Robot lawn mower app. Robotic lawn mowers

Robotic lawn mowers

For that freshly manicured lawn all day, every day, discover the LawnMaster® range of robotic lawn mowers. No apps required. Free UK delivery and 2-year guarantee. Full UK based customer support. Official LawnMaster® UK Site.

Compare Robot Lawn Mowers

Select which models you’d like to compare using the drop-downs below.

Description

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

Experience the convenience of a fully autonomous robot lawn mower. Designed to cut lawns up to 400m2 at a height of 20mm to 60mm, this compact mower drops its clippings back onto the surface of the grass for a naturally fertilised, healthier lawn. Includes charging station, 10m power cable supply, 150m boundary wire and 250 pegs. Model no. L10-01.

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

Experience the convenience of a fully autonomous robot lawn mower. Designed to cut lawns up to 400m2 at a height of 20mm to 60mm, this compact mower drops its clippings back onto the surface of the grass for a naturally fertilised, healthier lawn. Includes charging station, 10m power cable supply, 150m boundary wire and 250 pegs. Model no. L10-01.

Power

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

• Operating Method: Automatic Mowing/Charging
• Boundary Type: Boundary Wire
• Power Supply: Integrated Battery
• Battery Voltage: 20V
• Battery Capacity: 2.0 Ah
• Cutting Duration: 4-10 hours
• Battery Charging Time: 45 mins
• MX 24V Shared Battery System: No

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

• Operating Method: Automatic Mowing/Charging
• Boundary Type: Boundary Wire
• Power Supply: Integrated Battery
• Battery Voltage: 20V
• Battery Capacity: 2.0 Ah
• Cutting Duration: 4-10 hours
• Battery Charging Time: 45 mins
• MX 24V Shared Battery System: No

Technical Details

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

• Cutting Pattern: Random
• Cutting Width: 18 cm
• Cutting Area: 400 m2
• Cut Height Settings: 5
• IPX Rating: 5
• Slope: 35%
• Rain Sensor: Yes
• Blades: Metal Pivoting
• Mulching: Yes
• Weight: 8.1 Kg

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

• Cutting Pattern: Random
• Cutting Width: 18 cm
• Cutting Area: 400 m2
• Cut Height Settings: 5
• IPX Rating: 5
• Slope: 35%
• Rain Sensor: Yes
• Blades: Metal Pivoting
• Mulching: Yes
• Weight: 8.1 Kg

LawnMaster VBRM16 MX 24V Drop and Mow Robotic Lawnmower (With Battery)

Simply drop and mow. The convenience of a robot mower without the need for a boundary wire, outdoor power socket or app. Designed especially for UK gardens with lawns up to 100m2. To be used once or twice a week in the daytime in dry weather. Combines a camera and sensors with recognition software to identify grass and navigate around your lawn. A clearly defined edge around the full perimeter of your lawn is required to prevent the mower leaving the grass. Adjustment of lawn edges may be required. Supplied with an MX 24V 4.0Ah lithium-ion battery and fast charger, the mower is ready to drop and go straight out of the box. Part of the MX 24V Shared Battery System. Model Number VBRM16-01. See also: LawnMaster VBRM16 MX 24V Drop and Mow Robotic Lawnmower (Battery Not Included)

LawnMaster L10 Robot Lawn Mower

Experience the convenience of a fully autonomous robot lawn mower. Designed to cut lawns up to 400m2 at a height of 20mm to 60mm, this compact mower drops its clippings back onto the surface of the grass for a naturally fertilised, healthier lawn. Includes charging station, 10m power cable supply, 150m boundary wire and 250 pegs. Model no. L10-01.

LawnMaster L12 Robot Lawn Mower

The LawnMaster robot lawn mower for larger lawns. Designed to cut lawns up to 800m2 at a height of 20mm to 60mm, this compact mower drops its clippings back onto the surface of the grass for a naturally fertilised, healthier lawn. Includes charging station, 10m power cable supply, 180m boundary wire and 300 pegs. Model no. L12-01.

LawnMaster VBRM16 MX 24V Drop and Mow Robotic Lawnmower (Battery Not Included)

Simply drop and mow. The convenience of a robot mower without the need for a boundary wire, outdoor power socket or app. Battery and charger not included. Designed especially for UK gardens with lawns up to 100m2. To be used once or twice a week in the daytime in dry weather. Combines a camera and sensors with recognition software to identify grass and navigate around your lawn. A clearly defined edge around the full perimeter of your lawn is required to prevent the mower leaving the grass. Adjustment of lawn edges may be required. Part of the MX 24V shared battery system. Model Number VBRM16-BM. See also: LawnMaster VBRM16 MX 24V Drop and Mow Robotic Lawnmower (With Battery)

LawnMaster VBRM16 MX 24V Drop and Mow Robot Lawnmower and Cordless Grass Trimmer Set

Simply drop and mow. The convenience of a robot mower without the need for a boundary wire, outdoor power socket or app. Designed especially for UK gardens with lawns up to 200m2. Combines a camera and sensors with recognition software to identify grass and navigate around your lawn. A clearly defined edge around the full perimeter of your lawn is required to prevent the mower leaving the grass. Includes a 3-in-1 Cordless Grass Trimmer to edge, trim and reach under objects. Supplied with 2 x MX 24V 4.0Ah lithium-ion batteries and fast charger. Part of the MX 24V Shared Battery System. Model Number VBRM16 COMBO

Why choose a Robotic Lawn Mower

Robotic lawn mowers utilise the latest technology to independently mow your lawn, freeing up your time to spend elsewhere. Requiring minimal human intervention, robot mowers cut the lawn in a sequential or random pattern and drop the clippings back onto the lawn’s surface, acting as a natural fertiliser. Robotic mowers are ideal for busy households as well as technology enthusiasts looking for the latest must-have gardening appliance.

The LawnMaster ® Range

Shop LawnMaster® by Cleva. Manufacturer of over 40 million appliances worldwide. Alongside our popular robotic mowers, the LawnMaster® range includes hover mowers and cordless lawn mowers, as well as battery-powered leaf blowers, grass trimmers and hedge trimmers. Our 60V lawnmower is ideal for larger gardens. Buy direct and browse our latest product range, access detailed specification information, and use the insights from the team that design and make the products to choose the best robot lawnmower for your needs. We offer free UK delivery, great customer service and additional peace of mind with our manufacturer’s guarantee.

The Best Robot Lawn Mower

New robotic lawn mowers have eliminated the nuisances that kept older models from delivering what most folks are hoping for: a big lawn mowed constantly, with zero oversight and minimal maintenance.

Several such mowers are emerging in 2023, and they’re quite pricey. But they’re already looking good enough to shift the conversation on what’s possible in lawn care.

We’ve tested one model so far (with plans for testing more as soon as they’re available). It’s the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS, and we’ve been more than impressed with its capabilities.

The best robot mower (so far)

A premium model with unmatched features, this mower raises your capabilities while reducing your effort. It corrects many limitations of older bots, but it’s not perfect.

Why you should trust us

I’ve been writing about tools and outdoor power equipment since 2007, and I’ve been testing lawn mowers and outdoor power equipment for Wirecutter since 2013. To learn more about robot mowers, I spoke with four leading manufacturers: Ambrogio, Husqvarna, Toro, and Worx.

Who this is for

Consider a robot lawn mower if the following features and capabilities particularly appeal to you.

Robotic mowers are tireless workers. Instead of mowing an area once a week, they can cut it once a day or every other day. This consistent maintenance not only keeps a lawn looking pristine but also improves turf health, because the mower is cutting only the very tip of each blade of grass, and the small cutoffs quickly feed back into the soil. In addition, most robotic mowers cut with small razor blades, so the cut is smooth, not the jagged tear you get from traditional mower blades once they’ve dulled a little. With that cleaner cut, grass is less likely to develop brown tips.

The new generation of robotic mowers can do more. Like a robot vacuum, a robot mower needs a clearly defined work area. Until now, defining that area has required the use of a boundary wire—either buried a few inches deep or pinned down with clips—around the perimeter of the lawn. Installing the wire is a fiddly process, and if it is ever damaged by an animal, a snowplow, or an errant shovel, finding and fixing the break can be difficult. To reshape the work area, you install additional boundary wires. The new mowers eliminate the need for the wire, using satellite positioning or onboard sensors instead, and their app-based controls allow for scheduled cutting, multiple work areas, cutting-height adjustments, mowing patterns, and even weather monitoring.

New robot mowers can handle bigger yards. How much acreage a robot mower can handle is determined by the battery life, namely how much can it mow and charge in a single day. Previous robot mowers worked in random patterns, which is not the most efficient method. New mowers can move in organized patterns, such as straight lines across a yard. Your lawn can look nicer as a result, and the mower doesn’t waste time criss-crossing over previously mowed areas. Thanks to this increased efficiency, a mower battery that could have handled 1.5 acres previously can now cover up to 2.5 acres. This kind of large-scale cutting puts the best robotic mowers alongside comparably priced tools such as riding mowers and zero-turns.

How we tested

As of spring 2023, boundary-free robotic mowers are just being released in the US. We found two available models, the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS and the Ambrogio Twenty ZR. We’ve spent more than a month with the Husqvarna model as of May 2023. We plan to test other models from Toro, Worx, and possibly Ambrogio as soon as they’re available at retail.

We installed the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS on a complex lawn in rural New Hampshire. The hilly lawn is roughly 2 acres and is littered with obstructions including blueberries, a wood shed, multiple flower gardens, a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, six Apple trees, maples, soccer nets, and a fire pit. Mowing this lawn with a riding mower takes roughly two hours. Our intent was to set up the robot mower on only a portion of the lawn and see how it did, but once we got into testing, we kept increasing the number of mowing areas until the entire lawn was being mowed by the relentless little machine.

The best robot mower (so far)

A premium model with unmatched features, this mower raises your capabilities while reducing your effort. It corrects many limitations of older bots, but it’s not perfect.

Buying Options

The Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS is a boundary-free robotic mower that relies on satellite positioning to maneuver around a yard. The associated app allows you to create and manage mowing zones, stay-out areas, mow patterns, cutting-height adjustments, and more. In our testing, it worked well beyond its listed capabilities, proving itself to be an excellent lawn-maintenance tool. It’s not ideal for every lawn—using it involves some annoyances, and it needs good satellite reception and a wide-open sky. But in locations where it’s a strong fit, it’s worth considering, even with its nearly 6,000 price tag.

The package consists of four parts: the mower, the charging station, the reference station, and the app. You have some restrictions on where to set the pieces up, due to the system’s reliance on satellites. According to the manual, the reference station, which looks like a weather station, should have 160 degrees of clear sky above it, so installing it up high and on a pole is recommended. Don’t mount it on the side of a building. Note that the reference station is responsible for the heightened accuracy of the mower—down to about a centimeter—so if the installation is loose, and the reference station moves or swings around on the mounting pole, the entire lawn map will shift accordingly.

You have two ways to connect the phone app to the mower. Option one is Automower Direct, which uses Bluetooth; option two is Automower Connect, which uses cell reception. Certain features, such as mapping a mowing area, appear in the app only on the Bluetooth connection. The cellular connection lets you control the mower from any remote location (though we had problems setting it up). You can also connect the mower to Amazon Alexa or Google Home.

The most time-consuming part is setting up the mowing areas. You accomplish this by driving the mower around the edge of the defined area, using the app as a controller, and marking points to create the boundary. Once you’ve established the perimeter, you can create stay-out zones for objects such as flower gardens, a birdbath, a child’s play structure, a tree, or a berry patch. Finally, you create a path for the mower to return to the charger. You can create multiple areas, too. Depending on your property or yard, this can be an involved process, and figuring everything out takes a while. Thankfully, once you’ve established an area, you can move the boundary points; in our tests, after the mower cut an area a few times, we could see where our initial points were off and could make slight adjustments.

With the mowing areas established, the fun begins. You can customize each work area with its own schedule, mowing height, and mowing pattern. Because everything happens through satellites, the mower can also work at night (it has headlights that you can turn on for safety), in the rain, or whenever is convenient. For example, the kids get home from school and often play in the yard around 3 p.m., so we kept the mower off-duty at that time.

We were surprised by how well it could handle our test lawn. All set up, our lawn had eight mowing areas and 21 stay-out zones. It worked—and it’s still working. Mowing that lawn with a riding mower typically takes approximately two hours, once a week. Going all mowing season long with the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS, that will be at least 50 hours we’ll have back. We’ll also have no need to deal with refilling gas, changing oil, or winterizing an engine.

The mowing patterns are customizable. We kept things simple with a straight-line mow pattern, but you can also choose a cross pattern or a triangle pattern. You can fully customize the direction of the mow lines, as well, so you can have them run parallel to the front of the house, perpendicular, or at any angle you want. Unfortunately, you can’t mow words into your yard. (Everyone asks that question.)

It cuts with three small razor blades attached to a spinning disk. The blades are double-sided, and each time the mower goes out to work, it reverses the direction of the spin, adding life to the blades. Husqvarna recommends changing the blades every six weeks or so—a simple process that you can do with a screwdriver. The cutting path is roughly 9 inches, and the body of the mower is about 28 by 21 inches, so the design puts a good 7- or 8-inch buffer zone between the edge of the body and the spinning blades, far more than on a push mower.

For added safety, it has a sensor. When the mower encounters an object that is not programmed as a stay-out zone—such as a person, a picnic table, or a delivered package—it slows down so that it bumps the object at a very low speed. Once it feels the bump, it reverses and starts to figure out how to get around the object, a process that leads to a lot more bumping and a lot more reversing. We found that it’s easiest to create a stay-out zone through the app for any object that will be on the lawn for more than a day or so, such as a kiddie pool.

But it does not detect smaller items. You need to clear your lawn of stuff that’s small enough to fit under the mower’s housing. We found this task especially tricky with four kids living in the house. Because we had scheduled most of our mowing for the nights and early mornings, each evening we needed to do a thorough check for baseballs, hula hoops, cornhole bags, sweatshirts, dog toys, socks, and anything else strewn about.

Hitting something might not be a disaster. On a couple of occasions, we missed an item, but the damage was minimal. The blades are smaller than a traditional mower blade, and they’re hinged to the spinning disk like a flail, so if they hit something, they can spin out of the way. A baseball that got run over had only a few nicks on it—a significant difference from all the baseballs we’ve chopped in half with a traditional mower.

This map shows five different mowing areas (green), a number of stay-out zones (red), and the travel paths back to the charger (blue).

The Husqvarna robot mower offers a lot of options, including a weather timer, which coordinates the mowing schedule to the growth of the lawn.

Each work area can operate on a different schedule. In this example, we set the area around the berries to be mowed between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day.

This map shows five different mowing areas (green), a number of stay-out zones (red), and the travel paths back to the charger (blue).

Security and privacy don’t appear to be an issue with the app. As we do for all app-based devices, we sent a security and privacy questionnaire to Husqvarna, asking about the company’s security policies and practices for handling a device owner’s data. Among other concerns, that includes login practices, whether the company supports two-factor authentication, what user data is encrypted, and what data is recorded and shared. Husqvarna’s responses were standard for what we’ve seen and didn’t raise any questions.

Not surprisingly, it’s expensive. The mower and charging station together cost about 5,000, and the reference station adds 800. You can purchase the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS only through an authorized dealer, who can do the installation at an additional charge, though we think a moderately handy person should be able to perform the install themselves. That is a lot of money, but the multi-acre capability of the 450XH EPOS, not to mention the convenience, makes it comparable to a riding mower or a zero-turn mower, which are up in the 2,000 to 6,000 range, depending on the size and features. Add in the time you recover by not mowing, maintaining, or winterizing, and the value of this Husqvarna robot mower starts to come into FOCUS.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The app is functional, but it has room for improvement. Using the app is mostly intuitive, but at times we were confused about how to navigate it. We also would have appreciated more mapping features, such as the ability to add a mapping point to an existing work area, and we found other little things, like inconsistencies between metric and US measurements. When we spoke to Husqvarna representatives, they indicated that the app and the satellite technology in general are still evolving, so we expect to see incremental improvements to both.

Satellite coverage can be an issue. During our testing, the Husqvarna mower exceeded its documented capabilities, working fine in many spots where it had no line of sight with the reference station, but it did drop out of satellite communication a couple of times. On occasion, when the mower was operating directly against a two-story structure or under a tree canopy, it would shut itself down, with the message that it was looking for satellites. This happened maybe one in five times it was mowing that area. Often it would recover on its own, but other times we had to manually restart it.

Cloud? Bluetooth? Hello? We had problems connecting to the mower through the Cloud. This was probably due to the lousy cell reception at the test property, and it’s likely not a universal issue, but it did limit what we could do with the mower. Because we could connect only via Bluetooth, we needed to be within close proximity in order to control the mower. So if it was raining out or if it was nighttime, and we wanted to change the schedule or stop the mower, we needed to suit up and head outside, instead of making the changes from our living room.

This mower won’t work for all properties. Most manufacturers we spoke with agreed that there are still some properties where a boundary-wire robot mower is the better fit. Some properties, for example, may have too much tree cover, or they might be simple and small enough for the lower cost of a boundary-wire mower to make more sense. Right now, the Husqvarna Automower 450XH, the boundary-wire version of our pick, costs almost 3,000 less.

What to look forward to

A number of other manufacturers are in the process of releasing their own boundary-free robotic mowers. We are excited to try several firsthand.

Ambrogio, a popular robotic mower manufacturer in Europe, is set to release in the US the 4.36 Elite RTK mower, which shares a lot of features with the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS, including the use of satellite positioning and an app. The specs show similar capabilities between the two models.

The Worx Landroid Vision is a much simpler mower, better equipped for smaller, well-defined lawns. It operates more like a robot vacuum, randomly bopping around the yard until it has cut all of the grass. Instead of requiring a boundary wire or satellite coverage, it uses cameras to determine what is grass and what is not grass. If it sees grass, it cuts; if it sees something that is not grass, it tries to go around. Though this mower does not need a boundary wire, it does need a well-defined yard, one that is preferably enclosed on all four sides by sidewalks, driveways, and a house. This mower is limited in capability in comparison with the Husqvarna model we tested, but it could be a great fit for certain yards. Worx is set to release four versions: 0.25 acre, 0.5 acre, 0.75 acre, and 1 acre. Pricing will range from 2,000 to 3,500, according to company representatives.

The Ambrogio Twenty ZR is similar to the Worx Landroid Vision but uses radar for sensing its surroundings, as opposed to a camera. Currently available, it works on spaces up to a quarter acre and appears to be in the 1,800 price range.

Toro is in the process of releasing a robotic mower, and we’re very curious about it. The technology behind this model sounds like it splits the difference between the simplicity of the Worx Landroid Vision and the complexity of the Husqvarna Automower 450XH EPOS. Like the Worx design, it relies on onboard cameras to find its way around, but it also lets you map out multiple mowing areas and stay-out zones. While it doesn’t have mow patterns, it does offer scheduling. Toro has not released any pricing or availability details, but representatives indicated to us that the cost would be in the range of a zero-turn mower, likely putting it in the 3,000 to 4,000 range.

The competition

We did not consider any models that use a boundary wire. This is a large group of mowers that have come and gone in recent years; the current lineup includes the Husqvarna Automower 430XH, the Robomow RK4000, and the Worx Landroid WR147. Such models may work for some people and situations, but the new boundary-free mowers, though more expensive, offer much more customization, larger work areas, and none of the frustration associated with burying and maintaining a wire perimeter around your lawn. If you have a smaller, well-defined lawn and decide to take this route, we recommend starting your search with Husqvarna, Worx, and Ambrogio.

This article was edited by Harry Sawyers.

Why spend weekends pushing a loud gas mower and breathing exhaust fumes? Let one of these autonomous electric mowers do the work cleanly and quietly.

By Mark Wolfe | Updated Jul 18, 2023 10:43 AM

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila

Improvements in rechargeable battery tech and intelligent software have dramatically changed the way we live. Smart televisions and lighting systems improve our sensory environment, while other automated home devices like vacuum cleaners, thermostats, and refrigerators minimize many more mundane tasks. Similarly, robotic lawn mowers can now keep the grass at just the right height, eliminating a time-consuming weekend chore.

These devices may even cost less to own and operate than gasoline-powered mowers while making very little noise and producing no exhaust emissions. They maintain up to an acre or more on most types of terrain, and they work automatically so folks with lawns have more time to relax and enjoy their green space.

No doubt, all of this sounds great—but how well do these robots actually perform? To find out, we put some popular models through their paces on real-life lawns. Read on to learn about the criteria we used to select these mowers, and then check out our product reviews to find out how each one did on our test turf. Anyone in the market for a new mower might just discover that a robot model can be a Smart, time-saving investment. R2-D2 would surely approve!

• BEST OVERALL:Worx Landroid M 20V Robotic Lawn Mower
• BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK:Gardena 15001-20 Sileno City Automatic Robotic Mower
• UPGRADE PICK:Husqvarna Automower 415X Robotic Lawn Mower
• BEST FOR STEEP HILLS:Redback MowRo 9.5-Inch Robot Lawn Mower
• BEST FOR LARGE LAWNS:Husqvarna Automower 115H Robotic Lawn Mower
• BEST FOR SMALL LAWNS:Gardena 15202-41 Sileno Minimo Robotic Mowe

Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila

How We Tested the Best Robotic Lawn Mowers

All of the robotic lawn mowers we tested use 14-gauge low-voltage wire to establish the barrier. We assembled two barriers around two 1,200-square-foot patches of lawn—one with Bermuda grass and a steep slope and one mostly flat area with centipede grass. Each test area included two large open spaces connected by a narrow bottleneck corridor, and all the mowers were tested on both test areas.

We established a daily mowing schedule for 7 days in each location. We observed the ease of programming and communication with the mower as well as its actual performance. Criteria to be included in this guide were as follows:

• Consistently reliable mowing on schedule and returning to the base station after initial setup and first-day adjustments
• Consistently navigating the narrow corridor to mow both large areas
• Avoiding random obstacles intentionally left within the boundaries
• Returning to the base station in the event of rain or sprinklers
• Avoiding excessively steep slopes without becoming stuck
• Complete coverage of the test area—no noticeable missed spots for the entire test week

Our Top Picks

We measured the following robotic lawn mowers against our shopping considerations (detailed below) and put each one to work for a 7-day home trial. Find out why we recommend them among the best robot lawn mowers available.

Worx Landroid M 20V Robotic Lawn Mower

The popular Worx Landroid robotic mower lineup includes models S, M, and L for yards up to 0.125 acre, 0.25 acre, and 0.5 acre, respectively. While they offer many similarities, we found that the Worx Landroid M offers the best combination of capability and affordability. It is powered by a 20-volt 4-amp-hour lithium-ion battery for 2 hours of runtime per 90-minute charge. It can mow on a 20-degree slope thanks to a pair of high-efficiency brushless wheel motors that provide extra traction. The Landroid’s 8-inch self-leveling mowing disc cuts closer to the edges of the yard than many competitors. The blade height manually adjusts from 1.5 to 3.5 inches.

Landroid connects to a home Wi-Fi network via Bluetooth and automatically keeps its own software up to date. You can easily set or adjust the custom mowing schedule or monitor the mower on the go via the Landroid mobile app. An integrated rain sensor stops the mower from cutting if rain starts and sends it back to its charging station.

The Landroid M performed at or near the top in most of our testing rubric categories. Assembly and programming were easy, mowing was reliable with excellent coverage, communication through the mobile app was intuitive, and runtime was superior—all for a very competitive price. Runtime was especially impressive: We clocked it at 2 hours 35 minutes, the longest of all the mowers we tested.

Unfortunately, we subtracted points for poor docking ability. Landroid was the only mower we tested with recharging contacts located on the side of the machine rather than the front or back. To recharge, it must be perfectly positioned in relation to two flexible contact points as it passes over the base station; otherwise, it continues tracking along the perimeter wire without stopping. After resetting the base station three times and ensuring it was absolutely level in all directions with a long, straight approach, we finally achieved satisfactory results.

Aside from that issue, the Landroid provides outstanding overall functionality for the price. Available upgrades include the ACS module that prevents collisions, Find My Landroid GPS cellular module, Radio Link module to extend Wi-Fi connectivity for improved artificial intelligence, an Off Limits module for wire-free no-mow zones within the main mowing area, and the Landroid Garage.

Product Specs

• Coverage area: 0.25 acre (10,890 square feet)
• Mowing height range: 1.5 to 3.5 inches
• Slope rating: 20 degrees
• Includes everything you need to get started and clear step-by-step instructions for easy installation
• User-friendly mobile app makes it simple to control the mower and check status remotely
• 2 hours of runtime per charge means more mowing and less time spent charging
• Competitive price point for a highly capable robotic lawn mower
• Base station must be installed perfectly or the mower may not align properly for charging
• Some desirable features are not included with the base kit

Get the Worx robot lawn mower at Amazon, Lowe’s, or The Home Depot.

Gardena 15001-20 Sileno City Automatic Robotic Mower

Anyone shopping for an affordable and uncomplicated robotic lawn mower for a small yard would do well to consider the Gardena Sileno City. It navigates slopes up to 25 percent and corridors as narrow as 24 inches wide. Plus, it works rain or shine, day or night.

Available with either a 2,700-square-foot or 5,400-square-foot maximum mowing capacity, the Sileno City is a great option for most urban landscapes. It requires a flat, level area for the charging station and a nearby power source. A low-voltage perimeter wire keeps the mower inbounds and may be configured to mow a secondary area that is isolated from the primary lawn.

You can customize the mowing height between 0.8 inch and 2 inches high by means of a manual adjustment knob. The Gardena Bluetooth app makes it easy to operate the mower or customize the schedule and other settings from any mobile device, or use the onboard control panel to make adjustments.

It took about 1.5 hours to set up the Gardena Sileno City in our testing area. The kit included everything needed to get started, along with clear instructions. We plugged in the base station and allowed the mower to charge while we installed the perimeter wire and guide wire. The guide wire is an extra wire that bisects the lawn from the base station to the most distant portion of the perimeter wire. All Gardena (and parent company Husqvarna) robot mowers use it to navigate more efficiently.

After installation, we followed the instructions to calibrate the system and program the schedule. Starting with a pre-mowed lawn, we adjusted the mower height to mow 1.5 inches high, and the yard looked great throughout the test period.

One feature that shoppers should be aware of is the maximum daily runtime of about 3.5 hours per day (for the 2,700-square-foot version that we tested). Don’t bother scheduling the mower to run more than 3.5 hours total per day since after reaching the time limit, the device will simply return home until the following day. Since we mowed no more than 2.5 hours per day, we didn’t have a problem.

Product Specs

• Coverage area: 2,700 square feet
• Mowing height range: 0.8 to 2.0 inches
• Slope rating: 14.04 degrees
• Value-priced yet feature-rich robotic mower ideal for smaller lawn areas
• Kit includes everything needed for installation and easy-to-follow instructions
• Reliably and quietly mows all kinds of grass, day or night, rain or shine
• Navigates slopes up to 25 percent and passages as narrow as 24 inches
• Preprogrammed with a daily runtime limit that stops the mower regardless of battery status
• Not Wi-Fi or GPS enabled

Get the Gardena 15001-20 robot lawn mower at Amazon or Gardena.

Husqvarna Automower 415X Robotic Lawn Mower

Here is a well-equipped mower for warm-season grasses up to 0.4 acre, especially lawns with challenging obstacles, narrow passages, and sloped terrain. With a mowing height range of 0.8 to 2 inches, the Husqvarna Automower 415X is designed for maintaining low-mow grasses like zoysia, Bermuda, and centipede. It is powered by an 18-volt 2-amp-hour lithium-ion battery that delivers a runtime of 50 minutes per charge and recharges in 60 minutes. This premium mower features a high-resolution onboard display, rugged poly front bumper, LED headlights, and coarse-tread wheels that easily handle slopes up to 40 percent.

The Automower 415X is loaded with communication and control features, beginning with cellular and Bluetooth connectivity. It is easily controlled via the Automower Connect mobile app and is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home Smart devices. Husqvarna’s intelligent mapping technology uses GPS sensors to virtually map the lawn, enabling zone control with customized settings, and real-time tracking through the app. This high level of communication pairs nicely with precision control and automated features like electric height adjustment, automatic passage handling, remote location starting, spiral- and spot-cutting capabilities, wireless firmware updates, theft protection system with GPS tracking, and more.

The Automower 415X arrived for testing with everything we needed for a quick and easy DIY installation. The layout and setup were similar to the other models we tested but with the unique addition of a central guide wire running through the middle of the mowing area to assist with navigation back to the home base. Initial programming was fast and intuitive with the mower’s onboard controls. After downloading the app, we spent some time customizing mowing options, adding the targeted mowing height and spiral mowing options. Targeted mowing automatically lowered the cutting height each day until our preselected height was achieved. With spiral mowing engaged, the mower automatically detects extra-tall or dense growth and mows that isolated area in a spiral pattern. These two options were especially helpful in combination, as we needed to get our overgrown Bermuda grass under control.

Our testing lawn was an irregularly shaped area encompassing 1,200 square feet, with a tree isolated by the boundary wire near the middle and two larger lawn areas on either side. Part of the test area included a steep slope, close to 50 percent in one small area, and the 415X had no trouble. We noticed after the third or fourth mowing that the robot was making more efficient linear cuts and less frequently getting caught up in multipoint turns.

During the target-height adjustment period, the mower seemed to FOCUS more time on a section after it had been sufficiently cut, then running out of battery before fully cutting the other section. Once the target was achieved, however, daily mowing at 1.25 inches kept the grass looking great. Docking at the base station went perfectly every time. Easy setup, reliable operation, Smart tech, and a lower mowing height range make this a good choice for most small to midsize yards with warm-season lawn grass.

Product Specs

• Coverage area: 0.4 acre (17,424 square feet)
• Mowing height range: 0.8 to 2 inches
• Slope rating: 22 degrees
• Precision control features allow you to target portions of the lawn that require more attention
• GPS-assisted navigation allows the robot to mow challenging areas more efficiently
• Easily navigates obstructions like toys and lawn furniture as well as difficult terrain
• Cellular and Bluetooth connectivity make it easy to connect and control the mower remotely
• Premium price point for top-of-the-line robotic mowing technology
• Highly efficient mowing capability is offset by a somewhat limited runtime per charge

Get the Husqvarna Automower 415X robot lawn mower at Amazon or Lowe’s.

The best robotic lawn mowers for 2023

Like the look of robotic lawn mowers? Browse our pick of the very best, for gardens of all shapes and sizes.

Increasingly popular with UK gardeners, robotic lawn mowers are a welcome, hands-free alternative to traditional petrol and electric lawn mowers. Because a robotic lawn mower is fully automatic, it can be a brilliant option for gardeners who have mobility concerns, are away from home a lot, or simply find mowing a chore. Powered by rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries, most mowers are guided by a boundary cable laid around the edge of the lawn, which helps the robotic lawn mower identify where to mow and to avoid flower beds, trees and other obstacles.

While we tested models from a number of different brands, note that all of them offer a range of mowers with varying sizes, capabilities and features.

To compare these robotic models against other types of mowers, see our reviews of the best cordless lawn mowers, the best electric mowers and the best push mowers. And, if you’re looking to give your lawn a bit of TLC, our experts have tested a range of manual and powered aerators and scarifiers. check out the best scarifiers and best aerators reviews. You can also keep edges looking neat with our tests of the best strimmers or pick of the best lawn edging.

Best robotic lawn mowers at a glance

Our expertise

To help you find a robotic lawn mower suitable for your garden, we tested a range of mowers for different size gardens, including gardens with slopes and a complex shape. Each mower is in use for weeks at a time to allow us to assess its battery capacity and cutting proficiency as well as ease of use.

Each mower in our review has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to set up and ease of use, cutting performance, extra features and value for money. Every robotic mower in our round-up below has scored a minimum of four out of five stars, so you can buy with confidence.

The robotic mower industry is constantly evolving, with new developemnts and advances, and we are currently testing a number of the latest models ready to update this review shortly. Please check back soon to see the results of our new review.

Best robotic lawn mowers

Husqvarna Automower 405X

RRP: From £1899.00

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

• Unobtrusive colour
• Easy connectivity
• Clever mowing features
• GPS theft tracking

Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for features, the Automower 405x boasts a huge range of features that help the mower cut well and make the experience easy for the user. These include, three different start points, switching mowing pattern according to where it’s mowing, such as through a narrow passage, frost guard and weather time that automatically adjusts the height according to the grass growth, and its new Rewilding Zone where you can leave 10% of the lawn aside to grow for pollinators.It’s available to buy as a bare mower, which is then installed by a dealer for an additional cost, or with the installation kit included and you install it yourself. Suitable for smaller gardens 600m2, the mower operates with both a boundary wire and a guide wire and unlike some other mowers, has a more flexible docking station, which doesn’t need a wide, clear space around it. ours was tucked neatly into the side of a hedge. It’s also easy to set up via the intuitive keypad or the impressive Automower Connect app, which allows you to change the schedule, adjust the height of cut, check on the mower’s progress and receive notifications, simply and quickly no matter where you are. As an X model, the mower also has a built in SIM so you have both remote and voice controlled control. Our only confusion with set up was working out the scheduling needed, which took a couple of weeks to establish, and that the height of cut on the app is listed as 1-9, when it cuts between 20mm and 50mm.The mower can cope with 40% slopes, which should suit most gardens. The slope in our test garden has a tendency to get muddy and slippery so at the installer’s advice, we used the spiked Terrain wheels which stop the wheels slipping. Only occasionally did the mower fail to get up the slope and when the weather was really wet we simply removed that zone from the work area. The mower cut consistently well and is very quiet, the only perceptible sound is the whirring of the blades as they cut. It occasionally missed spots on the lawn but overall this is a very easy to use and high performing mower.The Automower 405x is just one in a large range of Husqvarna mowers to suit different size lawns. A host of accessories are also available, including a cover for the docking station and wheel brushes, as well as spare parts, from batteries and blades to wheels. Both the mower and the battery come with a 2 year warranty.

Buy the Husqvarna 405X Automower from Sam Turner, Husqvarna and Red Band