Stiftung Warentest

Robotic mowers with some serious safety deficiencies

Many robotic lawnmowers are not childproof. This is why even the test winners scored only satisfactory overall - even though they mow well.(Bild: Stiftung Warentest/Martin Jehnichen)

The consumer protection experts at the German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest have attested to some serious safety deficiencies in current robotic lawn mowers. In a test of eight devices, three mowed the lawn well, but none passed all the safety tests. In the end, the overall rating was "satisfactory" at best. Two new products that navigate using a camera only scored "sufficient".

The robot mowers tested cost between 450 and 1590 euros and are designed for 400 to 700 square meters of lawn. "In our accident simulation, almost all mowers injured a child's arm lying down," says Christiane Böttcher-Tiedemann, an expert at Stiftung Warentest. "The G 600 from Stiga drove onto the dummy of a crawling child's foot. This means that the most expensive device in the test violates the safety standard and is inadequate."

However, many robots also failed to impress in the demanding mowing test. There were technical failures or the mowers did not manage the promised maximum lawn area with obstacles. According to the consumer advocates, only three models mowed well and overcame obstacles such as roots or narrow areas.

Only "sufficient" for models with camera navigation
For the first time, Stiftung Warentest also tested two devices with camera navigation. They work around the lawn without a perimeter wire. However, they often failed to recognize the area boundary or got stuck in the test. The verdict for the two robots: Sufficient.

The detailed test results and tips on setting up, adapting and maintaining the robotic mowers can be found in the April issue of "test" magazine.