With spring in the air and nights steadily getting longer, it won’t be long before that lawn you’ve ignored all winter needs cutting. And if you’ve already started hunting for a new mower then you’ll know that the amount of options available can be a little overwhelming. Do you need a cylinder or rotary mower? Would you rather a hover or petrol-powered model? How do you get those perfect Wembley-esque stripes?
In this guide we’ll run through some of the things you need to consider before buying, features to look out for and reveal our pick of the five best lawn mowers available right now. If you just want to order that lawn mower right this instant and get stuck in, then you’ll find our top two picks below – if you want to know a little more before getting your mow on, then check out our buying guide and more in-depth reviews below.
Best lawn mowers: Editor's Picks
One of the best all-round mowers for small to medium-sized gardens is the Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless 36. It combines a lightweight body with a huge 50L cuttings box, and the completely cordless power design gives you the freedom to tackle your lawn without trailing cables.
Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless Lawn Mower with 36 V Lithium-Ion Battery, Cutting Width 43 cm
If you have a small lawn however and don’t mind a bit of an upper-body workout then we recommend you go for the VonHaus 30cm Manual Cylinder Garden Lawn Mower. As the name suggests it’s an entirely manual mower but still comes with a 23L cuttings box and six adjustable height of cut settings.
How to buy the best lawn mower for you
Does it matter how big or overgrown my lawn is?
It really does – not every lawn mower will cope with longer grass or larger lawns. The first and most important thing to consider before buying any lawn mower is the area you’re going to use it in and the type and length of grass you’re intending to cut. Think of your lawn as a standard tennis court; if it’s roughly that size, then it’s considered a medium-sized lawn. Any smaller, it’s a small lawn; any bigger, it’s a large lawn. And if you’re the kind of person who can’t be bothered to mow your lawn once a week, then it pays to buy a lawn mower that’ll cope with longer grass – which we'll discuss further below.
So, what different types of lawn mower are there?
There are generally three different types of lawn mower, and each has their plus and minus points:
- Cylinder Mowers have cylindrical blades that rotate vertically at the front of the mower - they work by cutting against a bottom blade which is fixed. These can give a great, close-cut finish, but they rely on a perfectly level lawn to give good results – they’re useless for bumpy lawns or longer grass.
- Then there are Rotary Mowers that have a single blade which rotates horizontally underneath the main body of the mower. These will cope with longer grass and bumpier lawns, but they’re not capable of giving the consistent, super-short cut of Cylinder mowers. These are the best option for most people, however.
- Lastly there are Hover Mowers. These also have rotary blades but work by creating a cushion of air between the mower and the lawn. That makes them ideal for awkward-shaped lawns as they can be manoeuvred left and right as well as backwards and forwards, and they’re easier to push up or down slopes too.
Petrol, electric, cordless or push: which is best?
- If you’ve got a really small patch then you may want to consider a Push Mower. You simply push these along under your own strength, and they can give a great, close finish, but are only really suitable for tiny, flat lawns unless you want a back-breaking workout.
- If your lawn is a little bigger, then think about a Cordless Mower. These are battery-powered and generally cost more than their electric-powered counterparts, but they provide enough cutting time to cover smaller lawns and are less effort than manual push mowers.
- Electric Mowers are powered straight from the mains and are generally better for small or medium lawns. Make sure you check how long the cable is before buying though, or you’ll need to spend extra on a suitable extension cable (note that this needs to be rated to a high enough amperage for safety purposes).
- If you’ve got a really big lawn that’s too big for a cable, then you’re probably best going for a Petrol Mower. These are much more powerful but do bare in mind that they require servicing every year or so like a car.
What other features should I look out for?
One important thing to consider is what will happen to your grass cuttings after they’ve been cut. Many mowers will come with a clippings bag or box, but make sure to compare the sizes between the models you’re thinking of buying – if you don’t have easy access to your compost bin (if your council provides one) then bigger clipping bags will minimise the number of trips you’ll need to make back and forth.
The best lawn mowers to buy
Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless 36: The best cordless lawn mower
Price when reviewed: £349
The Bosch Rotak 43 LI is the bigger brother of the 34R elsewhere on this list, and although the cordless design bumps up the price by almost £300, it’s perfect for larger lawns where mains power isn’t an option. It’s powered by a 36V Lithium-ion battery which is good for a whole 60 minutes on a full charge. At 13.9kg, it’s not as heavy as some rival mowers, and this makes it surprisingly easy to manoeuvre. The 50L grass box means less trips to the compost bin and with the ability to adjust cutting height between 20mm and 70mm you can get the lawn looking just how you want – the Rotak will cope with less than perfectly flat lawns as a result. If there’s one thing that lets the Rotak 43 down it’s the awkward assembly process: the instruction manual is confusing at best. If you’re willing to engage in a little head-scratching, however, then this cordless mower is a brilliantly flexible option.
Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless Lawn Mower with 36 V Lithium-Ion Battery, Cutting Width 43 cm
Key specs - Size (HxWxD): 79.5cm x 49 x 50; Weight: 13.9kg; Height of cut: 2-7cm; Grass box capacity: 50L; Power: Lithium-ion battery (Charge Time: 140 mins); Width of cut: 43cm
VonHaus 30cm Manual Cylinder Garden Lawn Mower: The best manual lawn mower
Price when reviewed: £29
If you’re after a cheap, no-frills mower that’s as environmentally friendly as it gets, then this manual model from VonHaus gets our pick. At just 6.3kg it’s easily the lightest on this list but still comes with a 23L grass collection box and adjustable cut heights between 12-45mm. Because it is at the budget end of things, the build quality is naturally not as great as the other mowers on this list. Being a manual model it also requires a fair bit of effort to get your lawn cut accordingly. However, if you don’t mind those minor quibbles then it’s a solid low-cost option.
Key specs - Size: 118.9cm x 44 x 10; Weight: 6.3kg; Height of cut: 1.2-4.5cm; Grass box capacity: 23L; Power: Manual; Width of cut: 30cm
Flymo Electric Glider 330: The best hover lawn mower
Price when reviewed: £99
Key specs - Size: 82.8cm x 43.9 x 42.2; Weight: 10kg; Height of cut: 1.2 - 3.2cm; Grass box capacity: 26L; Power: From mains; Cable Length: 12m; Width of cut: 33cm
Bosch Rotak 32R: The best electric lawn mower for medium-sized lawns
Price when reviewed: £74
Much like the Flymo, this Rotak 32R from Bosch is another electric mower for small and medium sized lawns. Unlike the Flymo though, it’s a best-seller on Amazon and it’s easy to see why. With a 31L clippings box and a 32cm blade on the underside of the body, you’ll be cutting more of your lawn and emptying it less often. At 7kg it’s 3kg lighter than the Flymo and has a much larger range of cutting heights - going from 20-60mm. It also comes with a nifty grass comb feature which allows you to mow over the edge of your lawn for a much neater look. A combination of fixed wheels and a rear-mounted grass collection box means it can be a bit of a pain to manoeuvre on more awkwardly-shaped lawns, but if yours is a nice uniform square, then this is a fantastic buy.
Key specs - Size: 35.5cm x 6.5 x 6.5; Weight: 7kg; Height of cut: 2 - 6cm; Grass box capacity: 31L; Power: From mains; Cable Length: 12m; Width of cut: 34cm
Honda Izy HRG 466 SK: The best petrol lawn mower for large lawns
Price when reviewed: £509
If your lawn’s a little larger then you can’t go far wrong with this petrol-powered mower from Honda. The 4-stroke self-propelled engine is a little loud at 94 decibels, but with a steel deck and a 46cm cutting width, the Izy combines rugged, long-lasting build with superb cutting ability. It works well whether you’re tackling pan-flat show gardens or lumpy lawns, but at 32kg, it certainly takes a little more coaxing back and forth to get the job done. Still, as the Izy takes the trickiest long grass in its stride, and comes equipped with a gargantuan 55 litre cuttings box, you certainly won’t be wasting any time going back and forth to the compost bin.
Key specs - Size: 144cm x 47.4 x 94; Weight: 32kg; Height of cut: 2 - 7.4cm; Grass box capacity: 55L; Power: Petrol (160cc Honda GCV160 engine); Width of cut: 46cm