Hearth & Lawn

Best leaf blowers in the UK

Last updated: · By the Hearth & Lawn team

How we chose these: We haven't tested these leaf blowers ourselves. Our picks draw on published hands-on reviews from Gardeners' World and Good Housekeeping, manufacturer specifications and UK retailer listings (mainly Screwfix and Argos). Prices were checked on 18 October 2026.

Leaf blowers get most of their searches between October and December, when lawns, paths and drives disappear under leaves. The big decision is what you want to do with the leaves:

  • A blower pushes them into a pile. It's quick and light, but you still have to pick the pile up.
  • A blower vac blows, then sucks leaves up and shreds them into a bag. It's slower and heavier, but the shredded leaves take up much less space and rot down faster.

Then pick a power source. Cordless is the most convenient, especially if you already own batteries from the same range. Corded is cheaper and runs as long as you like, but you're tied to a cable.

Quick picks

Model Price checked 18 Oct 2026 Type Charging or running cost
Best overall Worx WG543E LeafJet (with 20V 4.0Ah battery and charger) £119.99 at Screwfix Cordless blower About 2.4p per charge
Best for existing Makita owners Makita DUB186Z (bare tool) £84.99 at Screwfix Cordless blower About 2.7p per charge (5Ah battery)
Best corded blower vac Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000 £95 at Argos; £95.99 at Screwfix Corded blower vac About 39.5p per half hour
Best cordless blower vac Flymo EasiBlowVac 18V kit £212.99 at Screwfix Cordless blower vac About 2.2p per charge

What they cost to run

Leaf blowers are cheap to run whichever type you choose. At the October to December 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh:

  • Corded, 3,000W (Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000): 3kW × 0.5 hours = 1.5kWh = about 39.5p per half hour at full power.
  • Cordless, 4.0Ah 20V battery (Worx, about 80Wh): allowing around 15% for charging losses, a full charge uses about 0.092kWh = about 2.4p.
  • Cordless, 5.0Ah 18V battery (Makita, 90Wh): about 2.7p per charge.
  • Cordless, 4.0Ah 18V battery (Flymo, 72Wh): about 2.2p per charge.

The real cost of a cordless blower is the battery, not the electricity. Replacement batteries often cost £50 to £100 or more, so buying into a range you already use for a mower or trimmer saves money. See our cordless lawn mower guide for the main battery systems.

Work out your own figures with our running-cost calculator

The picks in detail

Best overall: Worx WG543E LeafJet, 20V (£119.99 at Screwfix)

The LeafJet scored 5 out of 5 in Gardeners' World's test and 93/100 as Good Housekeeping's best overall. It's light, at about 1.1kg without the battery, and Gardeners' World's reviewer got around 23 minutes of run time, with a 60-minute recharge; Good Housekeeping measured 17 minutes. Screwfix's £119.99 kit includes a 4.0Ah battery and charger (Gardeners' World listed the RRP at £149.99) and was in stock when we checked.

It's a blower only, with no vacuum function. The battery fits Worx's PowerShare range of garden and DIY tools.

Pros

  • Top-rated in two independent reviews
  • Light and easy to handle
  • Battery and charger included

Cons

  • No vacuum or shredding
  • Roughly 17 to 23 minutes per charge in published tests

Best for existing Makita owners: Makita DUB186Z (£84.99 at Screwfix, bare tool)

If you already have Makita 18V LXT batteries, this is excellent value. Gardeners' World rated it 4.8 out of 5 and quotes an air speed of up to 68m/s. With a 5Ah battery, run time ranges from about 80 minutes on the lowest setting to about 12 minutes on the highest. Screwfix owners rate it 4.8 out of 5 from 35 reviews.

The £84.99 price is for the bare tool: no battery or charger. If you're starting from scratch, a battery and charger add significantly to the cost, so the Worx kit is better value.

Pros

  • Strong, with long run time on low
  • Great value if you already own Makita 18V batteries

Cons

  • Battery and charger cost extra
  • Blower only

Best corded blower vac: Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000 (£95 at Argos)

A 3,000W corded blower vac that Gardeners' World rated 4.5 out of 5 as its best blower vac all-rounder, while noting it's heavy and awkward to store. It blows, vacuums and shreds, with a 10m cable. At 4.7kg it's heavier than a cordless blower, but it'll run for as long as you need, and it's the cheapest way to collect and shred leaves. It was £95 at Argos and £95.99 at Screwfix when we checked; Gardeners' World had seen it for less, so prices move.

Pros

  • Blows, vacuums and shreds
  • Unlimited run time
  • Good value

Cons

  • Heavy and awkward to store
  • You're tied to a cable and a socket

Best cordless blower vac: Flymo EasiBlowVac 18V kit (£212.99 at Screwfix)

A cordless blower vac with a 30-litre collection bag and a 10:1 shred ratio, so ten bags of loose leaves become roughly one. The Screwfix kit (970765701) includes an 18V 4.0Ah battery and charger from the Power for All alliance, which works across several brands including Bosch's green garden range and Flymo. Run time is around 10 to 36 minutes depending on setting.

It's the priciest pick, and published weights vary (3.6kg in one review, 5kg on Screwfix's listing), so try one in a shop if weight matters. Charging takes over three hours with the supplied charger.

Pros

  • Cordless blowing, vacuuming and shredding
  • Battery works across Power for All brands

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Long charge time

On a tight budget? Gardeners' World also reviewed a VonHaus G-series blower at £44.99. Very cheap cordless and corded blowers are available, but check reviews and the warranty carefully before you buy.

Using a leaf blower safely

Electrical Safety First advises:

  • Wear protection: a full-face visor rather than just goggles, plus gloves, sturdy shoes and long trousers. Noise-cancelling headphones help with louder models.
  • Keep people and animals at least 15 metres (50ft) away, and never blow debris towards people, pets, cars or windows.
  • Don't use it on a windy day or when it's very wet underfoot. Clear toys, stones and large debris first.
  • Check for damage such as a chewed cable before each use, and don't use it from a ladder or roof.
  • Protect outdoor sockets with an RCD (residual current device), and make sure an outdoor socket is splashproof or waterproof.
  • Use extension leads rated for outdoor use. Cable reels should be fully unwound and have a thermal cut-out.
  • Switch off and unplug before changing attachments, cleaning or checking a blockage.
  • Store it in a cool, dry place, and dry it off first if it's damp.
  • Buy new from a reputable retailer, not second-hand or from third-party online sellers, and register it for recalls.

For battery safety, London Fire Brigade advises using the charger that came with the product (or a genuine branded replacement), not leaving batteries on charge after the cycle is complete, avoiding very high or low temperatures, and protecting batteries from damage or water.

Check for wildlife first

Gardeners' World points out that blowers and vacs can suck up and harm insects, frogs and other small creatures sheltering in leaf piles. Before you start, check the area, and leave some leaves in quiet corners and borders for overwintering wildlife.

Better still, don't bin your leaves. Pile them in a wire cage or pierced bin bags and they'll rot down into leaf mould, a free soil improver, in a year or two. Shredded leaves from a blower vac rot faster.

Be a considerate neighbour. Leaf blowers can be loud, so avoid early mornings and late evenings.

See also: our guides to cordless lawn mowers and robot lawn mowers.

FAQs

What is the best leaf blower in the UK? The Worx WG543E LeafJet (£119.99 at Screwfix with battery and charger) was top-rated by both Gardeners' World and Good Housekeeping. If you need to collect leaves, the Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000 (£95 at Argos) is a good-value corded blower vac.

Is a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum better? A blower is quicker and lighter for clearing paths and lawns into piles. A blower vac also picks leaves up and shreds them, which saves bagging by hand, but it's heavier and slower.

Are cordless leaf blowers any good? Yes. The best cordless models now match corded blowers for most gardens. Run time is the trade-off: expect roughly 10 to 30 minutes on higher settings.

How much does it cost to charge a cordless leaf blower? About 2p to 3p per full charge at the current price cap of 26.32p per kWh. Battery replacement is the bigger long-term cost.

When is the best time to use a leaf blower? On a dry, still day. Electrical Safety First advises against using leaf blowers in wet or windy weather.

Sources