Looking to buy a new lawn mower for your garden? We’ve put together this guide to help you make the smartest investment, based on our own extensive research of the best lawn mowers available today.
- Brand: Bosch
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 34cm
Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 11.09 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 61.6 x 37.8 x 40.2cm
Power: 1300 W
- Brand: Bosch
Price: £
Power source: Manual
Cutting width: 38cm
Cut height range: 12-40mm
Weight: 6.9 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 25 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 54 x 49 x 38cm
Power: N/A
- Brand: Flymo
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 16cm
Cut height range: 20-50mm
Weight: 7.3 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 54 x 49 x 38cm
Power: 18V battery
- Brand: Murray
Price: £££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 51cm
- Cut height range: 25-75mm
Weight: 28.8 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 75 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 162 x 54 x 98cm
Power: 2.06 kW/2900 rpm
- Brand: Flymo
Price: ££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 34cm
Cut height range: 25-65mm
Weight: 11.2 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 35 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 47.5 x 39 x 95cm
Power: 40-V battery (2x 20V
- Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 38cm
- Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 13.79 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 42 x 37 x 107cm
Power: 1600 W
- 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): 52.8×29.5×32.7cm
Power: 1700 W
- Brand: Einhell
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 33cm
- Cut height range: 20-60mm
Weight: 11.1 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 67.5 x 38.2 x 29cm
Power: 1250 W
- Brand: Bosch
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 37cm
- Cut height range: 25-70mm
Weight: 16 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 71 x 42 x 38.5cm
Power: 36-V battery
Table of Contents
Best Lawn Mowers
- Best Overall: Bosch Rotak 34R Electric Lawnmower
- Best Manual: Bosch AHM 38 G Manual Garden Lawn Mower
- Best Robotic: Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower
- Best Battery-Powered: Flymo EasiStore 340R Li Cordless Rotary Lawn Mower
- Best Corded Electric: Hyundai HYM3800E Corded Electric Rotary Lawnmower
- Best Petrol: Murray EQ2-500X Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower
Best Hover Mower: Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower
- Best For Small Budgets: Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawnmower
- Best Premium Choice: Bosch Cordless Lawnmower EasyRotak 36-550
📊 Comparison Chart of Lawn Mowers
Scroll right on mobile to see the whole table chart
| Product | Star rating | Brand | Price | Power source | Cutting width | Weight | Grass box capacity | Cutting heights | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Rotak 34R Electric Lawnmower | 5/5 | Bosch | ££ | Electric corded | 34cm | 11.09 kilograms | 40 litres | 20-70mm | 1300 W |
| Bosch AHM 38 G Manual Garden Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Bosch | £ | Manual | 38cm | 6.9 kilograms | 25 litres | 12-40mm | N/A |
| Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Flymo | £££ | Battery | 16cm | 7.3 kilograms | N/A | 20-50mm | 18V battery |
| Flymo EasiStore 340R Li Cordless Rotary Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Flymo | ££ | Battery | 34cm | 11.2 kilograms | 35 litres | 25-65mm | N/A |
| Hyundai HYM3800E Corded Electric Rotary Lawnmower | 4.5/5 | Hyundai | ££ | Electric corded | 38cm | 13.79 kilograms | 40 litres | 20-70mm | 1600 W |
| Murray EQ2-500X Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower | 4.5/5 | Murray | £££ | Petrol | 51cm | 28.8 kilograms | 75 litres | 25-75mm | 2.06 kW/2900 rpm |
| Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawnmower | 4/5 | Einhell | £ | Electric corded | 33cm | 11.1 kilograms | 30 litres | 20-60mm | 1250 W |
| Bosch Cordless Lawnmower EasyRotak 36-550 | 5/5 | Bosch | £££ | Battery | 37cm | 16 kilograms | 40 litres | 25-70mm | 36-V battery |
| Product | Star rating | Brand | Price | Power source | Cutting width | Weight | Grass box capacity | Cutting heights | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Rotak 34R Electric Lawnmower | 5/5 | Bosch | ££ | Electric corded | 34cm | 11.09 kilograms | 40 litres | 20-70mm | 1300 W |
| Bosch AHM 38 G Manual Garden Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Bosch | £ | Manual | 38cm | 6.9 kilograms | 25 litres | 12-40mm | N/A |
| Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Flymo | £££ | Battery | 16cm | 7.3 kilograms | N/A | 20-50mm | 18V battery |
| Flymo EasiStore 340R Li Cordless Rotary Lawn Mower | 4.5/5 | Flymo | ££ | Battery | 34cm | 11.2 kilograms | 35 litres | 25-65mm | N/A |
| Hyundai HYM3800E Corded Electric Rotary Lawnmower | 4.5/5 | Hyundai | ££ | Electric corded | 38cm | 13.79 kilograms | 40 litres | 20-70mm | 1600 W |
| Murray EQ2-500X Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower | 4.5/5 | Murray | £££ | Petrol | 51cm | 28.8 kilograms | 75 litres | 25-75mm | 2.06 kW/2900 rpm |
| Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawnmower | 4/5 | Einhell | £ | Electric corded | 33cm | 11.1 kilograms | 30 litres | 20-60mm | 1250 W |
| Bosch Cordless Lawnmower EasyRotak 36-550 | 5/5 | Bosch | £££ | Battery | 37cm | 16 kilograms | 40 litres | 25-70mm | 36-V battery |
⭐ Reviews – Best Lawn Mowers of 2023
Based on our research, the Bosch Rotak 34R Electric Lawnmower is the best overall lawn mower available today for UK lawns. This lawn mower is an unbeatable value for money, costing just over £100 – impressive, since you’re getting 1,300 watts of power, a high-capacity 40-litre grass box, and a decent 34cm cutting width.
What makes the Bosch Rotak 34R better than its competitors? It offers all the desirable features at a lower upfront cost, including an adjustable cutting height (from 2 to 7cm), easy assembly and a foldable handle for storage, a sturdy, ergonomic design, and a super-long 10m cord length for mowing medium-to-large lawns.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Bosch
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 34cm
Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 11.09 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 61.6 x 37.8 x 40.2cm
Power: 1300 W
Best For:
Folks looking for the best value-for-money lawn mower that has all the necessary features and offers a superior grass-cutting performance.
What Customers Think:
The Bosch Rotak 34R has the most positive Amazon reviews, with customers saying it performs better than similar mowers sold by other brands and offers the cleanest and tidiest cut. The most common customer complaint is maneuverability: this Bosch model isn’t the most lightweight lawn mower out there.
Pros:
The obvious benefit of the Bosch Rotak 34R is its cost. Comparative models from other brands cost an extra £50-£75, and for no real reason. You get great value for money from this Bosch model.
Cost aside, some of the performance features of this lawn mower that we love include its 34 cm cutting width (so you can spend less time cutting), large 40-litre grass box capacity (so you won’t have to constantly stop to empty the box), and foldable handle (making it easy to store away when not in use).
1,300 watts of power is the perfect balance between efficiency and powerful performance.
You get a decent 2-year warranty with the Bosch Rotak 34R, and if you buy on Amazon, you should be covered by the site’s 30-day return policy.
Cons:
This mower isn’t the most lightweight or easy-to-maneuver model on the market, so it’s not the best choice for older people or folks with physical impairments or disabilities.
Some customers noted that the grass box is flimsy.
We’ve found that the best corded electric lawn mower is the Hyundai HYM3800E 1600W 230V Corded Electric Rotary Lawnmower. It’s slightly more expensive than our top pick Bosch mower and is a heavier model by about 3 kilograms, but it has some additional features and a larger 38cm cutting width, so you can get the job done faster in larger gardens – and it has a slightly longer warranty of 3 years.
What else should you know about this lawn mower? It also has a decent 10m cord length that should make it across a moderately sized garden, plus a full 5 cutting heights (most mowers have 3 as standard). There’s also a rear roller, so you can easily achieve that desirable striped lawn finish.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Hyundai
Price: ££
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 38cm
- Cut height range: 20-70mm
Weight: 13.79 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 42 x 37 x 107cm
Power: 1600 W
Best For:
People looking for the best corded electric lawn mower that has a wider cutting width and allows for more flexibility with cutting height than most other mowers.
What Customers Think:
The Hyundai HYM3800E is another popular, highly-rated lawn mower on Amazon, with customers praising its easy-use height adjuster, good foldability for easy storage, and long lead (no extension lead needed). Some customers found it hard to fit the grass box, though.
Pros:
The Hyundai HYM3800E is about £50 more expensive than our top Bosch mower, but it’s still a great price for an electric mower, especially considering its extra features.
The quick-release grass collection box, optional mulching functionality, and rear roller for stripes are our favourite features of this Hyundai model – most of which aren’t found on a standard mower.
It’s a slightly bigger and more powerful model than most mowers. The 38-inch cutting width and 1,600-watt motor will take you far.
Cons:
A lot of customers had to sharpen the blade before getting started.
There are a few plastic parts that might not stand the test of time.
Battery-powered lawn mowers eliminate the need for troublesome cords, so you can mow as far and wide as the battery will take you – and our top recommended choice for mowers in this category is the Flymo EasiStore 340R Li Cordless Rotary Lawn Mower.
This Flymo cordless lawn mower rivals even the best corded mowers with its performance, with a powerful 40-volt battery, three optional cutting heights, and a large 35-litre grass box. It’s slightly costlier than any of our top corded models, but for many people, the freedom and flexibility of ditching the power cord are worth the extra cost.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: ££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 34cm
- Cut height range: 25-65mm
Weight: 11.2 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 35 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 47.5 x 39 x 95cm
Power: 40-V battery (2x 20V)
Best For:
Anyone who wants the convenience of a cordless electric lawn mower and is keen to spend their money on the best model available, with all the important features.
What Customers Think:
Customers are generally pleased with the Flymo EasiStore electric mower. Reviewers were happy with the mower’s ease of assembly, good maneuverability, and removable blade that can be taken off and sharpened (very convenient). Some customers struggled to adjust the handle and fold the mower away in storage.
Pros:
We think the biggest benefit for most people is the ability to take this mower a great distance from your home without being connected via a power cord. Batteries last around 35 minutes, and it’s useful that you can swap one battery for another if you want to finish a big job in one go.
We also love the rear roller for a beautifully striped lawn and the full grass box indicator that takes away the guesswork around emptying. The 34cm cutting width is ideal for quickly getting through medium-sized gardens.
This Flymo model is backed by a decent 2-year warranty.
Cons:
A few customers had issues with folding and storing the mower due to the stiff handle.
Battery life was also a problem for some customers.
If you just want to get the job done with the most powerful machine, you need a petrol lawn mower – and the Murray EQ2-500X Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower is our number 1 pick in this category.
This self-propelled petrol mower boasts a robust 140cc Briggs & Stratton engine that offers the cleanest and most precise cut, and has a massive 51cm cutting width and 75-litre grass box – ideal for large lawns or folks who just want to get the job done as fast as possible. The downsides? It’s about double the weight of our top choice electric models at just under 30 kilograms, it’s about £200 more expensive, and (for obvious reasons) it’s a lot louder.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Murray
Price: £££
Power source: Petrol
Cutting width: 51cm
- Cut height range: 25-75mm
Weight: 28.8 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 75 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 162 x 54 x 98cm
Power: 2.06 kW/2900 rpm
Best For:
Anyone looking for a powerful, durable petrol lawn mower that quickly and smoothly takes care of your garden chores and is truly designed to be a long-term investment.
What Customers Think:
There are plenty of positive reviews for the Murray EQ2-500X, with customers praising this petrol lawn mower for its incredibly powerful performance (it’s suitable for all terrains and grass heights), long-lasting 0.8-litre fuel capacity, and easy setup and assembly. Some customers said it takes a few pulls of the cord to get it up and running.
Pros:
There’s a lot to love about the Murray EQ2-500X: the 6 different cutting heights let you tailor your cut to your exact preferences, the integrated wash port makes it easy to clean between uses, and you have ultimate flexibility to choose between the four cutting functionalities (the 75-litre grass catcher bag, mulching, and side and rear discharge).
Durability and sturdiness are guaranteed. This Murray model has a corrosion-resistant steel deck and is one of the most well-built and powerful mowers you can buy for your lawn.
The 2-year warranty is a nice mark of the manufacturer’s confidence in their product.
Cons:
As a petrol lawn mower, this Murray model needs more maintenance and is louder than electric models. You’ll need to top up the fuel and crank the cord a few times to get it started. It’s also louder than your average electric mower.
There are 2 height adjustment levers. In our opinion, 1 is more convenient.
Manual mowers require a bit of extra effort in long grass, but they’re generally cheaper and better for your lawn, and don’t give off noise pollution or greenhouse gases. We recommend the Bosch AHM 38 G Manual Garden Lawn Mower if you’re looking for the best mower in this category.
Costing just over £50, this Bosch model is made from durable alloy steel and weighs just under 7 kilograms, so pushing it along shouldn’t be too taxing. The 38cm cutting width is just what you need for a moderately-sized garden and there are adjustable cutting heights (between 15mm and 43mm) to help you get the perfect cut. The 25-litre grass box is a little smaller than on other mowers but still a good size.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Bosch
Price: £
Power source: Manual
Cutting width: 38cm
- Cut height range: 12-40mm
Weight: 6.9 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 25 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 54 x 49 x 38cm
Power: N/A
Best For:
Folks who prefer the clean, even cut, portability, and smaller footprint of a manual mower, and want to invest smartly in the most reliable mower in this category.
What Customers Think:
Customers were satisfied with the performance of the Bosch AHM, commenting that it’s solidly built, easy to push, and quick to assemble, producing a nice cut even on wet grass. Some customers said that cutting with a hand-push lawn mower took some getting used to.
Pros:
Let’s start with the obvious positives: no waking your neighbours up with noisy lawn mowing, no navigating around an annoying cable, and no expensive price tag of an electric or petrol lawn mower. You get just as good a cut from this mower – perhaps even neater than from an electric model.
We appreciate the Bosch AHM’s sturdy yet lightweight design. It’s ideal for slotting in a small space in the shed or taking with you to the allotment.
There’s less likely to be a mechanical issue with this mower, but in case you need it, you’re covered by a 3-year warranty.
Cons:
Cutting longer grass (10cm or taller) with this mower takes extra effort.
This mowing method is generally more of an endurance task than using a standard electric mower, so it’s not best suited for people with mobility issues.
Robotic lawn mowers take all the hard work off your hands – and in our opinion, the Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower is the best on the market today.
You can choose a suitable mower for your cutting area (from 150 to 800 meters squared), and once you set this smart machine to go, it’ll get on with it, no need for any human input. The 58-decibel engine allows for ultra-quiet lawn mowing, and it’s easy to control your mowing schedule via the Bluetooth app. Price is the only downside: the smallest EasiLife 150 GO model costs about three times the price of a standard electric lawn mower.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 16cm
- Cut height range: 20-50mm
Weight: 7.3 kilograms
Grass box capacity: N/A
Dimensions (DxWxH): 54 x 49 x 38cm
Power: 18V Lithium-Ion battery
Best For:
Anyone looking for the ultimate convenience of the best robot lawn mower that can be relied upon to stick to a routine lawn-cutting schedule and do a great job of each cut.
What Customers Think:
The Flymo EasiLife 150 GO has thousands of 4- and 5-star ratings, with customers sharing the opinion that this robot lawn mower is easy to set up, offers good coverage, works well on a variety of terrains, and offers a good-quality cut. Customers did mention, however, that the EasiLife GO doesn’t handle very long grass (4+ inches) and won’t mow thoroughly in areas with lots of obstacles.
Pros:
We appreciate being able to choose between 7 different models with varying cutting capacities. If you have a smaller garden and a restricted budget, the smallest 150-meter-squared mower should be fine, but there are model sizes available for lawns of up to 800 meters squared.
There’s something luxurious about handing over your lawn care responsibilities to a robot (and a highly capable one at that). The Flymo EasiLife 150 GO takes its job seriously, making an appearance every 1-3 days to mow, so your lawn will never get the chance to grow too long.
Not all robot lawn mowers handle uneven turf or slopes well, but this Flymo model can be used on rough terrain and bumpy lawns with an incline of up to 25%.
Cons:
Upgrading to a model that can tackle bigger spaces doesn’t affect the cutting width or speed. All models have a 16cm cutting width – the only difference is that the more expensive models are programmed to mow larger lawns.
Cost is an obvious disadvantage. You might not be able to justify spending nearly £600 on a lawn mower, no matter how fancy or convenient.
Hover lawn mowers are easier to maneuver when mowing unusually-shaped lawns with tight spots and obstacles – and our top recommended hover mower for small-to-medium lawns is the Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 Hover Collect Lawn Mower.
This corded electric hover mower is particularly quick and easy to use thanks to its 33cm cutting deck (which is wide for a hover mower) and powerful 1,700-watt motor – but it’s still compact and lightweight at just over 8 kilograms, so you get the best of both worlds.
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 wants to invest in the leading hover mower from the most popular manufacturer offering a reliable, powerful solution with better maneuverability than a conventional wheeled mower.
What Customers Think:
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus 330 is another customer favourite, with reviewers praising the mower for being lightweight, quick to assemble and easy to use, and ideal for sloped gardens and irregular lawn shapes. A couple of critical reviews mentioned that the mower’s lid and base don’t align as they should.
Pros
The Flymo EasiGlide Plus isn’t designed for doing laps of your lawn. It’s intended to make mowing as easy and convenient as possible if your lawn is unusually shaped with lots of flower beds, trees, tight corners, and obstacles to navigate. Because it has a wheel-less design, the mower can be maneuvered in any direction, so you can mow in a pattern that suits your lawn.
Flymo dominates the hover mower category, and we think the EasiGlide Plus is the best of the manufacturer’s offerings. It’s ideally sized for a small-to-medium garden, being both lightweight and easy to use, with a solid build and a powerful, no-nonsense engine that can handle terrains of all types and thicknesses.
It’s good to see a total of four cutting heights on this mower (some hover mowers have as little as two or even one), so you can adjust the height of cut to gradually mow long grass to suit your preferred lawn height.
Cons:
As a hover mower, the EasiGlide Plus is smaller than most wheeled mowers and has a reduced 20-litre grass box capacity, so you’ll have to do more walking and more frequent empties compared to a larger mower.
Because of its smaller size and hover design, we don’t recommend this mower for larger lawns that are more stereotypically square in shape and would be better off with a larger mower designed for back-and-forth mowing in laps.
For folks with small budgets who don’t want to compromise on quality, the lawn mower we recommend is the Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawnmower.
Costing under £100, this Einhell model is a fantastic entry-level electric lawn mower, using a powerful 1250-watt motor and 33cm cutting width to speed through small-to-medium lawns. Notable features include 5 cutting heights (ideal for getting the perfect cut to your tastes), a good cable length of 10 meters, a spacious 30-litre grass box, and a folding handle for easy storage in your shed or garage.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Einhell
Price: £
Power source: Electric corded
Cutting width: 33cm
- Cut height range: 20-60mm
Weight: 11.1 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 30 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 67.5 x 38.2 x 29cm
Power: 1250 W
Best For:
Folks with small gardens who want to invest in a basic but high-quality mower that will do a great job on their lawn, or first-time mower buyers who don’t want anything too fancy but still want to spend their money wisely.
What Customers Think:
Customers commented that the Einhell GE-EM 1233 is ideal for small-to-medium lawns and is easy to push and turn. Reviewers also noted that this mower is great for the price and a solid-looking machine, but said that the installation and setup instructions were occasionally unclear.
Pros:
Considering the price you pay, you get a powerful mower (25% more powerful than the smaller model, in fact), with a brushless carbon motor that offers a high torque without rubbing or friction – which should mean that the mechanics are pretty durable, too.
Despite being cheaper than many of its competitors, the Einhell GE-EM 1233 mower offers a lot of the same features, including a roomy 30-litre grass box (so you can spend more time mowing and less time emptying), a decent 10-meter cable, and a total of 5 cutting height adjustments, from 2cm to 6cm.
It’s great to see a 2-year warranty offered even for a model with a lower upfront cost – proof that spending less shouldn’t mean sacrificing quality.
Cons:
If your garden is bigger than 350 square meters or you want to get the job done as fast as possible, this Einhell model probably isn’t for you. The 33cm cutting width is smaller than on most electric lawn mowers.
Don’t expect any extra features like a rear roller or self-propelled drive. Plus, there’s a lot of plastic on this model, so we question its overall durability.
Based on our research, our top premium pick for the best lawn mower is the Bosch Cordless Lawnmower EasyRotak 36-550. If money is no object and you’re keen to live the high life with a slightly costlier mower that won’t let you down, this is the mower for you.
Costing just under £400, this Bosch model is a bit of a splurge. But you pay for the convenience of a cordless design, the two long-lasting batteries, the spacious 40-litre grass bag, the ergonomic handles for comfortable mowing and easy setting adjustment, and the flexibility of 5 cut settings (from 2.5 to 7cm).
Quick Specs:
Brand: Bosch
Price: £££
Power source: Battery
Cutting width: 37cm
- Cut height range: 25-70mm
Weight: 16 kilograms
Grass box capacity: 40 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 71 x 42 x 38.5cm
Power: 36-V battery
Best For:
Anyone who wants to combine the convenience of a cordless lawn mower with the power of a 36-V battery and the efficiency of a large cutting width and high-capacity grass bag.
What Customers Think:
Reviewers were generally satisfied with their purchase, praising the EasyRotak 36-550 for its easy assembly, lightweight build, and good battery charge time. Some people were worried that the design seemed a little too flimsy and plasticy.
Pros:
This Bosch lawn mower is ideal for medium-t0-large gardens or folks who want to get their mowing done as fast as possible. Its 37cm cutting width and 40-litre grass bag mean you can cut your lawn in fewer steps and spend less time dealing with grass cuttings.
Each battery in this mower lasts 35-40 minutes, which should give you plenty of time to mow a moderately sized lawn. If not, you can always switch to the second battery (each battery takes about 1 hour to charge).
You can register your purchase online to extend your warranty to 3 years – that’s great protection.
Cons:
As a larger model with a built-in battery, the Bosch Cordless Lawnmower EasyRotak is about 5 kilograms heavier than your average electric corded mower, which might make it slightly more difficult to maneuver.
You can’t charge the battery straight out of the mower – you need to wait 10 minutes or so for it to cool first.
Our Lawn
Here are some pictures of our lawn (before and after mowing) for reference of the type of terrain we need to mow. It’s slightly bigger than the average lawn in the UK, but is still fairly small and quick to mow in the grand scheme of things. We have a small hill mid-way along the lawn, as well as a few tight spots and tricky edges.
Methodology: How We Selected The Mowers In This Guide
Here’s the process that we used to shortlist the mowers in this guide.
Step 1: Researching All The Products Available
We started by searching on Google to find out what types of lawn mowers are available for domestic use in the UK. This brought up hundreds of mowers, and we spent a good deal of time sifting through our options and comparing features. At this stage, we made a big list of all the mowers that stood out to us, ready for the next stage of our research.
Step 2: Reading Customer Reviews
Our next step was to learn more about these lawn mowers from a customer’s perspective. We looked on dedicated review websites as well as marketplaces like Amazon, which is a particularly great place to find non-biased customer reviews that you can use keyword-search to find specific feedback and comments. This helped us to understand how these mowers lived up to customer expectations and how they performed in real life, beyond the manufacturer’s performance claims.
Step 3: Conversations With Manufacturers
Step 3 of our process was to get in touch with manufacturers with specific questions that hadn’t been answered in the product descriptions. This also gave us the opportunity to sample a manufacturer’s customer service, and we made a note of those who excelled in this department.
Step 4: Testing A Selection Of Lawn Mowers
Finally, we tested a number of lawn mowers to gain a personal perspective on their performance.
We ranked the mowers with the following metrics:
- Cut quality: 20%
- Price: 20%
- Performance power: 20%
- Ease of use: 15%
- Design quality: 15%
- Installation & maintenance: 10%
🧾 11 Factors To Consider When Buying The Best Lawn Mower
The best way to make sure you’re investing wisely in a lawn mower is to make the most informed purchase possible.
Below, we’ve shared the 11 factors you should keep in mind when shopping for the right lawn mower online.
Type Of Mower
The most important factor to consider is what type of mower you prefer for your lawn.
There are pros and cons to each popular mower type. Your preferred type of mower will likely be based on some of the other considerations you’ll need to make, including your budget, your garden size, and your preferences for installation and maintenance.
In the UK, the most popular and widely-used mower type is the corded electric mower. This mower tends to be cheaper and easier to use than other mowers – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best fit for you.
We’ve shared the common mower types and their pros and cons in the below sections.
Corded Electric Mowers
Average cost: £100-£225
Corded electric mowers are considered the traditional lawn mower in most UK households. These mowers usually have a 10m cable, making them suitable for a small-to-medium-sized garden.
As the name suggests, corded electric lawn mowers are powered by electricity, so they need to be plugged into a power supply to operate.
Their main advantage is that they’re cheaper than most other mower types and offer a reliable performance. As long as you have power, you have a working mower.
However, the obvious disadvantage of a corded mower is that it can only cover a limited space. Most mowers of this type can only mow medium-sized lawns unless you use an extension lead.
Battery-Powered Mowers
Average cost: £275-£450
Battery-powered mowers are cordless lawn mowers that get their power from a rechargeable battery.
These are considered the best lawn mowers by folks who have bigger gardens or don’t want to deal with the hassle of navigating around a trailing cable.
The average battery life of a cordless mower is 35-40 minutes. Most cordless lawn mowers come with two batteries, so you technically have up to 80 minutes of mowing time, as long as you remember to charge the second battery.
A cordless lawn mower has all the benefits of an electric mower, without the cable.
However, they cost more upfront because of their cordless perks, and remembering to charge the batteries in advance is a hassle in itself.
Petrol Mowers
Average cost: £175-£500
A petrol lawn mower is a mower that uses petrol as its power source.
Petrol lawn mowers are the most powerful mower type and don’t have a cable, so they’re ideal for a large or overgrown lawn. They’re also faster at cutting and easier to maneuver around obstacles.
However, just like a car, a petrol mower will need servicing and maintenance, including petrol and oil top-ups. Petrol lawn mowers are also loud and release toxic fumes, so they’re not the most environmentally-friendly choice.
Robot Lawn Mowers
Average cost: £450-£650
A robot lawn mower is an autonomous mower that uses a simple mapping system to cut grass.
Before using a robotic lawn mower, you’ll need to establish the preferred mowing area by laying a boundary or guide wire around the edge of your lawn. The mower will then cut your grass according to a predetermined schedule – and you won’t have to lift a finger.
The advantages of robot lawn mowers are obvious. If you don’t enjoy mowing your lawn, you can hand the job over to a robot mower, which will do everything itself – from the actual mowing to returning to its docking station for recharging.
However, the cost of a robot mower is out of many people’s budgets, so robot mowers are still inaccessible to a good portion of the UK population.
Manual Mowers
Average cost: £40-£75
A manual mower, or push mower, is a small mower that cuts grass with cylinder blades as you push it.
Manual mowers are entirely pedestrian powered, which means they don’t need electricity, a battery, or fuel. They don’t produce noise or fuel emissions, either, so they’re a great choice for the eco-conscious.
Push mowers are easier to use than most people imagine. However, they take more effort to push if you’re mowing long grass, and they’re not the best solution for large or sloping gardens. People with mobility issues might find it too taxing to mow with a push mower.
Hover Mowers
Average cost: £100-£200
A hover mower, as the name suggests, has a blade that hovers between the lawnmower and the lawn. The lawnmower is raised from the lawn by a cushion of air, which makes it easy to move in any direction.
The most common hover mowers are electric, although some petrol lawn mowers have hover designs.
Hover mowers are maneuverable and are a good choice for irregular-shaped lawns, but their design makes them more difficult to move from side to side than a traditional rotary mower. They’re also not as widely available as other mower types, so at the moment, you don’t have many models to choose from.
🤷♂️Rotary Vs Cylinder Mower
When you’re considering mower types, you should also look at the pros and cons of cylinder mowers versus rotary mowers.
Cylinder Mowers
Cylinder lawn mowers have at least three blades at the front of the machine that rotate vertically, cutting against a fixed blade underneath.
Electric, petrol, and manual mowers may all have a cylinder design. If you have a flat lawn and you like to keep things neat and manicured, a cylinder mower is a great option to consider.
Rotary Mowers
Rotary lawn mowers use a single blade that rotates horizontally, like a plane propellor, under the base of the mower. These mowers are best suited to lawns with a variety of terrains and can handle numerous grass types, including rougher or longer grass.
You can find cordless lawn mowers, petrol mowers, and corded electric lawn mowers with a rotary design.
💰Your Budget
Your budget will play a big role in the type of mower you can buy. It’s a good idea to make a note of your budget before you even begin your search for mowers, so that you’re less likely to get tempted into buying a model that’s out of your price range.
Most lawn mowers cost £75-£350. Some battery lawn mower models and robot lawn mowers cost up to the £450-£600 range because of their unique benefits. Manual mowers are the cheapest option, costing around the £50 mark.
We recommend spending at least £75 on a lawn mower if you’re just looking for an entry-level model. If you’re looking for a durable mower with a few extra features, raise your budget to at least £125.
It’s best not to spend less than £50 on an electric model because there’s usually a reason why these mowers are priced so low: they’re made from cheap materials and often aren’t built to last. The saying “buy cheap, buy twice” applies here.
🟢🟩Your Garden Size, & Surface Type
The best lawn mower for your garden might be different from somebody else’s. That’s because your garden size, incline, shape, and surface type all affect the type of mower that will work best on your lawn.
What’s a good lawn mower for a small garden? And what should you choose for a medium-to-large lawn?
Manual mowers and cordless mowers are good choices for a small lawn, but – due to their own setbacks – they’re not ideal for a medium-sized lawn or larger.
On the other hand, a powerful petrol lawn mower might be the best choice for a large lawn, but its maintenance, noise pollution, and bulky design will probably make it a less appealing choice for small lawns. Electric corded mowers are generally a good middle ground for medium-sized gardens.
What other features of your garden should you consider when choosing the best lawn mower?
Also think about your lawn incline and shape. A lightweight electric mower or a hover lawn mower will require the least manual effort on a sloping lawn. A hover mower is also the best choice for lawns with uneven ground or a tendency towards turning into a mudbath in the rainier summer months.
If you have an awkward lawn shape, choose a mower with a narrow design that gets into tight corners and does a good job of cutting close to your lawn edges. Some mowers come with grass combs, which make it even easier to cut grass growing close to the edge, allowing for an all-over clean cut.
🏋🏻♀️Your Physical Abilities
How physically capable are you? A lawn mower is heavy machinery, and the best lawn mower for you should be one that you can handle easily without the risk of injury.
Older people or people with physical disabilities should look specifically at lightweight mowers that are easy to maneuver and don’t require much manpower to use. Even the best petrol lawn mower may be unsuitable in this scenario because of the effort that goes into pulling the starter cord.
Self-propelled mowers are another option for seniors and people with physical disabilities. A self-propelled mower is motorized, meaning that it moves for you – you just guide it in the right direction.
The very best lawn mower for folks with mobility issues is the robotic lawn mower, which does all the hard work for you.
🛠Maintenance Requirements
All types of lawn mowers require some form of maintenance.
Some of the basic maintenance tasks for a conventional mower are:
Sharpening the blade
Cleaning out the undercarriage
Emptying and cleaning the grass collection bag/box
Checking the condition of the cord (for corded mowers)
Tightening the hardware
Checking the vents
Petrol lawn mowers require their own dedicated maintenance, including:
Topping up the fuel
Draining the tank after every other cut
Checking and topping up the oil level
Sharpening the blades
Cleaning and replacing the air filter
Consider your maintenance preferences when deciding between the best lawn mowers for you.
🏠Your Available Storage Space
Once you’ve finished cutting grass, you’ll need a place to store your mower. Mowers are out of use for much longer than they’re in use, after all.
If your shed or outhouse space is limited, make sure to look for a compact model, such as an electric or cordless lawn mower. Petrol lawn mowers are the bulkiest models, so they’re not the best choice for homes with limited storage space.
Some of the best space-saving lawn mowers have fold-down handles, which make it easy to stash them in a corner when they’re not in use.
Robot mowers are the smallest lawn mowers, but they usually need to sit in their own docking station, which you’ll need to find a space for in your garden.
✂️Cut Quality
The quality of cut you can achieve from the best lawn mower depends on your own lawn type and the quality of mower you choose.
You can get a very similar cut quality from all the types of lawn mowers available today. The quality of the cut is more dependent on the quality of the mower itself and the sharpness of the blade.
Some experts say that push lawn mowers offer a better quality cut because they cut close to the ground and give you more control over your lawn mowing.
Cylinder mowers tend to offer a cleaner cut because of their scissor-like cutting action compared to a rotary mower’s “smashing” action. However, we still recommend a rotary lawn mower for long or rough grass.
If a striped lawn is your preference, look for a mower with a built-in roller.
👷Safety
Whether you’re investing in your first mower or you consider yourself a lawn-mowing veteran, safety is key.
The best lawn mowers sold today have a number of safety features, including handle levers that cut off the engine if you let go, and a back flap that prevents objects (including your feet!) from entering the mower while it’s operating.
Walk-behind mowers are considered safe because you have complete control over the mower’s navigation. Manual mowers are even safer since they’re push-operated, and there’s no engine to malfunction.
Robot mowers are safe, too, since they’re programmed to navigate around obstacles in the garden, so they’ll stop if they get too close to children or pets.
🎧Noise
Whether you buy an electric mower, a battery-powered cordless lawn mower, or a petrol mower, you can’t avoid some noise when you’re cutting your grass. Even with muffling technology, there’s not much that can be done about the characteristic mower hum, scrape, and occasional rattle as you navigate your family lawn.
If you’re really keen to keep the noise down, consider investing in a robotic mower. Robot mowers are quieter than conventional mowers – the average robotic mower operates within the 50- to 65-decibel range, while a conventional mower operates at around 85 decibels.
Or, if you’re a bit of a mowing fanatic in the summer months but you live close to your neighbours and don’t want to create a disturbance, consider a manual mower, which has no motor and is whisper-quiet compared to a conventional mower.
👀Appearance
Finally, appearance should be pretty far down on your list of priorities – an attractive-looking lawn mower is useless if it can’t do a good job of mowing your lawn. But since lawn mowing is such a big part of the spring and summer seasons in the UK, it’s understandable if you want your mower to have at least some aesthetic appeal.
The most common lawn mower colours are red, blue, orange, and green. Some models are bulkier and have a more machine-like appearance than others. The style of lawn mower that’s appealing to you largely comes down to personal preference, so shop around and see what catches your eye.
Keep in mind that the sleeker, techier models made with sturdy metal are usually more expensive than the flimsier-looking plastic models.
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.