Choosing the best ride-on lawn mower in the UK

If you have a large lawn, this ride-on mower will make cutting your grass quick, easy, and even enjoyable. The Mountfield MTF 66 MQ Petrol Lawn Rider 224cc is suitable for outdoor spaces up to two acres. It has a compact 3.9-litre fuel tank and is delivered fully assembled so you can jump straight into the driver's seat. Additionally, the seat features a safety switch that cuts out the engine if the driver dismounts whilst the blades are turning. Working in tandem with the easy steering is the machine’s impressive hydrostatic transmission for enhanced manoeuvrability and a smooth drive, helping to cut with precision even on the dullest of days.

Customer review: "I have only used the mower once so far and it was very easy to start and easy to mow a fairly large area of lawn which is not very flat and has an undulating surface. The mower coped very well. It has a very small turning circle which was great in tight areas. Emptying the grass box is very easy when seated on the mower. Overall I can recommend this mower."

Honda HF 2317 HME Lawn Tractor has hydrostatic transmission that makes it responsive and easy to manoeuvre. It boasts an Optiflow grass collecting system which means no grass clippings get left behind. With a huge 280-litre grass collector this lawn tractor can plough through grassed areas up to 8,000 square metres. It's a petrol-powered vehicle with a meaty 5.4-litre petrol tank and a speed range of 1.2mph to a spritely 5.5mph. Additionally, it has an LED smart diagnostic dashboard that's user-friendly and tells you what fuel you have remaining.

Customer review: "Great mower, easy to use and does the job well in no time."

The Webb 12530 Hydro Compact Lawn Rider is our featherweight contender with a narrower cutting width of 76cm and weighing just 168g. It has a teeny 60cm turning circle and can collect 176-litres of grass cuttings. The five forward gears and one reverse make it super manoeuvrable if you have tight borders you need to squeeze up to. Additionally, hydrostatic transmission means it's simple and responsive to drive and it has a durable OHV engine. It's delivered fully assembled so you'll be ready to mow.

This is a beast with a cutting width that's over one metre wide. The AL-KO Solo T16-103.7 HD-V2 Rear Collect Lawn Tractor is a step up in specs, boasting a whopping 300-litre grass collector box. It's a heavyweight vehicle at 205kg and goes toe-to-toe with lawn sizes up to 6,000 square metres. You get superior engine power with this Briggs and Stratton Intek Series 7160 V-Twin 656cc. Also, it has a raised chassis and seating position for better ground clearance and visibility. Driving it is a joy, with twin pedals and a larger steering wheel.

The Stihl RT4082 Garden Rider makes short work of lawns up to 4,000 square metres. It features turf tyres to protect the lawn whilst packing a powerful Stihl EVC4000 OHV engine so you can glide around the corners of flower beds with ease. Switch from forward to reverse with a simple gear stick and turn on a dime with a tight turning circle. Hydrostatic transmission makes this model nippy and responsive. A 250-litre “dumper” grass catcher box is operated from the driving seat with a simple curved handle. Additionally, it can be converted into a mulching mower. This robust garden rider is a good medium size ride-on mower option.

This Mountfield MTF 98M-SD Side-Discharge Lawn Tractor is designed for cutting longer grass and dispersing it back into the garden rather than collecting it. It is an optional mulching function, but a good shout as side discharge is a fast and effective way of returning goodness back to the soil. This ride-on lawn mower is fast too, with a top speed of 9.7kph. With a cutting width that's just shy of one metre, this garden tractor can cover lawns up to 8000 square metres. Mountfield is a trusted brand and this model comes with a quality Stiga ST350 352cc engine.

Customer review: "Great sit on mower, efficient and easy to use, cuts very well and a fabulous product all round."

The Snapper ZTX105 Zero Turn Ride On Mower may have the largest fuel tank capacity (11-litres) in our line-up but that doesn't mean it's cumbersome; this mower can get to places that other mowers can't reach. It has powerful zero-turn manoeuvrability and can cover lawns over 10,000 square metres. A 91cm mower deck gives it the smallest width in its class, making it lean enough to negotiate obstacles or tight corners. Its steel frame means it will stand the test of time as well as weathering all elements. Even if the ground is bumpy, you'll be comfortable in an ergonomically designed and adjustable seat.

Our first battery-powered option, the Weibang Intrepid iON 81 RC Battery Ride On Lawn Mower breaks new ground as an eco-friendly ride-on lawn mower. Because it's battery-powered as opposed to petrol, it's more environmentally friendly. It has an impressive working time of up to 150 minutes depending on cutting conditions. The 190-litre grass collector has easy-to-operate lever tipping. We were super surprised at how fast this vehicle can go: the variable e-drive allows for speeds up to 6.5 km/h and a nippy 5 km/h in reverse.

This ride-on mower looks a little different to the other models. The EGO Power Plus Z6 ZT4201E-L Ride On Mower spins on a zero-turn radius so you can mow with precision. It was the first battery-powered ride-on mower of its kind and uses any combination of the EGO ARC Lithium™ batteries. Use the handy Z6 Mower Battery Calculator (follow the link and scroll down) to input the size of your lawn and it tells what combination of batteries to use. It has three driving modes: control, standard and sport and variable speed between 3-8mph. Additionally, you can be back to full charge in just three hours - comparatively, that's a fast charging time. With 230-litre collecting capacity, mulching and side discharge - this has all the functionality of the best ride-on lawn mowers whilst looking like a Martian buggy and running on next-gen power.

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