Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V

Yes to both, during the mowing season. Husqvarna rates the Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V at IPX6, which means it's protected against powerful jets of water. That's a higher rating than the IPX5 of most of Husqvarna's NERA models, and it can sit on its charging station through normal British weather.

Mowing in the rain is a different question from surviving it. Wet grass clumps, the cut is less tidy, and soft ground can mark on slopes, so it's worth scheduling around the wettest spells. Husqvarna sells an Automower House for this model if you want to keep rain and sun off it; see our garages page.

In winter, bring it indoors, clean it, and store the charged mower somewhere frost-free. Our winter storage guide sets out the steps.

For most owners, yes. The Husqvarna Automower 105 is discontinued, and the Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V is Husqvarna's current entry-level Automower with the same 600 m² rating, so it should cover the same lawn.

What changes is how it works. The 105 had no app and followed a wire; the R6V has the Automower Connect app and no wire at all, relying on satellite positioning with corrections sent over your Wi-Fi. Your old wire won't be needed, so you can leave it in the ground or lift it. The R6V also handles steeper slopes, up to 40% against the 105's 25%, and cuts a wider strip.

The one check before buying is Wi-Fi coverage across the lawn. If it's patchy and you'd rather not pay for extras, a wired model such as the Husqvarna Automower 305 works much like your 105.

Probably neither, if your Wi-Fi covers the lawn; if it doesn't, the right choice depends on your mobile signal. The Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V needs a live connection to receive RTK corrections from Husqvarna's cloud, and these two dealer-fitted add-ons solve the problem in different ways.

The Automower Connect Kit adds a cellular connection, so corrections and app control reach the mower over the mobile network. It suits gardens with decent phone signal but weak Wi-Fi at the far end.

The EPOS RS1 reference station supplies corrections locally from a fixed aerial in your garden, with no internet needed. Husqvarna quotes a working radius of about 100 m. It's the fallback for sites with poor Wi-Fi and poor mobile coverage. The RS1 handles positioning only: it doesn't connect the mower to the app, which still relies on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth unless you add the Connect Kit too.

The RS1 is listed on our RTK stations page, and the network RTK guide explains cloud corrections versus a local base.

In a garden with good Wi-Fi across the lawn, the mower itself shouldn't need a dealer. The Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V is sold online direct from Husqvarna UK, has no boundary wire to lay, and uses virtual boundaries set up through the Automower Connect app, with RTK corrections arriving from Husqvarna's cloud over your Wi-Fi.

A dealer comes in when the Wi-Fi doesn't reach. Husqvarna's two fixes, the Automower Connect Kit (which adds cellular) and the EPOS RS1 reference station, are both listed as dealer-installed for this model. Before buying, walk the lawn with your phone and check the Wi-Fi signal at the far corners; an outdoor Wi-Fi extender may be enough. Our installation guide covers the rest of the set-up, such as siting the charging station.

The Husqvarna Automower Aspire R6V is a bigger, wire-free mower, while the Husqvarna Automower Aspire R4 was a small, light machine that needed a boundary wire. The R4 is now discontinued. Husqvarna doesn't name a direct successor, but the R6V is the current Aspire model and the natural upgrade.

Side by side on Husqvarna's spec tables:

• Navigation: the R4 follows a perimeter wire and mows at random. The R6V uses satellite RTK with corrections from Husqvarna's cloud over Wi-Fi, plus an AI camera, and mows in systematic lines.
• Lawn size: 400 m² for the R4 against 600 m² for the R6V.
• Slopes: 25% against 40% inside the lawn, and 10% against 15% along the boundary.
• Cutting: 160 mm against 220 mm, with a slightly higher maximum height on the R6V. Both are adjusted by hand.
• Weight and weather: the R4 weighs 5.9 kg, the R6V 9.9 kg. The R6V is rated IPX6, the R4 IPX5.

Both use the Automower Connect app with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and neither has GPS theft tracking listed. The R6V's big catch is that it relies on Wi-Fi reaching the whole lawn for positioning, which a wired R4 never needed. If your router can't cover the garden, factor in a dealer-fitted Connect Kit or RS1 reference station. Current R6V prices start from £999.