Hover mowers are cheaper and easier to maneuver than conventional wheeled lawn mowers, making them ideal for small, tight, or unusually shaped gardens.
We’ve researched, compared, and reviewed the best hover mowers available today in this guide. You’ll also find our top tips for buying a hover lawn mower at the bottom.
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.2 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 20 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm
Power: 1700 W
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 30cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.8 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 20 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 57.1 x 31.9 x 29.1cm
Power: 1700 W
- Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 36cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.0 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 26 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 95 x 43 x 131cm
Power: 1800 W
- Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.75 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 49.2 x 38.6 x 15.8cm
Power: 1500 W
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 25cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 5.95 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 79 x 39 x 80cm
Power: 1400 W
- Brand: BLACK + DECKER
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 30cm
N0. of cutting heights: 1
Weight: 10.1 kilograms (for both items)
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 86.5 x 44.2 x 27.2cm
Power: 1200 W
Table of Contents
Best Hover Lawn Mowers
Best Overall: Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower
Best For Small Lawns: Flymo EasiGlide 300 Hover Collect Lawn Mower
Best For Medium Lawns: LawnMaster 1800W 36cm Electric Hover Mower
Best Mulching: LawnMaster 33cm Hover Lawnmower
Best Budget: Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawn Mower
Best Mower And Strimmer Combo: BLACK + DECKER 30cm Electric Hover Mower with GL250 Grass Strimmer
📊 Comparison Chart of Hover Lawn Mowers
Scroll right on mobile to see the whole table chart
| Product | Brand | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | No. of Cutting Heights | Weight (kg) | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 33cm | 4 | 8.2 | 20 litres | 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm | 1700 W |
| Flymo EasiGlide 300 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 30cm | 4 | 8.8 | 20 litres | 57.1 x 31.9 x 29.1cm | 1700 W |
| LawnMaster 1800W 36cm Electric Hover | LawnMaster | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 36cm | 4 | 8.0 | 26 litres | 95 x 43 x 131cm | 1800 W |
| LawnMaster 33cm Mulching Hover | LawnMaster | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 33cm | 4 | 8.75 | N/A | 49.2 x 38.6 x 15.8cm | 1500 W |
| Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 25cm | 4 | 5.95 | N/A | 79 x 39 x 80cm | 1400 W |
| BLACK + DECKER 30cm Electric Hover Mower | BLACK + DECKER | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 30cm | 1 | 10.1 | N/A | 86.5 x 44.2 x 27.2cm | 1200 W |
| Product | Brand | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | No. of Cutting Heights | Weight (kg) | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 33cm | 4 | 8.2 | 20 litres | 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm | 1700 W |
| Flymo EasiGlide 300 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 30cm | 4 | 8.8 | 20 litres | 57.1 x 31.9 x 29.1cm | 1700 W |
| LawnMaster 1800W 36cm Electric Hover | LawnMaster | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 36cm | 4 | 8.0 | 26 litres | 95 x 43 x 131cm | 1800 W |
| LawnMaster 33cm Mulching Hover | LawnMaster | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 33cm | 4 | 8.75 | N/A | 49.2 x 38.6 x 15.8cm | 1500 W |
| Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover | Flymo | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 25cm | 4 | 5.95 | N/A | 79 x 39 x 80cm | 1400 W |
| BLACK + DECKER 30cm Electric Hover Mower | BLACK + DECKER | £ | Electric corded (hover) | 30cm | 1 | 10.1 | N/A | 86.5 x 44.2 x 27.2cm | 1200 W |
⭐ Reviews – Best Hover Mowers of 2024
In our opinion, the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower is the best hover lawn mower available today. This electric hover mower is the upgraded version of the EasiGlide 300 (also reviewed in this guide), with a larger 33cm cutting deck and a powerful 1,700-watt motor for quick, effortless cutting in all lawn conditions.
Flymo is the leader in hover mower sales, dominating the market with its products. The manufacturer is the most respected and trusted in this lawn mower category, and we think the EasiGlide Plus 330 is the best-designed, easiest-to-use, and most convenient Flymo hover mower available.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.2 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 20 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm
Power: 1700 W
Best For:
Anyone who wants the best, sturdily-built, most powerful and reliable hover mower for effortlessly cutting a small-to-medium-sized lawn.
What Customers Think:
Customers have plenty of positive things to say about the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330, praising the mower for being easy to lift and use, lightweight, and ideal for irregular-shaped and sloped lawns. A couple of critical reviews mentioned that the lid doesn’t align with the base and the mower is noisier than others.
Pros:
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 is the epitome of everything that’s great about hover mowers. It’s sturdily built and easy to use, with a powerful 1,700-watt engine that cuts grass with ease, no matter how long or thick.
This lightweight hover mower floats on a cushion of air a few centimetres above your lawn, making it highly maneuverable and ideal for unusually-shaped gardens with lots of tight spots.
With its 33cm cutting width, the EasiGlide Plus offers the perfect balance between being lightweight and easy to use, and covering enough ground for speedy mowing of a small-to-medium lawn.
The metal rotary blade is durable and built to last, and there are four cutting heights, so you can adjust the height of cut depending on how short you prefer your lawn.
Cons:
There’s a design flaw that prevents the lid from sitting flush with the base.
The 20-litre grass box is a bit small (although that does mean it takes up less room, so the mower is less bulky and easier to manouver).
If you have a small garden and you want a compact hover mower that you can use with ease, we recommend the Flymo EasiGlide 300 Hover Collect Lawn Mower – the younger brother to Flymo’s EasiGlide Plus 330. While there are cheaper Flymo models out there, we recommend this one if you want a smaller mower but you’re still looking for the fastest and most powerful mowing option that makes easy work of all terrains.
The EasiGlide 300 shares the same powerful 1,700-watt motor as the EasiGlide Plus 330. Its cutting deck is slightly narrower at 30cm and its grass box capacity is slightly smaller at 20 litres, so it’s better for smaller lawns with lots of crevices and tight spots.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 30cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.8 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 20 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 57.1 x 31.9 x 29.1cm
Power: 1700 W
Best For:
Anyone with a small garden who’s looking for the most agile, easily-maneuverable hover mower that has the same powerful motor as larger models.
What Customers Think:
Customers have awarded the Flymo EasiGlide 300 an average 4.3-star average rating (at the time of writing) on Amazon, agreeing that the mower is powerful, reliable, and ideal for small lawns. Customers said that assembly and mowing were easy – but some reviewers complained that the mower is noisier and produces more vibration than other mowers.
Pros:
Like its older brother, the EasiGlide 300 is a sturdily-built, lightweight and agile mower that can be maneuvered in any direction for convenience, with no unsightly wheel ruts in your lawn.
If you have a small lawn that’s unusually shaped or has a lot of obstacles, this Flymo mower will do a great job of getting into those difficult-to-reach spots. Its hover design also means that it’s unfazed by bumps, so you won’t miss patches if you’re cutting uneven terrain.
The 1,700-watt motor is powerful enough to drive the blades to cut even tough, thick grass with ease.
Cons:
The 20cm grass collector is small and will need to be emptied frequently.
Folding the handles for storage is a hassle – you have to undo the screws or the handles won’t move.
Based on our research, we think the LawnMaster 1800W 36cm Electric Hover Mower is the best hover lawn mower for medium-sized gardens.
This mower has a wider cutting width and a more powerful motor than the Flymo 330, so it covers more ground and offers more power, allowing you to cut larger spaces faster and with fewer steps. It has a 26-litre grass collection box, which is about as large as you’ll find on a hover mower, but it weighs just 8 kilograms – that’s lighter than even the Flymo 300 – so it’s still easy to carry and maneuver.
Quick Specs:
Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 36cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.0 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 26 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 95 x 43 x 131cm
Power: 1800 W
Best For:
Anyone with a medium lawn who wants the best hover mower with an upgraded size and motor power to quickly mow their outdoor space.
What Customers Think:
Reviews for the LawnMaster 1800W Hover Mower are overwhelmingly positive, and customers praised the mower for being lightweight, capable of “gliding effortlessly” across a garden, easy to move with one hand, and an “excellent cutter of grass”. Some customers complained about the difficulty in folding the handle for storage.
Pros:
For a larger lawn, motor power and cutting width are two features to pay particular attention to – and the LawnMaster 1800W Hover Mower excels in both of these categories. Its 1,800-watt motor is more powerful than any of the other mowers on this list, and the 36cm cutting width means you cover more ground in every direction that you mow.
The roomy 26-litre grass box requires less frequent emptying, so you can mow with fewer interruptions. Despite being bigger than most hover grass collectors, it’s still built seamlessly into the mower’s body, with no additional bulk around the back.
You can use this mower to easily cut grass of all different heights and thicknesses, thanks to the 4 cutting heights and the t-drive motor that automatically adjusts torque to maintain the blade speed in even the toughest of cutting conditions, such as long or wet grass.
Cons:
This LawnMaster mower is another model with not-so-easy foldable handles – you have to partially dismantle the handles if you want them to fold.
The mower gets harder to maneuver when the grass box is nearly full.
A mulching mower saves you the time and hassle of emptying the grass box and has several benefits for grass health – and we’ve found that the LawnMaster 33cm Mulching Hover Lawnmower is the best hover mower in this category.
This non-collect mower mulches grass clippings and disperses them evenly across your lawn as you mow, providing nutritional value to the growing grass beneath. It has a powerful 1,500-watt motor and a 33cm cutting width, making it a great choice for a small-to-medium-size lawn.
Quick Specs:
Brand: LawnMaster
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 8.75 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 49.2 x 38.6 x 15.8cm
Power: 1500 W
Best For:
Folks who prefer the speed, convenience, and grass health benefits of a mulching mower and want to buy the very best model in the hover mower market.
What Customers Think:
Customers commented that the Lawn Master Mulching Hover Mower is “well made” and “purposeful”, praising the mower for its quick assembly and straightforward use, its affordable upfront cost, and its efficient grass-cutting abilities. However, some customers complained about the poor quality of the assembly instructions.
Pros:
The Lawn Master Mulching Hover Mower combines the convenience of a lightweight hover mower with the additional perks of mulching. No need to empty the grass box every few minutes because there isn’t one – the mower cuts grass into small clippings and spreads it evenly across your lawn as you mow, acting as a natural fertilizer for the grass below.
The lack of a grass collection box makes this mower even lighter and easier to use than the conventional hover mower, and it has some cost-saving benefits, too – it’s around £30 cheaper than comparable models with a box.
The 4 cutting heights are standard for a hover mower and let you cut as low as 12mm or as high as 33mm, depending on the season and your lawn preferences.
There are a few other unique features of this mower that we love: the blade is reversible and is sharp on both sides, so you can flip it to double its lifespan; there are dual switch levers that let you switch to the other hand if one hand gets tired; and the mower is compact and light enough to hang on a wall in your shed.
Cons:
The instructions are misleading and tell you to use the wrong washers to fix the upper handle together.
The cable is black rather than orange or yellow (as with most mowers), which could blend in with a dark lawn and pose a safety hazard.
Our top recommendation for the best budget hover mower is another Flymo model: the Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawn Mower.
This nifty little mower is one of the most affordable hover mowers we’ve reviewed, but you don’t have to make big sacrifices when it comes to power, quality of design, and mowing capabilities. The Turbo Lite has a decent 1,400-watt motor power and offers a comfortable mowing experience for small gardens, thanks to its lightweight design and narrow cutting width.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 25cm
N0. of cutting heights: 4
Weight: 5.95 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 79 x 39 x 80cm
Power: 1400 W
Best For:
People with small budgets and small gardens who want an affordable but well-built, capable hover mower that’s especially easy to carry and maneuver.
What Customers Think:
Customers are generally pleased with this Flymo hover mower, agreeing that it’s “excellent for the price” and ticks all the boxes when it comes to assembly, ease of use, good power, and capable grass cutting. Some customers said that the pins fixing the handles to the mower body are too loose.
Pros:
The Flymo Turbo Lite 250 is the best-value hover mower we’ve reviewed. It’s more powerful, better built, and easier to use than comparably-priced models, and we’re impressed with all the features it packs in for less than £100.
As well as being great for small budgets, we think the Turbo Lite is also the best hover mower for over-60s or people with mobility restrictions. It weighs less than 6 kilograms – that’s a good 2 kilograms lighter than the other models on this list – and it’s small and compact, with no bulky grass box, making it particularly easy to handle.
The mower’s small size and 25cm cutting width make it ideal for getting into narrow spaces, and it’s thoughtfully designed for easy storage. You can fold the handles quickly and easily, without having to take anything apart, or hang the mower flat from your shed wall.
Cons:
The lack of a grass box or mulching function means you’ll need to spend more time sweeping or raking grass clippings off your lawn after mowing.
Adjusting the blade height is a hassle, and you have to use the spanner that comes with the mower.
Buying a lawn mower and a strimmer together offers the convenience of both essential tools for achieving the perfect lawn in one affordable package. In our opinion, the BLACK + DECKER 30cm Electric Hover Mower with GL250 Grass Strimmer is the best hover mower and strimmer combo available today.
The hover mower in this package is compact and lightweight, with a 30cm cutting deck that makes it ideal for small gardens up to 250 metres squared. The grass trimmer can be operated with one hand and makes it quick and easy to achieve neat, tidy lawn edges after mowing.
Quick Specs:
Brand: BLACK + DECKER
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 30cm
N0. of cutting heights: 1
Weight: 10.1 kilograms (for both items)
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 86.5 x 44.2 x 27.2cm
Power: 1200 W
Best For:
Folks looking to save money on the best affordable deal that combines a popular hover lawn mower and grass strimmer in one.
What Customers Think:
The BLACK + DECKER 30cm Electric Hover Mower with GL250 Grass Strimmer has mostly positive reviews on Amazon, with customers calling it “cheap and cheerful” and “a good lawnmower overall”. Reviewers say the mower is great for small lawns and the strimmer is a good bonus for cutting borders. Some customers said the assembly instructions were poor.
Pros:
The BLACK + DECKER mower and strimmer set is one of the best-value sets we’ve come across and gives you an affordable solution to achieve a neat lawn from edge to edge. Simply use the hover mower for the bulk of the mowing, then finish up with the strimmer around your flowerbeds and lawn edges.
We love the convenience of buying a mower and strimmer together – especially since you get both products for less than £100. We think this BLACK + DECKER set is ideal for new homeowners or anyone who’s building a collection of garden power tools from scratch.
The mower is everything you could need in a small, budget- and beginner-friendly hover mower for small lawns. It has a 30cm cutting width and a single cut height, and no grass box to empty, so you can mow your lawn quickly with no interruptions.
Cons:
You can’t adjust the mower’s cut height as you can with the other hover mowers on this list. There’s just a single height of cut.
The mower doesn’t have a grass collection box, so you’ll need to rake or sweep the grass off your lawn once you’ve finished mowing.
📋 Best Hover Mower Buyer’s Guide
Here, we’ve shared all the important information you should know before buying a hover lawn mower.
🤷♂️ What Is A Hover Lawn Mower?
A hover mower is an electric lawn mower that “hovers” above your lawn, rather than sitting on four wheels (as a conventional mower does).
Hover mowers work by pushing air out of the bottom of the mower deck, raising the mower a couple of centimetres above the ground.
Most hover lawn mowers are corded electric models and are intended for use on small-to-medium lawns.
We won’t go into any more detail in this section, since you probably already know about hover mowers and how they work if you’re on this guide. But if you want more information, read our article on how hover lawn mowers work.
🤔 Why Choose A Hover Lawn Mower?
There are a few reasons why you should consider choosing a hover mower instead of a conventional wheeled mower.
Hover mowers float on a cushion of air, which makes them easier to move in any direction, as opposed to wheeled mowers, which you can only push in back-and-forth straight lines.
Because of their easy maneuverability, hover mowers are a popular choice for unusual lawn shapes or lawns with lots of obstacles and tight spots.
Hover mowers are also a good choice for cutting bumpy or uneven lawns because they don’t touch the floor, so you won’t end up with patchy grass, wheel ruts, or missed spots if your garden has a lot of ditches and inclines.
Compared to a wheeled mower, a hover mower is easier to manouver, better suited to all terrain types, and more agile, while offering the same powerful performance and tailored cutting options.
👍 👎 Pros & Cons Of Hover Mowers
Hover mowers have plenty of appealing features, but they have their setbacks, too. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of using a hover mower compared to other mower types.
👍 Hover Mower Pros:
🏍 Agile & Maneuverable
Hover mowers are more maneuverable than wheeled lawn mowers because of their hover design. You can move a hover mower in any direction, so it’s ideal for cutting an unusually-shaped lawn, where it’s not possible to mow the entire thing in even back-and-forth laps.
🟢 Ideal For Small Gardens
Most hover mowers have a cutting width range from 25cm to 36cm. The smaller models are ideal for small gardens and squeezing into narrow gaps, while the wider mowers are a good choice for medium-sized lawns.
🏁 Quicker Mowing
A conventional hover mower is powered by mains electricity, so setup is quick and easy – just plug in the power cord and get started. You don’t have to fuss about with a starter cord and you don’t have to charge a battery before you can start mowing.
🏋🏻 Lighter & Easier To Use
A hover mower is lighter and easier to use than a wheeled lawn mower, so it’s ideal for people over the age of 60 or folks with mobility issues. Using this mower shouldn’t put your back out or increase your injury risk.
🛠 Easy To Maintain
It’s really easy to maintain a hover lawnmower: just clean the underside of the mower deck after every mow, and check/tighten the screws, nuts, and bolts every time you take the mower out of storage. Hover mowers have strong, sturdy rotary blades that don’t need to be frequently sharpened or replaced.
👎 Hover Mower Cons:
🔁 Can’t Be Used For Lawn Stripes
A hover mower is the only lawn mower type that you can’t fix a rear roller to, so you can’t use a hover mower to roll stripes into your lawn as you mow. The hover design of this mower means that it wouldn’t be able to sufficiently press the grass down in your mowing direction.
📏 More Difficult To Control Cutting Height
The best hover mower models have at least four cut heights to choose from, but even so, it’s difficult to be exact with your cut height selection because the mower’s distance from the ground might fluctuate.
🟩 Not Ideal For Large Lawns
Most hover mowers are corded electric, which means they’re limited in how far from the power outlet they can mow. You can extend your mowing distance with an extension lead, but too much extra lead length will reduce the power to the motor, affecting the mower’s ability to hover and cut your grass.
🧾 9 Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Hover Lawn Mower
When you’re deciding on a hover lawn mower for your garden, consider the following things:
💰 Your Budget
Your budget is something to establish before you start shopping for a hover mower. You need to be realistic about what you can afford to spend upfront, and this may affect the selection of mowers on offer to you.
The general price range for hover mowers is £70-£110.
The average starting price of the smallest, most basic hover lawnmower without a grass box is £60-£75.
The larger, more powerful hover mowers cost up to £125.
You can often buy a hover mower 30-50% cheaper than its original price in the winter months, so if you want to get the best deal, make sure you know the best time to buy a lawn mower.
💪 Motor Power
Hover mowers typically have a motor that’s more powerful than the motor in electric wheeled lawnmowers because the motor has two jobs:
To drive the cutting blade to spin
To provide enough power to lift the mower while it’s switched on
The starting motor power for the smallest, most basic hover mower is 1,400 watts. We recommend choosing a mower with a 1,700-watt motor, which should be powerful enough to lift the mower high enough off the ground.
If the motor isn’t powerful enough, you won’t be able to enjoy the intended benefits of a hover mower. The mower won’t lift high enough off the ground for you to easily swing it in any direction while you mow.
If you want a mower with the most powerful motor for its build, you need a LawnMaster or Flymo hover mower. We recommend the LawnMaster 1800W Hover Mower, which has a 1,800-watt motor that exceeds expectations for cutting power and maneuverability.
🔌 Power Type
A hover lawn mower is an electric mower, meaning that it’s powered by electricity and has a cord that needs to be plugged into an outlet while the machine is switched on.
The benefit of electricity as a power source is that there’s plenty of it, and it remains consistent throughout your mower use. There’s enough power to supply the motor with what it needs, even when you’re mowing long, tough, or overgrown grass.
The average cord length for a hover mower is 10 metres – good enough for a small garden. You might need an extension lead if your cutting area is restricted by the included cable. The reason why the cable typically never exceeds 10 metres is that a very long cable is more likely to get tangled, take up too much space in your lawn, and get in the way of your mowing.
Read customer reviews to learn about the cable quality. A poor-quality cable could significantly reduce your mower’s lifespan, so choose wisely.
Also consider the cable colour. We generally recommend buying a hover mower with an orange, green, yellow, or other brightly-coloured cable, which will stand out on your lawn, so you’re less likely to mow over it.
Are there any other hover mower power types? Yes – you can also buy a petrol hover mower. However, we don’t think that petrol is the best power type for a hover mower because it just doesn’t make sense.
A petrol hover mower is typically larger and more powerful than an electric hover mower, but we can’t see the sense in this since hover mowers are best suited to mowing small, tight gardens.
Do battery-powered hover mowers exist? Yes, there are a couple of cordless hover mower models on the market, but we don’t think they’re yet at the stage of quality design that we can recommend to our readers. The problem with a battery-operated mower is that batteries don’t typically provide enough power for the mower to hover (the whole point of this mower type).
So, while we can understand the convenience of a cord-free hover mower, we only recommend quality products that we would genuinely use ourselves – so cordless hover mowers are off the list for now.
🟢🟩 Your Lawn Size/Cutting Width
The size of your lawn should also play a part in the mower you choose – particularly when it comes to cutting width.
Cutting width is the width of the mower’s cutting deck, which determines how much ground the mower can cover at once.
Hover mowers have a cutting width that ranges from 25cm to 36cm.
If your lawn is small, there’s no need to spend extra on a mower with a wider cutting width. In fact, you may benefit from a mower with the smallest 25cm cutting width if your garden has a lot of tight spots, or you only have a small slither of grass to cut in an allotment or at the front of your home. Cutting width doesn’t affect a mower’s cutting ability – only how much ground it covers.
If you have a medium-sized lawn, consider a mower with a 30-3cm cutting width, which will provide some additional blade width to speed up the mowing process while still being compact enough to mow in crevices and tight spots.
A hover mower’s cutting width will affect its size, so also consider your available storage space and how this might affect the mower you choose. The good news is that most electric hover mowers can be hung from a wall, so they don’t need to take up any floor space in your shed or outhouse.
Make sure you’re aware of a hover mower’s intended purpose: to maneuver around a small, tight garden with obstacles and uneven terrain. A hover mower isn’t the most efficient purchase if you have a flat, square garden that you could cut more quickly with a wheeled lawn mower that’s designed to mow grass in straight lines.
📐 Your Preferred Cut Height
Being able to choose between several cutting heights means you can adjust the height of cut based on your initial cut height and your desired lawn appearance.
The best hover mowers have 4 cut heights, with a range of 10-30mm, to switch between as standard.
Changing the cut height on a hover mower is different from changing the cut height on a conventional electric mower. There’s no height adjustment mechanism on a hover lawnmower – instead, there are spacers that sit between the fan and the blade. This is to reduce the bulk of extra parts and keep the design as simple and lightweight as possible.
To change the cut height, you need to undo the bolt securing the blade, then separate the spacers using the provided splitter.
This is a more complex process, and the biggest customer gripe about hover mowers. Having to take apart the mower to adjust cut height isn’t ideal, but it’s not a difficult task.
You’ll probably only need to adjust the height of cut once at the start of the mowing season. Then, as long as you keep on top of your mowing, you can simply stick with your desired cut height all through summer.
♻️ Grass Collecting Vs Mulching Vs Non-Collect
You have three options when it comes to grass collection in a hover mower:
Collect the grass clippings in a built-in grass box
Mulch the clippings and disperse them on your lawn
Leave the clippings as they are on your lawn and rake them up after
Most hover lawnmowers have a built-in grass box, which means you can collect the grass as you mow.
The average grass box size on a hover mower is 20-25 litres. This is smaller than the grass box on a conventional wheeled electric mower, so you’ll have to empty the box more frequently as you mow. However, the benefit of a smaller grass box is that it saves space and reduces bulkiness, making the mower lighter and more easily maneuverable.
The cheaper hover mowers are non-collect, meaning that they don’t have a grass box and simply leave the grass clippings on the lawn as they’re chopped by the blade.
These mowers have the advantage of affordability, but you’ll need to put in extra work raking or sweeping the grass clippings off your lawn after you’ve finished mowing.
There are also a few hover mowers that have a mulching function*. Mulching mowers cut grass clipping into tiny pieces, then spread them across your lawn as you mow.
The benefit of mulching is that the grass is small and evenly distributed enough to be left on your lawn after mowing, and it will act as a fertilizer for the growing grass underneath.
Not everyone wants to leave even small pieces of cut grass on their lawn, but if you do, you can enjoy the convenience of not having to empty a grass box or rake your lawn once you’ve finished mowing.
*A hover mower can’t mulch like a conventional mower, but it’s capable of cutting grass into small pieces, so it has the same benefits as traditional mulching.
👷 Safety Features
Electric hover mowers have similar safety features to conventional wheeled rotary lawn mowers.
These features include:
A guard behind the blade to prevent any item (including your feet!) from coming into contact with the blade while it’s spinning.
A safety lever, which will trigger the mower to shut down if you let go. The best hover mowers have a safety lever on each handle, so if you get tired of squeezing one hand, you can switch to the other.
A protective cover around the cable, to reduce the potential for damage if you mow over it.
As with any lawn mower, you should take care to reduce risks when mowing with a hover mower. Wear protective ear coverings if advised to in the user manual, and keep the cable behind the machine at all times. Check the cable and make sure the bolts and screws are all tightened before you start mowing.
Read the operator’s manual carefully to make sure you’re familiar with your particular mower’s design and safety precautions.
🛠 Setup & Maintenance Requirements
All hover mowers come partially pre-assembled, so setup is generally fairly easy.
We’ve found that most mower user guides are pretty useless at offering clear, understandable instructions for mower assembly. If you’re confused, look for videos online or contact the manufacturer.
Also consider the maintenance requirements of a hover lawnmower before you start shopping.
Compared to other mower types, hover mowers are generally lower-maintenance because they have fewer parts and a single sturdy rotary blade. Some mowers have a reversible blade that’s sharp on both sides, so you can flip the blade and use the other side once one side is blunt.
There are several ways that you can extend a hover mower’s lifespan, including by cleaning it thoroughly after every use and storing it in a dry location between uses.
💬 Warranty & Customer Feedback
The best hover mowers should have a warranty of at least 1 year and an average customer rating of 4 stars or more.
A warranty tells you that the manufacturer has faith in their product and is willing to honour your purchase if you receive a faulty item. If a mower manufacturer doesn’t offer a warranty, you have to ask why.
Trends in customer reviews tell you what to expect from a mower in terms of usability, durability, and how the mower’s features live up to customer expectations.
Look for a mower with overwhelmingly positive customer feedback. Avoid mowers with lots of poor customer feedback, especially feedback that relates to a mower’s durability and performance. But remember to take reviews with a pinch of salt – not all reviewers are fair!
🧐 Is A Hover Mower Right For You?
If you answer “yes” to at least 5 of the following questions, a hover mower is the right mower for you.
Do I have a small or medium lawn?
Is my lawn oddly shaped, with nooks and crannies that an ordinary wheeled lawn mower struggles to access?
Is my lawn on a slope?
Do I prioritize ease of use, and do I prefer a mower that’s lightweight and easy to maneuver?
Am I budget-conscious, and do I want an affordable mower that costs less than £100?
Am I looking for a low-maintenance mower with fewer parts than a conventional mower?
Do I prefer my grass to be shorter?
Am I happy to compromise with a smaller grass collector for the benefits of a compact, easily-maneuverable mower?
Am I unbothered about creating lawn stripes?
Important note: this review was last updated in November 2024. We apologise if pricing or availability has since changed for any of the products mentioned above.