The 6 best mulching lawn mowers for a lush and healthy lawn in 2024

When mowing your lawn it’s well worth considering the range of benefits a mulching mower can have on the health of your green space. Instead of simply cutting the grass and disposing of the clippings, a mulching lawn mower produces a finer cut before pushing the loose grass back into the surface of your lawn. Here it will decompose, releasing nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil.

As grass is largely made up of water this means the lawn will require less watering and should grow to be healthier and greener. As well as saving you time, mulching the grass instead of collecting and disposing of the clippings elsewhere is also better for the environment.

What is mulching power?

Mulching works with the help of a purpose-built blade or mower add-on that cuts the grass more finely than a regular lawn mower. If the mower is not powerful enough to effectively chop the grass to a fine mulch and push it into the ground, this can create clumps on the lawn which can cause damage to the plants beneath.

We have picked out six of the best mulching mowers that will save you time and ensure you get the best mulching as you mow.

Best mulching lawn mowers in 2024

Hyundai GardenTek 15"/38cm Mulching Mower

Best affordable mulching lawn mower

• Electric - 10m power cable
• Five cutting heights
• 40L collection box and rear discharge
• 13kg

Pros: electric, lightweight, collection box, inexpensive

Cons: smaller collection box than others

This GardenTek mulching mower from Hyundai sits in the more affordable price range without compromising too heavily on its features. The mower has a 380mm cutting width, making it a suitable choice for small or medium-sized lawns.

Customer review: "Aside from being a little noisier than expected, just about everything about this mower is great. Easy to adjust height, easy to attach catcher, wide cutting zone, light and easy to maneuver."

Discover our pick of the best lawn mowers in 2024.

Mountfield SP555V Mulching Mower

Best mulching mower for a large lawn

Buy from Just Lawnmowers (£649.00)

• Petrol
• Self-propelled
• Seven cutting heights
• 70L collection bag and side/rear discharge
• 45kg

Pros: self-propelled, large collection bag, seven cutting heights

Cons: heavy, petrol powered

If you have a large garden, this may be the best mower for you. It has seven pre-set cutting heights, which are easy to adjust with a single lever, and a 53cm cutting width supported by 240mm rear wheels, which means it will take on large sections of longer grass with ease.

Customer review: "Nice mower, so far so good."

Hyundai 46cm Petrol Lawnmower

Best versatile mulching mower

• Petrol
• Self-propelled
• Six cutting heights
• 70L collection bag and side/rear discharge
• 34kg

Pros: self-propelled, large collection bag

Cons: petrol powered

Although this mower is powered by petrol, the 2.6kW (3.5hp) Hyundai OHV 4-stroke 139cc Euro II engine promises low fuel consumption and easy starting. It uses rear wheel drive with a 46cm cutting width, making it a perfect choice for larger lawns.

Customer review: "[T]his lawn mower has impressed me, has a powerful engine, does mulching and has dealt well with my lumpy lawn on a slight slope."

Yard Force Compact 400RiS Robotic Mower

Best mulching mower for putting your feet up

• Battery powered
• Variable cutting heights
• 15kg

Pros: automatic, lightweight, battery powered

Cons: no collection bag

The Yard Force Compact 400Ri prides itself on the most advanced collision detection around, with ultrasonic iRadar sensors as standard (rather than an option or add-on) that will detect and avoid obstacles rather than bump into them and make an escape or – worse – steam-roller over anything flat enough to climb over.

Customer review: "What I like about this is that you can control it via the [app] but also use the control panel on the [mower]."

The Yard Force Compact Robotic Lawnmower was shortlisted in our review of the best robot lawnmowers.

John Deere JS63VC Mulching Mower

Best mower for manoeuvrability

Buy from Gables & Gardens (£845.00)

• Petrol
• Self-propelled
• Seven cutting heights
• 40kg

Pros: self-propelled, seven cutting heights

Cons: fairly heavy, petrol powered, no collection bag

Fitted with lockable front castor wheels for increased manoeuvrability, this mulching mower will cut through your garden at whichever pace most suits you, with three different speed settings. The mower is crafted with a dedicated bell-shaped mulching deck and mulching blade, where the grass is cut then cut again before being pressed back into the earth.

Cobra RM433SPBI Rear Roller Mower

Best mower for mulching and collecting

Buy from Cheap Mowers (£547.67), OnBuy (£632.17)

• Petrol
• Self-propelled
• Six cutting heights
• 50L collection bag
• 34kg

Pros: self-propelled, collection bag

Cons: petrol powered

This machine seamlessly blends the strength of a petrol engine with the dependability of a lithium-ion battery. A simple push of a button activates the engine, while the OHV design delivers enhanced efficiency, reduced noise, and lower maintenance and fuel costs.

It’s a particularly durable mower thanks to its steel deck, but still very easy to move around, due to an in-built feature that matches the mower’s speed to your own walking pace. There’s even a soft-grip handlebar to make the experience as comfortable and easy as possible.

Check out our selection of the best ride-on mowers and lawn scarifiers to keep your grass healthy.