Robot Lawn Mower Reviews & Comparison: What Independent Tests Found (2020–2026)
This page compares current robot lawn mowers by navigation type and summarises what independent testers – Stiftung Warentest, Which?, Test-Achats and others – found between 2020 and 2026. We did not run our own comparative test: specifications come from the makers’ own spec tables (checked on 1 October 2026), ratings from the published tests named on this page. The short answer: there is no single best robot mower – the right one depends on your lawn size, slope, tree cover and layout.
Last updated: 1 October 2026. Specifications, prices and availability change often – check before you buy.
Short answer: which robot mower suits which garden?
In its current test, published in March 2026, Germany’s non-profit Stiftung Warentest covered eight mowers without boundary wire. Only two were rated “good” (gut): the Ecovacs Goat O800 RTK (2.4) and the Mova 600 (2.5); six were “satisfactory” (befriedigend). Lower grades are better (as reported by testberichte.de; full results on test.de). So start with your garden, not the brand:
- Small, simple lawn: a boundary-wire mower remains a proven option. Camera-only models skip the wire but work less well in darkness.
- Open lawn with clear sky: RTK satellite navigation reaches centimetre-level accuracy without a wire – via an antenna in the garden or, with “network RTK”, via Wi-Fi or mobile data.
- Many trees, roofs or tall walls: satellite reception suffers. Consider hybrid, LiDAR or camera models – or a wire, which tree cover does not affect.
- Steep slopes: most models below are rated for 25–50 %. Some all-wheel-drive (AWD) models – Mammotion LUBA, Navimow X4, Worx Vision Cloud 4WD, Dreame A3 AWD – reach 80–84 %.
- Several separate lawns: satellite and LiDAR mowers handle zones in the app; wired mowers need wire corridors or a second station.
- Children, pets, hedgehogs: mow in daylight only and keep the lawn clear. Every Stiftung Warentest round from 2020 to 2026 found safety weaknesses.
How robot mowers find their way in 2026: wire, RTK, vision and LiDAR
Stiftung Warentest sorts today’s mowers into four groups: sensor-based (cameras, LiDAR and/or ultrasound), satellite-based (RTK), hybrids of both, and boundary-wire models. Its 2026 verdict: the wire-free mowers often navigated more accurately than the wired ones in earlier tests – though unmown strips of up to 20 cm remained around the station and along edges.
Boundary wire
A buried or pegged wire marks the mowing area; Gardena’s SILENO minimo ships with 150 m of cable. Tree cover does not matter. The downsides are installation and repairs: after a break, a Husqvarna Automower reports “No loop signal”, and you find the break by repeatedly halving the loop.
RTK: own antenna or network RTK
RTK (real-time kinematic) corrects common satellite-navigation errors. Which? puts it simply: “RTK navigation uses standard GPS and a fixed reference station to map out the garden and achieve centimetre-level accuracy.” With an own base station (Ecovacs GOAT O800 RTK, Anthbot Genie, Kärcher RCX), the antenna needs open sky: Mammotion warns against roofs, trees and L-shaped building corners. With network RTK (Gardena smart SILENO free, Worx Vision Cloud, Navimow i2 AWD, Sunseeker Elite Gen 2), corrections arrive via the internet. Husqvarna then requires Wi-Fi or mobile coverage across the whole lawn; Worx says only its charging station needs coverage.
Both variants share one weakness: dense trees, roofs or tall walls can impair reception (Stiftung Warentest). Mammotion’s mowers only mow automatically with a precise “Fix” signal (under 10 cm). Husqvarna lets you add a wire for weak-signal zones on models such as the 305E NERA.
Vision (camera only)
Camera models such as the Worx Landroid Vision AI, Einhell Freelexo Cam, eufy E15/E18 and TerraMow recognise grass and obstacles without boundary wire, antenna or satellite navigation. Stiftung Warentest notes that sensor navigation degrades in darkness and bad weather; in 2024, both camera models it tested were only “adequate” (ausreichend) because they did not reliably recognise the mowing area. Bosch now lists only the camera-based VISIMOW, a “semi-automatic” mower without a docking station.
LiDAR and hybrid systems
LiDAR is a laser scanner that measures distances in 3D. The MOVA 600/1000, Dreame A1 Pro, Navimow i2 LiDAR and Ecovacs LiDAR Pro models use it without wire or RTK station; the LiDAR-based Mova 600 was one of the two “good” mowers in 2026.
Hybrids combine satellite navigation with a camera (Husqvarna’s “V” models, Navimow i1, Gardena smart SILENO sense) or with LiDAR and cameras (Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 3000/5000, Navimow i2 LiDAR Pro). The camera or LiDAR takes over where the signal is weak – a combination that worked well in Stiftung Warentest’s 2026 test.
| Type | How it works | Setup | Limits | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boundary wire | Wire around the lawn | Lay wire (DIY or dealer); repair breaks | Separate lawns need corridors or a second station | Heavy tree cover; simple lawns |
| RTK, own base station | Satellites + corrections from an antenna in the garden | Antenna needs open sky and 2–5 m clearance; some need 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi | Weaker under dense trees, near roofs and walls | Open gardens, even without full Wi-Fi/4G coverage |
| Network RTK | Satellites + corrections via the internet | No antenna; Wi-Fi or 4G needed (Husqvarna: whole lawn) | As RTK; availability varies by region; data may become paid | Open gardens with good coverage |
| Vision only | Cameras + AI recognise grass and edges | Unbox and go | Weaker in darkness and bad weather | Clearly edged lawns, daylight mowing |
| LiDAR | Laser scanner maps surroundings in 3D | No antenna or station | Newer – check independent results | Trees or buildings blocking the sky (maker claim) |
| UWB beacons | Radio beacons around the lawn | Place 2–10 battery beacons | Remove beacons when not mowing (theft) | Only found on the Ecovacs GOAT G1, no longer on Ecovacs’ EU pages |
| Hybrid | Satellite + camera and/or LiDAR | Varies | Camera/LiDAR bridges weak-signal zones | Partial tree cover, mixed gardens |
Comparison tables: current models by navigation type
All figures are the makers’ own, read from their spec tables on 1 October 2026 – a starting point, not a ranking. Rated areas are maximums (Husqvarna states them ±20 %; MOVA and Dreame rate area per 24 hours). Slopes are in percent; degrees are calculated (100 % = 45°). A second slope value applies at the lawn edge.
A. Boundary wire
| Model | Area | Slope (inside / edge) | Width | Height | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardena SILENO minimo 250 / 500 | 250 / 500 m² | 25 % (14.0°) / 10 % (5.7°) | 16 cm | 20–45 mm | Bluetooth; no rain sensor; 150 m wire included |
| Gardena smart SILENO max 800–1500 | 800–1,500 m² | 30 % (16.7°) / 15 % (8.5°) | 22 cm | 25–45 mm | Full app features need the smart Gateway (sold separately) |
| Husqvarna Aspire R4 | 400 m² | 25 % (14.0°) / 10 % (5.7°) | 16 cm | 20–45 mm | Discontinued in the UK, still sold in Germany |
| Worx Landroid M700 Plus (WR167E) | 700 m² | 35 % (19.3°) | 18 cm | 30–60 mm | Wi-Fi; rain sensor; geofencing |
| Stihl iMOW 5 EVO | 1,500 m² | 45 % (24.2°); 55 % with kit | 28 cm | 20–60 mm | Mobile data; rain sensor |
B. Satellite (RTK or network RTK), often with camera
| Model | Area | Slope (inside / edge) | Width | Height | Correction source / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Husqvarna 305E NERA | 900 m² | 30 % (16.7°) / 20 % (11.3°) | 22 cm | 20–55 mm | Husqvarna cloud via Wi-Fi, or optional EPOS RS1 station |
| Gardena smart SILENO free 800 | 800 m² | 35 % (19.3°); page text says 30 % | 22 cm | 25–45 mm | Network RTK; smart Gateway included |
| Worx Vision Cloud (WR308E) | 800 m² | 30 % (16.7°) | 18 cm | 30–60 mm | Network RTK + camera |
| Worx Vision Cloud 4WD (WR341E) | 1,000 m² | 84 % (40.0°) | 22 cm | 20–70 mm | AWD; network RTK |
| Segway Navimow i105E | 500 m² recommended, 600 m² max. | 30 % (16.7°) / 10 % (5.7°) | 18 cm | 20–60 mm (global page: 2.0–3.6 in, ≈51–91 mm) | Own antenna + camera |
| Segway Navimow i2 AWD (i205 / i208) | 500 / 800 m² | 45 % (24.2°) | 18 cm | 20–60 mm | Network RTK + camera |
| Ecovacs GOAT O800 RTK | 800 m² | 45 % (24°); UK summary also says 50 % | 22 cm | 30–80 mm | Own station (in the box) + camera + 3D ToF |
| Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD | 1,500–5,000 m² | 80 % (38.7°) | 40 cm | 25–70 mm | LiDAR + cameras; network RTK on 3000/5000 |
| Kärcher RCX 4 / RCX 6 | 1,500 / 3,000 m² | 60 % (31.0°) / 70 % (35.0°) | 22 / 35 cm | 20–60 / 20–100 mm | RTK antenna required + AI camera |
C. Camera (vision) and LiDAR
| Model | Area | Slope | Width | Height | Sensors / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worx Vision AI M600 (WR206E) | 600 m² | 30 % (16.7°) | 18 cm | 30–60 mm | Camera; rain sensor |
| Bosch VISIMOW18V-100 / -200 | 100 / 200 m² | 35 % (19.3°) | 16 / 18 cm | 20–60 mm | Camera + ultrasonic; no docking station |
| Einhell Freelexo Cam Plus 600 | 600 m² | 25 % (14.0°) | 18 cm | 20–60 mm | Camera + ultrasonic; rain sensor |
| eufy E15 / E18 | 800 / 1,200 m² | “40 % (18°)” – the figures don’t match | 20.3 cm | 25–75 mm | Camera only |
| MOVA 600 / 1000 | 600 / 1,000 m² | 45 % (24°) | 20 cm | 20–60 mm | 3D LiDAR |
| Dreame A1 Pro | Up to 2,000 m² per 24 h (depends on mode) | 45 % (24°) | 22 cm | 30–70 mm | 3D LiDAR |
| Segway Navimow i2 LiDAR (i208 to i220) | 800–2,000 m² | 45 % (24.2°) | 22 cm | 20–70 mm | Solid-state LiDAR + camera |
| Ecovacs GOAT O1200 LiDAR Pro | 1,200 m² | 45 % (24.2°) | 22 cm | 30–80 mm | Multiline LiDAR |
What happened to older test favourites?
Bosch no longer lists its Indego mowers in Germany or the UK (the last firmware update dates from June 2023; service and spare parts continue). Gardena now lists SILENO city and SILENO life as legacy models internationally, although the UK shop still shows them, and the Husqvarna Automower 105 is discontinued. Stihl’s RMI 422 is not in the current German iMOW range. The Worx Landroid M500 (WR141E) is now sold as “Landroid S400”, the Vision M600 as “Vision AI M600”. The Ecovacs GOAT GX-600 has gone from Ecovacs’ German and UK websites.
What independent tests found: Stiftung Warentest, Which?, Test-Achats
Few organisations test robot mowers side by side under identical conditions, and most publish detailed scores only to members, so this overview sticks to what is public.
| Tester | Latest round | Scope | Headline result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stiftung Warentest (Germany), with Konsument (Austria) | 04/2026, online 23 March 2026 | 8 wire-free mowers | 2 “good”, 6 “satisfactory” |
| Which? (UK) | Rounds up to June 2026 | Various, incl. wire-free | Scores for members; no Best Buy without a replaceable battery |
| Test-Achats (Belgium) | 2026 | 34 mowers, wired and wire-free ranked separately | Wire-free, tied at 76/100: Ecovacs Goat O1200 LiDAR Pro, Segway Navimow i108, Ecovacs Goat O800 RTK. Best wired: Cub Cadet XR5 1000 (82/100) |
| saldo (Switzerland) | 6/2026 | 10 mowers | “The most expensive robot mowed worst” |
| Consumer Reports (USA) | Updated 19 September 2026 | 9 mowers | Tests include wildlife obstacles and foot run-over |
Stiftung Warentest 04/2026: eight wire-free mowers
The mowers were bought in March and April 2025 and tested from April to November 2025 – effectively the 2025 generation – on three lawns: 200 m² with obstacles, a demanding 600 m² with slope, roots and a narrow passage, and a simple one of about 400 m². Navigation counted for 45 % of the grade, handling 25 %, mowing 15 %, and safety, environment (including hedgehog protection) and data protection 5 % each. Full details: Stiftung Warentest’s robot mower test (in German).
| Model | Navigation (per maker) | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ecovacs Goat O800 RTK | Own RTK station + camera | good (gut), 2.4 |
| Mova 600 | 3D LiDAR | good, 2.5 |
| Husqvarna Automower 305E Nera | Satellite RTK (tested with EPOS RS1 station) | satisfactory (befriedigend), 2.6 |
| Mammotion Yuka mini 600 | Network RTK + camera (maker page contradictory) | satisfactory, 2.6 |
| Anthbot Genie 600 | Own RTK station + cameras | satisfactory, 2.7 |
| Einhell Freelexo Cam Plus 600 | Camera + ultrasonic | satisfactory, 2.9 |
| Anker Eufy E15 | Camera only | satisfactory, 3.0 |
| Worx WR208E | Camera only | satisfactory, 3.4 |
Grades as reported by testberichte.de; individual grades are behind a paywall on test.de. Lower is better.
Stiftung Warentest notes that, according to the makers, the Einhell now has a new camera module and the Worx WR208E was withdrawn, and that the Yuka mini 600 is no longer on Mammotion’s website – yet Worx and Mammotion still listed both models on 1 October 2026. Mid online prices ranged from €582 to €1,699 (as of 30 September 2026, Husqvarna as of 2 February 2026; prices change often).
Earlier rounds: 2024, 2022, 2020
Stiftung Warentest tests every two years and warns that grades from different years are not directly comparable (grades via testberichte.de):
- 2024: six wired and two camera models; none passed all safety tests. Joint best, “satisfactory” (2.6): Gardena smart Sileno city, Husqvarna Aspire R4 and Solo by AL-KO Robolinho 520 W. The Stiga G 600 was “poor” (mangelhaft).
- 2022: eight models; best-rated Husqvarna Automower 305 (2.6), Stihl RMI 422 (2.7) and Gardena SILENO minimo 500 (2.8); the Robomow RT700 failed.
- 2020: eleven wired mowers, none “good”; Bosch Indego S+ 400 and Husqvarna Automower 105 jointly best (2.9).
Which?, Test-Achats and others
Which? buys every mower itself and runs each for four weeks on several lawn types, plus a foot-probe safety test. Its 2025 wire-free tests included the Ecovacs O800 RTK and O1200 LiDAR Pro, Mammotion Luba 2 AWD 3000X, Navimow H800 and Worx Vision M600. One rule is public: no Best Buy if the battery isn’t replaceable – and Which? lists the O800 RTK’s battery as not user-replaceable.
Test-Achats sums up its 2026 test: the most expensive models are not the best. In saldo’s Swiss test, the O800 RTK came first according to a distributor’s press release.
What the tests agree on: no mower scored better than “good” in any Stiftung Warentest round from 2020 to 2026, and every round found safety weaknesses.
Buying checklist: 8 things to check
- Area: Stiftung Warentest advises about 50 % more rated area than your lawn, so the mower can finish in daylight.
- Slope at the edge: the Husqvarna 305E NERA manages 30 % inside but 20 % at the boundary; the Gardena SILENO minimo 25 % and 10 %.
- Passages: wired Husqvarna mowers need 2 m between wires, or 60 cm with a guide wire; Navimow asks for channels wider than 1 m; Bosch VISIMOW needs 120 cm.
- Sky and coverage: satellite models need open sky; network RTK also needs Wi-Fi or mobile coverage. Navimow checks availability by postcode; Kärcher and Ecovacs need 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
- Theft protection: at Husqvarna, only the 405VE, 410VE and 430V NERA and the X models offer GPS tracking; the 305E NERA, for example, has a geofence alarm only. Navimow i1 needs a separately sold 4G module for tracking. Change default PINs such as “0000”.
- Rain: many models list a rain sensor, but the Gardena SILENO minimo has none and mows in rain, and the Navimow i2 relies on weather forecasts.
- Battery and warranty: prefer a replaceable battery. Gardena gives 3 years after registration (batteries excluded); Navimow 3 years on the mower, 2 on the battery; Ecovacs, MOVA, Dreame (A1 Pro, A3 Pro), Anthbot and TerraMow 3 years.
- Updates and data costs: ask how long security updates last and what mobile data costs after the free period (see below).
Noise figures are hard to compare: Husqvarna and Gardena state a “perceived” level (56–63 dB(A)), while some makers give figures such as “< 60 dB” without saying what was measured.
Safety: children, pets and hedgehogs
The European safety standard EN 50636-2-107 covers lift, tilt and obstruction sensors, foot probes and thrown objects – but has no animal test. Stiftung Warentest goes further with a lying child-arm dummy: in 2020, 2022 and 2024 almost all mowers scratched, cut or injured it, and in 2026 many did not recognise foot dummies in time. The rule: never run the mower while children or pets are on the lawn.
Hedgehogs are at risk too. In its first hedgehog test, Stiftung Warentest found that all but one mower ran into a heated hedgehog dummy. Berlin’s Leibniz-IZW collected 370 cut-injury cases (June 2022 to September 2023); 47 % of the hedgehogs died or were put down. In a 2024 study by Rasmussen et al., all 19 models, apart from one single incident, had to physically touch hedgehog carcasses to detect them.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Germany’s NABU, Which? and Stiftung Warentest all advise the same: mow in daylight only. Several German cities ban night mowing – Cologne since 1 October 2024 (30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise), Leipzig since 19 April 2025, plus Göttingen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Münster, among others. There is no nationwide German ban; check local rules.
Husqvarna’s “Wildlife Protection” routine parks the mower from sunset to sunrise (not on the Aspire R4), and Worx has a “Save the hedgehogs” mode – yet Worx also promotes night mowing with a headlight. No certified “hedgehog-safe” label exists yet. More tips: robot mowers and hedgehogs – how to protect them.
Updates, cloud and subscriptions: how long will it work?
Since 29 April 2024, UK law (PSTI) requires makers of connected devices to state how long they will provide security updates. Published periods: Husqvarna at least 3 years from manufacture; Mammotion 5 years from launch; Ecovacs at least 3 years from launch; Worx until 1 April 2031 for Vision Cloud models such as the WR305E. For Gardena, MOVA, Anthbot, TerraMow, Sunseeker and eufy we found no published period. In the EU, the Cyber Resilience Act will require a support period of at least five years (or the expected use time, if shorter) once its main obligations apply from 11 December 2027.
Several makers provide correction data free of charge, but mobile data can become a running cost: Sunseeker Elite Gen 2 includes 24 months, then charges €49 a year; Navimow’s Connect+ data is free for the first one to two years (depending on the model), then about €30 a year (both as of 1 October 2026, prices change often). Mammotion’s terms promise 1 or 3 years of data, depending on the model year. Worx advertises “lifetime” RTK Cloud and “no subscriptions” for its 4G models, without defining “lifetime”. Husqvarna says its mowers keep to their schedule during connection problems.
FAQ
Which robot lawn mower reviews can I trust?
Start with consumer organisations that test several mowers under the same conditions, including safety: Stiftung Warentest, Which?, Test-Achats or Consumer Reports. Magazine hands-on reviews are useful but are not comparable lab tests.
What is the best robot lawn mower in 2026?
There is no single best – only best-rated models per test: the Ecovacs Goat O800 RTK and Mova 600 at Stiftung Warentest, and three tied models in Test-Achats’ wire-free ranking (see above).
What was the best robot lawn mower in 2025?
Stiftung Warentest’s 2026 results cover mowers bought and tested in 2025 (see above). Notebookcheck’s 2025 hands-on ranking named the Navimow i105E for small lawns.
Is there a good robot lawn mower without perimeter wire?
Yes: in 2026, Stiftung Warentest rated two of eight wire-free mowers “good” and six “satisfactory”. See robot lawn mowers without perimeter wire.
Wire or wire-free: which is better?
A wire ignores tree cover but must be laid and repaired. Wire-free models set up faster and handle zones in the app, but depend on sky view, coverage or daylight – and sometimes on data plans.
Do wire-free mowers work under trees?
Satellite-only models struggle under dense trees. Hybrids bridge weak zones with a camera or LiDAR; LiDAR and camera-only models need no satellites at all.
Can I let my robot mower run at night?
No. Wildlife such as hedgehogs is more active in the evening and at night (Which?), all but one mower in the 2026 test hit the hedgehog dummy, and several German cities ban night mowing.
How steep a slope can a robot mower handle?
Makers use percent: 35 % is about 19°, 45 % about 24°. Most models manage 25–50 %; AWD models such as the Mammotion LUBA or Worx Vision Cloud 4WD 80–84 %. Check the edge value.
What do reviews say about the SILENO minimo, Aspire R4, Navimow i105E, Vision M600 and GX-600?
- Gardena SILENO minimo: “satisfactory” (2.8 for the 500) in 2022, third of eight. Gardena’s German shop showed it out of stock on 1 October 2026 – check availability.
- Husqvarna Aspire R4: joint best (“satisfactory”, 2.6) in 2024; no GPS tracking.
- Navimow i105E: not tested by Stiftung Warentest; Navimow’s German shop lists the i205 AWD as the “new i105E”.
- Worx Vision M600 (WR206E): only “adequate” in 2024; Which? tested it in 2025 (results for members).
- Ecovacs GOAT GX-600: camera-navigated, 600 m², 40 % slopes; no longer on Ecovacs’ German and UK sites, and we found no consumer-organisation test result.
Bottom line
Choose by garden, not brand: lawn size plus about 50 % reserve, slope at the edge, tree cover, coverage and separate areas. Then check independent test results and how long updates are promised. To see what is selling right now: Robot mower bestsellers on Amazon (amazon.de, affiliate link – we may earn a commission). A bestseller rank says nothing about test results.
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