Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum review: late to the party but still great

T3's Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum review in a sentence: A beefy set of features and fuss-free functionality makes this a good bet for fans of compact appliances.

Considering just how any best robot vacuum cleaner models are out there already, Hoover seems a little late to the party with this, the Hoover HG Hydro Pro, but it’s not far behind the Shark Matrix Plus Robot Vacuum that I tried just recently. It’s up against stiff competition too, like the Roborock Qrevo Master robot vacuum, which I lived with for a while along with many other lesser-known brands that all offer up a variation on the vacuum and mop theme.

Nevertheless, I do like the Hoover brand, so I’ve been keen to try this model. Another plus point for me is the design, which is nice and compact. Robot vacuums seem like a good idea, and they are great, but if you’ve got one of any real size and limited floor space, it can tend to get in the way with the docking station and robot unit itself. The Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro has a relatively modest footprint, so it’s ideal for anyone with a smaller home.

Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro review: Price and availability

The Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro, to quote the brand itself, is Hoover's 2-in-1 Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum and Mop with Dust-Collection Base and comes keenly priced at £349.99. In fact, at time of writing, the Hoover Direct website has it available for £50 off, although that may well be subject to change at any given time. Either way, I think this seems like a respectable price tag for something with a decent specification.

Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro review: Is it any good?

Buying a robot vacuum can be a sizeable investment, with some of the higher end models costing a packet. In that respect, I’m very drawn to the Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum because it seems to offer a stack of features and functions for not a lot of cash. It certainly ticks most of the boxes in terms of functionality, with the ability to vacuum hard floors and the likes of rugs up to 2cm tall.

This being a robot machine, there’s the laser-tuned navigation, which plots the layout of your floors with the aid of Hoover’s HG Robots app. The software seems very well thought out and is easy enough to master. As usual, once I’d done the basic run through, the appliance was more than happy to take over and get on with cleaning duties unaided. It’s also low-maintenance in the upkeep department, with auto charging via the base, along with self-emptying into a 3-litre capacity bag in the base.

There’s mopping too, with a couple of machine-washable mopping pads inside the box and a 300ml water tank onboard. Talking of what else is included, there’s a great little cleaning tool hidden under the lid of the docking base, which can be used to pick out dirt and brush away dust from every area of the appliance. I’m pleased with the way the manual has been laid out too, with lots of visual tips on how to get the best from the appliance.

Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro review: Performance

Hoover’s official claim is that the Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum offers up to 150% more powerful suction, with 4000Pa on offer. This is helped to be more effective thanks to the design of the underside, with a combi roller and side brush setup that’s as good as anything else I've tried on the robot vacuum front. I found it wonderfully simple to get ready for everyday operation, with the mapping task taking around ten minutes as suggested by Hoover.

In terms of mopping, the 300ml water tank means it’s good for tackling something like a grubby kitchen floor and I found the Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro capable at removing minor stains and blemishes on my wood floors. The app can be used to fine-tune its settings so you don’t end up with the machine heading over rugs while mopping. I’m also impressed with the ease with which the mop can be removed and chucked into a washing machine at 40 degrees. Better still, there’s a spare mop pad in the box, which is handy as I find they tend to degrade quite quickly.

This robovac sounds quite potent once it’s got underway. When it returns to the dock to empty its contents into the bag contained inside the base it makes quite a racket, but I find this encouraging in that it is actually working as it should. Official noise stats come in at 65 dBA in Quiet mode, or 74 dBA in Max mode, which is more than acceptable, I think. Incidentally, the bag is good for around 60 days worth of dust and detritus, so this is a very much a robovac that you can set up and leave once it’s been configured.

A couple of buttons on the top of the circular robovac unit allowed manual intervention if I fancied it, but pretty much everything is best done via the app. I’m certainly fond of the size of this appliance and it feels much more compact than some of the models I’ve tried. It weighs just 2.6kg for starters. Meanwhile, if you’re keen to own a robot vacuum, but worry about the space it’ll take up then the Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum is well worth a look. Official dimensions of the robot unit are 325 x 325 x 99 mm while the dust collection base measures 275 x 199 x 293 mm.

Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro review: Verdict

The Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro robot vacuum is my mind of machine, mainly because it’s nice and compact, which means it’s not always getting in the way when sitting in its dock. Alongside the svelte design lines, this ticks all the boxes if you’re after both vacuuming and mopping functionality. It carries out both tasks without fuss, plus there’s the self-emptying feature, which can mean it doesn’t need to be touched for up to 60 days. There is a bag though, rather than being bagless. Aside from that, it’s great for the money.

Hoover HG4 Hydro Pro review: Alternatives to consider

My recent encounter with the Shark Matrix Plus Robot Vacuum leaves me wanting to recommend that as it’s a well-respected brand and comes with lots of vac and mop functionality. There’s also the impressive Roborock Qrevo Master robot vacuum but additional options include the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, which is featured in our best robot vacuum guide and it’s easy to see why.

Alternatively, the iRobot Roomba Combo J9+ is a solid option and does a little bit of everything. Similarly, the Switchbot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ is a premium performer but also has the benefit of being a little bit more compact if space is tight for storage. I still like the eufy Clean X8 Pro machine too, which is a little older now but still represents good value and works really well too. Meanwhile, have a look at the eufy X9 Pro as well as the good value iRobot Roomba j7+.