Vacuum Cleaners

Best Vacuums

iRobot Roomba 960

The Roomba 960 has a 14.4 V Lithium ion battery and one side brush. It comes with one dual mode virtual wall barrier, extra filter, extra side brush, docking station and a charging cord. It has Wi-Fi/Cellular connectivity.

Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our owner surveys and expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model incorporates our expert lab test results, as well as ratings for that brand’s reliability and owner satisfaction from our annual product owner survey of members.

Unlock ratingswith membership.

Current Range of Tested Robotic Vacuums

What goes into the Overall Score?

OWNER SURVEYS

Learn More

Carpet

/ 5

Bare floors

/ 5

Navigation

/ 5

Pet hair

/ 5

Edges

/ 5

Ease of use

/ 5

Noise

/ 5

Data privacy

/ 5

Data security

/ 5

Color

/ 5

Detailed Test Results

The 960 used a grid-cleaning pattern to tackle our test floors and ace most of our tests. Its ability to suck up embedded dust in the carpet was only average but it was exceptional at navigating most of the lab area in our test runs. It even maneuvered over a square of matte black carpet in the lab which some models will not do. It was impressive at cleaning both the carpeted and bare floor edges but its side brush could only get so close to the edges and it left some debris in the corners which slightly reduced its Edges score. During pet hair pickup, it dragged the hair a little but eventually picked it up on a second or third pass. Most of the hair wasn't even in the brushroll, it was stuck between the brushroll and the bin, which isn't ideal. There was some hair wrapped around the brushroll connectors but the hair just slid off of the rollers once we removed them from the vacuum body. A few strands of hair were caught on the front wheel and the side spin brush. The side brush scattered some debris around our test floors. The vac avoided getting caught on the tassels of our rug and it maneuvered under our furniture with its slim design. It doesn't have a remote, so you must use an app to control it remotely however, you can start the bot without the app. It has the signature handle for easy carrying as do the other iRobots. Features: Cleaning modes: Automatic, Edge Clean, One or Two Cleaning Passes. Has a full bin sensor. App: iRobot Home version 5.0.1: allows you to schedule cleaning and view the status of the bot and the cleaning job. The app also maps where the bot has cleaned. Battery: Li-Ion (19/24 V, 1.25 A) Includes: One dual mode virtual wall barrier, extra filter, extra side brush, docking station and charging cord. 1 year warranty.

About

The iRobot Roomba 960 is part of the Vacuum Cleaners test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Robotic Vacuums models like the Roomba 960 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Carpet: A high score means the vacuum effectively removes surface debris and embedded dust from medium-pile carpet. A top-scoring model picks up more debris from carpet per run.

Bare floors: A high score means the vacuum effectively removes surface debris like sand from smooth hard floors. A top-scoring model picks up more debris from non-carpeted flooring per run.

Navigation: A composite score that includes combined coverage over multiple runs, clearance under furniture and obstacle and entrapment avoidance.

Brand Reliability & Satisfaction

#? in Reliability of all Robotic Vacuum Brands

Did the brand perform consistently well over time?

PREDICTED RELIABILITY SCORE

/ 100

Predicted brand reliability is based on estimated problem rates for newly-purchased robotic vacuums by the end of the fourth year of ownership, adjusting for extended warranty/service contract status, product usage, and the presence of pet hair in the home. Ranked #? of 11

Would our members recommend this brand?

OWNER SATISFACTION SCORE

/ 100

Brand owner satisfaction is based on the proportion of members who are extremely likely to recommend their robotic vacuum to their friends and family. Ranked #? of 11

Source: Consumer Reports' 2023, 2024, and 2025 Winter Surveys

Features & Specs

Specs

Clearance (in.)

3.8

Time to Clean Room (min.)

Pattern

Grid

WiFi/Cellular connectivity

Yes

Run time (min.)

Remote control

Connections

Navigation POC

9.76984126

Carpet POC

8.08333334

Ease of use POC

6.43426724

Bare floors POC

9.77380952

Noise POC

9.732

Price & Shop

iRobot Roomba 960

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

Detailed Test Results

About

Similar Products

Similar Products

Brand Reliability & Satisfaction

Brand Reliability & Satisfaction

Features & Specs

Features & Specs

Specs

Connections

Price & Shop

Price & Shop

More From Consumer Reports