ON TEST Cordless mowers

As the grass starts growing with a vengeance this month, a mower is an essential piece of kit for anyone with a lawn and a cordless, battery-powered model is an increasingly popular option.

Light and compact compared with traditional petrol models, cordless mowers are simple to use, easy to manoeuvre around the garden, and have none of the maintenance and servicing needs or costs of corded and petrol models.

Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which charges up quickly and won’t lose power in storage, they are also quiet and emission free.

Although many models are still more expensive than budget corded mowers, prices are falling, and most have batteries and chargers that can be used with a range of other tools from the same manufacturer.

To see what you get for your money, we tested 16 cordless mowers, ranging in price from £175 to £750 (including battery and charger, some of which have to be bought separately). They were all push operated and suitable for small or medium-large lawns. Each was unpacked, assembled and then used