Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 review: the perfect robot vacuum for beginners

Vacuuming is a chore, there is no denying that. No matter how regularly you vacuum – once a day or once a week – it is still something which needs doing around the home. For some, getting a cleaner in to the home to take care of this is an appealing and realistic option but for others, buying the best robot vacuum is the most sensible thing to do right now, especially with the cost of living crisis we're all facing. Sure, it won't clean everything, but the time saved by automating a few chores is money well spent.

A robot vacuum, just like the Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20, can be scheduled to clean the floors in the home when and where you need it. Nowadays, most can also be controlled via an app or by voice, although some are most advanced than others.

We've been reviewing the Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 for the past few weeks in a home which has hard floors and carpets. It's an entry-level robot vacuum that covers all the basics you would expect from an appliance of this type, but is still a good level up from using a standard vacuum cleaner. 

It has been challenged with a new wool rug, split-level landing and two different hard floor types in a busy family home, where crumbs, dust and dirt are a daily thing. You can find out how we all got on by continuing to scroll down the page. Already convinced it's for you? Below you can see where the best places are for you to get your hands on one.

Eufy by Anker RoboVac G2 product spec:

• Suction power: 2500 Pa
• Dust box capacity: 600ml
• Run time: up to 90 minutes
• Noise level: 55dB
• App compatibility: iOS 10.0 (or above) or Android 5.0 (or above)

Delivery and set up

The Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 arrived by courier from Amazon. Inside the delivery box was a branded Eufy by Anker box which contained the RoboVac pretty much ready to go. I was surprised to see it in an assembled state with all that was required to do was to remove the foam blocks beside the bumper and install the side brush.

Preparation before first use took the majority of the set up phase. It's important to choose a suitable spot in the home for the charging base to be in situ. Objects will need to be removed within three feet (one meter) of the left and right side and within six feet (two meters) of the front of the charging base. If you're unable to remove the objects, then you'll need to think about choosing another place. The RoboVac will need to be able to return the charging base on it's own, from either side, so you get the full benefits from it. 

We opted to set up the RoboVac G20, at first, in our living room and then in the bedroom next to the bed. We had to consider that our toddler would really like to play with it, and this is not a toy, so keeping it tucked out of the way of her usual roaming places was a priority.

When the charging base was all set up and the RoboVac was charging, we used this time to familiarise ourselves with the app. The EufyHome app runs on iOS 10.0 (or above) or Android 5.0 (or above). You'll need to ensure that both your phone or tablet and the RoboVac are within a close range of your home WiFi for them to connect.

Follow the instructions in the owner's manual for full details on how to connect. There are different WiFi status lights which make a lot more sense when referring back to the manual.

When you've got the app downloaded onto your phone or tablet, you can set up schedule cleaning and a suction power level ahead of its maiden voyage. These can only be set up on the app. 

At this point in the set up you can also link up the RoboVac G20 to Amazon Alexa or Google Home. You just need to ensure that the device is attached to the charging base and connected to the EufyHome app, and you have the device and app you want to use voice control with.

When selecting the suction power level (quiet, standard, turbo or max), bear in mind that when the RoboVac starts cleaning another time, it will clean according to the suction power level you previously selected. Unlike some of the more advanced robot vacuum cleaners, the RoboVac G20 does not map its route to produce a floorplan so every clean is treated as a new space and it doesn't learn where objects or obstacles are either.

Performance

This robot vacuum is so easy to ease – I guess this is why it's a great entry level option?

Regardless of the floor type the RoboVac G20 was vacuuming it uses Dynamic Navigation to clean in a Z-shaped path for fewer missed areas and (supposedly) more efficiency than random-path robotic vacuums. Our 100-year-old house does not have square rooms and with a toddler, there are a lot of obstacles in the way no matter how well you try to clear the floor. We found that it often had to change it's pathways and it's up for debate how Z-shaped these were owing to the natural of the layout in our home.

Since there is no mapping it's tricky to say which areas were cleaned but from observation, we did see it under furniture which is up against the walls and we did see it make it to the corners of the room.

At the top of our stairs we have a split-level landing and we keep the laundry basket on the step. It happened a few times that I received a notification from a clean that it was stuck, so stopped working. There was nothing in the way but the Z-shaped pathway just didn't work with that particular space for us. Not once did the RoboVac G20 fall off the step, though, so that's something.

On hard floors it did a really good job of transitioning between the wooden and tiled flooring, and then rugs. It didn't skid around and the side brush didn't push away too much debris. 

We kept the suction power level on standard (default) and had BoostIQ selected which automatically boosted the suction depending on the floor type. On this setting it did a good job of removing dried cereals (once it had crunched through it), dirt and dust from the floor. It didn't get stuck under furniture – it even went under furniture where no vacuum had been for a long, long time – and it navigated around the hallway well. We measured just 52dB on our sound level app, too, so it's even quieter than advertised.

What we did find, however, is that when the battery was running low (which felt like a regular thing) it struggled to return to base. It kept bumping into objects which it had previously managed to avoid and often went in the opposite direction to the charging base. A feeling we can all relate to as tired parents.

This had a similar effect upstairs on carpet. When it was out on a scheduled clean and we were away from home, we were unable to find out via the app where the RoboVac G20 had ended up. We would often return home to find it perched next to a door or skirting in completely the wrong end of the house, miles from where the base was.

Performance on carpet was generally OK. We feel that this was a real challenge for it because the carpet is new and is a 80/20 wool mix. The floor head bore most of the brunt of this which often got clogged up with carpet fluff. It's difficult to tell just how much debris it picked up because of the sheer amount of fluff in the dust box (it could have been all fluff) but we kept the suction at standard so we knew it was capable of picking up a decent amount since watching its performance on hard floor.

What we noticed when the dust cup was getting full is that it started to leave a trail of carpet fluff behind. With no notification to tell you that it is getting full or is indeed full, it is important to (try to) remember to empty the RoboVac after each use. 

We used the trail of carpet fluff as an opportunity to try out the spot cleaning function. This cleaned a focused area on the floor and went round in a clockwise motion, gradually getting bigger and then smaller again. It covered a radius of no more than one meter and cleaned for two minutes before automatically stopping. Once it had finished you could see the spiral pattern it had created on the floor, which was subtly reassuring.

We have carpet on the split-level landing and running up the stairs which the RoboVac is not suitable to be used on. It will take care of open-plan living areas 1,000 sq. ft. (92 m²) but we found that after a week, we still need to reach for our cordless vacuum cleaner to vacuum the stairs.

If you need to pause or stop the RoboVac for any reason this can be done using the app. And if you need to return it to base for whatever reason then by selecting 'recharging', it will begin to try to find its way back.

Cleaning, maintenance and storage

Fortunately, since the robot vacuum is an automated clean, cleaning and maintenance are equally easy. You will need to turn off the device and unplug the adaptor, no matter what you're doing and cleaning /replacement frequency will depend on your RoboVac usage habits.

For example, the dust collector will need to be emptied after each use. There is no notification to let you know when it needs emptying so it is a good habit to be in to empty it at this frequency – especially if you have a lot of carpet fluff.

The filter will need to be cleaned once a week or twice a week if you have pets. It's advised that you replace the filter every six months or after every 50 rounds of cleaning. Once every month the side brush, brush guard, sensors, charging pins and swivel wheel will need to be cleaned. And every three to six months (or when visibly worn) the side brush and brush guard will need to be replaced. These can all be bought from Amazon.

Storing the robot vacuum is on it's charging base. It needs to be fully charged before it goes out for each clean, so ensuring that the base is free from obstacles around it would be a useful thing to do.

How does it rate online?

The Eufy RoboVac G20 is available to buy through Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. These resellers have various reviews about it.

On Amazon UK, the robot vacuum has received 4.2 out of 5 stars. It's a bit of a mixed bag of reviews. Positive comments are really positive with customers speaking very highly about the suction and it's ability to vacuum pet hair. The integration with Alexa is also proving a useful feature. The not-so-positive comments are in-line with the things we've found such as it gets stuck and confused where it is, and it bumps into things.

Over in the States on Amazon.com, the RoboVac has received seemingly a lot more reviews but these are for the G20 and G30. Overall it has an overall score of 4.4 out of 5 stars. A review in February 2022 shares how great the product is: "Great cleaning power!!! Can remove all the dust and hair on the carpet. Works well both on carpet and hard floor..." Yet in May 2022 another customer was unimpressed that it comes with just one sweeper brush and the RoboVac travels under rugs not over. One customer echoed our findings and shared that it completely forgets how it got to where it is, and doesn't find the dock.

How does it compare with other robot vacuums?

For £259.99/$259.99 the Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 is an entry-level robot vacuum which is an improvement on the RoboVac 15C Max. Although we have not yet tested it ourselves the G20 has more suction, uses gyro navigation and is ever so quieter. 

Most of the robot vacuum cleaners that we review are (at least) double this price and although it doesn't have all the bells and whistles as the more advanced models, the G20 does a very good automated clean.

Should you buy the Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20?

If you've never owned a robot vacuum cleaner before or you want to replace an existing one with something more simple, then Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 is the robot vacuum cleaner for you. The price of £259.99/$259.99 is very appealing and you may even see it on sale a couple of times a year.

It vacuums really well, transitions easily between carpets and hard floors, doesn't make too much noise and can be controlled remotely via the app or by voice with Amazon Alexa. 

The things it falls short on are that you don't get notified when the bin is full, it bumps into furniture and objects and it gets confused so struggles to return to base when required. If these don't phase you then we feel it'll be perfect for your home, especially for the money and especially if you have pets or a dirt-prone household.

About this review – and our reviewer

Jennifer (Jen) Oksien is Homes Editor on TechRadar. Previously she has written for Ideal Home, Real Homes and Homes & Gardens as our Appliances Editor.

She was sent the Eufy by Anker RoboVac G20 to review at home to find out how it performs across the various floor-types with varying amounts (and types) of debris. Her three-bed house has hardwood flooring and limestone tiles downstairs, and a relatively new carpet running up the stairs, across the landing and into the three bedrooms making it the perfect space to review vacuum cleaners.

We are not given any compensation for our reviews, but we may be gifted the product meaning that we can test it over a greater length of time, and update our reviews if required. We also receive affiliate commission for some products brought through our site.