Best cordless lawn mower: the top buys for lawns big or small

Mowing your lawn will be a breeze with the best cordless lawn mower. Take your pick from these easy-to-use models

Best cordless lawn mower
(Image credit: Future)

If you're after the best cordless lawn mower, you're in the right place. Lighter weight, quieter, and more environmentally friendly than petrol models, cordless designs are the easy-to-store, easy-to-use option for small and medium-sized gardens – although a couple of the models on our list will do as good a job with large lawns, too. 

Need more help choosing a cordless lawn mower? Scroll down to the bottom of this article to get advice. Looking for a petrol or robot lawn mower instead? You'll find what you need in our best lawn mower guide

The best cordless lawn mowers for 2021

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Gtech cordless lawnmower 2.0

(Image credit: Gtech)

1. Gtech Cordless Lawnmower 2.0

Best cordless lawn mower: this Gtech design is a great all-rounder

Specifications

Best for: Adjustable lawn trimming
Power: 48V
Charge time: 1 hour
Continuous run time: 40 minutes

Reasons to buy

+
One-hour recharge time
+
Large grass collector
+
Automatic speed adjustment

Reasons to avoid

-
Not great for very tight corners

The latest cordless model from Gtech rightfully takes our top spot. 

Adjustable blade heights

This is a seriously sensitive machine, with the blade height adjustable in increments of 10 millimetres, between 30 and 80 millimetres, making it the best lawn mower for achieving exactly the grass height you want. 

Large grass collector

It also features a large, 50-litre grass collector, which means you won't have to empty it all the time, even if you lawn is quite large. 

Quick charging

Lightweight, easy and quick to charge, this lawnmower will keep going continuously for a full 40 minutes – enough for most lawn sizes. The only thing to bear in mind is that it's not quite compact enough to fit into a very tight corner. 

Einhell GE-CM 33LI Power X-Change Cordless Lawnmower

(Image credit: Tooled Up)

2. Einhell GE-CM 33LI Power X-Change Cordless Lawnmower

The best cordless lawnmower for medium-sized lawns: lightweight and easy to use

Specifications

Best for: Medium sized gardens
Power: 36V
Charge time : 2,5 hours
Continuous run time: 30 minutes

Reasons to buy

+
Five adjustable settings
+
Lightweight
+
Large wheels are gentle on your lawn

Reasons to avoid

-
Takes a while to charge

Great for medium sized lawns

If you have a lawn that's bigger than average but not huge, you should check out this Einhell model. It's lightweight and designed to be gentle on the grass, with larger wheels preventing flattening. 

Sturdy and reliable

There are five adjustable settings for grass of between 25-65 millimetres, and the lawn mower itself is well made and feels reliable and sturdy. 

Long charge time

The only downside is the somewhat long charge time for the batteries, with the run time that's not very long. 

Duramaxx DM40LM41

(Image credit: Tooled Up)

3. Duramaxx DM40LM41 40v Cordless Rotary Lawnmower

The best cordless lawn mower for long grass: if you're not a regular mower, this is the buy for you

Specifications

Best for: Long grass
Power: 40V
Charge time: 2 hours
Continuous run time: 45 minutes

Reasons to buy

+
Six adjustable settings
+
Large capacity
+
Security key

Reasons to avoid

-
Heavy

If you like to leave it a while between mowings, then the Duramaxx model is for you. 

Covers large areas

Cutting up to 500 square metre on a single charge, this lawn mower has six adjustable settings of between 20 and 80 millimetres, making it suitable for even seriously overgrown lawns. 

Security 

The security key means you can safely leave this lawn mower out without the kids accidentally using it, and the operation is very simple, at the push of a button. 

Heavy

The downside? This is on the heaviest models on our list, so won't be suitable if you were looking for something lightweight. 

Karcher cordless lawn mower

(Image credit: John Lewis & Partners)

4. Kärcher LMO 18-36 Push Cordless Battery Lawn Mower

Best cordless lawn mower for small gardens: compact and lightweight model perfect for urban gardens

Specifications

Best for: Small lawns
Power: 36V
Charge time: 136 minutes
Continuous run time: 30 minutes

Reasons to buy

+
Easy and comfortable to use
+
Collect or discharge grass option

Reasons to avoid

-
Not suitable for larger lawns

Lightweight

If you want something compact and lightweight for a smaller lawn, the the Karcher should definitely be on your radar. It's fairly lightweight and has comfortable foam handles, and will cut grass up to 70 millimetres tall. 

Short battery life

You won't get much more than half an hour out of the battery (which then takes quite a long time to charge), so we wouldn't recommend this lawn mower for larger gardens. 

Buy the Kärcher LMO 18-36 Push Cordless Battery Lawn Mower

Bosch UniversalRotak 36-550 Cordless Lawnmower

(Image credit: Amazon)

5. Bosch UNIVERSALROTAK 36-550 36v Cordless Rotary Lawnmower

Best cordless lawn mower for tidying lawns: doubles up as a leaf collector, picking up leaves as you mow

Specifications

Best for: Tidying up as you mow
Power: 36V
Charge time: 125 minutes
Continuous run time: 50 minutes

Reasons to buy

+
Suitable for collecting leaves
+
Adjustable handles
+
Quiet

Reasons to avoid

-
Tricky to assemble

Leaf collector

If your lawn tends to get covered in leaves, then this Bosch model is the solution: it works as a leaf collector as well as a mower, making it the perfect all-in-one tool for tidying up your garden while mowing the lawn.  

Bulky

This model is fairly bulky, which means that if you have an irregularly shaped lawn, you might need something lighter. But it will leave standard-shaped lawns immaculately neat and tidy. 

What is the best cordless lawn mower?

The best cordless lawn mower is the Gtech Cordless Lawnmower 2.0. It's suitable for cutting tall or short grass, is relatively lightweight and easy to use, and has a grass collector box that will take an impressive 50 litres of grass. It's also quick to charge – one hour, and you're good to go.

How to buy the best cordless lawn mower

Battery life vs. charge time

This is one of the most important aspects of a cordless lawn mower to know when buying one. How long does the battery lasts, and how long will it take to recharge? As a rule of thumb, if it takes much longer to charge the battery than the battery life itself, then you're looking at a small garden mower only.

Grass collector size

This is important if you're not a fan of emptying the grass box after every mow, but bear in mind that the bigger the grass collector capacity, the heavier and bulkier you mower.

Blade height adjustability

As a rule, you wouldn't want to cut grass that's shorter than 20 millimetres or much longer than 65, although if you like leaving it that little bit longer between mows, then an upper blade height of 80 millimetres is a bonus.

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Anna writes about interior design and gardening. Her work has appeared in Homes & Gardens, Livingetc, and many other publications. She is an experienced outdoor and indoor gardener and has a passion for growing roses and Japanese maples in her outside space.