Get your weekends back
On a 1,000 m² lawn mowed weekly, a robot gives you back about [[HOURS_1000]] hours a year: roughly an hour and a half every week from April to October. That assumes you mow about 600 m² an hour with a push mower, including emptying the box, and spend 10 minutes a week looking after the robot. Every mower page has a calculator where you can put in your own lawn and figures.
Our top picks right now
Highest spec scores among mowers in stock today.
Mammotion LUBA mini 2 AWD
LUBA mini 2 1500 · 1,500 m² · £1,699 · score 7.2
A thicker-looking lawn
A robot trims a little and often instead of taking a big cut once a week. The fine clippings fall back into the grass as mulch rather than being boxed and thrown away, and frequent light cutting encourages denser growth. It is a long-standing gardening rule of thumb rather than something every lawn will show.
No clippings to empty
No grass box, no trips to the green bin, no bags at the tip.
It mows when you can't
Busy weeks, holidays and a run of wet weekends no longer leave the lawn overgrown: the mower keeps it at the same height. Many models have a rain sensor and head back to the dock in heavy rain.
Quiet and clean
Published noise levels range from 46 to 70 dB; most sit around 55–60 dB, about the level of a normal conversation. There is no petrol and no fumes, and electricity costs about £15 a year.
No space in the garage
A robot mower lives outside on its charging dock. There is no ride-on mower to store, service or put away for winter.
Cheaper to run than you might think
Blades and electricity come to about £40 a year. Against a gardener charging £25 a cut, half the mowers we track pay for themselves within 2.0 years; dearer models take longer. See the payback calculator.
The honest catches
- Edges still need trimming on most models.
- It should not mow at night, because of hedgehogs.
- models need a good view of the sky, a phone signal or Wi-Fi, depending on how they navigate; see no Wi-Fi in the garden?
- Many models are new, so long-term reliability is still unproven. What goes wrong and how to protect yourself.
Ready to choose?
Not sure which fits? Answer a few questions about your lawn or see the best-for lists.