A cheap robot vacuum generally costs £170 or less. In practice, worthwhile entry-level models usually start at around £90, while the very cheapest options make the biggest compromises.
Below £90, expect basic sensor navigation, limited app functions and more frequent intervention. From about £90-£140, orderly gyro-based routing, scheduling, a washable filter and simple mopping become realistic.
At roughly £140-£170, LiDAR mapping, recharge-and-resume and larger dustbins begin to appear, but self-emptying docks and advanced object recognition remain exceptions. Price should therefore be judged alongside navigation, brush design and battery mode rather than on the robot alone.
The chart below shows the price distribution of cheap robot vacuums.
[vertical-chart-13239584263846173697142451171762650302763273217799]
Are cheap robot vacuums worth buying?
Cheap robot vacuums are worth buying for routine dust, crumbs and hair on an uncluttered small or medium floor. A model with systematic routing, app scheduling and around two hours of standard-mode runtime can maintain visible cleanliness between manual deep cleans, which is the job an entry robot does best.
They are less convincing for thick carpet, scattered cables, complex thresholds or hands-free ownership. Budget models more often need the floor prepared, their bins emptied and brushes detangled after short intervals, while basic mops mainly wipe fresh marks. Paying more is worthwhile when reliable room selection, object recognition, automatic emptying or stronger carpet pickup will save regular work.