A lawn mower is a big investment, often setting you back at least £100. So how can you find the best deal and keep your budget as low as possible for a high-quality product?
I did the research, and here’s what I found about the best times to buy a lawn mower in the UK.
✅ Key Takeaways:
The best times to buy cheap lawn mowers in the UK are in autumn and early spring.
The worst time to buy a new lawn mower is in the peak mowing season, between late May and June.
Some of the factors affecting lawn mower pricing are the time of the year, the manufacturer’s stock count, and sales and seasonal events.
Table of Contents
📆 The Best Month To By A Lawn Mower
I assessed the lawn mower market for a full year in 2022, and I found that the best month to buy a lawn mower is November.
Why November? Because the grass growing season is well and truly over, you’re probably not going to get your lawn mower out for at least four or five months, and lawn mower manufacturers have a lot of leftover stock that they want to clear before the year is out.
At this time of the year, your mind is most likely on Christmas, winter, and all the other associated things, like how you can stay warm without sending your heating bill through the roof. Lawn mower manufacturers know that, and many will try to tempt you with a great deal on their products – which is why you can often get some of the best lawn mower prices at this time of the year.
After the end of the grass-growing season, the second-cheapest time to buy a lawn mower is around March, at the beginning of the season, when you’re starting to think about dusting off your mower and bringing it out of the shed.
Manufacturers know that at this time, they can encourage their target audiences to ditch their malfunctioning petrol mowers and go for something more modern and convenient. And, if the price is right, they’re likely to make a sale. For that reason, prices at the very start of the season tend to be lower than average, too.
- 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
❌ What’s The Worst Time To Buy A Lawn Mower?
I’ve found that the worst time of the year to buy a lawn mower is in May or early June, when the grass-growing season has just begun.
It’s at this time of the year when your lawn well and truly wakes up from its winter slumber and starts growing rapidly – so rapidly that if you don’t mow it at least once every two weeks, your garden will soon resemble a jungle.
If you don’t own a mower or you discover that your mower has broken, once May or June comes around, you’ll have no choice but to buy one if you want to avoid wading through knee-high grass later in the summer.
Mower brands know that late spring and early summer give rise to situations where a lawn mower is not just wanted, but needed, so they can afford to price their products higher because they know they’ll have a desperate audience that will spend the extra £30 or so. Just as the price of sledges and rock salt increases when snow is predicted in the winter, so the price of lawn mowers increases when the grass starts growing in the early summer.
So, if your priority is getting the best deal on a lawn mower, some forward-thinking is essential. Plan ahead, put some money aside, and buy all your lawn and garden equipment in autumn or early spring.
📊 Examples Of Mower Price Increase
Below, I’ve shared some screenshots from April 29, which show the price increase of three popular mowers on Amazon within 30 days.
One of the mowers was more than 50% more expensive at the end of April compared to the start of April.
The other two saw a 27-28% price increase.
What does that tell you? Don’t wait until May to buy a lawn mower! Everyone is doing the same thing, and brands know it. They’re not afraid to exploit you for your money.
🧐 Factors That Affect Lawn Mower Price
Now you know the best and worst times to buy a lawn mower, let’s take a look at some of the factors that affect lawn mower pricing in the UK.
❄️☀️ Time Of The Year
The time of the year, and whether or not you’re in peak mowing season, is the biggest determiner of a lawn mower’s price.
Manufacturers and dealers generally sell their lawn mowers at a more affordable price over the months when most people aren’t thinking about buying a lawn mower.
For instance, in the winter months, you’re most likely thinking about snow blowers, and your grass isn’t growing, so there’s no reason to buy a new mower. But lawn mower manufacturers still want your custom, so they’re likely to sell their products at a lower cost in an attempt to get your attention during the colder season.
On the other end, summer isn’t typically the season for finding the best mower deals because the demand for lawn mowers is much higher, so manufacturers can price their products more competitively and still get plenty of sales.
📦 Stock Count
Another factor that affects the cost of a lawn mower is stock count.
As I mentioned above, summer is the best time for lawn mower sales. Between April and September, brands can expect to sell the majority of their stock, while October to March are quieter months (and a better time for brands to work on developing their latest models, ready for the next season).
At the end of the summer season, manufacturers might be left with a lot of inventory that they don’t expect to sell before the next year. Some brands will attempt to move some of their inventory by selling mowers at a steep discount, rather than finding a place to store the mowers over winter.
You’re especially likely to get a great deal on a lawn mower at the end of a season if you visit an in-store location.
Many of these stores will have one big stockroom to store products that aren’t on the shop floor, and they might not have the physical space to store hundreds of lawn mowers. That’s great news for you, because these stores will sell their mowers at the best prices, so you can get a good deal from buying in-store in early autumn.
💰 Sales & Seasonal Events
Finally, sales and seasonal events affect the price of a new lawn mower in the UK.
It’s normal for lawn mower prices to fluctuate by £50 or so year-round. But many lawn mower manufacturers offer their steepest discounts during sales and seasonal events, like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Boxing Day, and even Father’s Day.
You might get up to half price off one of the best lawn mowers if you shop during one of these holiday deals. But I advise you to proceed with caution.
Sales and steep discounts are tempting, but there’s sometimes a reason why a manufacturer will sell a new lawn mower for an impossibly low price. For instance, the mower might have earned a bad reputation amongst customers, or the manufacturer might be about to go bust and won’t be able to offer customer support going forward.
I recommend only buying a lawn mower from a reputable manufacturer, and be sure to check customer reviews for any mower that’s being sold at a price that seems too good to be true. You don’t want to end up wasting your money, no matter how small the upfront investment.
💸 How Else To Save Money On A Lawn Mower Purchase
You now have the knowledge to secure yourself the best deal on a lawn mower by simply holding on to your cash until the right time to make a purchase.
But are there any other tips for buying a lawn mower that will help you to secure the lowest or best prices?
Here’s my advice on how else you can save money on a lawn mower purchase.
Consider buying a used mower. There are a lot of materialistic people out there who love to have the newest and most exciting lawn mower models. Head to Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree and you’ll probably find a lot of used lawn mowers, in perfectly good condition, on sale for a bargain price. If you don’t mind using somebody else’s cast-offs, consider buying a second-hand mower.
Look at open-box or ex-display mowers. Open-box mowers are those that have been opened and returned by customers, and are often sold at a discounted price for that reason. Ex-display mowers are models that are displayed in some DIY and retail stores. These models tend to be cheaper simply because they’ve been unboxed and showcased in-store. If you’re not particularly fussed about receiving a shiny, new, never-before-unboxed mower, buying an open-box or ex-display mower is an easy way to save some cash.
Size down when possible. Your new lawn mower only needs to be big enough for your own garden. There’s no need to pay more money for a bigger mower if you don’t need it. A mower with a 30cm cutting deck is more than enough for the average-sized UK garden.
🏁 Final Word
Hopefully, this guide has given you all the tips and insights you need on the best time to buy a lawn mower.
To summarize, you’ll typically find the best deals on new mowers – and any other outdoor power equipment, for that matter – in early spring or autumn.
Our advice is to plan in advance. Don’t wait until your grass is past your ankles before you bring out your old lawn mower and discover that it’s died while in winter storage. If you know you’re due a new model sometime soon, start shopping for the best lawn mowers during the off-peak season, and you’re bound to find some great deals.
Looking for more information? We’ve found all the best deals for lawn mowers this year and shared them on in our guide to the best budget lawn mowers.