How we compare products
The short version: we verify specs against official UK sources, recommend by use case rather than commission, and tell you plainly when a claim comes from a manufacturer, a retailer, a professional reviewer — or our own hands.
How products are selected
We cover robot mowers that are (1) actually sold in the UK through official channels, (2) from brands with UK support and spares, and (3) relevant to a real use case — garden size, slope, budget, or setup type. We exclude no-name imports without UK support regardless of price, and we don't add a product just because it has an affiliate programme.
How specs are verified
Every price and headline spec (coverage, slope rating, navigation type) is checked against the official UK manufacturer store or a major UK retailer listing, and each product card shows the date and source of its last check. If we can't verify a claim, we either leave it out or say explicitly that it isn't stated — we don't guess, and we'd rather publish "not stated on the UK listing" than a number we can't stand behind.
Four kinds of evidence — clearly separated
- Manufacturer specifications: coverage ratings, slope percentages, battery figures. Reliable for what a machine is designed to do; optimistic about real-world conditions. We label these as official specs.
- Retailer data: live prices and availability. We quote the price and the date we saw it, because prices move.
- Third-party reviews: hands-on findings from professional testers (TechRadar, T3, Tom's Guide, BBC Gardeners' World and others). When we cite a strength or weakness a reviewer found, we name them.
- Hands-on testing: we do not currently test mowers ourselves, and no page on this site claims otherwise. Every review carries a statement to that effect. If that changes, tested content will be clearly marked.
How affiliate links work
Some product buttons are affiliate links (currently Amazon Associates UK): if you buy after clicking, the retailer pays us a small commission at no cost to you. Buttons that aren't affiliate links are labelled as direct manufacturer links — right now that includes all Navimow and Mammotion links, from which we earn nothing. Recommendations are decided before monetisation is considered; the clearest proof is that several of our top picks currently pay us nothing at all. Full detail on the affiliate disclosure page.
How recommendations are updated
Prices and specs are re-checked on a rolling schedule (weekly spot-checks of the most-recommended models; fuller quarterly audits), and every page shows its last-updated date. When a market shift changes a recommendation — as when Navimow's i2 series undercut its own i108E in 2026 — we rewrite the advice rather than leave stale picks standing. Corrections policy: see our editorial policy.
Why UK-only
US-centric advice fails British buyers in specific ways: models that aren't sold here (the Eufy E18), dollar prices, and advice that ignores small gardens, wet summers and RTK-blocking mature trees. Everything on this site is priced in pounds and filtered for UK availability.
What we weigh, in order
- Garden fit: size (with ~25% coverage headroom), slope, tree cover, edges and passages.
- Setup type: wire-free vs wired, and what each costs in time and money.
- Price for the job — not price in the abstract; a cheap mower that's wrong for the garden is the most expensive option.
- Support and longevity: UK spares, warranty channels, brand track record.
- Complexity: some buyers want an app ecosystem; some want a machine with one button. Both are valid and we say which is which.
Questions about our process, or spotted an error? Tell us — corrections make the site better.