MowerIndex is reader-supported. If you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Nobody pays for a score.

07 of 10 Best for small yards Boundary wire · Boundary wire

Gardena

Sileno City 250

Gardena Sileno City 250

7.0/10 Score

The quietest mower we track and the right size for a small urban lawn — provided you accept a weekly clean and a fiddly first setup.

Where it sits 07 of 10 overall 02 of 2 in Boundary wire type median 7.4 (n 2) field median 7.3

Model no. 15001-20
Max lawn
250m²
Max slope
35%
Cut width
6.3in

Drawn from the spec sheet: 0.06-acre plot to scale · ground tilted to the 35% rating · lanes 6.3 in wide, the real cut · buried wire, random route, dock on the edge, canopy overhead. Manufacturer ratings, not our measurements.

Amazon link · we earn a commission if you buy · No official US price for this EU-first model · Amazon price not shown

Reliability30% weight
6.0
Performance25%
7.5
Usability20%
7.5
Value15%
6.5
Support10%
8.0

cut = score, 5–10 in half-point notchesuncutdry patch = weakestboundary wire median, n 2

Scoring note

Reliability 6.0 (30%): the weakest axis and the reason this dropped from its previous score — roboter-forum carries five separate Sileno City 250 problem threads covering stuck behaviour, startup sensor failures, a dead mainboard, and a start button that failed after two seasons. Performance 7.5 (25%): very good inside its 250 m² envelope, with CorridorCut a real advantage in tight gardens. Usability 7.5 (20%): quiet and hose-cleanable, but the initial wire setup is described as complex and it needs a weekly clean in wet weather. Value 6.5 (15%): the going US import price for 250 m² is not cheap per square metre. Support 8.0 (10%): Husqvarna Group backing and parts availability, offset by warranty repairs that did not stick. Weighted total 7.0.

Recommended for

and where to walk past it

Recommended for

  • Your lawn is genuinely small: 250 m² (about 2,700 sq ft) or less
  • Noise is your main constraint, as in a townhouse or city garden
  • You want a mower that keeps working in the rain

What backs it

  • 57 dB — quiet enough to run without annoying neighbours
  • CorridorCut gets through narrow passages other mowers refuse
  • Mows in rain and hoses clean

Not where

  • You want something you can ignore for weeks at a time
  • Your lawn has mole hills, wet hollows or anything it can beach on
  • You are buying in the US, where this EU-first mower arrives through importers

What counts against it

  • 250 m² ceiling — genuinely small
  • Owner forums are thick with stuck-mower and sensor-failure threads
  • Basic app; US availability is awkward for an EU-first product

Known issue

from owner reports, not the marketing page
Known issueGets stuck constantly and drives repeatedly into obstacles instead of turning away, per an 18-month owner; sensor and mainboard failures also reported roboter-forum · owner thread
Owners sayGenuinely quiet at 57 dB(A) roboter-forum
Owners warnDisplay hanging at startup from a failed sensor — replaced under warranty, recurred within a day for one owner roboter-forum

How this score was built

Manufacturer ratings, not our measurements.

Built from 9 sources: 4 owner threads, 1 hands-on review, 2 videos, 2 spec pages.

We don't sell these and we don't run them. The score is the weighted result of five factors read from the sources above; specs last checked Sep 7, 2026. How the five factors are weighted →

Specifications

Last verified Sep 7, 2026
Max lawn
250 m² (~0.06 acre)
Max slope
35% (interior) / 10% (at boundary)
Cut width
6.3 in (16 cm)
Cut height
n/v — no primary source read
Navigation
Boundary wire
Noise
57 dB(A)
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Warranty
n/v — no primary source read

Manufacturer ratings, not our measurements. 2 values read from no primary source are shown as n/v rather than guessed. The retailer's page is the one that counts at checkout.

Sources

9 cited
  1. 01

    SpecGardena

    Official product page: 250 m² max, 57 dB(A), boundary wire, CorridorCut

  2. 02

    SpecGardenasupportus

    Official support article on slope specifications

  3. 03

    Ownerroboter-forum

    Owner thread: ~18 months of ownership, mower gets stuck constantly and drives repeatedly into obstacles

  4. 04

    Ownerroboter-forum

    Owner thread: material quality, noise and stuck frequency compared unfavourably with earlier Gardena models

  5. 05

    Ownerroboter-forum

    Owner thread: startup display hang, sensor replaced under warranty, fault returned after one day

  6. 06

    Ownerroboter-forum

    Owner thread: mainboard failure

  7. 07

    VideoYouTube

    'Unser Fazit nach einem Jahr' — owner verdict after a full year with a Gardena Sileno

  8. 08

    VideoYouTube

    Sileno City 250 season-end owner experience and winter storage

  9. 09

    Hands-onnextpit

    Full-season editorial test: near-maintenance-free running, but gets stuck on mole holes and fallen plants; complex setup

Alternatives

the nearest in type, then the nearest rival elsewhere

02 of 10Boundary wireDiscontinued 2026

7.8/10 Score

The mower everything else is benchmarked against — bury the wire once, then budget for a battery around year three.

vs. the Sileno City 250Reliability +2.0Performance +1.5Support +1.5

Not rated for this yard

Amazon link · we earn a commission if you buy · $2,499 MSRP · Amazon price not shown

08 of 10Battery push & self-propelled

6.9/10 Score

It cuts like a gas mower and the rear-wheel self-propel is genuinely good, but plan on a second 4Ah battery for anything past a quarter acre and treat the plastic drive gears gently.

vs. the Sileno City 250Support −2.0Value +1.5Reliability +0.5

Not rated for this yard

Amazon link · we earn a commission if you buy · $699.99 MSRP · Amazon price not shown

Sileno City 250

7.0/10 · Gardena

Check price on Amazon →