This content material initially appeared on Mashable for a US viewers and has been tailored for the UK viewers.
For some, mowing the garden is a leisurely pastime — a pleasant strategy to spend a Sunday afternoon. For the remainder of us, nonetheless, it is a chore. In actual fact, we are able to consider a greater strategy to spend a Sunday afternoon: stress-free within the sunshine whereas a robotic garden mower does the exhausting work for us. That actually is a leisurely pastime.
Certainly, a robotic garden mower is a worthwhile funding that can make chopping the grass a lot much less of a chore. Consider robotic vacuums, just like the ever-popular Roomba, however for the backyard. Merely programme it and put your toes up. Away it goes.
Deciding to spend money on a robotic garden mower is simple. However selecting the best mannequin for you is a job as arduous as pushing a petrol mower up an particularly steep backyard path. That’s why we’re right here to assist. Right here’s some need-to-know robotic mower data.
How do robotic garden mowers work?
Robotic mowers are battery-powered and, for probably the most half, run robotically primarily based on a pre-programmed schedule, which the person units up by way of an app. Once they’re not operating, they sit safely docked in a charging port plugged into an outside outlet.
When it is time to mow, they lower your grass to a predetermined top and generate grass clippings so nice that they primarily turn into mulch. Whereas you’d take a conventional mower to the garden when the grass will get a bit lengthy, a robotic mower will normally run every day to chop simply the highest of your garden and preserve it at a set stage. The chopping top choices could fluctuate mannequin to mannequin.
How do robotic garden mowers know the place to chop?
Robotic mowers study the place to mow primarily based on a fringe wire, which you may lay across the edges of your garden to type a boundary. It’s like an invisible forcefield that the mower robotically detects. Establishing your perimeter wire generally is a little bit of a headache. In actual fact, the vast majority of destructive person critiques contain the perimeter wire in a roundabout way. The businesses featured on this roundup supply pretty complete set up guides on YouTube along with the directions within the package deal.
Robotic mowers are an instance of pretty new know-how within the grand scheme of issues, so the class nonetheless has just a few kinks to work out. It is potential, as an illustration, that the mower will miss a spot or two and you may want to return over it with some clippers.
What options do robotic garden mowers supply?
Take into account no less than three primary classes: backyard dimension, hills, and price range. The mowers on this listing are typically higher suited to gardens below one acre. Every mower additionally lists the utmost incline it is capable of climb whereas nonetheless reaching a profitable lower. Basically, you may pay extra if you would like extra floor lined and better hills climbed.
Different issues to bear in mind embrace built-in rain sensors, companion app high quality, climate resistance, and GPS, that are addressed within the suggestions beneath. You may also need to take into account the power to navigate slender passages, alter to climate circumstances, or the power to chop to the sides or round difficult areas.
What’s the finest robotic garden mower?
That can rely in your backyard and gardening necessities. The choice needs to be yours, however we advocate trying out this choice of spectacular fashions from prime manufacturers like Flymo, Bosch, and Worx.
These are the most effective robotic garden mowers in 2025.