I’m on a mission to replace my ugly home appliances – and Shark just dropped the ultimate ‘luxe’ upgrade to the robot vacuum I use every day

Shark has just dropped four ‘Luxe’ colourways of its uber-popular PowerDetect UV Reveal Robot Vacuum (£1039.99 at Shark). And as the proud owner of the OG black colourway, I must admit that I’m a little jealous of this chic, aesthetic upgrade.

This handy, hands-free model has already staked its claim in my best robot vacuum cleaner guide thanks to its impressive suction power, squeaky-clean mopping ability, and the ridiculously smart UV Reveal technology that uncovers hidden stains on your floors. But while I’ve used it every day since testing it, the black colourway has always been a bit… meh.

These four new colourways are designed to fight back against the traditional black-and-white appliance trend, though. They will work with your home decor and will suit those who want their appliances to be a showpiece in their home - and I think they clean up very nicely.

Adding Evergreen, Espresso, Dove, and Deep Harbour colourways to the roster, Shark has broken away from the ‘ugly’ and ‘boring’ home appliances we’re used to. And luxurious upgrades like this are something I’ve rarely seen in my time as Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Vacuums. Most of the time, robot vacuums are an addition to the home, rather than a well-thought-out inclusion.

And while I gave the PowerDetect UV Reveal Robot Vacuum an almost perfect 4.5-star review for its mess-busting performance, one of my biggest niggles was that the black colourway was a magnet for dust and dirt. As a lover of colourful, chic home decor, it was also impossible to tuck in the corner without it sticking out like a sore thumb.

However, the brand describes this new Luxe Collection as ‘Elevated design meets exceptional performance - now in a premium finish crafted to live beautifully in your home.’

This is a smart move on Shark’s part, as it’s difficult to hide a robot vacuum cleaner at the best of times. But it’s even harder when a robot vacuum clashes so much with your interior decor. So, offering customers the chance to choose a colour that forms part of their interior decor opens up a whole new world of cleaning capabilities - without compromising on style.

And the good news is that Shark has used an existing robot vacuum cleaner to experiment with this new ‘Luxe’ look, instead of launching an entirely new model. This means that expert vacuum testers like myself have already tested its cleaning power and rated it pretty positively, and customers have already had their chance to independently review it, too.

The bad news is that those people (like me) who already own the black or white colourway are now stuck with these monochromatic colours. Plus, the ‘Luxe’ colourways also come at a premium price and will set you back an extra £40, taking the price point over £1,000.

This means it's really an investment piece rather than a throwaway purchase, but one of the things I’ve learned while testing robot vacuum cleaners is that if you buy cheap, you often buy twice. Premium models typically offer more in terms of functionalities, quality, and overall cleaning power, and the Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal Robot Vacuum is one of them.

Just be warned that every appliance has limitations, and Shark robot vacuums famously offer a very basic app with basic floor mapping. Personally, I find the app to be refreshingly simple compared to overly complicated competitors, but the brand does cut out customers who want to clean both levels of their homes by not offering multi-floor mapping. Even luxurious colourways can’t make up for that.

But even if a robot vacuum doesn’t work for your home, Shark also has ‘Luxe’ colourways in their cordless Shark PowerDetect Speed Vacuum Cleaner, too. I gave this full-size vacuum cleaner an impressive 5-star review - and the new colourways are slightly different, so may suit your home better.

My vote is that ‘Espresso’ will be the ‘it’ colour of the year....