The iMow app offers easy operation you can check the mower’s status and GPS location from anywhere, which is a bonus if you are worried about theft. The user can set the sensitivity, a useful feature if your ground is prone to flooding. Extra features include a rain sensor that ensures mowing is either interrupted or not started when it is raining. Quite compact for a model that covers such a large area, the Stihl has a quality feel that is echoed in its operation – quiet and efficient, it gets the job done with no problems. The characteristic Stihl orange livery certainly stands out, and this model can make light work of gardens covering up to a third of an acre. One of its most standout features though is its ability to “cut to edge” as long as you set up the wires correctly, so you don’t need to strim the untidy lawn edges.

Thanks to its watertight design it can also be hosed off after use. Plus there is an option to operate via voice control if you don’t have a smartphone. There’s some nice extras that can be added at extra cost – an “off limits” module will help the landroid find its way round temporary fixtures such as a summer paddling pool, without having to connect wire to your existing layout, and the ACS (anti collision system) makes it swerve around obstacles – handy for things like football goals and plant pots. Serious gardeners can even set it up to work on different soil types and grass varieties.

We loved the inclusion of an adorable “save the hedgehog” mode, which stops the mower working in the evening when small creatures might be visiting your garden.

We did have some trouble getting it connected to the app – and ended up bringing the mower back in the house to get a connection, but the intuitive app worked well after that. It handled the lawn beautifully, speedily taking itself off in a random pattern to get the grass cut. Looking like a black and orange hovercraft, this was one of the biggest models we tested – suitable for lawns up to 1,000 sq m.

Robot lawn mower