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The Best Mowers

Master Guide · Updated May 2026

Best Lawn Mowers UK 2026

Six types of mower, dozens of models, one question: which is right for your garden? We've compared them all from manufacturer specs, verified owner reviews and UK pricing. Start here, then drill into the type that fits.

Choose your mower type

The first and most important decision is power type. Get this right and the rest - brand, model, features - falls into place. Here's a quick guide, or jump straight to the full hub page for each type.

Cordless lawn mowers

The default choice for most UK gardens under 600 m². Quiet, light, cheap to run, and the battery works across your other garden tools. Our top pick: the Gtech CLM 2.0.

Petrol lawn mowers

Still the best option for large gardens over 600 m², heavy wet grass, and anyone who wants maximum cutting power. Our top pick: the Honda HRX 476.

Electric lawn mowers (corded)

The budget option for small gardens under 200 m² near a power socket. Cheapest to buy, lightest to carry, and perfectly capable on a front lawn. Just watch the cable.

Robot lawn mowers

Set it and forget it. Best for 200-1,000 m² lawns where you value your time more than £800. The lawn looks better from daily micro-cutting. Our top pick: the Husqvarna 305.

Hover lawn mowers

Light, manoeuvrable, and the only real option for banks and steep slopes. Not great for a flat lawn, but unbeatable on awkward terrain.

Ride-on lawn mowers

For lawns over 1,000 m². Turns a two-hour push into a 30-minute sit-down. Our top pick: the John Deere X167.

Not sure which type? Use garden size

Our mower-by-garden-size guide has a simple table matching your lawn area to the right mower type and budget. It's the quickest way to narrow down.

What owners say about top cordless picks

Recurring feedback drawn from real owner reviews and forums. Attributed to source, not our own testing.

EGO Power+ LM2122E-SP

Owners rate it the closest cordless to petrol: the wide 52 cm deck and 56 V motor power through long grass, with a charge lasting close to the claimed runtime. The recurring gripe is ergonomics, not cutting.

  • LIKED

    "Ploughs into overgrown grass without slowing; the motor ramps up power to cope rather than stalling." Trusted Reviews

  • LIKED

    "Big wheels make straight lines and stripes easy, and one charge gives close to 50 minutes of real mowing." Trusted Reviews

  • GRIPE

    "The grass bag sticks out so you can kick it on every step at higher drive speeds, and there is no bag-full indicator." Trusted Reviews

  • GRIPE

    "The variable drive-speed controller is finicky to set to a comfortable pace." Lawn Care Forum

Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550

Owners rate it well overall (around 3.9 / 5 across UK reviews) for its genuinely quiet ProSilence motor and ~50 minute runtime. The common niggles are a fiddly grass box and casing, not the cut.

  • LIKED

    "The ProSilence motor is noticeably quieter than rivals, and one charge covers a lawn up to about 550 m²." Which?

  • LIKED

    "One-touch height adjustment and the LeafCollect blade make it easy to live with day to day." EasyLawnMowing

  • GRIPE

    "The grass box can be tricky to empty and the plastic casing is stiff to open." Which? owner reviews

  • GRIPE

    "A single 4.0 Ah battery is more than a small garden needs; it suits medium lawns better." Owner reviews

Gtech CLM 2.0

Owners love the 50 L box and how simple it is to live with, but two complaints recur: it can cut out on the lowest height settings, and real runtime falls well short of the claim on long or damp grass.

  • LIKED

    "The 50 L grass box is far bigger than most cordless rivals, so far less stopping to empty it." EasyLawnMowing

  • LIKED

    "Hard to fault for the price; build quality and reliability hold up well." Ideal Home

  • GRIPE

    "It keeps cutting out on the lowest cutting height when the ground is uneven and the blade catches." Owner reviews, EasyLawnMowing

  • GRIPE

    "Real runtime is closer to 20 minutes than the headline figure once the grass is long or wet." Owner reviews, EasyLawnMowing

Makita DLM382

Owners rate it highly on Amazon for being quiet, light and sturdily built, with the twin-battery setup giving a long cut. The limits are large or steep lawns and long wet grass.

  • LIKED

    "Quiet, lightweight and cuts even high grass with ease, then drops low for a clean finish." Amazon UK owner reviews

  • LIKED

    "Twin 18 V LXT batteries mean it cuts for ages, and the build is sturdy as you expect from Makita." eBay owner reviews

  • LIKED

    "The 40 L box has a fill-level indicator and pops off easily to empty." Which?

  • GRIPE

    "It can struggle on long grass, especially when wet, and is not the one for very large or steep lawns." Which? owner reviews

  • GRIPE

    "No self-propelled option, and buying the kit with batteries rather than body-only pushes the price up." Amazon UK owner reviews

Ryobi 18V ONE+ mower

Owners praise how light it is and the value of the ONE+ ecosystem, but the single complaint dominates every review: battery life. A second pack quickly goes from nice-to-have to essential.

  • LIKED

    "Ultra-light, easy to store, and the mulching function works well for a small lawn." DIY Garden

  • LIKED

    "Slots into the 18 V ONE+ system, so the battery runs your other Ryobi tools too." The Review Guy

  • GRIPE

    "A genuine 5.0 Ah pack gives roughly 15 to 20 minutes, best kept to lawns under about 150 m²." The Gadgeteer

  • GRIPE

    "A spare battery stops being a luxury and becomes a necessity for anything but a small garden." DIY Garden

Mountfield Princess 34 Li-48

Owners buy it for the rear roller and the classic British stripe, and on that it delivers. The honest caveat from reviewers: being lightweight, the stripes are not as deep or long-lasting as a heavy petrol mower.

  • LIKED

    "The integrated rear roller leaves neat classic stripes with no extra effort." Mountfield owner reviews

  • LIKED

    "A solid steel deck and proper roller at a fraction of a petrol Princess." EasyLawnMowing

  • GRIPE

    "Being lightweight, the stripes it presses in do not last as long as a heavier mower would manage." Paul's Mower Reviews

  • GRIPE

    "The 34 cm model ships with a single 2 Ah battery; the 38 cm version adds a second for bigger lawns." Owner reviews

Sources: Trusted Reviews, Lawn Care Forum, Amazon UK owner reviews, Which?, EasyLawnMowing, Ideal Home, Trustpilot, DIY Garden, The Gadgeteer, The Review Guy, Paul's Mower Reviews, Mountfield owner reviews. Owner opinions are summarised and attributed; they reflect their authors, not The Best Mowers.