Searching for the best lawn mower for a hilly garden?
We’ve shared our reviews of the most popular lawn mowers for bumpy, hilly, or uneven ground in this guide.
At the bottom, you’ll also find our process of shortlisting the mowers in this guide, as well as handy information on how to choose a mower for a hilly garden.
- Brand: Hyundai
-
Price: ££
-
Power source: Petrol
-
Cutting width: 42cm
-
Cut height range: 25-75mm
-
Weight: 31 kilograms
-
Grass box capacity: 45 litres
-
Dimensions (DxWxH): 103 x 50 x 135cm
-
Engine power: 139cc
-
Brand: Gardena
-
Price: ££
-
Power source: Electric corded
-
Cutting width: 32cm
-
Cut height range: 20-60mm
-
Weight: 9.8 kilograms
-
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
-
Dimensions (DxWxH): 66 x 38 x 32.5cm
-
Power: 1200 W
- Brand: Greenworks
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 46cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 27.5 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 55 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm
Power: 2x 24-V batteries
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 10-30mm
Weight: 8.2 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 20 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm
Power: 1700 W
- Brand: Hyundai
Price: £££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 51cm
Cut height range: 17-65mm
Weight: 47.4 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 75 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 36.4cm x 21.7cm x 62.2cm
Engine power: 196cc
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 25cm
Cut height range: 11-31mm
Weight: 5.95 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 79 x 39 x 80cm
Power: 1400 W
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 16cm
Cut height range: 20-50mm
Weight: 7.3 kg
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 217 x 149.6 x 90.6cm
Power: 18V Lithium-Ion battery
Table of Contents
Best Lawn Mowers For Hilly Gardens UK – July 2024
Best Overall: Hyundai 17″/42cm 139cc Electric-Start Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower
Best Electric For Small Lawns: Gardena Powermax 1200/32 Electric Lawnmower
Best Cordless For Medium Lawns: Greenworks Self Propelled Cordless Lawnmower
Best For Oddly-Shaped Lawns: Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower
Best For Large Lawns: Hyundai 20″/51cm 196cc Electric-start Self-propelled Petrol Lawnmower
Best Budget Pick: Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawn Mower
Best Robotic Mower: Flymo EasiLife Robotic Lawn Mower
📊 Comparison Chart of Lawn Mowers For Hilly Gardens
Scroll right on mobile to see the whole table chart
| Product | Brand | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | Cut Height Range | Weight | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai 17"/42cm 139cc Electric-Start Self-Propelled Petrol | Hyundai | ££ | Petrol | 42cm | 25-75mm | 31kg | 45 litres | 103x50x135cm | 139cc |
| Gardena Powermax 1200/32 Electric | Gardena | ££ | Electric corded | 32cm | 20-60mm | 9.8kg | 30 litres | 66x38x32.5cm | 1200W |
| Greenworks Self Propelled Cordless | Greenworks | £££ | Battery | 46cm | 25-80mm | 27.5kg | 55 litres | 52.8x29.5x32.7cm | 2x 24-V batteries |
| Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded | 33cm | 10-30mm | 8.2kg | 20 litres | 52.8x29.5x32.7cm | 1700W |
| Hyundai 20"/51cm 196cc Electric-start Self-propelled Petrol | Hyundai | £££ | Petrol | 51cm | 17-65mm | 47.4kg | 75 litres | 36.4x21.7x62.2cm | 196cc |
| Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric | Flymo | £ | Electric corded | 25cm | 11-31mm | 5.95kg | N/A | 79x39x80cm | 1400W |
| Flymo EasiLife Robotic | Flymo | £££ | Battery | 16cm | 20-50mm | 7.3kg | N/A | 217x149.6x90.6cm | 18V Lithium-Ion battery |
| Product | Brand | Price | Power Source | Cutting Width | Cut Height Range | Weight | Grass Box Capacity | Dimensions (DxWxH) | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai 17"/42cm 139cc Electric-Start Self-Propelled Petrol | Hyundai | ££ | Petrol | 42cm | 25-75mm | 31kg | 45 litres | 103x50x135cm | 139cc |
| Gardena Powermax 1200/32 Electric | Gardena | ££ | Electric corded | 32cm | 20-60mm | 9.8kg | 30 litres | 66x38x32.5cm | 1200W |
| Greenworks Self Propelled Cordless | Greenworks | £££ | Battery | 46cm | 25-80mm | 27.5kg | 55 litres | 52.8x29.5x32.7cm | 2x 24-V batteries |
| Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect | Flymo | £ | Electric corded | 33cm | 10-30mm | 8.2kg | 20 litres | 52.8x29.5x32.7cm | 1700W |
| Hyundai 20"/51cm 196cc Electric-start Self-propelled Petrol | Hyundai | £££ | Petrol | 51cm | 17-65mm | 47.4kg | 75 litres | 36.4x21.7x62.2cm | 196cc |
| Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric | Flymo | £ | Electric corded | 25cm | 11-31mm | 5.95kg | N/A | 79x39x80cm | 1400W |
| Flymo EasiLife Robotic | Flymo | £££ | Battery | 16cm | 20-50mm | 7.3kg | N/A | 217x149.6x90.6cm | 18V Lithium-Ion battery |
⭐ Reviews – Best Mowers For Uneven Ground 2023
Our top recommended lawn mower for hilly gardens is the Hyundai 17″/42cm 139cc Electric-Start Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower.
This electric start lawn mower combines all the best features that make mowing hills as quick and easy as possible. It’s self-propelled, so you don’t have to exert yourself when mowing up slopes, and its powerful 139cc engine provides plenty of drive for seamlessly mowing an uneven lawn. Plus, with a 42cm cutting width, it’s not as big and bulky as some petrol mowers, so it’s suitable for cutting medium-sized lawns as well as large gardens.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 42cm
Cut height range: 25-75mm
Weight: 31 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 45 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 103 x 50 x 135cm
Engine power: 139cc
Best For:
People looking for the best-value petrol lawn mower that makes easy work of mowing sloped and uneven lawns and offers more features at a better price than comparable models.
What Customers Think:
The Hyundai Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower has lots of positive customer feedback on Amazon, with an average star rating of 4.4 out of 5 (at the time of writing). Customers praised the mower for its ability to tackle sloping gardens with a consistent finish, as well as the “luxury” of the electric start, and the easy mower setup. A few customers said that the wheel trims fell off within the first few uses.
Pros:
You won’t find a better-value petrol lawn mower for mowing hilly or uneven lawns. The mower has all the features of the top-range models at a fraction of the price.
Some of the features we love for mowing hills are the self-propulsion, which means you don’t have to tire yourself out pushing the mower up steep hills, and the powerful engine, which gives the wheels and blades plenty of drive for a high-quality cut and a consistent rolling speed, regardless of the gradient you’re mowing at.
Aside from its hill mowing features, this Hyundai model also has 6 cutting heights, so you can choose a longer finish or a closely-cropped cut depending on your preferences. Plus, the electric push-button start makes it much quicker and easier to start than conventional petrol mowers, and the large 45-litre grass box can hold more clippings and should limit how often you have to pay a trip to your garden waste bin.
Cons:
Although we think this mower is great value, it’s out of some budgets, costing more than £300.
It’s a bit big for mowing small lawns, where the extra bulk will affect its turning ability.
Don’t want to spend extra on a mower with electric start? Consider the Hyundai 17″/43cm 139cc Self-propelled Petrol Lawnmower, which is Hyundai’s comparable non-electric start mower and is about £80 cheaper.
You can still mow hills with a corded electric mower, but it’s important to prioritize a lightweight, ergonomic design – and the Gardena Powermax 1200/32 Electric Lawnmower ticks both of these boxes.
This corded electric mower provides the most comfortable hill mowing experience possible, with its lightweight build (it’s just 9.8 kilograms) and its ergonomic handle that won’t strain your wrists or back when you’re pushing uphill. Plus, the blade is specially hardened, offering a neat, even cut on all terrains.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Gardena
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 32cm
Cut height range: 20-60mm
Weight: 9.8 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 66 x 38 x 32.5cm
Power: 1200 W
Best For:
People with small lawns who want a lightweight electric corded lawn mower that requires minimal effort for mowing sloped lawns, and won’t cause wrist, neck, or back pain when in use.
What Customers Think:
The Gardena Powermax is another popular lawn mower on Amazon, with a 4.4-star rating and overwhelmingly positive customer feedback. Customers were happy with the mower’s easy manouverability and lightweight build, commenting that it’s easy to control on lawns with a slope. A few customers complained that the user manual was unhelpful when assembling the mower.
Pros:
We think this Gardena mower is ideal for mowing small lawns with slopes. Not only is it lightweight at least than 10 kilograms, its ergonomic design means you’re less likely to injure yourself when pushing the mower up and down inclines.
The specialized handle with ergonomic grips is one of the best mower handles for comfort that we’ve reviewed. Plus, adjusting the height is easier than on most electric mowers with a lever – just push and turn the knob on the mower deck.
The 1,200-watt motor is powerful enough to provide a high quality of cut, whether you’re mowing on flat land or an incline, and the lawn combs have you covered if you want to mow right up to the edges.
Cons:
Attaching the grass box is a bit of a faff.
Following the assembly instructions in the user manual is a hassle. We think they could be written much more clearly and succinctly.
In our opinion, the Greenworks Self Propelled Cordless Lawnmower is the best cordless mower for medium-sized uneven or hilly lawns available today.
This lawn mower is another self-propelled model, using a motor to drive the two rear wheels, so you don’t have to physically push it up hills and inclines. The mower’s 46cm cutting deck is a good size for medium lawns up to 480m², covering more ground per lap than a smaller mower, without the excess bulk of a larger model. Plus, the 55-litre grass bag minimizes empties, and the mower comes with two long-lasting 24-volt batteries for longer mowing sessions.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Greenworks
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 46cm
Cut height range: 25-80mm
Weight: 27.5 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 55 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 52.8 x 29.5 x 32.7cm
Power: 2x 24-V batteries
Best For:
Anyone who wants the best, most powerful and reliable self-propelled cordless mower for effortlessly cutting a medium-sized hilly lawn.
What Customers Think:
Customers were impressed with the Greenworks Self Propelled Cordless Lawnmower, with more than 1,200 reviewers awarding it 4.3 stars. Reviewers commented that the mower climbs steep hills “like a breeze” and has a useful speed control function to adjust the self-propulsion to your walking pace. However, one user said that their battery life didn’t last as long as anticipated when using the mower on their steep lawn.
Pros:
We think the obvious benefit of this Greenworks cordless mower for mowing hills is its self-propelled drive. We only recommend self-propelled cordless mowers for hills because the batteries make these mowers heavier than conventional electric mowers.
The robust brushless motor is more powerful than the typical cordless mower motor, producing more drive for effortlessly mowing up hills, regardless of your terrain.
There are plenty of other features to love about this mower, like the 7 cutting heights (including a longer maximum height of 80mm for gradually cutting down overgrown lawns), the mulching and side discharge options for uninterrupted mowing with no empties, and the foldable handle for easy storage.
You get all the benefits of a petrol mower, including a cord-free design and self-propulsion, without the hassle of fuel top-ups or the noise and air pollution.
Cons:
One thing you might not love about this Greenworks self-propelled lawn mower is its price. It costs just under £500, so it’s not a good option for folks with smaller budgets.
If you’re using the mower on a sloped lawn, you’ll reduce the battery life because the motor will use more power to drive the mower up hills.
Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower is the mower we recommend for unusually-shaped small-to-medium gardens with hills or bumps. This electric hover mower is larger and more powerful than the base-level hover mowers on today’s market, so it’ll cut your grass faster and with fewer steps.
Flymo dominates the hover mower market, and the EasiGlide Plus 330 is ideal for cutting grass with gentle inclines because it floats on a pocket of air, making it incredibly manouverable for comfortably mowing slopes from any angle.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 33cm
Cut height range: 10-30mm
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 prefers the easy maneuverability of a wheelless lawn mower and wants a powerful, sturdily-built hover mower for effortlessly cutting a small-to-medium-sized sloped lawn.
What Customers Think:
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 has plenty of praise on Amazon, with customers saying that it’s lightweight, easy to use, and perfect for sloped and irregular-shaped lawns. Some reviewers said that the mower is quite noisy and the lid doesn’t properly align with the base.
Pros:
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 is ideally designed for using on a smaller, bumpy, irregular-shaped lawn that wouldn’t make sense to cut in back-and-forth laps with a wheeled mower. It’s small enough to weave around obstacles and squeeze into tight spots, but it’s wider and more sturdily built than the cheaper hover mowers.
The features that make this mower great for uneven lawns are the wheelless design, which means you can sweep it in a sideways motion to cut up and down banks with ease, the lightweight build (just over 8 kilograms!), so mowing up a bank shouldn’t be too taxing, and the powerful 1,700-watt engine that keeps the mower floating above the ground and cutting grass efficiently whether you’re on an incline or flat turf.
The rotary blade is made from sturdy metal – a promising sign of the EasiGlide Plus 330’s durability. You can adjust the height of cut to one of four increments, depending on how long or short you prefer your lawn.
Cons:
Hover mowers like this Flymo model aren’t recommended for very steep slopes. You may struggle if your lawn’s incline is more than 20-30%.
The grass box is only 20 litres, which means you’ll need to stop to empty it pretty regularly.
For larger lawns with a few banks or hills, we would look no further than the Hyundai 20″/51cm 196cc Electric-start Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower.
This mower is truly one of the best petrol lawn mowers we’ve reviewed, with an abundance of features that make it ideal for mowing an uneven, sloped, or bumpy lawn. It’s self-propelled, so you don’t have to push extra hard when you’re mowing up a hill, and it has 360-degree swivelling front wheels that make it easily manouverable when cutting slopes and hills, letting you cut from the most comfortable angle.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Hyundai
Price: £££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 51cm
Cut height range: 17-65mm
Weight: 47.4 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 75 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 36.4cm x 21.7cm x 62.2cm
Engine power: 196cc
Best For:
Anyone with a bigger upfront budget who wants to invest in the best petrol lawn mower with all the features for quick, hassle-free mowing on a medium or large sloped lawn.
What Customers Think:
Customers have awarded the Hyundai 190cc Electric Start Petrol Mower an average 4.4-star rating, praising the mower for helping them to quickly and efficiently mow on various terrains, thanks to the self-propulsion and the additional manoeuvrability of the 365-swivel front wheels. Some customers said the mower was bulkier than expected.
Pros:
The Hyundai 190cc Electric Start Petrol Mower has a few unique features that you won’t find on all domestic petrol mowers, which make it ideal for mowing a large, sloped lawn. Its self-propulsion drives the wheels without manual pushing effort, even when mowing up hills, and the 360-spinning from wheels allow you to turn the mower on its axis when mowing on a slope, so you can alter your angle for faster, safer, and easier cutting.
The self-propelled mower is ideal for quickly cutting a large lawn, with a 51cm cutting width and a 75-litre grass box, so you can cover more ground with each lap and make fewer trips to your garden waste bin. If you’d rather avoid the hassle of emptying the grass box altogether, switch to the mulching function.
We also love the super-low minimum cut height of 17mm for if you like the bowling green appearance, and the push-button electric start that eliminates the hassle of powering up the petrol engine, Plus, the built-in cup or can holders on the handle are a fun touch.
Cons:
You need a big budget to afford the upfront cost of the Hyundai 190cc Electric Start Petrol Mower. It might be too expensive for you.
The heavier 47.4-kilogram build means that getting this mower in and out of storage is more difficult, so it may not be best for folks with mobility restrictions.
If you have a small lawn and a tight budget, we think the Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawn Mower should offer what you’re looking for in an affordable lawn mower for hills.
This compact hover mower is a bargain at less than £100 (at the time of our review), but it still has a good motor power of 1,400 watts, and it weighs less than 6 kilograms, so it’s ideal for whizzing up and down sloped lawns without putting your back out. Plus, the wheelless design means you can mow from side to side on angled terrain, without the arm ache of back-and-forth pushing.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded (hover)
Cutting width: 25cm
Cut height range: 11-31mm
Weight: 5.95 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 79 x 39 x 80cm
Power: 1400 W
Best For:
Folks with small, sloped gardens who want a budget-friendly lawn mower that has a low upfront cost but doesn’t compromise on build quality or performance.
What Customers Think:
Customers were generally pleased with the Flymo Turbo Lite 250 Electric Hover Lawn Mower, awarding it 4.3 stars and agreeing that it’s easy to assemble and use, powerful, capable of cutting on steep slopes and hills, and “excellent for the price”. Some customers said that the pins fixing the handles to the mower body are too loose.
Pros:
The feature that makes the Flymo Turbo Lite 250 perfect for mowing steep slopes is its lightweight build. At 5.95 kilograms, this mower can safely mow on inclines that would otherwise be dangerous if you used a bulky, heavy conventional mower.
Unlike the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330, this Flymo model doesn’t have the extra bulk of a grass box, so it won’t get weighed down by grass clippings when you’re trying to mow up a hill. The 1,400 watt motor is plenty powerful enough to keep the mower hovering a couple of centimetres off the ground regardless of where you’re mowing.
We particularly recommend this mower for small lawns with obstacles or tight spots, since its small size and 25cm cutting width make it well suited to squeezing around corners and into narrow spaces. With its lightweight design, the Turbo Lite doesn’t take up much room in a small shed and can even be hung from a wall.
Cons:
A setback of this mower’s lightweight design is its lack of a grass box, which means you’ll have to spend time raking or sweeping grass clippings off your lawn after you’ve finished mowing.
As with most hover mowers, adjusting the blade height takes more effort than with a conventional wheeled mower. You have to use the included spanner and partially disassemble the mower.
Got a big budget and like the idea of never having to mow your hilly lawn again? A robot mower is what you’re looking for – and the Flymo EasiLife Robotic Lawn Mower is our top recommended mower in this category.
Most robot mowers are safe to use on inclines up to 25%, but this Flymo model outdoes its competitors with the ability to mow slopes up to 35% without the risk of toppling or getting stuck. Plus, it boasts all the other features of a robot mower, including autonomous mowing, so you can simply leave it to mow your lawn as and when it pleases.
We’ve reviewed the Flymo EasiLife 200 here, which is intended for use on a lawn up to 200 square metres. You can buy the mower in models for lawns as small as 150 m² and as large as 800 m² (check Amazon for availability).
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £££
Power source: Electric (battery-operated)
Cutting width: 16cm
Cut height range: 20-50mm
Weight: 7.3 kg
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 217 x 149.6 x 90.6cm
Power: 18V Lithium-Ion battery
Best For:
Anyone who wants to eliminate the hassle of mowing entirely and invest in an autonomous robot mower that can safely mow hills and inclines.
What Customers Think:
The Flymo EasiLife has an average star rating of 4.2 from just over 1,500 reviews, with customers agreeing that the mower works effectively on slight slopes (one customer even successfully used the mower on a lawn “full of hills”) and offers good coverage without getting confused by obstacles. Some reviewers struggled with the initial setup.
Pros:
The obvious benefit of the Flymo EasiLife Robotic Lawn Mower is that it mows independently, so you don’t even need to look for a mower that’s easy to push up and down hills – this mower will cut the grass for you. Some of today’s technology might be questionable, but the robot mower is a genuinely useful invention.
This Flymo robotic mower can handle steeper hills than other robot mowers, so it’s the winning choice if your lawn has a few bumps and inclines.
You’ll never have to look at long grass again thanks to the mower’s strict mowing schedule – it should make an appearance every 1-3 days to give your lawn a trim, without your input.
Cons:
Robot mowers like the Flymo EasiLife simply aren’t an option for people with small budgets. Even the models for mowing smaller lawns cost around the £500-£700 mark.
If your lawn has inclines of more than 35%, this mower isn’t for you. Very steep hills will stall the mower’s motor.
Our Lawn
Just so you know what we’re used to mowing at home, here are a couple of photos of our lawn. We don’t have any steep hills, but there’s a slope on the right-hand side (see the right of picture 1) that requires us to take extra care when mowing.
Methodology: How We Selected The Mowers In This Guide
Here, we’ve shared how we chose the best lawn mowers for hills in this guide, including our research and review process.
Step 1: Researching All The Products Available
Step 1 involved searching broadly for lawn mowers online. We looked specifically for mowers with features that make them suitable for mowing hills, including a lightweight design, self propulsion, and a wheelless design (we’ve discussed these features in more detail later). We made a list of all the mowers with one or several of these features before moving on.
Step 2: Reading Customer Reviews
Next, we wanted to know what customers thought about the mowers we’d found in our research. We checked customer reviews on websites like Amazon, looking specifically for discussions of the mower’s ability to handle slopes and hills. This helped us to understand the suitability the mowers on our list before reviewing them ourselves.
Step 3: Conversations With Manufacturers
The next stage of our process was to fill in any data gaps by contacting the manufacturers of our shortlisted mowers with specific questions. We were able to gather the information we needed to properly compare the mowers while also getting a first-person insight into the manufacturer’s customer service.
Step 4: Testing A Selection Of Lawn Mowers
Our final step was to test some of the best lawn mowers for hills ourselves. We used the following ranking factors when reviewing the shortlisted mowers in this guide:
- Weight & manoeuvrability: 25%
- Ease of use: 20%
- Quality of cut: 15%
- Price: 15%
- Motor power: 15%
- Assembly & maintenance: 10%
📡 5 Features Of The Best Lawn Mowers For Hills
Wondering which features you should look for in a lawn mower for a hilly lawn? Below, we’ve shared 5 desirable features to keep an eye out for.
🏋🏻 Lightweight Build
If you’re edging towards an electric or battery-powered lawn mower for a smaller sloped lawn, prioritize a lightweight mower that weighs less than 10 kilograms, ideally 6-8 kilograms.
The lighter the mower, the less weight you’ll have to push up and down hills.
🚀 Self-Propulsion
If you have a bigger hilly lawn and you need a larger mower with a wider cutting width, you’ll be looking at heavier mowers that you’ll probably struggle to use on sloped ground.
Focus your search on self-propelled lawn mowers that use a motor to turn the wheels, so you don’t have to do the physical pushing work.
There are cordless self-propelled lawn mowers, but these aren’t as powerful as petrol self-propelled mowers. A petrol self-propelled lawn mower is best for a hilly lawn because it’ll provide enough guaranteed power to drive the mower up a slope.
🚤 Wheelless Design
For small lawns with a slight incline, a mower with a wheelless design will give you more maneuverability when you’re mowing up and down hills.
We recommend hover mowers, especially for unconventionally-shaped gardens with lots of obstacles, since these mowers float on a cushion of air and can be swept from side to side, making them more manouverable.
🔁 360-Turn Wheels
A premium feature of some larger petrol mowers is 360-turn wheels, which means the wheels swivel all the way around, so you can alter the mower’s angle on the spot without having to do a 10-point turn.
This is advantageous for mowing on hills because you adjust your angle for the easiest and fastest mowing, reducing your time and effort spent maneuvering the mower on an incline.
🚜 All-Wheel Or Rear-Wheel Drive
Another feature that will help with maneuverability on hills for a larger petrol mower is four-wheel or rear-wheel drive.
Turning is easier on a rear-wheel drive mower because the back wheels provide the power while the front wheels turn, while all-wheel drive mowers have the capacity to power all four wheels, which gives you even better control and maneuverability.
🧾 6 Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Lawn Mower For Hills & Uneven Ground
Here are the general considerations you should make when deciding on the best lawn mower for your hilly or uneven lawn.
💰 Your Budget
Your budget is always the first thing to consider, before you set your heart on a certain type, size, or brand of lawn mower for hills.
Here’s a general overview of mower pricing by type:
The average cost of a small electric mower for small-medium gardens is £70-£150.
If you want to eliminate the fuss of a cord, you’ll need to stretch your budget to around £150-£300, depending on the mower’s size and features.
For quickly and powerfully mowing medium-to-large lawns, you’ll need a petrol lawn mower, costing £250-£500+, again depending on size and features.
If your lawn and your budget are small, good news: you should find plenty of electric mowers within an affordable price range.
But if you have a big garden, we recommend saving up for a few months for a larger, more expensive petrol lawn mower.
Outline your budget before you start shopping. That way, you can eliminate the mowers that are out of your price range before you get too tempted.
🤷♂️ Your Preferred Mower Type
Budget aside, you might simply prefer the design or operation of a specific mower type.
The best types of lawn mowers for hilly gardens are electric mowers, cordless battery-powered mowers, petrol self-propelled mowers, and robot mowers.
Below, we’ve discussed each of these mower types, and when you might choose a particular mower.
Corded electric mower – For people with small lawns who want a lightweight, powerful lawn mower that’s not too bulky or weighty to use on hills.
Hover mower – For folks with awkwardly shaped, uneven lawns or gardens on slight inclines that are best tackled with a wheelless mower.
Cordless lawn mower – For anyone who wants to avoid the hassle of navigating a cord while mowing hills.
Robot mower – For people with big budgets who have hundreds of pounds to spend on an autonomous lawn mower that will eliminate their need to use a push mower.
Petrol self-propelled lawn mower – For folks with big, sloped, or hilly lawns who need a mower with a wide cutting width that’s powerful enough to quickly cut big spaces.
When deciding between these lawn mower types, consider your lawn size, your preferences on lawn mower power and appearance, and whether you’re looking for any specific features (such as self-propulsion, a wheelless mower, autonomous mowing, or rear-wheel drive).
We haven’t included manual mowers on this list because, although they’re lightweight and suitable for small gardens, they’re also heavy to push and they don’t provide an even cut on bumpy lawns.
📏 Cutting Width/Lawn Size
Your lawn size is another important factor to consider when deciding on a lawn mower for hilly lawns.
A mower’s cutting width is the width of the cutting deck, and the surface area that the mower covers with each lap. Most domestic push mowers have a cutting width of 26cm-56cm, with different sizes for different budgets and lawn sizes.
The bigger your lawn, the bigger the mower you should look for. You want to cover as much ground as possible per lap, which will limit how many laps you do and how many steps you take – something you’ll greatly appreciate if you’re mowing up and down a slope.
But a bigger mower will also be heavier, which is why we recommend looking for a self-propelled lawn mower if you have a large garden, which will eliminate your need to physically push the mower.
If your lawn is small, with limited turning space, you’ll be better off with a smaller mower, such as a hover mower or a lightweight corded electric mower, that has a narrower cutting deck and requires less arm strength to get up and down hills.
📐 Cutting Height Range
As well as being capable of cutting uneven or sloped terrain, a good lawn mower should also have a range of cutting heights to choose from.
Most mowers have a cut height range of around 20-70mm. That means you can cut your lawn short if you prefer the bowling green look, but you can start off with a higher cut if you’re tackling an overgrown lawn, so you don’t cut off too much at once.
Being able to choose between multiple cut heights is a particular advantage for mowing bumpy or uneven lawns, which may require a lower blade positioning for the smoothest mowing over the ground with a more uniform result.
Adjusting the cut height on a high-quality modern mower is easy: there’s a single wheel that controls the blade positioning according to your preferences.
The only exception is hover mowers, which have spacers for the blades and need to be partially disassembled to adjust the height of cut.
✂️ Mower Blade Type
There are two blade types you’ll find in domestic lawn mowers: rotary blades and cylinder blades.
We recommend rotary blades on a mower for hills (all the best lawn mowers on this list are rotary mowers).
Rotary blades rotate horizontally beneath the mower deck, cutting the grass at right angles. They’re better suited to mowing bumpy or uneven lawns than cylinder blades, which spin vertically and are more likely to produce an uneven cut on slopes and bumps.
Rotary mowers are also a better choice for cutting long grass, and their sturdy blades can effectively tackle thicker terrain.
📲 Extra Features
Aside from the features that are specifically useful for mowing hills and slopes, you might want to look for a mower with a few extra, optional features, including:
A rear roller – For a striped lawn
Grass combs – For cutting right up to the edges
Multiple cutting options – Most lawn mowers come with a grass collection box as standard, but some also have non-collection options, like mulching or side/rear discharge
Storage features – The best mowers have foldable handles to reduce their footprint in sheds or storage spaces, and some lightweight electric mowers can be hung by a hook on a wall, so they don’t take up any floor space.
Many of these features add around £30-£70 onto the mower’s upfront price tag, so consider which (if any) are important to you when shopping around.
For instance, you might want to mow stripes into your lawn. In that case, look for lawn mowers with a rear roller that are also suitable for mowing hills.
Important note: this review was last updated in July 2024. We apologise if pricing or availability has since changed for any of the products mentioned above.