‘It’s the perfect entry-level robot vacuum!’ — I put Hoover’s new £270 robot vacuum and mop to the test

Robot vacuums have been around for a while now, but in the past year or so, their popularity has soared - and they've changed, too, with many models now serving as robot vacuum mops. The latest addition to the pack? The Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner, which boasts an RRP of just £269.

Yep, that is hundreds of pounds less than competitors such as Dyson, Roomba, Eufy, and Roborock. That's why I put this new, budget-friendly model through its paces to see if it has what it takes to compete with one of the best robot vacuums (and even the best mops) to offer the ultimate hands-free cleaning experience. This is everything you need to know.

In a nutshell

The Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner is the brand’s newest robot vacuum cleaner and mop, and its USP (like all of their robot vacuums) is undoubtedly the fact that it’s so affordable. In fact, £269 is an absolute bargain for a robot vacuum from a reputable brand like Hoover. But it’s safe to say that compromising on your budget does mean that you have to compromise on your technology.

First, though, I’d like to talk about the positives - because there are many! The setup of the Hoover HG2 robot and vacuum mop was over and done with in seconds, and the app is incredibly easy to use. I particularly liked how everything from the suction power to the mopping moisture level could be controlled from my phone, and I could see that my floors were much cleaner after a robo-vac session.

It also has a long run time of up to 160 minutes (which is above average for robot vacuums), and you can create multiple maps to ensure that every room in your house is covered by the appliance. And another major selling point is that it’s super small and ultra-slim, so it can easily go under furniture and be stored in small spaces.

However, this budget robot vacuum and mop isn’t the most technologically advanced model out there, and it might not suit those who are looking for something a little more accurate. It doesn’t handle obstacles very well, and it misses certain spots during the cleaning session, struggling with changes in the environment. So, don’t expect an entirely clean floor after each session, but it’s perfect for those in-between, hands-free cleans.

Specifications

• Max. run time: 160 minutes
• Suction power: 5,000Pa
• Bin volume: 250ml dust, 300ml water
• Mop function: Yes
• Charge time: 5 hours
• Noise levels: <58dB according to Hoover (around 62dB on my decibel meter app)
• Dimensions: 33 x 33 x 8.3cm
• Weight: 3.1 kg
• RRP: £269

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner arrived in a very compact, lightweight box that even came with a carry handle, so it was easy to move into my house.

Another bonus was that there wasn’t any unnecessary packaging - all of the components inside were encased in a cardboard shell, and then the smaller components (like the spare filter, spare mop pad and charger) were wrapped in plastic, which may be recycled depending on your local authority.

With everything out of the packaging, you then need to charge the robot vacuum on the very compact charging dock before downloading the app to get everything connected. One thing I did find during this process, though, was that the paper instructions were more of a hindrance than a help, as they included confusing diagrams rather than any worded instructions - something I do think would be helpful for an appliance like this.

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However, you don’t technically need any paper instructions as the app takes you through the whole step-by-step process, and won’t let you continue if you haven’t done everything exactly as you need to. And for me, it took around 5 minutes to get the robot vacuum connected to the app and my Wi-Fi.

Then, the app will prompt you to start the mapping process, where the Hoover robot vacuum and mop essentially ‘learns’ the layout of your house using its laser technology and saves these maps for future cleans. I did this downstairs in my dining room, living room and kitchen (which are connected), and then upstairs in two different bedrooms, so there were three maps I could choose from for future cleaning.

Ease of use

I often find that robot vacuums can be overly complicated, but the Hoover HG2 was surprisingly easy to use. Everything is controlled via the app, and it’s easy to customise the settings to suit your cleaning requirements that day. So, you can choose vacuum-only, vacuum and mop, or the mop-only mode.

You can even decide how much suction and water you want to use on that particular cleaning session, which is a nice touch. And while you can also set ‘no go’ areas on the app (for example, I wanted to avoid mopping the rugs that sit on my hard floors), I did find that it was hard to pinpoint exactly where I wanted the mop to avoid. As a result, my rugs did get a little damp during cleaning sessions.

I also liked that you can set up different cleaning routines for each room. Because of this, I could set the robot vacuum to vacuum and mop mode in my living room, dining room, and kitchen, which are primarily hard flooring, and set it to vacuum-only mode when I took it upstairs for some carpet cleaning. This means that you don’t have to faff around setting things up each time you want to clean a different room.

In the app, you can also create schedules so the Hoover robot vacuum will come on automatically without your input. This means that you can have your house cleaned while you’re at work, or even overnight. I didn’t take advantage of this as I work from home, and my dog sleeps downstairs and is terrified of the robo vac (and just about anything else that moves). However, I do know that many robot vacuum owners love having this as an option.

Performance

In my eyes, the performance of the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro is where it loses a star, particularly with the navigation system. What I mean is that, despite having a detailed map of my home’s layout, I found that the routing and cleaning process was very sporadic and random instead of being deliberate and efficient.

On some occasions, it cleaned all over the place with no real rhyme or reason to it. On others, it cleaned in the straight, consecutive lines you want from a robot vacuum and mop. This was particularly apparent during the mopping mode, where I could see the random wet trails it left behind.

Not only that, but some areas were missed completely during cleaning, especially towards the edges of the room (as seen in the picture below) and more so in rooms with more obstacles, and I had to go back with my regular vacuum to pick up debris that was left behind a few times. However, I would say that for a £269 robot vacuum and mop, it did clean 99% of what I wanted it to.

Without any extravagant obstacle detection, the Hoover HG2 also bumped into anything that stood in its way, and would have to then bump itself back into its route. Thankfully, I have quite sturdy skirting boards, so they didn’t get scuffed, but this is something to consider if you want your robot vacuum mop to actively avoid any boundaries, doors, or obstacles.

However, I will say that the positives of the performance definitely outweigh the negatives, and the suction power was more than enough for my home. The areas that were cleaned were always debris-free afterwards, and the mopping function left my floors wet enough to know that they had been cleaned, but not so wet that they left them sopping.

I also put the Hoover robot vacuum through a series of carefully constructed tests, and it performed pretty well. The first test assessed its ability to avoid obstacles, so I put a dumbbell weight on the floor, directly in the path of the robot vacuum cleaner and mop.

As mentioned, this particular model doesn’t have the sensors or lasers of more modern, tech-focused robot vacuums to divert itself around the dumbbell. But as soon as it bumped into it, it started changing its course to go around it without any input from me. It was a little slow, but it figured it out in the end after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing.

The second test assessed its ability to pick up a variety of different debris, so I sprinkled crushed cereal, flour and rice onto my hard flooring and repeated this process upstairs on my carpet. I also put down some of my dog’s hair to see how it fared. Amazingly, the Hoover HG2 didn’t have any problems with any of the debris on either floor type. The flour took a couple of passes to be removed completely, but everything else that was in its direct cleaning line was picked up on the first pass - even the (quite thick) dog hair.

In fact, the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum performed extremely well on carpet, and the dust bin was completely full of both human and pet hair after the very first cleaning session upstairs in my bedroom. This seriously impressed me, as a lot of it tends to get stuck in the fibres of my natural wool carpet.

Another major plus point of the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner is that it’s so slim - just 8.3cm tall, in fact - it can easily go under furniture. And as I’m not someone to regularly vacuum under my sofa or cabinets (let’s be honest, who does?), this is a nice touch that made me feel confident my floors were cleaner than they were before.

I did worry that the Hoover robot vacuum would struggle going from hard flooring to my (arguably quite chunky and thick) rugs in my living room and dining room, but this workhorse quickly proved that it wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, it can climb obstacles up to 18mm in height, which is higher than the average rug.

Cleaning and maintenance

One thing I really appreciated about the HG2 Hydro robot vacuum and mop was that it required minimal cleaning and maintenance. The water tank, dust canister and filter are located in the same pull-out section, so you can easily empty whatever you need. I simply tapped it over a bin to remove all of the debris.

It’s worth noting that you can buy the Hoover Turbo Slim 2-In-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum Cleaner & Mop, £319 at Currys, though. This is exactly the same robot vacuum, but it comes with a 3-litre self-emptying docking system that should store debris for up to 60 days before you need to empty it. Of course, this does make storing it a little more difficult, and as someone with a smaller house, I appreciated the compact design of the model I tested without the docking station.

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How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, there are just two reviews of the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner on the Hoover website, which isn’t surprising, considering it’s literally just launched.

It’s nice to see that the first two reviews are positive ones, with both giving it glowing 5-star reviews for its ease of use and its cleaning ability. One reviewer wrote, ‘good for use if not got too many items in room,’ which seconds what I said about the Hoover HG2’s limited reaction to obstacles.

Verdict: Should you buy the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner?

If you’re looking for an entry-level vacuum cleaner, I do recommend the Hoover HG2 Turbo Slim Hydro Robot Vacuum Cleaner. There’s no denying that it left my floors visibly cleaner thanks to the mid-range suction power and the mopping function, and it was incredibly easy to use in the app. I also liked how small it was, and I can see it fitting in well with more open-plan homes without too many obstacles.

All in all, I think it will suit those who have perhaps never had a robot vacuum before and want to test the waters, or those who have only had a robot vacuum without the mopping function before. I also think it will suit those who want to have a robot vacuum on hand for those in-between, bonus cleans, rather than relying on it for deeper cleans.

However, those who are looking for a more technologically advanced model may find the Hoover HG2 lacking. Its cleaning routes are random rather than being controlled and effective, and it’s not the best at dealing with obstacles. I do think that for just £269 it’s a nice budget-friendly option to have on the market, though. And for that price, you do still get a lot for your money.