Hoover HG5 HG530H 011 (robot vacuum cleaner Mopping with app support): our review

The Hoover HG5 HG530H 011 has a stated runtime of 90 min, a decent stretch for tackling the dust and crumbs that collect between fuller cleans. Want the floors attended to while you finish work? That is a sensible ambition here, though the figure comes from the gentlest setting. Stronger suction or mopping shortens the run, so it cannot tell you how much of your flat will be finished before recharging.

Recharge and resume is the useful detail. A charging break need not mean abandoning the remaining cleaning. That matters when you would rather leave the routine running than supervise its progress. We see the appeal for regular upkeep, with the robot working around your day. Your vacuum cleaner need not remain the most demanding member of the household.

Crumbs beneath the breakfast table and dust beside the sofa call for vacuuming, while kitchen tiles might benefit from a damp wipe. This robot combines vacuuming with mopping, with a bristle and rubber main brush and 2 side brushes providing its sweeping equipment. Their count describes the brush arrangement; it does not promise spotless skirting boards.

Think of the mop as help with surface upkeep. Damp wiping is a useful addition to vacuuming, but we would still leave stubborn, sticky marks to a conventional mop. That helps set expectations. After breakfast, routine floor care is a different job from shifting dried jam beneath a chair. For unfinished, waxed or poorly sealed wooden flooring, manufacturers advise checking moisture tolerance before mopping. We like the combination for everyday cleaning, provided a damp wipe is the sort of help you want.

The robot's 200 mL dustbin is small and needs frequent emptying when pet hair builds up. If the dog leaves a furry outline beside the armchair, that is the practical catch: cleaning can be automated, but dealing with the contents still needs your attention. How much involvement are you happy to keep? The answer matters more here than another feature on a checklist.

App compatibility and no-go zones offer useful ways to organise the routine. No-go zones let you keep selected areas outside the cleaning route, giving you a boundary where you want it. Follow manufacturers' preparation advice by clearing socks, charging cables and small objects before a run. A tidy route starts with a quick floor sweep by eye. These are helpful arrangements for a lived-in home, without making the robot a substitute for putting things away.

The HG5 is well placed overall in our assessment, with recharge and resume, mopping and no-go zones giving it a useful everyday brief. Still, the right choice depends on which chore you most want to reduce. A longer cleaning window and less involvement with collected dirt are different priorities, and the alternatives make that distinction useful.

The Neato D9 is better suited if you do not want to empty the dustbin after every cleaning run: its dustbin capacity is higher, at 700 mL. That gives accumulated fluff more room before you need to intervene.

The DJI Romo A has higher battery life, at 180 min, making it worth considering if a longer cleaning run is your priority. That provides a longer window before recharging, although floor layout and cleaning settings still shape what gets finished. Treat the extra runtime as breathing room for the cleaning routine, rather than a promise about every room.