Best robot lawn mowers for small gardens

The sensible starting point for a small lawn. Segway's satellite positioning does away with the boundary wire, the camera lends a hand near edges and obstacles, and the whole thing is sensibly sized for modest gardens rather than small farms. Like all satellite-guided mowers it is happiest with a decent view of the sky, so a garden hemmed in by tall trees is worth a second thought.

Best for: Small, fairly open gardens up to about 800 m². Slopes: Gentle to moderate — around 30% at most.

The Vision simply looks where it is going. A camera and a trained neural network tell grass from path, leaf and lurking hedgehog — do check the current wildlife guidance, as with any mower — and there is no reference station to site and no wire to bury. Vision systems can be flummoxed by very low light and long wet grass, but for a shaded garden where satellites struggle, this is the fuss-free route in.

Best for: Shady gardens and anyone who wants the least possible setting up. Slopes: Moderate — around 30%.

The interesting one. Because the Neomow X steers by LiDAR — building a map of your garden with light rather than listening for satellites — it keeps its bearings under trees and beside high walls where satellite-guided rivals can lose the plot, sometimes literally. Hookii is a newer name than the big garden brands, so long-term parts and support are the open question, but the navigation idea is sound and rather clever.

Best for: Gardens where satellite signals are patchy — shade, trees, tall fences. Slopes: Steep banks — around 45% on the manufacturer's figures.

Less a lawn ornament, more a small tractor. Four driven wheels and a manufacturer slope rating of 80% mean it takes banks in its stride that would leave most mowers sitting at the bottom looking sorry for themselves. The twin cutting discs cover ground quickly, too. It is a lot of money and rather a lot of machine for a pocket-handkerchief lawn — but on a sloping, uneven plot there is nothing else quite like it.

Best for: Slopes, bumps and bigger or rougher ground. Slopes: Up to 80% — the strongest climber here by a distance.

Husqvarna more or less invented the robot mower, and the NERA range is its wire-free line: satellite positioning with a reference station in the garden, and the option of a wire if you ever wanted one. It costs proper money, but you are also buying the deepest dealer and parts network in the business — no small thing for a machine expected to live outdoors for a decade.

Best for: Larger, tidier gardens and buyers who value a dealer network. Slopes: Strong — around 50% within the mowing area, on the manufacturer's figures.

Ecovacs made its name with robot vacuum cleaners and has brought the same map-everything approach outdoors. The GOAT range has changed navigation technology between generations, so the one piece of homework that matters is checking exactly which system the model in front of you uses. Do that, and the specs are competitive across the board.

Best for: Medium gardens, and households already fond of robot gadgets. Slopes: Up to around 45% on the current models — check the small print before buying for a bank.