models. 

At Consumer Reports, we test robotic vacuums from more than a dozen brands, including Dyson, Ecovacs, Eufy, iRobot, Samsung, Roborock, and Shark. Below, we’ve listed (in alphabetical order) the five top-rated robotic vacuums our testers recommend for sweeping up pet hair.

To learn more about how we test robot vacuums and other models, check out our vacuum cleaner buying guide. And see our full ratings of almost 50 robotic vacuums as well as additional CR coverage, including our picks of the best robotic vacuums overall and the best robotic vacuums for $300 or less.

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How CR Tests Robotic Vacuums for Pet Hair Removal
Our technicians use 1 gram of Maine coon cat fur and embed it into medium-pile carpet. The robotic vac’s dustbin is weighed after cleaning to measure the precise amount of hair captured.

In addition to assessing each robotic vacuum’s pet hair removal performance, we also test its ability to pick up dirt on carpet and bare floors. Our testers also take into account how easy a vacuum is to handle and how much noise it makes. And like our ratings for other household appliances, Consumer Reports assesses each vacuum brand’s owner satisfaction and predicted reliability based on our member surveys.