Ecovacs N20+

The Bottom Line

The Ecovacs N20 Plus hits a sweet spot for pet owners on a budget. It picks up 96% of pet hair on carpet—that’s top-five performance globally—and its ZeroTangle brush design means you won’t spend your weekends unwinding fur from the roller. At around $280–550 depending on sales, it undercuts many competitors while including a bagless auto-empty station.

But there’s a catch. Actually, several. The mopping barely qualifies as functional, scoring well below average in testing. There’s no obstacle avoidance beyond basic infrared sensors, so cables, pet bowls, and stray socks are fair game for collisions. And if you have dark rugs or black carpeting? The cliff sensors will treat them like bottomless pits, sending the robot into confused retreat.

Pet Hair Champion

The N20 Plus genuinely excels at picking up pet hair. Vacuum Wars testing showed 96% pet hair removal on carpet, placing it among the top performers regardless of price. The ZeroTangle brush technology lives up to its name—testing showed exactly 0% tangling compared to an industry average of 41%. Long-haired cat and dog owners consistently praise this thing for actually handling their fur situation without clogging.

Suction peaks at 8,000 Pa, which Vacuum Wars described as “significantly above-average.” The 400ml dustbin pairs with a bagless auto-empty station that holds roughly 45 days of debris in its 1.5-liter capacity. PureCyclone Technology handles the separation with a claimed 95% dust separation rate.

Navigation That Mostly Works

LiDAR navigation (marketed as TrueMapping) creates maps in about 5-8 minutes with claimed 10mm accuracy. The robot covers ground at 0.94 square meters per minute—above the 0.68 industry average—using systematic patterns rather than random wandering.

The problems emerge in complex homes. Users report the robot getting lost in houses with unusual layouts, losing its map after short periods, and displaying “Unable to find Designated Area” errors seemingly at random. Multi-room homes may experience map persistence issues, requiring periodic remapping.

What the N20 Plus won’t do: detect and avoid small obstacles. There’s no camera or 3D sensor, just infrared. Cables, pet bowls, toys, socks—the robot treats them all as things to bump into or drag around. Homes with clutter need significant prep work before each cleaning run.

The Mopping Situation

Consider the mopping a bonus feature rather than a selling point. The basic OZMO system (not the vibrating OZMO Pro 2.0 on the Pro Plus model) scored 1.07 out of 5 stars in testing versus an average of 2.39. It removed about 50% of dried stains compared to an average of 101 points in standardized testing.

The 220ml water tank offers three electronic flow levels, but the fixed mop pad won’t lift automatically for carpets. You’ll need to physically remove the mop attachment before carpet cleaning or rely on no-mop zones in the app. Several users mention the mop leaves water marks without floor cleaner.

The Dark Rug Problem

Here’s something worth knowing before you buy: the cliff sensors use infrared technology that registers dark colors as cliffs. Black rugs, dark hardwood, dark anti-fatigue mats—the robot may refuse to cross them or attempt repeatedly before backing away in confusion.

The workaround involves covering the cliff sensors with blue painter’s tape or white electrical tape. It works, but it’s not exactly elegant, and it eliminates the cliff detection entirely.

Battery and Runtime

The 5,200 mAh battery delivers impressive longevity:

• Silent mode (vacuum only): 300 minutes
• Standard mode (vacuum only): 190 minutes
• Silent mode (with mop): 245 minutes
• Standard mode (with mop): 170 minutes

Ecovacs claims 550 square meters coverage per charge in silent mode. Charging takes about 6.5 hours—no fast-charging option available.

App Experience

The ECOVACS HOME app (iOS and Android) handles mapping, scheduling, zone cleaning, and the usual smart vacuum controls. Multi-level mapping works, 3D maps are available, and you can set up virtual barriers and no-go zones. Voice control works through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The app’s reputation is mixed. Google Play shows 4.5 stars across 74,000+ reviews, while iOS hovers around 3.4–3.7. Common complaints include maps disappearing unexpectedly, Wi-Fi disconnections, clunky interface design, and a map view that contracts automatically when you try to expand it. Some users report needing dozens of back-and-forth emails with support just to resolve connection issues.

The app requires 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (or mixed 2.4/5 GHz). Cloud connectivity appears mandatory for app functionality—there’s no advertised local control option.

Physical Specs

The robot measures 353mm x 351mm x 96mm and weighs 3.9kg (about 8.7 lbs). The 96mm height determines what furniture it can fit under. Threshold climbing maxes out at 20mm with the high-traction wheels.

Filtration uses a multi-layer system rated F9—capturing over 95% of particles. That’s not HEPA-certified (which requires 99.97%), but it’s reasonably effective. Filters and mop pads are washable.

Noise ranges from 65 dB in quiet mode to 82 dB during dust collection—that 82 dB is roughly equivalent to an alarm clock.

Dock Details

The bagless auto-empty station measures roughly 357mm x 451mm x 384mm. It holds 1.5 liters of debris and uses cyclonic separation instead of dust bags. There’s no mop washing, no mop drying, no auto-refill for the water tank—those features live on pricier models.

What You Get in the Box

• Robot unit
• Auto-empty station with pad
• Power cord
• User manual
• Mopping pad plate and water tank
• One washable mopping pad
• One side brush
• Main brush with cover
• One high-efficiency filter
• Two 1-liter cleaning solution bottles (promotional)

No spare filters or extra mop pads beyond the singles included.

Replacement Parts and Maintenance

Third-party 15-pack replacement kits (main brushes, side brushes, filters, mop pads) run $40–60 on Amazon. Official Ecovacs parts cost more. Expect annual maintenance costs of roughly $60–120 depending on filter and brush replacement frequency.

The ZeroTangle brush design genuinely reduces maintenance—no hair wrapping means less cleaning of the brush roll. The 45-day capacity on the auto-empty station means infrequent dustbin attention. The 220ml water tank is the weak point for larger homes; expect refilling every 2-3 cleaning sessions for spaces over 1,000 square feet.

Known Failure Points

Users have reported motor failures within 3-12 months (covered by warranty), filter degradation in under a month, and water pump failures in the 6-12 month range (warranty coverage varies). Some firmware updates have reportedly caused overlapping cleaning patterns.

The 12-month warranty covers material and workmanship defects but excludes consumable parts like batteries, brushes, and filters unless they fail due to manufacturing defects. Customer support experiences vary—US support reportedly handles warranty claims reasonably well, while international support tends slower.

Who Should Buy This

The N20 Plus makes sense for pet owners with single-floor homes around 1,000–3,000 square feet, open layouts, and floors that aren’t predominantly dark. The pet hair pickup and bagless auto-empty at this price point represent genuine value.

Skip it if you have black carpeting without willingness to tape the sensors. Skip it if your home has complex layouts, lots of clutter, or you need reliable mopping. Skip it for multi-level homes unless you’re willing to move the docking station between floors. And definitely skip it if you expect the robot to navigate around cables and toys without intervention—that’s not happening here.

Pricing and Availability

The N20 Plus launched in June 2024 (EU) and August 2024 (Australia and other markets). Original MSRP sat around €399 in Europe and $549.99 in the US. Current US pricing typically falls between $280–550 depending on retailer and promotions. Available in black and white through Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, and direct from Ecovacs.