Robot Lawn Mower Price: Exactly What You Need to Know

Robot lawn mower price varies significantly, even some models with similar features vary a lot between manufacturers.

So, why does a robot mower cost so much?

So what is it about robot mowers that make them more expensive than traditional lawnmowers?

There are two main items that cause this, the first one is development. Robot mowers are very technical machines and take a fair bit of research and development to make them operational. the good thing about this is that the more people buy them the lower and lower the cost gets for this.

The second is just the cost of the materials, batteries and features are not cheap items.

Batteries

Most of the parts used in a robot mower are simple electric motors, components, circuit boards, wires, and plastic. The big majority of these parts are very cheap and don’t really cost a lot for the manufacturer.

One of the most expensive parts is the batteries, while the price of lithium-ion batteries has been falling it is still a significant part of the cost of the machine.

Connectivity and Features

The other big driver of higher prices is all the features and smart electronics that are packed into a robot mower. Unlike traditional mowers that just have an engine and a blade, maybe a self drive system robot mowers are highly advanced.

The many sensors like GPS units, obstacle avoidance detectors, rain sensors, headlights, wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, smart home integration, anti-theft sensors, not to mention the processors, and computer code that is required to run and integrate all this together. All of this adds up both in the development of a robotic mower and the production costs for it.

It is no wonder that these devices cost more than a traditional mower. Despite their mundane appearance there really is a lot going on inside each one. This is also why they were a piece of sci-fi fiction until not that long ago. Was because years ago the electronics to run a robot mower would make it the size of a small car.

Only recent advances in the miniaturization of electronics and sensors, along with the advances in battery technology have allowed robot mowers to become a mainstream product. Like so many of our other appliances that are becoming smart. And at the same time more efficient and making our lives easier.

Robot lawn mower prices

NOTE: Prices are supplied as a guide only, they are approximate and collected at the time of writing of this article. Market fluctuations and geographic location may affect pricing.

Robot lawn mower cost over its life

The ongoing costs of a robot mower are actually surprisingly low.

As you know electricity is much cheaper than gas or petrol, and there really aren’t many parts that need to be maintained on a robot mower.

So really it just comes down to the consumables, and it’s just the blades that need to be changed from time to time and this is the same as a traditional mower.

Electricity

So the cost of electricity varies depending on the source and also varies a lot depending on how often your robot mower mows the lawn.

So the rough cost of electricity for a robot mower ranges from around $30 – $100 per year. This really depends on how often you set it to mow your lawn, how big your lawn is, and what mower you have. Unfortunately, we can’t give you a very accurate estimate as there are just too many variables.

But it is still much much cheaper than a petrol mower.

Blades

Blades on a robot mower do wear out a bit faster than on a normal lawn mower. But it’s not too bad with a standard robot mower the suggested replacement time is around 2 months of decent activity. But you could potentially stretch this out if you don’t have it mow so often.

Another thing you can do is buy high-quality blades that will last longer than the normal ones anyway. There are now titanium blades available that should get a much longer life and are very cheap.

A box of 30 high-quality blades only costs around $10, this is 10 new sets for a normal mower that takes 3 blades. Meaning it will last you, conservatively around 2 years of cutting, maybe longer. meaning the blades come in at a cost of $0.4 per month or just $5 a year for blades.

Here is a link to buy a box of 30 Titanium blades for your robot mower.

Battery

All batteries used in robot mowers will degrade over time. This is true of Lithium-ion and lead-acid, it depends on the type of battery as to how much life you will get out of it but here are some figures as a general guide.

Robot mower lead-acid battery life: 500-1000 discharge-recharge cycles. So if you run your mower 3 times a week this will give you a lifespan of 3-6 years before it needs to be replaced.

Robot mower lithium-ion battery life: 400-1300 cycles. So with the same figures, you could expect the battery to last around 3-8 years before replacement.

Batteries can be an expensive item to replace, especially with the higher-end models of robot mowers using big high-quality batteries.

Boundary Wire

While this is not something you should consider as a maintenance cost it is something that could possibly cause issues later on.

After years of having a robot mower installed in your home, it is possible that with some gardening, wear and tear or even the dog that your boundary wire gets damaged and needs repairing or replacing.

Again this is not something you should expect to happen but it is possible.

Cost of a robot mower vs traditional lawn mower

If you arent sure if buying a robot mower is a good idea, if you aren’t sure how much it will actually save you then we recommend looking at this cost calculator from Mowing Magic. It helps you break down all the costs between buying a normal lawn mower, an electric mower, and a robot mower.

Is short buying a robot mower is more expensive in the first year Depending on what one you get, of course, it can be cheaper than a traditional mower if you go for a cheaper model. But after you buy it the yearly cost is very low and it will make up for the difference in a couple of years.

So, is a robot lawn mower worth it?

We think without a doubt yes they are totally worth it. While they do cost more upfront and some of the bigger models can be quite expensive they really do pay for themselves in savings over time.

Even if you are only thinking of it in terms of saving money then after a couple of years it will be paying for itself. Then if you consider the time you save not needing to mow the lawn then we think it really is a no-brainer.

Now if you want to know what to look for when buying a robot mower we have written a complete guide so make sure you check it out.