Start with the lawn, not the feature list
The first filter is the ground the machine has to cover. Toolineo states a maximum area of 700 square metres, Fuxtec lists 1,000 square metres, and STIGA gives its robot mower range 14,000 square metres. Area figures across this group span 700 to 14,000 m², and that spread is the clearest sign that these products are not interchangeable. A mower sized for a small lawn will not cope with a large one no matter how good the rest of its specification looks.
Gradient changes the picture again. Slopes drain the battery faster and stop a robot climbing, so treat the steepest part of your lawn as a hard limit rather than a preference. STIGA states a maximum slope of 50%, which is worth holding against the shape of your garden. The robot lawn mower rankings place area and slope next to each other, so use them to cut the field down before you open a single brand page.
Read entry prices, and read the currency
The cheapest figure on a shop page is a starting price, not the price of the model you will probably end up buying. Fuxtec's listings start at €6.90, Toolineo at €4.55 and STIGA at £8.99. Fuxtec and Toolineo quote in euros while STIGA quotes in pounds, so convert before you rank any two of them against each other.
Starting prices across this group span €4.55 to €1,227.74, and a gap that wide reflects different machine sizes rather than different value. Set the area limit first, then read the price of the specific model that covers your lawn, and check whether the boundary wire or base station needed for your navigation type comes in the box or is added at the till. Also read what the warranty requires of you in the way of storage and servicing, because servicing costs sit outside the purchase price.
Navigation decides the installation, not the mowing
Exmark navigates by RTK GPS, so its autonomous mowers work from a mapped boundary with no wire buried in the lawn. Toolineo and Fuxtec both use a boundary wire, which is straightforward to buy and the more laborious to run around paths, trees and awkward edges before the first cut.
STIGA covers all three approaches: RTK GPS, vision and a boundary wire. That makes it the flexible choice on mixed ground, and it gives you a fallback when satellite signal is poor beside walls and tall trees. The trade-off runs the other way too. A wire keeps cutting without a signal, while camera and satellite navigation can pause a run when the view or the signal drops. Choose the navigation type that matches the shape of your lawn and the conditions around it, rather than the one that sounds most advanced on a spec sheet.
Warranty length and who you call afterwards
Warranty is where the American and European approaches differ most on paper. Exmark offers 4 years and STIGA offers 5 years, the longer of the two. Warranty lengths across this group span 1 to 5 years, so a short term is normal in this category and worth confirming on the model you intend to buy rather than on the range as a whole.
Support routes matter as much as length. Email, phone and a help centre are available across the group. Fuxtec adds live chat, which is useful for setup questions, and Exmark adds a community forum. Before buying, read the warranty terms and check that a dealer or service partner operates in your country, since a mower that needs a return journey is a different proposition from one covered locally. The Exmark review and the STIGA review set out what each brand commits to.
What you live with week to week
App control is no longer a differentiator: each of these brands offers app-based control, so scheduling, status checks and manual spot mowing on the phone are table stakes. Shared battery platforms are the point that does separate them. Fuxtec runs a battery platform, so one charger and one battery type can cover more of its range, while STIGA does not, which puts spare packs and chargers into your running cost.
Sound decides whether you can run the mower at all. Fuxtec states a noise level of 60 decibels, so check the figure against your mowing window, particularly with close neighbours, open-plan bedrooms and a garden wall that carries sound.
Shortlists by lawn type
**Best for a small or medium lawn on a wired system:** Toolineo, at a maximum area of 700 m² and listings from €4.55, with email, phone and help centre support. Trade-off: it trades in a single market, so shipping and service reach outside its home country are the first thing to confirm.
**Best balance for a mid-size lawn:** Fuxtec, covering 1,000 square metres with listings from €6.90, a battery platform and chat support alongside email and phone. Trade-off: a boundary wire has to be laid before the first cut, which is weekend work in an awkward garden.
**Best for large or complicated grounds:** STIGA, at 14,000 square metres, a maximum slope of 50% and a 5-year warranty, with RTK GPS, vision and boundary wire options in the same family. Trade-off: no shared battery platform, and entry prices quoted in pounds.
**Honourable mention:** Exmark, for wire-free RTK GPS mowing with a 4-year warranty and a US base behind a well-known parent company.
A comparison routine that takes minutes
Work in a fixed order and the decision makes itself. Measure the lawn and note its rough area. Find the steepest section and check it against the stated slope. Decide whether you will lay a wire or want satellite or camera navigation. Only then compare prices on models that survive those filters, and finish on warranty length and support channels in your country.
Two habits save rework. Compare like with like on currency and on area, since an entry price for a small machine says nothing about the machine that fits your grass. And read the brand pages behind the numbers you are relying on: the Toolineo review and the Fuxtec review cover support and ownership in more depth, and the robot lawn mower rankings keep the field narrowed to models that meet the basics.