Bosch Cordless Lawn Mower

Why choose a Bosch cordless lawn mower?

Bosch has made lawn mowers for decades, and the Rotak name is one of the best known in British sheds. The battery range today has three things going for it.

• One battery for lots of tools. The 18V mowers take Bosch's green POWER FOR ALL batteries. The POWER FOR ALL ALLIANCE covers 150+ products from 10+ brands, including Bosch, Gardena, Flymo and Wagner, so one charger and one set of packs can run your mower, strimmer, hedge trimmer and drill.
• Brushless motors. Most current models use brushless motors, which waste less energy as heat. That means more grass cut per charge and fewer worn parts.
• A clear size ladder. Bosch puts the recommended lawn area in many model names. The CityMower 18V-32-300 is for up to 300m², the UniversalRotak 2x18V-37-550 for 550m² and the AdvancedRotak 36V-44-750 for 750m². That makes it easy to match a mower to your garden.

The Bosch cordless range at a glance

These are the battery lawn mowers in our listings above. Lawn areas are Bosch's own recommendations with a 4.0Ah battery (or two, on twin-battery mowers). Weights are from the Amazon listings where they're given.

Model	Battery	Cutting width	Cutting height	Grass box	Lawn size	Weight
EasyMower 18V-32-200	1 x 18V	32cm	20-60mm (3)	31L	Up to 200m²	8.1kg with battery
CityMower 18V-32-300	1 x 18V	32cm	30-60mm (3)	31L	Up to 300m²	9.4kg with battery
UniversalRotak 2x18V-37-550	2 x 18V (36V)	37cm	25-70mm (7)	40L	Up to 550m²	13.7kg with batteries
Rotak 18V2-38	2 x 18V (36V)	38cm	30-75mm	40L	Up to 500m²	Not listed
Rotak 18V2-43	2 x 18V (36V)	43cm	30-75mm (6)	50L	Up to 600m²	Not listed
AdvancedRotak 36V-44-750	1 x 36V	44cm	25-80mm (7)	50L	Up to 750m²	Not listed

Not sure how big your lawn is? Pace it out (one long stride is roughly a metre), multiply length by width, then choose a model rated comfortably above that figure.

Small gardens: CityMower and EasyMower

Both small lawn mowers have a 32cm deck, a single 18V battery and a rigid 31 litre grass box. They're light enough to carry through the house to a terraced back garden, and grass combs on the deck edges help them cut right up to fences and walls.

The CityMower 18V-32-300 is the more capable of the two. It has a brushless motor, a 300m² rating and Bosch's ErgoFlex handle, which lets you push with an upright posture. Reviewers like how easy it is to steer, but it has only three heights and no mulching. The EasyMower 18V-32-200 is the budget choice for lawns up to 200m². It drops lower than the CityMower, cutting from 20mm, and weighs about 8kg with its battery.

If you'd rather compare small lawn mowers from every brand, our lightweight mower range includes 33-34cm models from Ryobi, Worx and Hyundai.

Medium lawns: the twin-battery Rotak 18V2 and UniversalRotak

For 300-600m² lawns, Bosch's answer is to use two 18V batteries at once. Together they deliver 36V of power and twice the stored energy, without forcing you to buy into a separate 36V system. The batteries are the same ones your other green tools use, so you can share them around.

The Rotak 18V2-38 and Rotak 18V2-43 are the current Rotak lawn mowers. Both have brushless motors, a single-lever 30-75mm height adjustment, a fabric bag, a magnetically held deflector guard and a mulch plug in the box. Both also have a foldable handle and can be stored standing on end against a shed wall. The 43cm version cuts a 5cm wider strip on every pass and has the bigger 50 litre bag, so it's the one to choose if your lawn is near the 500m² mark.

The UniversalRotak 2x18V-37-550 sits between the two on width but goes lower, down to 25mm, with seven height settings. It has a 40 litre bag with a full indicator. At 13.7kg with both batteries fitted it is still light enough to lift into a car boot.

Large lawns: AdvancedRotak 36V-44-750

The AdvancedRotak 36V-44-750 is the top Bosch battery lawn mower. It has a 44cm deck, a 25-80mm cutting range and a 50 litre bag, and it is rated for 750m². It uses a single 36V battery rather than two 18V packs, so it doesn't share batteries with the 18V tools. Bosch says a 36V pack reaches 80% charge in 96 minutes on the standard charger.

Bosch's own lawn mower range only goes as big as 44cm. For lawns above 750m², or if you have slopes, look at our self-propelled cordless lawn mowers. Greenworks and Cobra make 46cm models that drive themselves along.

Bosch batteries explained

Battery voltage is the power of the mower's motor. Battery capacity, in amp hours (Ah), is how long it runs. Bosch recommends at least a 4.0Ah battery for all of its cordless mowers, and on its lawn mower pages suggests 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah packs plus a fast charger for bigger lawns. Retailers list the Rotak 18V2-38 at 500m² on 4.0Ah batteries, 600m² on 5.0Ah and 700m² on 6.0Ah.

Bosch's 4.4A fast charger fully charges a 4.0Ah battery in about 59 minutes, and the twin-bay AL 2X 18V-88 charger supplied with the Rotak 18V2 kits charges two packs at once. With the cheaper standard chargers, expect about 90-95 minutes for a 4.0Ah battery.

Kit or bare tool?

Most Bosch mowers come two ways: as a kit with batteries and a charger, or as a bare tool (sometimes listed as "without battery"). The bare version is the cheaper buy if you already own green 18V batteries of 4.0Ah or more. Check the title carefully: the Rotak 18V2-43 appears in our listings both as a two-battery set and as a body-only mower.

Features to compare

Cutting width

Bosch suggests 32-40cm for small and medium lawns, or for gardens with lots of tight corners and narrow paths. For 500m² and up, choose a deck over 40cm so you make fewer passes.

Cutting height

The range runs from 20mm (EasyMower) to 80mm (AdvancedRotak). The RHS advice on mowing is to raise the height in spring, autumn and dry weather and never take off more than a third of the blade at once. More height settings give you finer control.

Grass collection and mulching

Boxes range from 31 litres on the small mowers to 50 litres on the Rotak 18V2-43 and AdvancedRotak. The Rotak 18V2 models are 3-in-1: collect, mulch with the plug fitted, or discharge. Mulching chops clippings fine and drops them back on the lawn as a natural feed, so you empty the bag less often. The CityMower doesn't mulch.

Rear roller for stripes

None of the Bosch battery mowers in our listings has a full-width rear roller, so they won't leave bowling-green stripes. If stripes matter to you, browse our cordless mowers with a roller from Flymo, Lawnmaster and Hyundai.

Handles and storage

The ErgoFlex handle on the CityMower and UniversalRotak lets you push the mower with your arms closer to your body, which is easier on the back. The Rotak 18V2 range has foldable handles and stands upright for storage.

Bosch vs other cordless mower brands

Bosch's strongest points are build quality, the POWER FOR ALL battery and clear lawn-size ratings. Its range is mostly push mowers, though. Here's how it compares:

• Greenworks has a bigger 40V and 48V range, including self-propelled 46cm models.
• Ryobi ONE+ 18V mowers are often cheaper and share batteries with the whole Ryobi ONE+ tool range.
• Worx PowerShare models are light and good value, often sold with a trimmer.

If you'd like a matching edger, our cordless mower and strimmer sets come with both tools and shared batteries in one box.

Looking after your cordless mower

• Remove the battery before cleaning the mower deck or touching the blade.
• Brush dried grass from under the deck after mowing the lawn. Don't hose it, as water can reach the motor and electrics.
• Store batteries indoors over winter, part-charged, somewhere frost-free.
• Have the blade sharpened or replaced each season or two. A blunt blade tears the grass and runs the battery down faster.
• When a battery reaches the end of its life, take it to a household recycling centre. Recycle Now lists where to take lithium-ion batteries near you.

Bosch cordless mower FAQs

Which Bosch cordless lawn mower is best?

For most UK lawns, the Rotak 18V2-38 or 18V2-43 kit. They're rated for 500-600m², mulch as standard and run on two widely shared 18V batteries. For a small lawn under 300m², the CityMower 18V-32-300 is lighter and simpler. For a lawn of up to 750m², choose the AdvancedRotak 36V mower.

How long does the battery last?

Bosch rates its mowers by lawn area rather than minutes. A 4.0Ah battery cuts up to 300m² on the CityMower, and two 4.0Ah batteries cut up to 600m² on the Rotak 18V2-43. Long or wet grass shortens that.

Can I use Bosch batteries from my drill?

Yes, if they're green Bosch Home & Garden 18V batteries (POWER FOR ALL). Blue Bosch Professional batteries use a different system and don't fit these mowers. A 4.0Ah or larger pack is recommended. Small 1.5Ah or 2.0Ah drill batteries will fit but won't last long.

Do Bosch mowers mulch?

The Rotak 18V2-38 and 18V2-43 come with a mulch plug, and Bosch says mulching is now standard on its Rotak range. The CityMower 18V-32-300 only cuts and collects.

Are Bosch cordless mowers good for wet grass?

It's best to mow the lawn when the grass is dry. Wet clippings clump, block the bag and use more battery. If you have to cut damp grass, raise the cutting height a notch and empty the bag more often.