Best Hover Mowers in the UK: Reviews of My top 5 Picks

The Flymo Turbolite series is incredibly well-reviewed online and also comes in a range of sizes. As such I think it’s the best hover mower for most people.

Like many hove mowers, it’s not what you’d call expensive so investing in it won’t break the bank.

And I know this has no bearing on how good it is but I love the look of it. It looks like a little orange flying saucer!

It’s powered by an impressive 1,400-watt electric motor which is plenty powerful enough for most lawns (provided they’re not like a paddock).

As it only weighs 7.5kg, carrying it from the shed to the lawn is easy and manoeuvring it around the lawn is a doddle, no matter which direction you mow in.

It cuts well through grass which has been left to grow a little longer and I have to say, the finish was really quite nice.

The big drawback for many will be the fact that it doesn’t have a grass collection box.

That said, because it’s so light, the added weight from collecting grass clippings would negatively affect its cutting ability. Plus, if you cut the grass regularly, you can leave the tiny clippings on the lawn like the best mulching mowers do.

All in all, I really like the Flymo Turbolite mower.

It’s cheap, very light and leaves a nice, even finish and to be fair, it’s cheap feel didn’t really bother me.

It seems the thousands of users of this model agree.

If you have small lawns and with hard to reach areas, the Flymo Hover Vac is worth considering.

Powered by a 1,400-watt motor, it’s more than powerful enough to keep on top of small areas of turf. It works better than I expected when the grass is on the long side too.

Of course, it won’t tackle thick overgrown areas but if you’re faced with a few inches of growth after getting back from holiday, it’ll cope no problem.

It’s fairly light at 8.8kg so carrying from the shed to your lawn shouldn’t be a problem. It feels even lighter when cutting the grass, easily gliding over your lawn and tackling tight areas.

This particular model features a small, 15-litre grass collection box too, which for small lawns, should be enough.

Overall, the quality of the cut is very good, leaving a smooth, even finish (provided your lawn is fairly level).

It’s quiet too.

When mowing along the fence line I was left with a 5cm strip of grass which I had to finish off with the strimmer.

I also found that despite collecting grass reasonably well, I was left with clippings on the lawn when I’d finished mowing.

In terms of value for money, The Flymo Hover Vac 270 is a good little machine.

It’s cheap but works well and comes with a mass of raving fans.

Of course, it’s not perfect but then nothing in this world is – especially when it’s made to a budget.

If you have small, fairly even lawns and you don’t want to spend the earth, it’s definitely worth your consideration.

If you’re after something a bit bigger and more powerful than the Hover Vac 280, the Flymo Easy Glide 330VX is a decent choice.

At 9.4kg it’s not so heavy so carrying it to and from the lawn shouldn’t be a problem and manoeuvring it around the lawn is a doddle.

The grass box holds 22 litres which compacts the grass to get more in. It even has a handy little window so you can see when it’s full. Plus, it’s dead easy to empty.

It has a longer power cable than most hover mowers at 10 meters. Still, depending on the size of your lawn and whether or not you have an outdoor power socket, you may need an extension cable.

For relatively well care for lawns it works well and produces quite a pleasing finish. That said, if your lawn is made up of long, stalky meadow grasses it doesn’t cut so cleanly. You might find yourself having to mow an eare more than once to get a finish you’re happy with.

Also, the collection system doesn’t work great when cutting wet grass. Instead, it had a habit of blowing it all over the place.

All that being said, it’s an incredibly popular machine and is very well reviewed by other users.

If you’re looking for the best hover mower which isn’t a Flymo, this entry from McGregor is worth a look.

It’s just as easy to use as any of the Flymo models. In fact, it’s quite similar to the Hover Vac I reviewed earlier.

It’s super light at less than 6kg so carrying it to your lawn should be no problem. If it is, just tip it forward and you can roll it on the two small wheels on the front.

It tackles even thick grass well with its 1,450-watt electric motor and its 20-litre collection box it pretty effective when the grass is dry.

That said, it does have a tendency to clog up when the grass is wet.

Overall though, the McGregor lawn mower is just as good as the Flymos.

It cuts well and definitely competes with the Flymo’s in terms of cost, quality and value.

A decent product.

If your lawn is on the large size and you want a hover mower that isn’t restricted by a power cord, have a look at the Flymo XL500.

Designed for large gardens and semi-professional use, the big benefit the XL500 has over any other hover mower is the fact that you can go anywhere with it without having a power cord trailing behind you.

As it’s powered by a 160cc 4-stroke Honda engine, it’s;

1. Easy to start, and
2. Very reliable

As it’s powered by a petrol engine, it copes much better with both long, bumpy and wet grass. And its 51cm cutting width gets through it quickly.The Honda engine runs smoothly and it’s also surprisingly quiet when compared to other petrol lawn mowers.

One of the main benefits of hover mowers is the fact that they are handle slopes better than other types. This XL500 copes easily with slopes up to 45 degrees.

And because it’s made for more heavy-duty use, it’s the most robust hover mower on the market, however, it’s also the heaviest! Of course, you’d expect petrol mowers to be heavier than electric models because they have engines bolted to them.

However, all other petrol mowers have wheels which means getting them out of the shed and to the lawn is easy. This Flymo machine doesn’t have wheels so it means you’d have to physically carry its 18.2kg weight to wherever you want to use it.

For some, 18kg isn’t that heavy, for others though, it might as well weigh a ton. You can buy a set of transport wheels to help with this but that’s an added cost.

And despite the fact that it’ll cope with fairly steep inclines, pushing and pulling it up and down them is heavy work.

If you’re fit and able, the weight issue shouldn’t bother you so much. However, for some, it’s just too heavy to be useful.

Overall it’s a very good mower for medium lawns. Just make sure you can handle the weight.