Best Robot Lawn Mowers of 2023 – Guide and Comparison

Robotic lawnmowers are a great invention and one of the few sci-fi fantasies to become a reality. Here is a device that will allow you to mow your lawn in a simple, practical way and you don’t have to do a thing. This will allow you to devote that time to the more important things or just to relax. Most robotic mowers are programmable so they will mow your lawn according to your schedule and without you needing to do anything. Some of them will even let you know if they are having some trouble so you really can just let it run free and it will send you a message if it needs some help.

Having a robot mower is like having a gardener on call 24/7 that can mow your lawn at a minute’s notice multiple times a week. Except you don’t have to pay him.

Robot Mowers are very economical, reliable, quiet, and they cut your grass perfectly. So whether you are a lover of a perfect lawn or you just want to have your lawn mowed without needing to worry about it then you are in the right place.

To help you find the best robot mower for you, we have created this complete guide to robot mowers. How to choose, install and maintain them, and of course our pick of the best robot mowers available on the market today.

Here are the Best Robotic Lawn Mowers of 2023

Husqvarna Automower 310: The All Around Champion

About the Husqvarna Automower 310

We believe that the Automower 310 is the best option for most people. It has all that you need in regards to connectivity, features, and is capable of mowing a reasonable size lawn. Altogether it’s just a very good option no matter how you look at it. 

This Husqvarna Automower 310 robot mower can handle 1000 square meters of lawn quite easily. Whether it’s a sloping ground, a winding garden, or a complicated layout, the robot will find its way around with ease. I will be able to find its way around your garden just like your gardener would.

The charging takes around 1 hour and that will give you 70 minutes of mowing time. It really is efficient and in no time you will have a freshly cut lawn with no effort or even input from you at all.

For security/safety the system is well thought out: a lifting sensor detects if the device is moved in a way it is not expecting, and the device will immediately stop. This also keeps children safe in case they try to play with the robot while it’s on the job. There is also a collision detector to prevent accidents. Lastly, it is equipped with an alarm and a PIN code to prevent theft.

In terms of bang for your buck, this robotic mower is a good investment for those looking for an efficient and economical device for frequent mowing. Because it only uses electricity it is very cheap to run and needs very little maintenance. Also, this robot is very independent and reliable. This robotic mower should last for a long time giving you a perfectly maintained lawn for years to come!

Who is this product for?

The Automower 310 is the perfect mid-range option for people that want a good quality unit that will perform well, but that will also not break the bank. While this robot mower is built with the average consumer in mind it will just as easily work in a smaller commercial environment.

What we think

This robot mower has one of our highest scores, not because it has the most features but because it has the best mix of quality and value, coming in with a respectable 8.4.

It gets our vote as the top model because of its value for money and a perfect mix of features, capability, and reliability. It has all the qualities necessary to do a great job and offer you a perfect lawn, while still being at a reasonable cost. Its easy-to-use, practical, and modern design will make it the easiest and best robot lawn mower for most households.

WORX Landroid 155: Most Customisable

About the WORX Landroid WR155

The build quality of this robot mower really is good. Even though it’s made of plastic it is of good quality like the other tools created by WORX and you can tell that it will have a decent life.

One of the things we like with this model is that WORX has gone in a bit of a different direction with the design of this lawn mower robot. Rather than designing a bunch of different models each with different features and different lawn capacities they have tried to simplify it. The robot mower is modular allowing you to upgrade it later with the extra parts that you want.

So you have this model, the WR155, being the bigger one, and the WR140 which is a very similar mower but is just designed for a smaller lawn. Then most of the features you can buy separately as modules to add on later.

This is great because it means if you have a large lawn and want a cheaper option you can get the big one without some of the extra features. Alternatively, if you have a small lawn and want all the features you can do that too. This is very different from other robot mower builders where the capacity of the mower goes up with the number of features.

Some of the optional extras you can get for this model are,

• An anti-collision sensor that will allow the mower to turn around objects in its way rather than bumping into them
• Wifi extender to keep your Landroid mower in contact over your whole yard
• GPS + 4G connection module to add GPS control to the mower for improved cutting efficiency and theft protection.

The Landroid WR155 has some great smart features that help give it an edge over a lot of other robot mowers, with Wifi connectivity and schedule you will be able to manage the robot mower very easily from anywhere any time. On top of that, the GPS and Anti-collision sensor will improve its speed and efficiency a lot.

Who is the Landroid WR155 for?

The Landroid WR155 would be best for people that have a medium size lawn and want to keep down the cost of the robot lower while still getting a good-quality unit. The WORX gets good reviews from most customers and reviewers. And like we have already mentioned the ability to upgrade it later is awesome.

Another reason to go with this model is that if you have other WORX battery-powered equipment then it could make sense to get this one as the battery is interchangeable with your other tools.

Robomow RS 630: Biggest and Baddest

About the Robomow RS 630

The Robomow RS 630 really is the bigger brother of the other two mowers on this list. It’s best suited if you want a mower that can really deal with a bit more punishment than the others. It has big triangle-shaped fixed blades rather than the small razor blades the other two have so it will cut through much thicker grass. These blades will also make short work of any other small debris on the lawn.

While its working lawn size is stated to be 3000 m² it can actually cover up to 5000m² if you really need it to. Although it will probably take quite a while to cover that area. Either way if you have a house with a bigger lawn with some trees on it then this really is the best option.

Because of its huge cutting width of 56cm, the RS 630 has more than double the cutting width of most other robot mowers. This means that it cuts very fast and will cover much more lawn in a much shorter space of time because of this huge cutting width. This is one of the things that allows it to cover such large areas so fast.

It will charge up in under 2 hours and for this, you will get around the same amount of time in mowing. Because of its fast mowing and big, strong blades, this is the type of mower that you could use once a week and it will have your lawn mowed quickly and easily.

Weighing in at 20kgs of 45bls the Robomow RS 630 is not going to be easily stolen by someone. But if someone does try to grab this one from your lawn it has a few tricks up its sleeve to stop a potential thief. It has a built-in GPS unit you can activate so you can track the unit if it’s stolen. It also has a PIN code that will not allow anyone to use the mower without it. Finally, it has an alarm that will sound if someone goes to take the unit out of its designated area.

While this model is a bit more expensive than the others on this list it really makes up for it by being one of the most capable robot lawnmowers on the market. While some other mowers have trouble with thicker grass and will take a significant amount of time to cut even a reasonable size lawn. This is where the RS 630 really shines, its raw power and big cutting width make it the closest replacement for a traditional lawn mower that you will find.

As I am from Australia and we are used to having more rustic lawns with more sticks on them this robot really is the best option. Very much a set-and-forget robot mower.

Who is the Robomow RS 630 for?

If you are looking for a mower that will cut through some more dense lawns and deal with some twigs along the way then this is the mower for you. If you have trees that overhang your lawn and drop some leaves and things then this mower will deal with all that without a problem.

If you need a mower for a small commercial area then this would also be a great option. Because it is fast, will take some punishment and will deal with whatever is in front of it.

What to consider when buying a Robot Lawn Mower

There are a number of things to think about when looking to buy a robot mower. We will try to cover all the most important points here so you can make the best choice.

Firstly why should you buy a robot lawn mower?

Robotic mowers really do have some great benefits over normal mowers. While there are some situations where a more conventional mower is a better idea there are not many of these use cases and the benefits of an autonomous lawn mower really do outweigh that of a traditional lawn mower. 

• Quality of your lawn with a robot lawnmower
  Unless you have the time to mow your lawn 2-3 times a week or the money to pay someone else to do that for you to get that absolutely perfect lawn. There is no way you will compete with an automatic lawn mower. They will mow the lawn as often as you want, every day if you like and all you will need to pay for is a bit of electricity.
  You simply won’t get a better-cut lawn than with a robot mower taking care of your lawn.
• Saves you a lot of time
  Do you really want to spend your time walking around your lawn with a noisy mower? You can spend your time better like playing with your kids in the backyard rather than walking around mowing it. Just like a Roomba is there to save you time doing housework inside. An autonomous lawnmower is designed to take care of it outside.
• Better for the environment, and your family.
  This is a point that is often overlooked but because robot lawnmowers are electric rather than running on fuel they are much better for the environment. Firstly they are much more efficient, releasing much less CO2 to cut your lawn than a normal lawn mower. Secondly, harmful emissions aren’t released in the suburbs right next to your home. Air pollution is becoming a bigger and bigger health issue for people around the world.
  Traditional petrol-powered lawn mowers are very bad for this as they are unfiltered and have almost no emissions controls on them, all while releasing harmful emissions in the neighbourhood where you and your family live. 
• Healthier for your lawn
  Because robotic mowers don’t catch and remove clippings but rather cut up grass and allow it to fall back into the lawn it effectively mulches your lawn with the clippings it creates. This means that you don’t need to feed your lawn with extra fertilizer. Saving you money and again this is much better for the environment.
• The way of the future
  Robots really are the way of the future and we honestly believe that it’s just a matter of time before robot mowers are the normal way of mowing your lawn. With all the benefits they have it only makes sense. 

While there are all these reasons that robotic lawn mowers are better there are still some situations where a traditional lawn mower is still the better choice, but there aren’t a lot and they are getting smaller all the time with the advances in what robot mowers are capable of.

What should you look for in a Robot Mower?

Size of your lawn, area you need to be mowed

This isn’t hard to work out and you can check out our guide on calculating your lawn size.

Working this out your lawn size is very important as it is the main factor that will decide what robot mower you can buy. Each robot lawn mower has a limited capability of the size of lawn it can cut. Make sure you know your own lawn size so that you get a lawn mower robot that has the capacity to cut your lawn.

Cutting height

Different types of grass like to but cut to different heights, it’s a good idea to check your species of grass and check what the ideal cutting height is so that you can get a robotic lawn mower that will cut it to the best height to make sure your lawn stays healthy and looking great.

Safety

While all robot lawnmowers have safety functions built-in there are some that have more than others and if you have kids around or have a lot of pets. Then it would be a good idea to check on the specific safety features of the mower you want to buy to make sure it is the right one for you.

Security

It is very rare for robotic lawnmowers to be stolen it can happen. Most robot mowers include some features to stop them from being stolen or to allow them to be tracked if they are. Such as a pin code lockout on the mower so someone else cant use your unit. Some also include GPS tracking that will allow you to locate a stolen unit.

Features

Alright, now we get onto the fun stuff. 

There are a lot of different features you can get for your lawnmower robot, some of them very useful others not so much.

Here are some features we recommend you look for

• Wifi or Bluetooth connection
  Allows programming from a smartphone, and control from a smart home like Alexa or Google.
• Rain sensor
  So the unit stops cutting when it detects rain as this isn’t good for your lawn or the robot.
• GPS connection
  So the lawn mower robot knows what areas of the lawn it has covered and can mow the areas it has missed. This also doubles as a security feature on some robots.
• Obstacle Sensors
  Effectively eyes for the lawn robot so that it can avoid objects without needing to run into them on your lawn. 
• Hill climbing
  Some robotic mowers like the Husqvarna Automower 435x are specially designed for lawns that have a big slope. Not essential for all lawns but if you live on a hill it sure is. We have a guide for calculating your lawn slope easily so you know if you need this or not.

Other Features that aren’t as important but still nice.

• Headlights
• Cut to the edge: Good feature but not a game-changer
• Remote internet management
• Electric cutting height adjustment
• Weather Proofing
• Ultra silent motors
• Different colours for your robot mower
• Security Alarm
• Multiple guide wires
• Multiple cutting zones
• Multiple base station support
• Special passage navigation 
• Graphic control screen on the unit

Cost

Last but not least let’s talk about the cost. Robot lawnmowers are not the cheapest items that’s for sure and some of the top-of-the-line models really are very expensive. 

When people ask us if they are worth it, we have a consistent response though. The cheaper models will still do a great job and only cost a little more than a cheap petrol mower and the benefits far outweigh the downsides. 

The other major argument that comes into this is the time and consumables savings of not having a normal mower. You don’t need to buy fuel, filters, and other consumables you would need to get for a traditional mower.

And the time you save not needing to mow the lawn will not be small either. There are much better things to do in life than mowing the lawn. Oh and don’t worry you still get the smell of freshly cut grass with a robot mower.

We hope this helps you find a lawn robot that will suit your needs without blowing the budget

Installing your Robotic Lawn Mower

All lawnmower robots come with a setup guide, sometimes it’s a book others it’s a DVD or just some links to YouTube videos to guide you through the process. But we will cover the basic setup that works for almost any GPS mower here.

Most Robot Mowers come with 3 different things that need to be installed. These are the base station, perimeter wire, and guide wire. 

How long does it take to install a Robot lawn mower?

For a moderate size lawn that isn’t too complex, you should be able to have the robot installed and ready to start mowing within an hour or 2. But if you have a more complex lawn or need to do some extra work like getting power to the dock, or a lawn with multiple zones this might take an afternoon of 3-4 hours. 

Install the Base Station First

The first step in installing the lawn robot is to find where to place the docking station. Here are some things you should think about to find the best place to install it. 

• Close to a power outlet.
• Clear space in front and to the sides of the dock. 2m in front free of obstacles and 1.5m to the sides for the mower to maneuver.
• Not in the way, don’t place it on a path or in a high-traffic area. This includes a high-traffic place for pets.
• Undercover if possible. While the dock has its own cover it’s always better to protect the mower as much as possible so if you have a place under the edge of your house that will work well.
• Central with good access to the lawn. Try to place it somewhere that has good access to the lawn, not down an alley that the mower will need to negotiate when coming and going. 
• Watch out for automatic water systems. This is an easy one to overlook but you don’t want the mower taking a shower every time the lawn gets watered so make sure you keep clear of that. 

One of the best places is in the middle of a side wall of your house. This will mean that there is plenty of space around the mower and it will have easy access to the lawn. 

When it’s placed next to the house it will also make it much easier to get power to the dock.

Follow the guide from the manufacturer as they will provide you with recommendations and diagrams of the best places for the docking station. 

Install the Boundary Wire

The boundary wire is a plastic-coated wire that goes all around the edge of your lawn area that the mower is to cut. The mower will drive right up to this wire in the ground and detect where it has been placed. 

When the mower detects the wire it will stop and turn around. This is why good placing of the wire is very important so that the mower cuts to the edge of your garden but doesn’t get stuck in garden beds or run into things. 

Take your time installing this it will save you time later because you will not have to go back and finish parts of the lawn that the mower missed. You will also not need to go and save the mower after it fell off the edge of the grass. 

Again for the specifics of how to place the boundary wire refer to your installation guide. It will tell you how far from the edge of the grass it needs to be placed and all the other specifics for your exact mower.

Install the Guide Wire

Finally, you will need to install the guide wire. This one is the easiest and should not take long. 

The guide wire is what the robot searches for to return to the base station. It should be placed right through the middle of the lawn all the way to the furthest point in your garden. This will mean that no matter where the mower is it will be able to find the guide wire quickly and easily. 

Refer to your manual for the specifics of installing the guide wire there will be diagrams that will show you how to do it.

You should aim to place the guide wire so that the mower can drive in any direction from anywhere on your lawn and pass over the guide wire at least once.

Maintaining your Robot Lawn Mower

Like any piece of machinery, a robot mower needs some TLC to make sure that it is functional so it can keep your lawn looking great. While they have much less to take care of than a traditional mower, there are still some housekeeping items you should cover to keep your robot mower happy. 

Check the cutting blades

Checking the blades of a robot mower should be a normal piece of maintenance that everyone should be thinking about from time to time. The time between checks will vary depending on your robot mower as different manufacturers use different materials and have different recommendations. But usually, every 3 months is a good time to check it.

We recommended reading your owner’s manual so you know how often you should be looking at them. Then just set a reminder on your phone so that you just get a notification for when they need to be checked. 

The check is pretty easy, just take the mower off its dock, while it’s not running of course. And turn it over. 

Check that the blades are clean and that they are all there, and that none of them has come off. 

Then just see if the leading edge of the blade is still sharp, be careful new ones can cut the skin. Usually, they will have rounded off and won’t function perfectly so just remove the blade and turn it over so the other edge is facing forward. 

If you have already used both sides of the blade then you will need to replace them with some new ones.

Then you are done, blade check complete, put the mower back on the dock, and take it easy.

General Check of the mower

While checking the blades it can be a good idea to just check the rest of the mower. Give it a once over to make sure there are no issues you can see. Here is a list of things to check on the mower to make sure everything is functioning correctly. 

• Check for damage anywhere on the robot. 
• Check that there are no sticks or buildup of grass under the cutting deck or anywhere on the mower.
• Check that the wheels are clean and not wobbly. Grab each wheel and give it a bit of a jiggle left and right, it should hardly move, a very slight wobble is ok, but it should not be more than a couple of millimetres.
• Check that the buttons and screen on top of the mower are functioning properly.
• Give it a clean.

Check the Perimeter and Guide Wires

One other thing to check is the perimeter wire, just walk around and make sure that the wire is still in place all around the edge of the lawn and that the wire is under the grass where it can’t be cut but the mower while in operation. If there are any issues it is much easier to fix them now than to wait. 

Charging Dock Maintenance

Make sure the dock is clean and doesn’t have any sticks or other objects that could cause issues for the mower accessing it. Give the dock a bit of a cleanup, to make sure it looks good.

Finally, just watch the mower as it returns to the dock. You want to do this from time to time to make sure that the mower can easily access the dock and that there are no issues with it going home for a charge.

Batteries

While the batteries of a mower should not be something you should worry about for the life of the mower, it is worth checking them from time to time. Simply timing the mower to see how long it operates before coming back for a charge is the best way to make sure it’s all good. If the mower is normally able to operate for 60mins on a single charge then you can time it to see how long it actually runs. If it only goes for 20 minutes then you know the batteries are getting a bit old and it’s likely you will need to change them soon or get a new robot mower.

For the most part maintenance of a robot lawn mower is straightforward. It’s much easier than a traditional lawnmower with oils, filters, and all the things that can go wrong with them.