The Eureka E20 Plus delivers a high-end vacuum experience on a budget

When the best of the best in the robot vacuum market cost north of a thousand dollars, it’s a pleasure to see a capable device for less than half that price. The Eureka E20 Plus introduces some of the latest smarts and AI strategies from the brand, resulting in a reliable robot vacuum.

The Eureka E20 Plus focuses on the vacuuming experience. While it has a small water reservoir and a full-width mop pad to handle some spot cleaning and floor polishing, it’s best to think of this device as a vacuum only. And I have to say, as a vacuum, it performs quite well.

Setup for the E20 Plus is one of the easiest I’ve tested. Pull the bot out of the box, remove a couple foam pieces, pop on the front brushes, then pull the base station out of the box and plug it in. That’s basically all there is to it. Place the bot against the station so it starts charging, connect the app, and enjoy.

That base station houses high-capacity bagless dirt collection, making it able to run for several weeks without intervention. Multi-Cyclonic Dust Collection swirls the dirt as it sucks it out of the bot, to help separate dust from debris.

I do have a few minor complaints about the E20 Plus. First, it struggles with loose rugs. It can clean them without issue if it can get on top of them, however, more so than any other bot I’ve tested, my loose rugs get pushed around and folded under this bot — it simply needs greater threshold clearance. Second is the overall floor space required for the bot and bas station when not in operation. Many base stations have a recessed hole for the bot to hide in, but the E20 Plus sits in front of its base station, making it jut out into our room a fair amount.

Finally, obstacle avoidance is not at the level I had hoped for. Just the other day, I had to rescue the bot after it had pushed over a trash bin and then proceeded to try to suck up pieces of crumpled paper. The paper was wrapped around the anti-hair tangling brush, and the handles of a small paper bag were wrapped around the front sweeper brush. The bot did not complain, it just kept trying to clean. I wish it would have stopped at the first signs of trouble, but superior obstacle avoidance tech is really reserved for the ultra-premium vacs that are far more expensive than the Eureka E20 Plus.

When viewing the Eureka E20 Plus as simply a vacuum, it compares favorably to some of the best robot vacuums on the market. Devices like the Narwal Freo X Ultra, Eufy S1 Pro, and Eureka’s own J20 bot all have water stations and robust mopping features that take things to the next level. In the same price-range as the E20 Plus, bots like the Narwal Freo X Plus and a long list of older Shark, Roborock and similar devices are better comparisons.

• Narwal Freo X Ultra ($999.99 at Amazon): The Narwal Freo X Ultra is one of the best robot vacuums on the market. With an astoundingly accurate no-tangle brush, navigation entirely without cameras, and multiple weeks worth of maintenance-free operation, the Freo X Ultra mops and vacuums your entire home. The E20 Plus is far more affordable, navigates the home nearly as well, and has almost as much suction power and maintenance-free operation time.
• Narwal Freo X Plus ($339.99 at Amazon): Nearly as good as the Freo X Ultra, the Narwal Freo X Plus offers a similar price and set of functions as the E20 Plus. Plus, the E20 Plus has the bagless dock to empty the bot, which is a win.
• Eureka J20 ($1399 at Manufacturer site): The last-gen big-brother of the E20 Plus, these bots share a lot of DNA, including navigation tools. The J20 offers one of the very best floor mop scrubbers on the market, the E20 at least vacuums nearly as well.
• Eufy S1 Pro ($1499.99 at Amazon): Also a capable mopping tool, the Eufy S1 Pro is superior to the E20 in almost every way, as expected for the price. The E20 offers a little more maintenance-free time, and slightly better navigation.