He can't play with Lego, but the Mova V70 Ultra impresses in tests
24.6.2026
Translation: machine translated
The Mova V70 has two extendable arms, climbs over thresholds, and mops wet. It also convinces my family household.
Our family has a dilemma: my children love muesli, my wife hates it. Not the muesli per se, but the massacre our children leave behind when eating it. To save my nerves and avoid having to vacuum every morning, I'm considering buying a robot vacuum cleaner. However, I'm skeptical.
We already had one. His name was Marvin, like the android from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Just like his namesake, he only did his job reluctantly. He had a preference for cables of all kinds. He may have harbored similarly strong suicidal thoughts as Douglas Adams' novel character. His real name was iRobot Roomba. We parted ways when we moved almost ten years ago. If he was overwhelmed by a threshold-free apartment, I didn't even try with a multi-story house.
I never missed the Roomba. But I often wondered if the new generations from Dreame, Roborock, or Mova could cope with our rather demanding household. Several floors, thresholds, a mix of carpet and hard floor, plus two children who turn every room into a playroom. Let's see if the Mova V70 Ultra Complete can master this challenge.
Quickly set up and map created
Without looking at the manual, I set up the Mova V70. It's quick and easy. There's not much more to do than remove a few adhesive strips and dock the ramp. Then I download the Mova app and put the robot into operation. Creating the account is the most time-consuming part. The app is clear and guides me step-by-step through the various settings. What I immediately like is that all important steps are explained visually. So I immediately see where I need to fill the water and where the cleaning fluid.
After a few minutes, the Mova is ready to go. Before the first cleaning, it automatically creates a floor plan. The 3D sensor works surprisingly accurately. It extends like a periscope – or retracts when it detects low spots like a sofa. It also assigns almost all rooms correctly – only one bathroom is mistakenly marked as a bedroom. Although I'm not sure what role that plays anyway, except for my overview. It even correctly recognizes the type of floor – wooden floor, tiles, or carpet. It marks cables and goes around them – unless I tell it that it can drive over them in cross-cable style.
However, it is overwhelmed by my children's Lego city. Before it can cause major damage like a bulldozer, it has already swallowed a Lego brick. I defuse the situation by blocking off the area in the app.
The Mova V70 cannot climb stairs, so I carry it by hand to the other floors. Then I select a new, empty map in the app and let the robot continue mapping. Finally, I manually insert an insurmountable threshold at the stairs so that the robot doesn't have an accident. So far, it has braked in time on its own, but you never know if it has inherited some behavioral patterns from Marvin. All other door thresholds have already been correctly marked.
A jack of all trades
Time for the first cleaning. Via the app, I can make numerous presets: Should it vacuum, mop, or both together? If I want, I also adjust the suction power, the moisture of the mops, or the driving pattern. I can also customize each room individually, for example, if I want the bathroom to be cleaned a little more thoroughly. For now, I'll stick to the automatic method called "Clean Genius".
The Mova can speak, optionally in German. The voice output is clear and understandable and not at all robotic – which I would have found funny. This is also the moment when my children become aware of the vacuum cleaner. As befits a new family member, he immediately gets a name. My suggestion "Marvin the Second" is approved by my wife, but my children just look at me questioningly. The decision is finally made for Robi. I can live with that. Secretly I will call him Rob, like Nintendo's toy robot from 1983.
Robi has two extendable arms. The brush extends up to 12 centimeters to the side and one of the two mops even up to 16 centimeters. This means that corners are not a problem. And because the arms are lower than the rest of the robot, it also gets under furniture like cabinets. For the last bit, I still need the handheld vacuum cleaner, but it reliably covers 90 percent of the cleaning.
This also includes wet mopping. Something I didn't know from the Roomba and was particularly skeptical about. Apart from dried-on dirt, which I can only remove myself with very energetic mopping, it handles everything. And it's surprisingly quiet, so I barely hear it two rooms away.
Almost fully automatic
For our household cleaning to work, I have to lend a hand myself. I clear away carpets so that they are also mopped underneath. Toys, coloring books, and anything else lying around, I also put away safely. While I'm at it, I also put the dining table chairs on the table – something I never used to do. Because I save time cleaning, I'm happy to do it.
While I'm shopping and cleaning the bathrooms, Robi drives through the apartment. The joint cleaning fits wonderfully into my day off. It empties itself, cleans the mops, and charges when necessary. It climbs surprisingly quickly over our three-centimeter-high thresholds. It only takes a few seconds. On the other side, it drops down a bit inelegantly. Sometimes some dirt comes loose from the brush.
By the time all three floors are done, it's usually late afternoon. But that's mainly because I don't always have time to carry the robot upstairs immediately. In automatic mode, it can spend 20 minutes in a room. And after two floors at the latest, it needs a charging break anyway.
In addition to the weekly major cleaning, which I start manually, I have added an automatic one that repeats on weekdays. At 9:30 a.m., when everyone is out of the house or at the office, Robi wipes away the traces of the morning muesli massacre. Unfortunately, this cleaning is only carried out if I have previously selected the correct floor, or rather the correct map, in the app. If Robi last cleaned the 2nd floor, he ignores the cleaning order.
I also notice the app's battery consumption negatively. Initially, I probably look into it a bit too often because I'm curious about what the robot is doing. But my battery being almost empty in the evening because of it shouldn't be the case.
Cleaning the robot
The Mova V70 station – like the robot – comes without a bag. As soon as it empties itself, an audible fan dries the container so that no mold or unpleasant odors develop. If the container is full, the app notifies me. Then I open the flap, take out the container, and tip the dirt into the trash can. There's no mess and no complicated closure. I'm used to something different from my Miele cordless vacuum cleaner. There, I have to vacuum again immediately after emptying.
Robi also cleans and dries the mops independently. I can remove and empty, or refill, the water and dirt containers with one hand. It couldn't be easier. There are even two compartments for cleaning agents. For example, against pet odors or for parquet care.
The Mova V70 goes an astonishingly long time without maintenance. Manual cleaning, such as washing filters or removing hair from the container or the robot, is only needed once a month.
In a nutshell
Welcome to the Robi family
I used to think robot vacuum cleaners were daft, only did a half-hearted job of cleaning and cost a fortune. You could argue about the last point, but the first two definitely aren’t true – at least not for the Mova Ultra V70. If, like me, you’re only familiar with the first generation of robot vacuum cleaners – or none at all – this one will amaze you.
The Mova V70 vacuums and mops thoroughly. It detects virtually all obstacles, such as cables or toys. With its extendable arms, it can reach almost anywhere. It negotiates thresholds with ease. And if I want to, I can customise and schedule the cleaning.
At 1,000 francs or euros, however, it’s no bargain. But the fact that it can cope even with our multi-storey house and the children isn’t something to be taken for granted. In any case, this robot vacuum has won me over – now if only it could climb stairs…
Pro
- vacuums and mops thoroughly
- is largely self-cleaning
- can climb over thresholds
- comes with extendable arms for corners
- easy to set up and use
Contra
- expensive
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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