Dyson's robot vacuum in the test: clean floors – if it actually runs
24/9/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
Dyson's Spot and Scrub AI robot vacuum mops floors to a first-class standard with warm water, but it is unreliable and struggles in corners. The test reveals all its strengths and weaknesses.
«We do everything differently and better», the English manufacturer Dyson proclaimed three years ago. However, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav stood out in the test primarily due to its high price – and the features it lacked compared to the robot vacuum competition from China: no suction station, no mops, no laser for precise navigation. The robot was a flop.
Three years later, Dyson is making a new attempt with the Spot and Scrub AI. And suddenly, the manufacturer is preaching a different mantra: Of course, a robot vacuum needs mops, Lidar, and a suction station. Thus, the Spot and Scrub AI resembles the top models from Roborock and Dreame, even if it looks like a typical Dyson and offers a few special features.
Some things simplified, others complicated
Let's start with the installation, one of the major weaknesses of its predecessor. I install the Dyson app and create an account. With a few clicks, I connect the Spot and Scrub AI to the app and Wi-Fi. Then I start mapping the apartment. The robot sets off and returns ten minutes later with a scan of all rooms. This makes the Dyson as fast as other top models.
However, the automatic room division only worked moderately well. The hallway, living room, and dining room were merged into one room. No problem – if editing weren't so tedious. For example, the line used to divide rooms cannot be rotated freely. I would also like to be able to delete individual areas entirely. That is not possible. So the balcony fragment that the robot scanned through the glass door simply remains on the map.
The app in dark mode looks simple and elegant. Dyson solves many things a bit differently than the competition. That is sometimes good, but sometimes not. For instance, I can easily and quickly preset how each room should be cleaned. I can also select rooms directly and start a cleaning. However, a button to clean everything at once is missing. I have to tap all the rooms first. At least the app remembers the last selected setting.
The mixed experiences with the app unfortunately run through the entire test.
Excellent cleaning, when everything runs
The Spot and Scrub AI vacuums and mops excellently. The floor is clean, all stains are gone. How well the mop roller works, for example, is shown by the test with a generous splash of tomato sauce.
The robot cleans the floor with warm water. Since it detects the stain, the Spot and Scrub AI goes over the area several times and wipes everything away completely. I wipe over it afterwards with a white kitchen towel and see no residue. The floor is not sticky either. All current top models can do this, but not those from the previous year.
It is also great that the system detected the stain. To support the camera, Dyson has installed a green laser that shines across the floor and is intended to make dirt literally stand out. I already know the laser from Dyson's cordless vacuums. With it, I can see well how clean or dirty the floor is.
The detection is not perfect. I renew the sauce stain, and this time the concentration is perhaps a bit stronger at one point. In any case, the robot now considers the mess an obstacle. It only cleans the edges and drives around a large part of the tomato sauce. At least: the roller partially goes over an area once; thanks to the self-cleaning, nothing gets smeared. The stain remains, but it is clean all around.
Although the stain detection does not work as perfectly as the advertising suggests, it improves the overall result. If the sensors detect nothing or the wrong thing, the cleaning is no worse than with competing models without such sensors. By the way, I haven't encountered really good stain detection in any test so far. With the Dreame X60, for example, the detection rate is similarly mediocre.
The only weakness in the cleaning itself is corners. Since the side brush does not extend far and the roller also has trouble due to its design, about one square centimeter remains uncleaned in the notorious corner of my kitchen. The aforementioned X60 with its far-extending arms does this much better.
Far too many errors
Good cleaning performance is of no use if the robot gets stuck. Unfortunately, this happens much more often with the Dyson than with most other models I have tested in the last two years.
- Sofa trap: The robot is eleven centimeters high and therefore bulkier than most competitors. This leaves only a minimal gap between the sofa and the device in my case. Nevertheless, the Dyson drives underneath. Unfortunately, the not-so-new sofa is not the same height everywhere, so the Spot and Scrub AI gets stuck in the same place again and again. Other robots recognize when it is too tight. The Dyson forces its way in. At least I can easily correct this by setting up a no-go zone in the sofa corner.
- Map loss: I have to reprogram the no-go zone again after two weeks. Because suddenly the robot stops. The connection has been lost. I want to send it back to the base station, but it just spins wildly and leaves a trail of water on the floor. When the app has contact with the vacuum again, the map of my apartment is deleted. I have to scan everything again.
- Docking problems: For several days, the robot had trouble driving correctly into the base station – even though nothing had changed in the external circumstances. It drives up the ramp at an angle and over the edge to take another run at it. In the process, it spreads liquid and dust residues around the station. I clean the sensors and the base station, which solves the problem.
Individually, all this wouldn't be so bad – but in total, there are significantly more errors and problems than with all other top devices I have tested in the last two years.
In addition, there are other shortcomings: hair wraps around the large brush; I have to remove it by hand from time to time. The Dyson cannot drive over thresholds because it has no special climbing function. The fresh water tank is empty after mopping the apartment twice.
Visually, I like the robot and the station. Only the transparent and openly visible dirt container bothers me. The fact that no dust bag is needed is practical. But I don't want to see the dirt all the time.
The robot also seems louder than other models. I measure 64 decibels at a distance of one meter. That is actually three to four decibels louder than many competitors. The human ear perceives this difference clearly. The drying process of the roller in the base station also makes more noise than usual.
Top in standby consumption
The Dyson is exemplary when it comes to standby. Like the other models, the Dyson base station draws 50 to 100 watts of power while it charges the robot, cleans the mop roller, and then dries it with hot air for hours.
As soon as this work is completed, the robot switches to standby mode. And it really deserves that name: I then measure no power consumption at all over days. This is exemplary and previously unmatched. Apparently, Dyson simply uses the battery charge to boot up the system when accessed via the app. In everyday life with weekly cleaning, this is sufficient without any problems. If the device were not used for weeks or months, it would of course eventually draw power again and charge the battery.
In a nutshell
Good cleaning performance, many weaknesses
I have no complaints about the cleaning performance of the Dyson Spot and Scrub AI. It mops with warm water as well as almost any other on the market. The suction power is also very good. However, its small side brush struggles to reach into corners. Unfortunately, the test unit had various errors and failures. These could all be resolved; nevertheless, I had to intervene manually more often than with any other top-tier device. That is a shame, as it tarnishes the overall impression – especially in comparison to similarly priced competitors.
Pro
- Roller wipes clean
- clear app
- precise navigation
Contra
- too many total failures
- Hair gets tangled
- Brush does not reach corners
- no climbing function
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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