Whether you live in a cottage, a townhouse or a semi-detached home, there’s often a lawn and grass to be cut. To keep your lawn in tip-top shape, you’ll need the best lawn mower for the job.
A small garden is anything from 150m² (the area of a tennis court) or less, up to about 300m², at which point it becomes medium-sized. The question is, how do you keep this small space neat and tidy and looking good without resorting to a professional gardening service?
To make you aware of what’s out there, we’ve reviewed a selection of fit-for-purpose lightweight lawn mowers. Keep reading to discover the best mowers for a modest patch.
TOP Lightweight Lawn Mowers
The Best Lawn Mowers for Small Gardens
- Einhell FREELEXO 300 Solo
- Bosch CityMower
- Husqvarna Flymo EasiLife 150 GO
- Bosch AHM 38 G
- Mountfield Electress
- Husqvarna Flymo Turbo Lite 250
- Black+Decker BEMWH551-GB
- Bosch Rotak 32R
Einhell FREELEXO 300 Solo
Key Features:
- Type: Robot automower
- Power Source: Batteries
- Cutting Width: 18cm
- Weight: 10kg
- Lawn Size: 300m²
While not the most cost-effective solution, an automower is by far the most satisfying. Bury a boundary wire around the perimeter (guide wires are ancient history), pick a spot for the charging station, dock the automower and you’re good to go.
When the robot mower’s battery is charged, it will sally forth, mowing as it goes. When the battery gets low, it will find its way to the boundary wire, follow it back to the charging station, and the cycle will repeat itself.
The body of this mower is tough ABS plastic, the stuff that Lego is made from. It’s heat-resistant, durable, lightweight and in many ways superior to its metal equivalent.
Robot mower safety technology is still in its infancy. As more are sold, safety will improve. In the meantime, don’t wear sandals around an automower, and keep them away from children and pets.
Pros:
- Impact, tilt, lift and rain sensors
- Multi-zone capable
- Mowing schedule programmable via a Bluetooth app
- The installation kit includes a 100m boundary wire, 140 tension hooks, 4 connecting clamps and a charging station
- Durable
Cons:
- Battery not included
- Safety concerns
Bosch CityMower
Key Features:
- Type: Cordless
- Power Source: 18V 4.0Ah lithium-ion battery
- Cutting Width: 32cm
- Weight: 9.9kg
- Lawn Size: 300m²
If you live in a built-up area in close proximity to your neighbours, you need one of these mowers. Cordless mowers are clean and quiet.
This is a light and nifty lawn mower that is easy to move. It has a 32cm cut width so is ideal for lawns up to 300m². Being cordless you have fantastic freedom of movement.
Wiping it down with a damp cloth is just about all the maintenance it will ever need (just make sure you remove the battery first). The brushless motor is electric so there’s no need to replace spark plugs or oil filters. The brushless motor also reduces noise and extends the battery life.
Pros:
- 3 cutting heights from 30 to 60mm
- Grass combs for edge trimming
- A high-grip guide bar
- A 31-litre grass box
- Low noise output
Cons:
- The ventilation grille needs to be cleared from time to time as it tends to clog up with cut grass
Husqvarna Flymo EasiLife 150 GO
Key Features:
- Type: Robot automower
- Power Source: Lithium-ion battery
- Cutting Width: 60cm
- Weight: 6.1kg
- Lawn Size: 150m²
In many ways a little brother to the Einhell Freelexo, at 6.1kg the EasiLife Go is super-light and feature-rich. FrostSense will keep it home, docked to its charging station if the weather is too cold to cut grass without damaging it. PassageSense adapts the mowing pattern to narrow strips of lawn while LawnSense tracks rainfall and sunlight, then adapts its schedule to how fast the grass is growing.
The EasiLife Go smartphone app provides a host of programming options not accessible through the hardware interface, allowing you to customise the mower to exactly suit your kind of garden.
Robot mowers are not suitable for households with small children, nor should you go barefoot or wear open-toed sandals around them.
Pros:
- Low 58dB noise level
- Anti-theft protection
- A 60cm cutting width
- Remote start points
- Smartphone-controlled
Cons:
- Safety issues
- Setting it up takes a bit of time
Bosch AHM 38 G
Key Features:
- Type: Manual push
- Power Source: Human
- Cutting Width: 38cm
- Weight: 6.9kg
- Lawn Size: All sizes
If the quality of the cut is important to you and you want a nice, full, even, springy lawn, you can’t do better than a push mower.
Most push mowers have two blades: a horizontal crossbar and a spinning cylinder. Whereas a power mower cuts by slashing, a push mower tweezers it up, cutting the grass with a scissor action. The result is much more pleasing to the eye, a cleaner cut with no torn or ragged edges.
Pros:
- Stepless cutting height from 12 to 40mm
- Very quiet
- A rear roller for stripe effects
- A clean, precise, quality cut
- Self-sharpening
Cons:
- An inefficient cut grass collector
- Requires some manual labour
Mountfield Electress
Key Features:
- Type: Cordless
- Power Source: 2 X 20V 4.0Ah lithium-ion batteries
- Cutting Width: 38cm
- Weight: 12.24kg
- Lawn Size: 350m²
Another cordless mower, this time skewed towards the larger small garden, is the Mountfield Electress.
The Electress is a serious piece of kit. Not only have its lithium-ion batteries got a 4 ampere-hour capacity, but they also supply 20 volts each, more than enough to cut a 350m² area.
Its guide bar isn’t foldable but for storage purposes, if you replace the guide bar bolts with wingnuts, you can detach it entirely in a few seconds.
Pros:
- 6 cutting heights, from 25 to 75mm
- A 40-litre grass box
- A robust build made of ABS
Cons:
- Not optimised for storage
Husqvarna Flymo Turbo Lite 250
Key Features:
- Type: Corded hover mower
- Power Source: Mains electricity
- Cutting Width: 26cm
- Weight: 6kg
- Lawn Size: 250m²
One advantage of a small garden is that you don’t need extra extension cords to run an electric mower.
The Flymo Turbo Lite 250 is a hover mower. Instead of wheels, it rides on a cushion of air, making it easy to push and highly manoeuvrable.
It has a 1400W motor for tackling slopes and the type of unevenness we generally associate with molehills.
Pros:
- Compact
- Lightweight
- Highly manoeuvrable
- Value for money
Cons:
- Comparatively noisy for a hover mower
- Changing the cutting height requires you to use a spanner (included in the package)
Black+Decker BEMWH551-GB
Key Features:
- Type: Corded hover mower
- Power Source: Mains electricity
- Cutting Width: 30cm
- Weight: 7.52kg
- Lawn Size: 250m²
This is one of those situations where a product’s issues are more than offset by its price tag.
This mower has a poorly-constructed guide bar that works loose if you don’t keep it tightened. It’s also inclined to vibrate excessively, although this could be because the user hasn’t assembled it properly.
Even with those deficits, it’s still a good buy, especially for small gardens. At 7.5kg, it’s a breeze to handle, easy to push and light enough to hang out of the way on the wall when you’re done.
Pros:
- Value for money
- Highly manoeuvrable
- Compact and robust
- 3 cutting heights from 20 to 40mm
- 10 plastic cutting blades
Cons:
- An inadequate guide bar
- An issue with vibration
Bosch Rotak 32R
Key Features:
- Type: Corded
- Power Source: Mains electricity
- Cutting Width: 32cm
- Weight: 6.8kg
- Lawn Size: 350m²
Corded mowers effectively combine the benefits of a battery mower (zero emissions, quiet operation and low maintenance) with those of a petrol mower (sustained power and continuous running time).
The Rotak32R comes equipped with a grass comb for onboard edge-trimming, so you won’t need a strimmer to give your lawn its final polish.
Pros:
- Cost-effective
- 1200W motor
- A hardened steel blade for tall grass and weeds
- Low noise (79-93dB)
- Equipped with a grass comb for edge-trimming along walls and flower beds
- 31-litre grass box
- 3 cutting heights from 20-60mm
Cons:
- The cutting blade must be tightened before each use
- Changing the cutting height is awkward and time-consuming
How to Buy the Best Mower for Small Gardens
Weight
In the weight stakes, cordless mowers win every time. Where robot and cordless self-propelled mowers are concerned, weight is crucial. Lightweight mowers consume less battery power and run for longer. Light mowers are nimble and easier to move around a small garden.
Materials
Ideally, the motor should be metal and the body plastic. Polymers like ABS are strong, heat- and impact-resistant and very durable. They don’t crack and break or lose their tensile strength over time.
They’re also very light, lighter in fact than aluminium. This is important where mowers are concerned, it means they’re both more manoeuvrable and easier to put away.
Size
Another aspect worth considering is size. Small, compact mowers can get into spots larger mowers can’t, like that narrow strip of grass between the path and the wall.
Some manufacturers of robot mowers claim you don’t have to bury the boundary wire. This is true in an ideal world where nothing ever goes wrong. In the real world, the boundary wire eventually sags, despite the tension hooks that keep it taut. The mower invariably finds this weak spot and runs over the wire, cutting it in two.
A boundary wire two or three inches underground, while out-of-reach of its blade, is still detectable to the automower’s sensors.
If you have moles in your garden, it’s worthwhile to check occasionally for any damage they might be doing to the boundary wire.
Cost
The price range is quite large so consider your needs and your budget. Invest in a lawn mower that will do the work you require, last for many years and be reliable.
FAQs
What type of lawn mower is easiest to use?
The easiest, in the long run, is a robot automower. Once installed and programmed with a mowing schedule, it can be left to its own devices.
What size mower do I need for a small yard?
The smaller, lighter, and more compact, the better. Small yards are rife with awkward, hard-to-reach spots that only a small mower or a strimmer with wheels or skates can cut evenly.
Does mower size matter?
A mower with a broad cutting width will do the job faster but you won’t be able to cut the narrow and awkwardly shaped patches. A narrow cutting width will take longer but, if it has a grass comb, you won’t have to clean up the edges with a strimmer.
How do I make my small garden lawn mower last?
Storing a lawn mower in a dry place is key. Wipe it down thoroughly after each use, taking note of any wear and tear that might prove problematic later. Sharpening the blade with a whetstone from time to time will improve the cut and reduce strain on the motor.
Conclusion
If the quality of the cut is important to you, a robot or a push mower are your best options. If not, a cordless or electric will do. Petrol mowers are a measure of last resort, being better suited to big gardens or allotments.
A small garden is best served by a small mower, the smaller, lighter and more compact the better. To get a better sense of scale, take some measurements, study the dimensions of your prospective purchase and take a walk around the garden looking for potential trouble spots. Give yourself time to process data before you make a decision. You can’t go wrong with any of the products we have recommended.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know below.
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Charl is a full-time writer with a range of passions and expertise in lawn mowers and other garden power tools. After many years in the corporate rat race, he decided to follow these passions. When not writing, Charl can be found in his garden, tending to or propagating plants, keeping the lawn near perfect, and enjoying the outdoors with his dogs. He is also fascinated by emerging technology and tries to squeeze in a round of golf as often as possible.
