Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA

Husqvarna doesn't mention any data plan or subscription for the Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA. Its UK pages say the cloud RTK corrections are provided at no extra cost, and the Automower Connect app is free.

The mower connects over cellular as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, according to Husqvarna's spec table. That means it can receive RTK corrections, and you can check or control it from the app, even where home Wi-Fi doesn't reach the lawn. The same link supports its GPS theft tracking.

What Husqvarna doesn't state is whether that cellular access is guaranteed free for the life of the mower. Some other brands include a set period of 4G and then charge, so it's worth asking the retailer or dealer to confirm the terms in writing before you buy. Our network RTK and 4G guide explains how cellular connections are typically handled across brands.

Husqvarna says it uses its camera to help. The Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA combines EPOS satellite RTK with an AI vision camera, and according to Husqvarna the two are fused so the mower can keep covering areas where satellite reception is weak, such as along a house wall or under trees.

That gives it an advantage over camera-free models such as the Husqvarna Automower 305E NERA, which rely on satellite positioning alone. Husqvarna doesn't publish how far the mower can travel on the camera without a good satellite fix, so very enclosed gardens are still a risk for any RTK-based mower.

Unlike the 305E and 320 NERA, Husqvarna's spec table lists only virtual boundaries for the 405VE NERA, not a boundary wire, so the wire isn't a fallback here. If a spot remains unreliable, a stay-out zone in the app is the practical fix. Our navigation guide explains how satellite and camera systems compare.

We'd advise against night mowing with any robot mower, including this one. The Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA has an AI camera with infrared that Husqvarna says is designed for night use, but being able to see in the dark isn't the same as being proven safe for wildlife.

Hedgehogs are mostly active after dark, according to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, and they tend to freeze rather than run when something approaches. Husqvarna doesn't publish test results showing how reliably the camera spots a small, curled-up animal in long grass at night.

The simplest protection is a daytime schedule, which the Automower Connect app makes easy to set. Clearing leaf piles and checking long grass before the first cut of the season also help. Our hedgehog guide covers schedules and other steps in more detail.

For many small gardens, no: the Husqvarna Automower 308V covers similar ground for much less. The Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA earns its higher price if your Wi-Fi doesn't reach the lawn, you want GPS tracking, or you care about tidier edges.

Both are wire-free, use Husqvarna's EPOS satellite RTK with cloud corrections, and have an AI camera. Neither needs a reference station where there's an internet connection across the lawn. The differences are in the details:

• Connectivity. The 405VE NERA has cellular built in, so it gets RTK corrections and app access over mobile signal. The 308V relies on Wi-Fi unless a dealer fits a Connect Kit.
• Security. The 405VE NERA lists GPS theft tracking; the 308V's data doesn't.
• Cutting. The 405VE NERA adds the rear EdgeCut disc and a higher maximum cutting height, 55 mm against 50 mm. Its height also adjusts electrically from the app, while Husqvarna lists manual adjustment on the 308V.
• Night vision. Its camera has infrared, though we'd keep any robot mower to daytime schedules for hedgehogs.

The 308V has a few advantages. Husqvarna rates it for steeper slopes, 40% against 30%, and it is lighter. The 405VE NERA is rated for a larger lawn, 900 m² against 800 m², and is quoted as slightly quieter.

The 308V costs from £1,249 and the 405VE NERA from £2,299. If your garden has good Wi-Fi throughout and you don't need tracking, the 308V is the better value. If the lawn is beyond Wi-Fi or theft is a worry, the 405VE NERA's extras are harder to add later.

The biggest change is that the Husqvarna Automower 405VE NERA is wire-free out of the box, while the Husqvarna Automower 405XE NERA it replaces arrived set up for a boundary wire. Husqvarna named the 405VE NERA as the successor in its 2026 NERA announcement, and the 405XE NERA is now discontinued.

The 405XE NERA followed a perimeter wire and needed Husqvarna's EPOS Plug-in, bought separately, to use satellite navigation. The 405VE NERA has EPOS satellite RTK built in, with correction data from Husqvarna's cloud over Wi-Fi or its built-in cellular link, so there's usually no wire and no reference station to install.

It also adds an AI vision camera with infrared, which Husqvarna doesn't list for the 405XE NERA. Husqvarna says the camera works alongside the satellite positioning, which should help where signal is weak, for example close to the house.

Husqvarna rates the new model for a larger lawn: 900 m² with systematic mowing, against 600 m² for the 405XE NERA.

Much stays the same. Both have the EdgeCut rear disc, electric height adjustment from 20 mm to 55 mm, a 30% slope rating, the same quoted sound level, built-in cellular and GPS tracking.

If you find a 405XE NERA at a clear discount and don't mind a wire, it is still a capable mower. For a new purchase where you want to avoid a wire, the 405VE NERA, from £2,299, is the simpler route than buying an older model plus the plug-in.