Last updated on November 28th, 2023
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Even though mowing a small lawn doesn’t seem to take much time, it’s one garden task that you can hand off – to a robot lawnmower. Keep your lawn neat and healthy by having it automatically mown on a regular schedule. Our review looks at the Best Robot Mowers for lawns up to 750m2, organised by size of the lawn. We list each model’s pros, cons and features, as well as giving our recommendation. Our Buyer’s Guide discusses how these robot lawnmowers work, as their set-up does take some time and patience.
If your grass area is larger than 750m2, please see our Best Robot Mowers for Large Gardens review instead.
BEST PICK
BEST NEXT GENERATION PICK
5 Best Robot Mowers for Small Gardens Reviews
Lawns up to 299 m2
1. Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawnmower
BEST PICK
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The Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower has all the features of the larger Flymo Robot Mowers, just in a scaled-down body. This model deals with lawns that are up to 150m2 in area. However, there’s also a model for 250m2 and for 500m2 lawns in this EasiLife Go range of mowers.
The programming of this EasiLife Go robot mower is through two avenues. The first is manually through a series of LED lights onboard the mower body. The manufacturer states that you can program the mower in three steps. Alternatively, download the Bluetooth app to your smartphone for full remote programming and control of your mower.
If you do have a lawn that has a sloped lawn up to 35%, then we recommend choosing a robot lawnmower very carefully.
You can read my guide on the best robot lawn for sloped lawns.
The cutting width of this mower is a generous 16cm and you have a choice of cutting heights from 20mm to 50mm, which’s from relatively short to quite shaggy. A bumpy lawn should be no problem as the mower can handle slopes of up to 25%.
The Frostsense and Lawnsense features detect the weather and let the mower out when it isn’t frosty or raining, so you don’t have to worry about changing the programming at all according to the weather forecast.
This Flymo mower cuts your grass clippings finely and leaves them on the lawn as nutritious mulch. Don’t worry about some clinging to the mower over time as you can wash the unit down with your garden hose regularly to keep it clean. It has tilt and lift sensors that trigger alarms and stop the blades spinning if these events happen and a collide sensor that sends the mower off in a different, random, direction if it hits something.
This is a quiet (58dB) robot mower so you can use it during the evening hours when all your neighbours are out in their gardens relaxing. All the boundary wires and stakes come with your purchase so you can set up the mowing perimeter.
Pros
- Robot lawnmower that automatically cuts lawns up to 150m2.
- Has LawnSense and FrostSense features that only let the mower work in suitable weather.
- PassageSense feature guides the mower through narrow passages.
- Cutting width is 16cm.
- Cuts inclines up to 14°/25%.
- Cutting heights are in the range 20mm to 50mm.
- Quiet operation at an impressive 58dB of sound.
- Tilt, lift and collision sensors for safety.
- Onboard programming through a series of LED lights – no keyboard or screen.
- Bluetooth app available for your smartphone (Android and iPhone) for programming and control of the mower.
- Intelligent guide allows for more than one start point to the mower’s cutting routine.
- Placement of recharging station can be almost anywhere at the edge of the boundary wire.
Cons
- Has problems with really curvy lawns.
- Boundary wire snaps easily.
Our Recommendation
The Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower has all the weather-sensing and safety features that you need to ensure the safe mowing of your 150m2 lawn. The cutting width is fairly wide at 16cm and the choice of cutting heights gives you a range of lawn looks to explore. The quiet operation of this robot mower is available through a Bluetooth app for your phone that lets you mow from the comfort of your garden hammock.
We like the Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower for its range of features and the fact that it comes in different models for a variety of lawn sizes. It’s our choice for Best Pick of Robot Lawn Mowers for Small Lawns.
It is also the Runner-up in our Best Robot Mowers for Lawns review.
2. Yard Force Compact 280R Robotic Lawnmower
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The Yard Force Compact 280R Robotic Lawnmower has fewer features than our Best Pick, the Flymo EasiLife 150 GO, in this lawn size category. However, it mows lawns up to 280m2, powered by the 20V Samsung Lithium battery that’s included with your purchase. The brushless motor in the mower makes the battery more efficient and you get 60 minutes of use from one full charge.
The Compact 280R isn’t wi-fi enabled and so doesn’t come with any form of a smartphone app. Programming and control are via a set of buttons on the top of the mower’s body. However, there’s not much to program as your scheduling options are limited – this Yard Force mower mows at the time that you set, seven days a week. Some online reviewers find that this is too much mowing for their small lawns, so they turn the mower off when the grass cutting is done and turn it on again at the next mowing session.
The cutting width of 16cm is standard for small lawns and the cutting height range of 20mm to 55mm (in three steps) gives you a longer length than most other small robot mowers. Grass clippings are cut up finely and left on the grass as mulch.
The four safety sensors – lift, tilt, turnover and obstacle (collision) – are governed by a technology called iRadar. As its name suggests, this technology uses radar to detect these events and give warnings, and this “Active Safety Ultrasonic Sensor” is also used to guide the mower.
Pros
- Robot lawnmower for grass areas up to 280m².
- Uses 20V 2Ah Lithium-ion Samsung battery that’s included in the purchase.
- iRadar, a sensing technology using radar, directs the lift, obstacle, turnover and tilt safety sensors.
- Cutting width is 16cm.
- Cutting heights are from 20mm to a generous 55mm in three steps.
- Rain sensor sends the mower back to the recharging station when raindrops land.
- Programming is manual through buttons on the top of the mower.
- Handles inclines up to 27°/30%.
- Mulches the grass clippings it cuts into small pieces.
- Includes boundary wire, pegs and connectors as well as spare blades.
- Comes with 80m of boundary wire and 100 pegs.
- Two-year warranty, plus an additional year if register online.
Cons
- One scheduling option.
- No Bluetooth app.
- Poor customer service.
Our recommendation
The Yard Force Compact 280R Robotic Lawnmower is a basic robot lawnmower that gets the job done. It has a very simple schedule that requires you to take regular action if you want a different one. But it does have powerful (radar) sensing technology to avoid obstacles and to know where it is in your mowing area. The brushless motor uses the battery power efficiently and grass clippings are left on the lawn as mulch, another efficient decision.
The Yard Force Compact 280R Robotic Lawnmower is a good choice for small lawns if you’re looking for a no-frills robot lawnmower that just quietly does the job.
Lawns 300m² to 499m²
3. Gardena Sileno City: Robotic Lawnmower (300m²)
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Working at the lower end of this lawn size range is the Gardena Sileno city: Robotic Lawnmower. The model we review handles lawns up to 300m2 with ease, though you also have the choice of units for smaller areas of grass up to 250m2 and for larger areas of 500m2.
This mower’s random pattern of mowing is governed by the SensorCut system making this mower especially good for small gardens with complex shapes or many angles. The SafePassage feature successfully guides the mower through narrow passages without bumping along the sides, as long as the passage is wider than 60cm.
You are able to program and control the Sileno city mower in one of two ways: download the Bluetooth app to your Smartphone (Android or iPhone) or manually using the buttons on the top of the mower’s body and see the results on the screen there. Note that as this is a Bluetooth app, you need to be with 10m of the mower to be able to use it. There is no mobile app.
These two places are also where you receive the warnings that someone has tilted or lifted your mower or that it is stuck somewhere and needs your help. Unfortunately, there is no information on the sales page or the manufacturer’s page about your mowing scheduling options with this mower.
With your purchase, you receive an 18V Lithium-ion battery that powers the mower for 60 minutes on a full charge. That’s enough time for it to cut your lawn. Recharging fully takes 65 minutes. And you don’t need to worry about the weather – Sileno City is designed to cut your lawn on dry days and in rainy conditions. But make sure that that is what you want for your lawn care.
Pros
- Robot Lawnmower for lawns up to 300m2 in area.
- Comes with 18V Lithium-ion battery and recharging station.
- Cutting height range is from 20mm to 50mm and cutting width is 16cm.
- Works with the Gardena Bluetooth app with EasyApp Control, Autoschedule and EasyConfig programs.
- Mows in a random pattern directed by the SensorCut system.
- Cuts the grass in all weathers, including rain.
- Mows for 60 minutes on a full charge and then recharges for 65 minutes.
- Hose down with the garden hose to clean.
- Travels easily through narrow passages with the EasyPassage feature.
- Warning sensors look after tilt, collision and lift events.
- Handles inclines of up to 32°/35%.
- Comes with 150m of boundary wire and 200 hooks, plus 4 connectors.
Cons
- Doesn’t link to Gardena Gateway.
- Scheduling options are not stated.
Our recommendation
The Gardena Sileno city: Robotic Lawnmower deals with lawns up to 300m2 for a full 60 minutes without needing a recharge. The SensorCut and SafePassage features make this mower especially useful in small gardens that have a complex shape involving strange angles and small passageways. This model doesn’t have a mobile app so you do have to program it manually or through the Bluetooth app from within the wi-fi range. But you don’t need to do this too often. This mower cuts your lawn safely in most weather conditions, including rain.
We recommend the Gardena Sileno city: Robotic Lawnmower for those with small awkwardly shaped lawns and who aren’t invested in having a mobile app for their mower.
4. Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350
BEST NEXT GENERATION PICK
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350 is definitely at the leading edge of robot lawn mowers Not only does it communicate with your smart device, (including with voice control) but it has features as standard that other mowers don’t even have as options yet.
As with most other robot mowers, the S+ 350 comes with the 18V Lithium-ion battery that you need to power it. The mower works for 45 minutes on a full charge that also takes 45 minutes. That’s enough time for a full lawn mowing. All the boundary-setting equipment is included as well as is the docking station. Online reviewers report that it’s quite a task to set up this recharging station in exactly the right place on perfectly level ground. But persevere, it’s worth it.
The Indego S+ 350 cuts lawns up to 350m2 in area. But this mower’s MultiArea function lets you set up to three grass areas as one lawn as long as their total areas don’t exceed this. This saves you from setting up individual boundary perimeters for each of your grass spaces.
This Bosch mower is really the latest gen smart mower. As with other smart mowers, you download an app to your smartphone to program and control the mower. But with this model, you are also able to use voice commands through Amazon’s Alexa system if you are already hooked into that. And you also have the option of controlling the mower manually through a small screen on the top of its body.
The cutting width of the mower is a generous 19cm and you have the standard choice of three pre-set cutting heights between 30mm (for a close cut) and 50mm (for something a bit more informal). Unlike other robot mowers, this mower mows in parallel straight lines and not randomly. To avoid stressing the grass, the mower alternates the direction of the lines each session.
This S+ 350 mower comes with the option to purchase additional shells for the body in a wide variety of bright colours – fuchsia, lime grey, neutral grey and so on – to make the mower even easier to see as it goes about its task.
If you don’t need your lawnmower to communicate with Amazon Alexa, a similar model without this option and for 300m2 grass areas, the Bosch Robotic Lawnmower Indego XS 300, is available.
Pros
- Robot lawnmower cuts up to 350m2 of grass across up to three lawns.
- Powered by 18V Lithium-ion battery, included along with the boundary wire (100m), pegs and docking station.
- Uses Bosch Smart Gardening app on your smartphone to program and control the mower.
- Voice control also through Amazon’s Alexa system.
- Artificial Intelligence technology directs this mower to go around all obstacles.
- Cutting width is 19cm and three pre-defined cutting heights are from 30mm to 50mm.
- Logicut Navigation System remembers where the mower has already been and where it’s yet to cut.
- SmartMowing feature mows in straight lines not in a random pattern.
- Works on slopes up to 27%/33°.
- Mower adapts cutting schedule if rain is present or forecast.
- PIN code needed to start the mower for security.
- Recharge battery time is 45 minutes and then 45 minutes mowing on this charge.
Cons
- Base station is fiddly to position.
- Screen on mower is difficult to read.
Our recommendation
The Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350 is a smart robot mower with many more features than other mowers of this kind. You can communicate with it via Amazon’s Alexa system and it has quite a few software features to direct the mower, plan the mowing path, watch the weather, and set up and control everything from your smartphone. Plus it’s a good lawnmower that mulches your lawn as it cuts.
The Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350 is our choice for Best NextGen Pick – Robot Lawn Mower.
Another choice
Our Best Robotic Lawn Mowers review also recommends the WORX WR130E S300 Landroid Robotic Mower (up to 300m2).
Lawns 500m2 to 650m2
5. Hyundai (HYRM1000) Lawnmower (625m2)
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The Hyundai (HYRM1000) Lawnmower is a sleek-looking robot lawnmower that handles small to medium-sized lawns of up to 625m2. All the controls, except for the huge red emergency STOP button, are hidden under flaps on the top of the mower’s bright blue body. The 22.2V Lithium-ion battery that drives this mower comes with it. The brushless motor needs little maintenance and uses the battery power efficiently.
The security of this Hyundai HYRM1000 mower is well taken care of. You need a PIN number to start the mower, so anyone who takes it away without your say-so can’t start it anyway. You also have the usual tilt, collision and lift sensors and warnings. And when the mower is tilted or lifted, the blade immediately stops.
The safety of your lawn is also a consideration as there’s a rain sensor that you can set to return the mower to its station if the rain starts. You don’t need to worry about leaving the mower out in the rain though as it’s fully waterproof.
All the controls are hidden under panels on the top of the mower. And you do have to use these to program the unit as it doesn’t come with any form of wi-fi or Bluetooth app for your smart device. The keypad and screen are at one end of the mower and the single dial to adjust the cutting height is at the other end. You have a choice of seven cutting heights from 25mm to 55mm. This is more heights and a wider range from most other robot mowers, so you can be especially particular about how your lawn looks.
The cutting width of the mower is a respectable 18cm. There’s a choice of four cutting patterns – Edge, Spiral, Zig-Zag & Random. Spiral is useful for cutting under furniture, random leaves a carpet-like appearance and edge option will just trim around the boundary wire. We are not sure what effect zig-zag leaves.
Pros
- Robot lawnmower cuts up to 625m2 of grass lawn.
- Powered by 22.2V Lithium-ion battery that is included in your purchase.
- Manages gradients of up to 27°/30% with ease.
- Cutting width is 18cm with a range of 25mm to 55mm cutting height adjustment.
- Cuts the grass finely and drops clippings back on lawn as mulch.
- Mows in one of 4 patterns for a carpet-like finish.
- Pin code provide as a security feature.
- Automatic rain sensor optionally returns mower to home if raindrops fall.
- Program through hidden keypad and screen.
- Huge red STOP button on outside of body.
- Collision, lift and tilt safety sensors.
- Includes recharging dock, 100m of perimenter wire and boundary pegs.
- Two-year Hyundai warranty.
Cons
- No wi-fi or Bluetooth app.
- Need to fit the mower blades yourself; tool provided.
Our recommendation
The Hyundai (HYRM1000) Lawnmower is suitable for lawns that veer towards medium size rather than being small. Its wide choice of cutting heights lets you keep your lawn trimmed according to the time of the season and the weather, whilst the choice of cutting patterns suits those whose grassy areas aren’t neat rectangles. If you don’t mind manually setting up your mower’s program, this mower has the usual Hyundai high quality.
Buyer’s Guide
Watching a robot lawnmower wander around your lawn in a seemingly random fashion is fascinating and even relaxing. But setting things up so this can happen takes time, effort and patience as many online reviewers of these mowers point out. Our Buyer’s Guide discusses how robot lawnmowers work and what you need to set up so you know what to expect.
Where to mow
Robot mowers need to know where you want them to go. It would be impossible to draw them a map and plan out the route yourself. Besides, that’s what you bought this technology for. Your job is to create a wire fence/boundary around the area inside which you want the mower to cut the grass. Your purchase of the robot mower includes a certain length of boundary wire, pegs to stake it into the ground and some connectors to reconnect any wire that the mower accidentally cuts through (unfortunately this can happen).
Online reviewers report that setting up the boundary at first involves some trial and error. Some robot mowers go very close to the boundary wire and others stay a good 30cm or so away. You don’t really know what your mower does until you try it out. You have to adjust the placement of the wire until the mower covers the area you want to be mown. You may find that the mower doesn’t stop at times, especially if the boundary wire is on an incline, and will cut the wire.
While many online users report that it’s safer to bury the boundary wire under the ground, do not do this (if at all) until you’re really certain that you’ve ironed out all the kinks in the boundary. It’s a hassle to dig up a cut wire to repair it.
You can learn more about why robot lawn mowers are safe for pets animals and people here
The question of where to place the recharging station is also a tricky one. Some models of robot mower give you free rein to hide it in the corner of the mowing zone and others require it to be in plain sight. Other units have a guiding wire that guides the mower back home. Some recharging stations must be on absolutely flat ground, while others are a little more tolerant of slopes.
Setting up your mowing area and home recharging station is an experimental yet necessary first part of having a successful relationship between your robot lawnmower and your lawn.
When to mow
At the very least, you need to program your lawnmower with the time you want it to go out and cut the grass. The regularity of cutting is nice to have, e.g. the days of the week to mow or the number of days between sessions, as is leaving some decision making up to the mower such as ‘only mow when the grass is 5.0cm long’.
We found it difficult to determine the details of the scheduling programs available on many of the mowers in our review. Easier to find were software features such as those that kept the mower at home if it rained (you could override this) or if there was frost or even if rain was the only forecast. The more expensive mowers – generally for larger lawns – had more of these features.
And how you program your robot mower is also a choice you have to make. There’s always the option to do it manually on the mower body – buttons, keyboard and/or screens – but do you want to use your smart device via Bluetooth or wi-fi, or even through voice control using Amazon’s Alexa system?
How to mow
The last thing to tell your robot mower is how you want the grass mown. Many mowers don’t offer you a choice as they mow in a random pattern that is efficient and doesn’t leave visible strips. You end up with a lawn with a smooth appearance like a carpet. However, other mowers have a choice of additional set patterns, including a spiral for under chairs and tables and an edge pattern to trim around the perimeter. We only found one robot mower that offers a striped pattern, the Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350.
Setting up your lawn for the robot lawn mower is time-consuming and may test your patience. But from then on, except for the occasional rescue, your mowing chores are done.
If you want to learn more about how robot lawn mowers work, check my guide here
Final Conclusion
Even people with smaller lawns don’t need to do all their lawn care themselves. The robot mowers in this review do the task for you automatically to the schedule you set. Yes, they do have to be rescued occasionally and initially setting up the boundary wire can be a bit taxing to your patience. But after that, technology takes over and you can use your gardening expertise elsewhere or even just sit back and supervise.
Our Best Pick of Robot Lawn Mower is the Flymo EasiLife 150 GO Robotic Lawn Mower. Although we review the mower for 150m2 lawns, it’s also available in 250m2 and 500m2 lawn models with plenty of features for keeping your grass well-cut.
We include a Best NextGen Pick for those who are constructing an Internet of Things in their household. The Bosch 06008B0100 Robotic Lawnmower Indego S+ 350 is a good lawnmower in its own right. You can communicate with it via Amazon’s Alexa and it has all kinds of software features that decide where, when and how it operates best for efficiency.
If you decide that a robot lawnmower just isn’t for you, after all, head over to our Top 9 Best Lawn Mowers For Small Gardens – Cordless, Electric and Push Mowers for a broad overview of your alternative choices for cutting your lawn.
And to help keep your lawn in its best shape possible, review our Best Lawn and Garden Sprinklers – 5 Top Models For 2021 article.
Last update on 2024-04-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
