The best robot lawn mowers for fuss-free gardening

Are robots friends or foes? That’s the question. They’re a divisive topic, from whether we should use them in medicine, for communications, or even to drive our cars for us. But when it comes to having one to mow our lawns, we’re pretty sold. Anything that means less household admin sounds good to us.

In fact, robot mowers are a bit of a success story in the world of tech. The world’s first fully automatic mower launched almost 30 years ago and brands have been improving on them ever since.

As well as looking rather cool and futuristic in your garden, the best robot lawn mowers offer convenience and precision (among other benefits).

At the GHI, we like to be at the forefront of reviewing the most innovative new household products so we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the latest robot companions for the home (we’re already big fans of their cousin, the robot vacuum).

Check out our top-rated models below and read on to find out why we think a robot lawn mower is a worthy investment.

For more household products tested and reviewed by our Good Housekeeping Institute experts, make sure to check out their latest findings on choosing best mattress toppers.

How does a robotic lawn mower work?

Robotic mowers work in a very similar way to robot vacuums, essentially keeping on top of lawn maintenance by mowing little and often and then returning to their charging station when they're done.

To get your robot up and running, most will require you to install a boundary wire around your garden's perimeter and any no-go zones such as trees, flower beds or garden furniture.

The mower’s charging station emits a signal through the boundary wire and lets the robot know when it’s approaching the boundary, making it stop, turn, and change direction.

Some mowers can now function without a boundary wire, though. These work via an app and must be connected to WiFi while mowing the grass. In the app, you can map out your garden – in essence, creating a virtual boundary wire – as well as changing the settings and getting access to things like lawn care tips and guides.

Are robot lawn mowers any good?

The robot lawn mower market is growing quickly for a reason. You will be getting a clever machine that keeps on top of regrowth, happily munching its way across your garden before stowing itself away at the end of a job well done.

Benefits of robot lawn mowers

If you’re considering buying a robot lawn mower, these are the just some of the ways it can make your life easier.

They save you time and effort: These mini gardeners can be programmed to trim your grass every day if you wish, so you always have a pitch-perfect lawn. You won’t have to worry about emptying a grass box either as the robot will cleverly disperse any clippings over your lawn to keep it fertilised and looking healthy. And think, all that spare time spent not mowing can be used to relax, read a book, or cook a delicious BBQ.

They’re very compact: No more battling to squeeze your chunky mower in the garden shed. These little machines have small docking stations that can be discreetly placed in a corner of the garden and during winter, they can even be hung on a wall or stored in a cupboard indoors if you prefer.

They’re low-maintenance: Once installed and scheduled, the robot takes care of itself, mowing the grass happily and recharging at the docking station. You may need to hose off the undercarriage occasionally and change the blades once or twice a year but, all in all, maintenance is a breeze.

They’re quieter than their traditional counterparts: Thanks to their smaller, lightweight blades, they require less motor power than full size electric lawn mowers, leaving you to read your book in peace.

Things to consider before buying

Sadly, the robot life isn’t for everyone and there are a few things to take note of before shopping.

They’re expensive: This is the biggest sticking point. The ones on our list go up to £1,800, with most somewhere between £500 and £800. That said, electric mowers can often cost between £200 and £350 so for a little extra investment, you can have something that takes this summer chore of your to-do list.

They’re limited by hills and sloping gardens: If your garden isn’t flat, you’ll need to double check the maximum gradient of your robot lawn mower as most cannot be used on steep incline. Typically, robot mowers are limited to slopes under a 25% gradient.

Set-up can be complicated: You might love your beautiful flowerbed, water fountain and winding gravel path, but your robot mower won’t. While these exclusion zones can be set with a boundary wire, it will take time and effort to draw these out if your garden’s design is complicated. Robot mowers can go across some paths, but this is dependent on the material and generally isn’t advised as it could damage the cutting blades.

How we test robot lawn mowers

The best way to test robotic lawn mowers is to let them get on with mowing the lawn!

So that’s exactly what our experts do. They note how easy each robot is to set up, before releasing them into the garden and seeing how well they can mow both long and short grass. Our experts then take into account the evenness of the cut and the time needed to mow a measured amount of grass. Finally, we consider the general design and ease of use, including the performance of the mower’s self-docking station and any other tech features.

These are our experts’ top-rated mow-bots.