eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower

Yes, it's built to live outdoors. eufy rates the eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower at IPX6, which means it resists strong jets of water, and it has a rain sensor so it can pause mowing when it detects rain.

Pausing in the wet is sensible for the lawn as well as the machine. Wet grass clumps, wheels can churn soft ground, and grip on slopes drops. A rating of IPX6 doesn't mean it can be submerged, so avoid siting the base station in a dip that floods.

eufy sells a sunshade canopy for the C15, and whether the UK box includes a garage isn't confirmed. Neither is essential; our garage guide weighs it up. Over winter, clean it, charge the battery and store it somewhere dry, as our winter guide describes.

No. On the eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower, cutting height is set by hand with a knob on top of the mower. eufy lists a range of 20 mm to 60 mm. The app handles mapping, zones and schedules, but not height.

For most owners this matters less than it sounds. Robot mowers work best by trimming a little often, so many people pick a height in spring, raise it for dry spells in summer, and otherwise leave it alone. It's a bigger drawback if you want different heights in different zones, which a manual knob can't do.

If app control matters, the eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15 adjusts from 25 mm to 75 mm through the app.

Only if your Wi-Fi doesn't reach the lawn or you want theft tracking. The eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower mows, follows schedules and respects no-go zones over 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Wi-Fi without it.

What the optional plug-in module adds is a mobile data connection. That allows remote control from the eufy app when you're away and lets the mower report its GPS position if it's taken. Without the module the C15 has no GPS tracking at all, because the satellite receiver relies on the cellular link. eufy says the module comes with a SIM and 24 months of data; it doesn't publish what happens after that.

When we checked, eufy UK listed the module as sold out, so confirm it's available before planning around it. Our security guide covers cheaper deterrents.

eufy says it will try to. The eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower uses a camera system eufy calls TrueVision, which it claims can recognise more than 300 types of obstacle, including pets and small animals. That's a step beyond mowers that only stop once a bumper has made contact. But it's a manufacturer claim, not an independent safety rating, and eufy doesn't publish how reliably it spots a small animal in long grass or poor light.

Hedgehogs are the hardest case. They're small, low to the ground and tend to freeze rather than run, and they're mostly active from dusk until dawn, which is exactly when a camera has the least light to work with. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society advises against running robot mowers at night for this reason. The simplest protection is a schedule that finishes well before dusk, and checking long grass and the edges of borders before a cut in spring and autumn.

With dogs and cats, the usual advice applies: keep young or curious pets indoors while the mower runs until you know how they react, and don't let children or animals play near it. eufy lists three small steel blades on a spinning disc, which is a typical design for a robot mower.

eufy also asks owners to clear or zone off low, small objects, since camera mowers struggle with things close to ground level. Our hedgehog guide explains how to set a wildlife-friendly schedule for any robot mower.

Buy the eufy C15 Robot Lawn Mower for a small, level lawn where noise and price matter most, and the eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15 if your lawn is bigger or you want 4G and app-controlled cutting height without extras. Both use cameras only, with no wire or RTK station, and both share the same slope limit of 32.5%.

The main differences, from eufy's specifications:

• Lawn size. The C15 is rated for 500 m² and the E15 for 800 m². We'd treat about 400 m² and 650 m² as comfortable working sizes.
• Cut. The C15 cuts 180 mm wide against 203 mm. Its height is set with a knob on the mower; the E15's is set in the app.
• Noise. Measured sound power is 58.2 dB(A) for the C15 and 66.3 dB(A) for the E15, a clear gap.
• 4G. Built into the E15. On the C15 it's an optional plug-in module, and without it there's no GPS theft tracking.
• Obstacles. eufy says the C15's TrueVision system recognises pets and small animals.
• Garage. Included with the UK E15; not confirmed for the UK C15.

Prices start from £999 for the C15 and £1,159 for the E15, and eufy discounts both often. Once you add the C15's 4G module, the gap narrows, so compare the total you'd actually spend. Neither suits steep gardens, and both carry the same two-year warranty.