Why go to all the trouble of pushing a lawnmower around your lawn when you can have a ‘robot’ do it for you?
For some, mowing a lawn is a satisfying exercise, an excuse to get out there and keep an eye on all of your garden, not just the lawn. For others it’s a tiring, mucky chore that they’d gladly wish away. You know into which camp you fall.
Robot lawnmowers – lawnmowers that combine a motorised drive system, cutting blades and a brain to keep it all on the right track – have come on leaps and bounds in the past few years. A modern mower allows you to live the dream, autonomously mowing your grass to a schedule, avoiding obstacles, detecting edges and will even plug itself in to recharge when exhausted.
And, because robot lawnmowers are effectively mulching lawnmowers – with no grass storage – you don’t even have to collect and dispose of the clippings. They work by making fine cuts to shorter grass. I.e. Rather than cutting when the grass is long, a robotic mower cuts less actual grass… but does it much more often. The result is a lawn that’s – basically – always picture perfect.
Looking for mowers of the non-robotic variety? Head to our roundups of the best lawn mowers and latest hedge cutting tools.
The best robotic lawnmowers in 2024
Flymo EasiLife 500 GO
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 500m2
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Incline: 25 degrees
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: 58dB
Flymo describe the Flymo EasiLife 500 GO Robotic Lawn Mower as being suitable for ‘medium’ gardens with a cutting capacity of 500m2.
There are simple buttons on the top surface to allow you to start, stop and program timing, or if you want finer, more visual control go to the Flymo app which will pass on your instructions to your robot mower wirelessly over Bluetooth.
There’s tilt, lift and collision sensors for safety – it cleverly detects the edges of your lawn to avoid running off piste – and a big ‘stop’ button on the top should you quickly need some manual control.
It can cope with 25 degree inclines and when it needs charging it’ll automatically drive off to its lawn-side dock and power up.
Pros: Safety blades stop spinning when lifted, automatic charging, waterproof.
Cons: No LCD screen.
WORX WR141E M500 Landroid Robotic Mower
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 500m2
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Incline: 20 degrees
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: Not specified
The larger models of robot mower feature Worx ‘Cut To Edge’ capabilities, featuring a blade that runs right to the edge of the included 130m of boundary wire so there’s no missed edges to manually take care of after a cut.
The Landroid is a little bit ‘next level’ when it comes to smarts too, featuring an on-board processor that connects to ‘cloud computing’ to better learn and calculate your lawn (and where it’s been). This means each time you let it loose there's less aimless pootling around and more methodical, energy saving grass cutting.
It even gets weather updates from the internet so it knows not to head out while it’s raining. No joke.
There’s also a module connection port for adding extra features to your Landroid, such as the ability to – literally – see obstacles and drive around them and a Find My attachment that maps its position so you can find it again should one of your neighbours take a shine to it…
Pros: Lawn-mapping, weather feature, opportunity for extra features.
Cons: Not waterproof.
Gardena Sileno Life
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 1000m2
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Incline: 35 degrees
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: 58dB
Gardena are old pros when it comes to gardening hardware and their take on the robotic mower aims to go one further in every regard. It offers a range of 1000m2, and a low profile, powerful motors and large wheels allow it to tackle inclines of up to 35 degrees.
Unlike the WORX model above the Sileno is completely waterproof and so doesn’t shy away from the rain, offering to cut your grass even in a downpour, and can be simply hosed down to stay looking sparkling.
The Sileno prides itself on its ability to work in tight spaces with accurate manoeuvring meaning that intricately designed and shaped lawns can be recognised, understood and navigated including confined pathways down to 60cm in width.
Of course there’s a Bluetooth app for controlling and programming your perfect mowing schedule and – the clue is in the name – the Sileno is one of the quietest mowers around.
Pros: Works well in tight, intricate spaces, large range, waterproof.
Cons: Price.
Lawnmaster L10 Robotic Lawnmower
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 400m2
- Bluetooth: No
- Incline: 35% (about 19 degrees)
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: 62dB
If you’re looking for something with a keen price and a range that’s ‘typical back garden’ rather than 'Hyde Park' then the Lawnmaster L10 Robotic Lawnmower is well worth a look. And with a 400m2 range it’s certainly no slouch.
It’s a powerful but simple affair with easy-to-use controls under its weatherproof top flap and no app, Bluetooth or configuring to mess about with. Simply program the mower on its buttons, peg out the boundary wire and let it go to work.
While it is IPX5 waterproof, thanks to its weather sensor it’s programmed to return to its charging dock and sit out heavy rain. Smart move.
Pros: Waterproof, affordable, simple to use.
Cons: Lower incline and capacity than other models, no Bluetooth.
Husqvarna Automower 405X
- Buy now from Sam Turner (£1699.00).
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 600m2
- Bluetooth: Yes (and GPS)
- Incline: 40% (about 20 degrees)
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: Not specified
Another garden kit company that really know their stuff are Husqvarna. Their Automower 405X is only one of two models here that feature GPS, allowing your mower to truly know where it is and thereby waste less time and energy hunting out fresh turf.
It’s on board data connection means that it will receive updates ‘over the air’ automatically to keep its navigation software bang up to date, and its Weather Timer sensor adjusts its mowing intervals according to the weather and the growth of the lawn.
This powerful package is perfectly topped off with a range of 600m2, the ability to cope with 20 degree slopes and – brace yourself – it’s even got headlights. Impressive.
Pros: GPS tracking, automatically updates, lawn-mapping.
Cons: Price.
Yard Force Compact 400Ri
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 400m2
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Incline: 30% (about 17 degrees)
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: Not specified
The Yard Force Compact 400Ri prides itself on the most advanced collision detection around, with ultrasonic iRadar sensors as standard (rather than an option or add-on) that will detect and avoid obstacles rather than bump into them and make an escape or – worse – steam-roller over anything flat enough to climb over.
If you’ve got pets that love to lie on your lawn then the 400Ri is your tortoise’s new best friend.
There’s no quoted mention of its noise levels in dB but the makers claim that the level of ‘silence’ is sufficient to send the 400Ri into duty at the dead of night without your neighbours thinking you’re mowing your lawn by torchlight.
Pros: Advanced collision detection built in, quiet, good value.
Cons: Not great incline capacity.
Bosch Indego S+ 500
Key specs
- Cutting capacity: 500m2
- Bluetooth:
- Incline:
- Automatic charging: Yes
- Noise level: 63dB
As you’d expect, the garden gear masters at Bosch have got their take on robotic mowers.
The Bosch Indego S+ 500 has a range ofg 500m2, app control for programming a schedule, Alexa and Google Assistant control, and a weather analysis feature, pulled from the internet via its own (free) cellular data connection, that looks at live weather data and works out the perfect schedule for your next cut.
The LogiCut feature sends the machine in neat parallel lines to achieve its tasks rather than the more haphazard ‘keep going until every bit has been touched’ used by every other robot mower.
It can negotiate pathways (between guide cables) as narrow as 75cm so setting out a pathway for it to travel from one lawn to another is possible, plus it’s nice and quiet at 63db output.
Pros: LogiCut mowing lines, smart features, narrow paths.
Cons: None.
Robotic lawn mower buyer's guide
What to consider when choosing a robotic mower
With an overwhelming number of models on the market, selecting the right robotic lawn mower can be a daunting task, but fear not, as our comprehensive buyer's guide is here to assist you in making an informed decision.
Size
Your first consideration is the size of your lawn. In brief, the smaller your lawn, the more a robotic mower will be a perfect fit. As ever with tech, test it too far and you’re inviting disappointment. We’ve seen huge lawns mowed by ‘teams’ of two or three robot mowers just to make sure the job is done right!
The fact is that large areas require more time and power to mow. It may be that a small model simply isn’t up to your lawn so be sure to check its range and capacity – how many square metres can it do before a recharge? Get out there with a tape measure and learn just how much lawn needs cutting.
Shape
Slopes and inclines – and wet slippery surfaces – can cause some smaller mowers problems. Larger wheels and tracks can help here. So make a note of the degrees angle that each mower can cope with and bear that in mind for your garden.
Also shaped lawns require some clever thinking on the part of the mower itself so you may wind up with some missed bits without careful planning. Advanced mapping features of some mowers make them smarter than others and most now use a mobile phone app to give you precise control of when and how it goes about its business.
How do robot mowers work?
There are even models equipped with GPS allowing them to genuinely learn your lawn, while most use a simple perimeter wire fencing (supplied in the box) which will require careful installation but will ensure that your new mower is cutting the grass rather than your begonias.
Some even allow Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri (Apple HomeKit) control so getting your lawn cut is now a barked instruction from your armchair.
Our selection above have all done their best to thwart the problems mentioned, and we’re certain there’s something tailor-made and – let’s face it – just that little bit incredible, delightful and entertaining for you on our list.
Find more fun tech in our guides to the best smart garden products and the best garden gadgets, from robotic weeders to outdoor TVs.
