How to choose a robot mower

The 8 robot mowers I track, side by side

One row per size sold, so each price sits beside that size’s own lawn rating. Prices in US dollars on each maker’s own US store, before tax. Every figure is the maker’s; “Not stated” means the maker doesn’t say on the pages I read. In price order, not ranked.

Step 1: Measure your lawn, then match the size

Of the 8 robot mowers I track, 4 are rated by their makers for ½ acre or more in their largest size; Ecovacs GOAT A2000 LiDAR Pro doesn’t state an area. A rating is the maker’s maximum for one size, and makers that sell several sizes rate each one separately. 1 acre is 43,560 sq ft.

How to use it: measure the grass you want mowed, then rule a mower out if your lawn is bigger than the size you’d buy is rated for.

Step 2: Decide how much setup you’ll do

None of the 8 robot mowers I track needs a buried boundary wire, their makers say; Husqvarna Automower 410 iQ can also follow one if you lay it. What you set up instead depends on how the mower finds its way, so read its manual’s installation section before you buy.

Each mower knows where your lawn ends in one or more of these ways, as its maker describes it:

Step 3: Check your steepest slope

Of the 8 robot mowers I track, 2 are rated by their makers for slopes over 50% (about 27°): Segway Navimow X430 AWD, 84% (40°) and Mammotion Luba 3 AWD, 80% (38.6°). Worx Landroid Vision AI doesn’t state a slope. Makers give %, degrees or both; 100% is 45°.

How to use it: rule a mower out if any part you want mowed is steeper than its rating. Where a maker doesn’t state one, there’s nothing to check against. How slope is measured

Step 4: Count the price plus 3 years of optional 4G data

Of the 8 robot mowers I track, none needs a plan to mow, their makers say, though Ecovacs GOAT A2000 LiDAR Pro doesn’t say either way. 6 sell an optional 4G data plan, and the free period runs from none to 3 years.

Below: the price on each maker’s own US store in US dollars, before tax, plus 3 years of the maker’s 4G data plan if you keep it. The plan mostly carries the app away from Wi-Fi and anti-theft tracking. Not counted: tax, installation, blades and other parts. In price order, not ranked.

Step 5: Read the warranty and the safety rules

4 of the 8 makers state a warranty on the pages I read; “Not stated” means I didn’t find one, not that there isn’t one. Every one of the 8 manuals warns about people, children or pets near a running mower. One line from each is below; read the full safety section before the first mow.