How we score and cost mowers

Our score is a spec score, not a hands-on test. It is worked out from what makers publish, using the same rules for every mower. Reviews and owner reports are shown beside it, never mixed into it. Scores show one decimal place; small differences mean little.

The six criteria

• Navigation & coverage: LiDAR scores highest, then network RTK, your own RTK station and cameras. Combinations score higher because they keep working when one source fails. Wider decks add a little for coverage.
• 5-year cost: core cost per m² of rated lawn, compared only with mowers in the same size band (Small (up to 800 m²), Medium (801–1,500 m²), Large (1,501–3,000 m²), Very large (over 3,000 m²)). The cheapest per m² in a band scores 10.
• Works without Wi-Fi / no forced subscription: 10 if it navigates on the mower itself; 9 if it needs a signal the maker states is free; 5–6 if it may need a paid plan; 3 if it needs a paid plan with no published price; 2 if it needs Wi-Fi across the lawn.
• Terrain & slopes: rated slope (84% scores 8), plus 2 for all-wheel drive.
• Published safety features: type of obstacle sensing, published wildlife features, rain sensing and lift alarms. Capped at 8 out of 10, because no mower has been shown to be hedgehog-safe; see the research.
• UK warranty & support: warranty length, a UK dealer network and an official UK store.

Each version is scored. A model's headline score, price and cost all come from its best-scoring version that is in stock or on pre-order; if every version is out of stock, we use the best version and say so. Drop-and-mow models without an app are scored only against each other. Boundary-wire models are ranked only against each other (and appear in price-only lists), because their cost score uses a separate pool. They score 3 out of 10 for navigation technology, because they mow in a random or semi-random pattern inside the wire; their 5-year cost is compared only with other boundary-wire mowers, and includes the wire kit where it is sold separately. It does not include dealer installation or wire repairs: laying the wire yourself takes about a day.

Subscriptions count twice, on purpose

A plan needed to keep mowing raises the 5-year cost and also lowers the "works without Wi-Fi" score. We think paying to keep a mower working is the biggest hidden risk, so it should weigh heavily.

What the 5-year cost includes

• The price of the version, from the seller's UK website on 17 October 2026.
• Blades: £40 a year when no price is published (assumption).
• Electricity: 8 kWh a month for 7 months at 27p per kWh = £15.12 a year (assumption).
• One replacement battery: £20 per Ah of capacity, minimum £100, or £150 where capacity is not published (assumption).
• Any reference station, wire-free kit or boundary-wire kit sold separately (cheapest kit for the lawn size).
• Core cost: any plan needed to keep mowing. Where the maker and its UK store disagree, we count the plan for lawns without Wi-Fi until it is confirmed in writing.
• With remote and anti-theft: core cost plus the optional plan after the free period.

Where the data comes from

Specs and prices come from each maker's UK website or UK distributor, and each model page lists its sources with the date checked. We check prices monthly. Where sources conflict, we say so on the page. We do not show Amazon prices or ratings. Where a maker does not sell direct, we use a named UK dealer and date the check; we have not confirmed that every dealer is authorised by the maker. Discontinued models keep a page but get no score.

Independent reviews are summarised in our own words and linked. Owner reports are published under the rules on that page.

How we research

This is a research site, not a test lab. We don't run hands-on tests. Instead we:

• Read each maker's UK product page, spec sheet and support articles, and date every check.
• Check UK prices and stock every month, and daily on the live site, from official stores and named UK dealers.
• Summarise independent reviews in our own words and link to them, so you can read what the reviewers found.
• Publish owner reports from people who own the mowers, under clear rules.
• Say on the page when something is still unconfirmed, rather than guess.

Editorial policy

Every spec, price and claim on a model page links to where it came from, with the date it was checked. Every mower is scored the same way, including the ones that earn us nothing, and scores and rankings are never for sale (see how we make money).

Brands can't pay to be listed, to be ranked higher or to see a page before it goes up, and owner reports are never hidden for being negative.

Prices are rechecked every month. New UK models are added within a few weeks of a UK price appearing, and replaced models are marked as discontinued rather than quietly removed.

Spotted an error? Email hello@robotmowerfinder.co.uk and we will fix it and note the change on the page. Questions and press enquiries: see Contact.