Choosing the best lawn mower can be a tricky task, with so many models on the market and such a wide range of brands. There are five main types of mower available at hugely varying prices and all with different features that need to be considered.

Advertisement

To make things easier, we focus on some of the key points to look for when choosing a lawn mower and explain some of the benefits and drawbacks of the different types.

We’ve also listed our best lawn mowers across the board, as tested by our experts. There are a range of styles on the list including corded, cordless, robotic, and push mowers, all of which offer various functions and additional features.

All the models on our list have been awarded Best Buy status after being thoroughly put through their paces. Every one of them has scored a minimum of 4.5 out of 5 overall, so you can be assured that you’re looking at one of the best machines in its category. To make things as clear as possible, we’ve included a list of pros and cons for each model, so you can make an informed choice on the best lawn mower for you. For more detail, take a look at our full list of individual lawn mower reviews. To save some money on your favourite tools, take a look at the best Black Friday tool deals we've found for you.

Best lawn mowers at a glance


How to choose a lawn mower

There are a number of factors to take into consideration when choosing the right lawn mower for you. Firstly, you need to decide whether you want a corded electric, petrol, battery-powered cordless or push mower.

More like this
  • Corded electric mowers are generally in the mid-price range and are relatively light and quiet. You will need a charging point and possibly an extension cord and the electric cable can get in the way. Take a look at our pick of the best electric lawn mowers.
  • Battery-powered cordless lawn mowers are the newest type of mower and are the most lightweight and manoeuvrable. You need to remember to keep the battery charged and they can be expensive, although prices are starting to come down. Check out our pick of the best cordless mowers.
  • Push mowers are cheap and manually powered, so they are the most eco-friendly mower you can buy but, they can be hard work for the user, particularly if strength and mobility are an issue. Read our rundown the best hand push mowers.
  • Robotic mowers automatically mow your lawn. Whenever the lawn gets a little long, a robot mower will nip out and clip it, saving you the job. However, bear in mind that this is the most expensive type of mower on the market - even budget options will set you back about £500. Learn more with our tests of the best robotic mowers.
  • Petrol lawn mowers are powerful but tend to be loud, heavy and are less environmentally-friendly. They need an annual maintenance check up and a supply of petrol and oil.

Once you've decided which type of mower is right for you, think about what extra features you might need:

  • Check the size of the mower. The wider the cutting width, the more area of lawn can be covered in one go.
  • The capacity of the grass collector will dictate how often you need to stop mowing to empty it and although larger bags mean fewer trips to the compost heap they will make the mower heavier to operate as they fill up, which is worth bearing in mind.
  • Some models require assembly when you first get them. Cheaper models particularly, often need handles and grass bags assembled before use, which can be fiddly.
  • If you are particularly tall or small, check whether the handle can adjust for different user heights and if storage space is an issue, if it can be folded down and easily tucked away.
  • Other features like the range of cutting heights, whether a fast charger is included and inevitably, price will need to be taken into consideration, too.
A well-maintained lawnmower cuts better and lasts longer.

Find out how to maintain your mower in our easy to follow, step-by-step guide, and for more advice, check out our budget lawn mowers Buyers’ Guide.

For other help with lawn care, take a look at our reviews of the best strimmers and the best aerators, or check out our guide to the best lawn edging.


Best lawn mowers to buy in 2023

Browse some of our top-rated Best Buy lawn mowers on test below.

Yard Force LMG37A 40v 37cm cordless lawn mower

RRP: £259.99

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

Yardforce 40V 37cm cordless mower review BBC Gardeners' World magazine
Yardforce 40V 37cm cordless mower

Pros:

  • Rear roller
  • Double folding handle for easy storage
  • Quickest charge time
  • Part of the Yardforce GR40 cordless range

Cons:

  • Assembly slower than some

This sturdy mower has a 37cm cutting width and useful features including a rear roller for those much desired stripes. Awarded a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for small to medium lawns, clippings are collected in the large 40 Litre fabric grass bag, it offers a wide range of seven cutting heights, from 25-75mm and is easy to fold away at the end of the day. The 40V battery is quick to charge, taking just 50 minutes and when full it has the capacity to cut a 400m2 lawn.

Buy the Yard Force LMG37A 40V 37cm cordless mower from Yard Force, Amazon and Wickes


Worx WG779E cordless lawn mower

RRP: £239.99

Our rating: 4.75 out of 5

Worx WG779E cordless mower review Gardeners World Magazine
Worx WG779E cordless mower

Pros:

  • Easy assembly and storage, long warranty
  • Turbo and Eco modes
  • Robust, light and easy to manoeuvre
  • Battery and charger interchangeable with other Worx 20V tools

Cons:

  • Long charge time
  • One handle height

Our testers found this lawnmower easy to assemble and it handily folds away for storage when not in use. There’s a 30 litre ready-made grass bag and six cutting heights to choose from. It’s ideal for smaller lawns and we were impressed with the amount of features it packs in, considering the price. It also comes with a generous three-year warranty.

Read the full Worx WG779E cordless mower review


Mountfield Princess 34 electric corded lawn mower

RRP: £159

Our rating: 4.75 out of 5

Mountfield Princess 34 mower review
Mountfield Princess 34 cordless mower

This mower is powerful yet surprisingly quiet and our testers found a number of the additional features useful. There’s a mulching option, rear roller, vision window in the grass collector to check levels and more. There’s also a choice of six cutting heights and our experts found that the mower handles well on the job.

Pros:

  • Light, quiet and manoeuvrable
  • Cut, collect or mulch
  • Rear roller and anti-scalp plate
  • Easy to adjust

Cons:

  • Collector slightly fiddly to assemble

Read the full review: Mountfield Princess 34 review


Webb WEER 33 electric corded mower

RRP: £99

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

Webb WEER33 Electric Lawn Mower - BBC Gardeners' World Review
Webb WEER33 corded lawn mower

Pros

  • Comfortable and easy to use
  • Cable relief clip for safety
  • Great features
  • Cuts efficiently
  • Cuts to the edge

Cons

  • Black cable hard to see

This mower is well thought out with excellent features. It’s easy to assemble and folds for storage with a comfortable, foam handle which can be adjusted to a variety of heights. There are five cutting heights to choose from and these are easily changed by a single lever. The grass collection bag has a generous 35L capacity and a full indicator that lets you know when it needs emptying. The mower is relatively quiet and it cuts well, right up to the edge. It’s lightweight and comfortable to manoeuvre and our only quibble is the black mower cable, which could be a brighter colour so it's easier to see. For just £99.99, this is a great value mower.

Read the full Webb WEER 33 electric corded mower review


Gardena Handymower

RRP: £259.98

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Gardena handymower cordless mower review BBC Gardeners' World magazine
Gardena handymower cordless mower

Pros:

  • Small and light to carry and store
  • Pivoting handle very easy to manoeuvre
  • Easy to check battery charge
  • Part of the Power For All Alliance

Cons:

  • Battery and charger are purchased separately
  • Cuts out if handle pushed into upright position

This great little mower was awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for very small lawns. It’s light, compact and easy to manoeuvre around the lawn and is ideal for the regular cutting of small areas of grass. There’s minimal assembly needed, you just screw the handle into the body and once the battery is charged it’s ready to go. There are three cutting heights to choose from and rather than collecting the clippings, this mower mulches, dropping them back onto the lawn where they break down and fertilise the grass – so you don’t need to spend time emptying a grass bag and your grass gets fed. A pivoting handle helps it get into tight spots really easily and it also copes surprisingly well with bumpy ground. While you’re mowing the battery charge is clearly displayed on the mower. The battery and charger come separately, which does push the price up but this mower is part of the Power for All Alliance, which includes Gardena, Flymo and Bosch battery tools and will save you money if you invest in cordless tools in the future.

Buy the Gardena Handymower from Amazon (£159) and Tooled-Up (£163.95)

Best Buy review video – the Gardena Handymower

In this in-depth video review, Kay Maguire explains why the Gardena Handymower was awarded BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy status.


Worx Landroid S300 WR130E robotic mower review

RRP: £549.99

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

2048-1365-GW-Worx-Landroids300WR130E-robotic-mower
Worx Landroid S300 WR130E robotic mower

Pros:

  • Quiet and light
  • Correct set-up indicator lights
  • Easy to programme, via keypad
  • Smart connectivity App
  • 90 minute run time
  • Three year warranty
  • Intelligent programming to continuously map your lawn
  • Battery interchangeable with the Worx PowerShare range of tools

Cons:

  • Add-on accessories takes it out of the budget range
  • It doesn’t cut to the edge of the lawn
  • Do-it-yourself boundary set up

The cheapest robotic mower we’ve tested, the Worx Landroid S300 WR130E is straightforward to use and comes with a useful – but limited – range of features. Compact and quiet, it features three small pivoting blades on the cutting disc, which give it a cutting width of 18cm. With intelligent programming, it works continuously to map your lawn, pausing to recharge before carrying on from where it left off. It cuts in a zig-zag pattern instead of straight lines, so the lawn looks neat and stripe-free, and it’s able to navigate through narrow passages, (not all the models we tested can do this), and cope with slopes of up to 35%. It also turns efficiently, rather than constantly reversing, which results in a quicker cut and protects the lawn from too much wear-and-tear, another feature that not all the mowers we tested have.

Read the full Worx Landroid S300 WR130E Robotic Mower review.


Powerbase 34cm 40V

RRP: £189

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Powerbase 34cm 40V cordless mower review BBC Gardeners' World magazine
Powerbase 34cm 40V cordless mower

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Front and side combs, and rear roller
  • Double folding handle for easy storage

Cons:

  • Awkward to manoeuvre
  • Not part of a battery system

Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award for best budget mower for extra features, this mower is well thought out and simple to use. It’s easy to assemble and the handle folds down flat over the body of the mower so it takes up very little room in storage. There’s a choice of five cutting heights and this is easy to adjust with a single lever and it has several features to ensure a neat, sharp cut including front and side combs and a rear roller for elegant stripes. The 40V battery takes 120 minutes to fully charge and will cover a 200m2 lawn. It comes with a three year warranty.

Buy the Powerbase 40V Cordless Lawnmower from Homebase


Einhell GE-CM 18/33 Li

RRP: £199.95

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Einhell GE-CM 18/33 Li cordless mower review BBC Gardeners' World magazine
Einhell GE-CM 18/33 Li cordless mower

Pros:

  • Light and simple to use
  • Choice of handle heights
  • Large rear wheel turns easily
  • Part of the Einhell Power - X Change battery system

Cons:

  • Lacks features
  • Handle only folds in half for storage

This simple, light, well priced mower was awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for best budget mower for ease of use. It’s simple to assemble with a choice of handle heights to suit different users and the handle also folds in half helping it take up less room in storage. It moves smoothly across the lawn and manoeuvres well and offers a choice of five cutting heights that are easily adjusted with a central lever. The 18V battery takes just 75 minutes to charge and has the capacity to cut a lawn 200m2 and the 33cm cutting width mows neatly and efficiently, tackling longer grass with ease.

Buy the Einhell GE-CM 18/33 Li cordless mower from Amazon, Toolstation and Wickes


Gardena PowerMax 1200/32 electric corded mower

RRP: £99.99

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Gardena PowerMax 1200/32 - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine review
Gardena PowerMax 1200/32 cordless mower

Pros

  • Light and easy to manoeuvre
  • Cuts to the edge
  • Height of cut simplest to change
  • Orange cable easy to see

Cons

  • Grass box tricky to assemble

This mower offers incredibly precise cutting - it cuts between 20-60mm in 5mm increments and this height of cut is very easy to control with a simple twist of a dial making it great for gardeners who lack strength or dexterity. It’s light and easy to manoeuvre, with a tight turning circle and we love the bright orange power cable, which is easy to spot in the grass. The grass box is easy to empty and indicates when it's full, however, we found it a little tricky to assemble. The handle which folds for easy storage is a little short for taller users.

Read the full Gardena PowerMax 1200/32 electric corded mower review


Flymo Hover Vac 250 corded mower

RRP: £74.99

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Flymo Hover Vac 250 mower review
Flymo Hover Vac 250 corded mower

The new design of this Flymo Hover Vac includes a grass collector and metal blade. Our experts were impressed with how easy the mower was to manoeuvre, particularly over edges and on slopes. The handle also adjusts to suit different heights, which went down well with testers.

Pros:

  • Versatile, very light, powerful for its size
  • Grass collector compacts clippings
  • Hangs up for neat storage

Cons:

  • Fiddly to adjust cut height
  • Short warranty

Read the full Flymo Hover Vac 250 review


Gardena Comfort hand mower

RRP: £139

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Gardena Comfort Hand Cylinder 400C - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Gardena Comfort Hand Cylinder 400C

There’s more to assemble on this model than with other hand push mowers but our testers found that the instructions were clear to follow. The comfortable-to-use handle also folds easily for storage. In use, the mower feels sturdy and our experts thought it was well-designed, although the 49 litre grass collector has to be purchased separately. There’s a warranty of two years on this model.

Pros:

  • Easy height-of-cut adjuster
  • Large grass collector that catches clippings well
  • Feels sturdy and well designed
  • Cuts well

Cons:

  • Heavy
  • Grass collector is sold separately

Read the full Gardena Comfort hand mower review


Advertisement

This review was last updated in June 2022. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement