On the back of the news that new conventional petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale from 2030 in the UK, you might be wondering whether petrol lawn mowers or petrol-powered garden tools share the same fate.
In this guide, we’ve discussed everything we know so far about the possibility of banning petrol lawn mowers in the UK.
Important note: This article was written in July 2024. We’ll provide updates as and when necessary, but some information shared below may be relevant during the time of publishing only.
✅ Key Takeaways:
There are no current regulations or anticipated bans on petrol lawn mowers in the UK.
Any future bans or regulations will likely ban the sale of, not the use of, petrol mowers.
You don’t need to avoid buying a petrol lawn mower, but you might prefer to buy an eco-friendly alternative, like a battery-powered cordless mower.
Table of Contents
👩⚖️ Current Regulations On Petrol Lawn Mowers In The UK
There are no current regulations that specifically apply to the use of any lawn mowers, including petrol lawn mowers, on domestic lawns in the UK.
That means you can legally use a petrol lawn mower for its intended purpose without breaking any laws.
🤔 Will Petrol Lawn Mowers Be Banned In The UK?
There’s a potential that petrol lawn mowers and other petrol-powered garden tools will eventually be banned in the UK.
As of yet, there has been no official word to suggest that petrol lawnmowers will definitely be banned, either in the near or distant future.
However, we think it’s likely that the sale and use of petrol mowers will eventually be at least restricted as part of ongoing efforts to combat the effects of climate change.
📆 When Might Petrol Mowers Be Banned?
To reiterate, there is no definite date at which a ban on petrol mowers will be imposed.
However, we personally believe that a ban might be issued on petrol-powered garden tools within 5-10 years after the ban on the sale of petrol cars comes into effect.
Campaign group Challenge 2025, run by battery-powered gardening tools manufacturer EGO, is currently Campaigning to ban petrol-powered garden tools by 2025.
However, we should restate that this campaign is being led by a manufacturer of environmentally friendly outdoor equipment, so it’s in the company’s best interest to campaign for a ban on petrol garden tools. So far, there’s been no word from the UK government on when (even if) petrol lawnmowers will be banned.
❌ Why Are People Concerned About A Possible Petrol Lawn Mower Ban?
The reason why there’s a concern that petrol lawn mowers might be banned in the UK is that the government has already imposed a ban on the sale of petrol cars that will come into play in 2030.
Because of this, many people assume that petrol lawn mowers – which, according to Challenge 25, can emit more toxic particulates and be more environmentally damaging than some cars – might be the next petrol-powered machines to be banned for similar reasons.
We’re already seeing a huge shift towards eco-friendly lawn care and maintenance alternatives, including the use of battery-powered mowers as cordless alternatives to petrol mowers.
Climate change is a topic of ever-increasing importance, and we know that minimizing our demand for petrol will help reduce the burning of fossil fuels. This, in turn, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow down the effects of global warming.
The ban on petrol and diesel cars has been issued purely for the purpose of protecting the environment. In our opinion, it’s highly likely that an imposed ban on petrol lawn mowers will eventually follow.
🤷♂️ The Problem With Banning Petrol Lawnmowers
The ban on the sale of petrol cars is only possible because advancements in technology have allowed us to manufacture hybrid and electric cars that are just as capable.
The lawn mower industry isn’t quite up to speed with the automotive industry. While cordless battery-powered models now exist, these mowers can’t always be used as a direct replacement for petrol lawnmowers.
The issue with eco-friendly alternatives to petrol-powered garden tools is that they’re simply not powerful enough (yet!). Most cordless lawnmowers that rely on battery power last about 30 minutes, max, before the batteries need charging. That means having to swap out batteries and make sure you have plenty of charged batteries ready to go if needed – not ideal if you have a large lawn.
Plus, battery-powered lawn mowers have energy-conserving motors that simply don’t compete with petrol engines. We’ve tested numerous battery lawn mowers ourselves and we know that even the most powerful models are more likely to struggle on long, thick grass or experience clogging, jammed blades, and motor burnouts compared to petrol lawnmowers.
We have no proof of this, but we wonder whether the government might be waiting for improvements to be made to cordless lawn mowers and other garden equipment before any sort of official regulations are issued on the sale of petrol-powered garden tools.
🛢 Should I Avoid Buying A Petrol Lawn Mower?
We don’t think you need to avoid buying a petrol lawn mower, even if a ban may soon be imposed on petrol-powered garden tools.
If the ban is similar to the ban on petrol cars, it will only ban the sale of, not the use of, petrol lawnmowers – and it’ll take a few years before this ban is officially implemented.
That means you could still buy a petrol lawnmower right up until the hypothetical ban was issued, and legally, you’d still be able to use your mower right up until the end of its lifespan.
However, you might struggle to perform servicing or repair work on your mower later in its life as it’s likely that manufacturers would start discontinuing their petrol mower parts and accessories after the ban was issued.
So, it’s up to you. You should be fine buying a petrol lawn mower now, when there are only vague talks of possible bans and no word from the government so far. But you might prefer to invest in a more eco-friendly alternative so you can be one step ahead of any bans or regulations that may possibly be imposed.
💎 Best Alternatives To Petrol Lawn Mowers
If you are considering alternatives to petrol mower models and other petrol garden tools, what are your best alternatives?
We recommend looking for a powerful, capable cordless lawn mower. Quality varies widely from one product to the next, so make sure to buy a lawn mower with majority positive customer feedback from hundreds of reviews.
Our personal recommendation is the Flymo EasiStore 340R Li Cordless Rotary Lawn Mower (<Amazon link), which is leading the pack as the most popular cordless lawn mower, with more than 4,300 positive customer ratings.
Amazon is a great place to compare cordless mowers because you can see the mower’s star rating out of 5, and how many customer reviews have contributed to this average rating. The only problem is that some manufacturers pay for their lawn mowers to be shown near the top of the search results, making you think they’re worth your money when they’re not.
If you want a roundup of the best battery-powered lawn mowers available on Amazon today, check out our guide to the best cordless lawn mowers.
🏁 Final Word
So there you have it: there are no current plans to ban petrol-powered lawn mowers and petrol-powered equipment that the public has been made aware of.
With that said, a ban could be on the cards in the future. But when that happens, it’ll be breaking news, so you’re bound to hear of it.
Until then, you can safely continue to buy and use petrol lawn mowers, but you may personally prefer an eco-friendly alternative. The decision is yours!