Petrol vs Battery Strimmer: Which Should You Hire?

For heavy, overgrown areas, brambles, or a large garden that will take more than an hour or two to clear, a petrol strimmer is usually the better hire choice thanks to its unlimited runtime and generally higher cutting power. For a typical domestic garden, tidying edges, or shorter jobs, a modern battery strimmer is often good enough, and considerably more pleasant to use.

Petrol strimmers

• Pros: no runtime limit (just refuel), generally the most power for cutting through thick grass, brambles and light scrub, works anywhere without needing to be near a power source.
• Cons: heavier, noisier (hearing protection is genuinely worth using), needs 2-stroke fuel mixed correctly, produces exhaust fumes, and has more starting/maintenance faff than a battery unit.
• Typical hire cost: roughly £25-£45 for a day's hire.

Battery strimmers

• Pros: lighter, much quieter, instant start with no fuel mixing or choke, no exhaust fumes (useful in enclosed gardens or near neighbours), generally less vibration.
• Cons: runtime limited by battery charge (typically 20-45 minutes of continuous heavy use per charge depending on the model and battery size), usually somewhat less raw power than an equivalent petrol model for tackling thick or woody growth.
• Typical hire cost: similar to petrol, roughly £25-£45 for a day, sometimes with an extra battery included.

How to decide

Think honestly about the job: a modern battery strimmer with a decent-sized battery is genuinely capable for most routine garden maintenance — general grass edges, borders, and light-to-medium growth. Reach for petrol if you're clearing a genuinely overgrown plot, cutting brambles or woody stems, or need to run continuously for several hours without stopping to swap batteries. If you're not sure how heavy the job will be, ask whoever you're hiring from — they'll usually be able to advise based on the area and growth you describe.

Safety basics either way

• Wear eye protection and sturdy footwear as a minimum; a full face visor is worth it for thick or brambly growth.
• Keep the guard fitted — it's there to stop thrown debris and stones.
• Check the area for stones, wire, and other debris before starting.
• Let anyone else in the garden know before you start, and keep pets and children well clear while working.

Common mistakes

• Underestimating an overgrown job and hiring a battery strimmer for it. If in doubt, a petrol model with no runtime limit is the safer choice for genuinely heavy clearance.
• Not wearing eye protection. Thrown stones and debris are a real risk, even on a tidy-looking lawn.
• Running a petrol engine with the wrong fuel mix. Most petrol strimmers need a specific 2-stroke oil-to-petrol ratio — check before filling up, or ask the hire company for pre-mixed fuel.

Whichever you choose, remember servicing matters if you eventually buy your own — see our guide to how often petrol garden equipment needs servicing.

Battery technology has moved on

It's worth knowing that battery strimmers have improved considerably in recent years — modern brushless motors and higher-voltage battery platforms (36V and 40V+ systems are now common) close much of the power gap that used to exist between battery and petrol models. If it's been several years since you last used a battery strimmer, it's worth trying a current model before assuming petrol is automatically the better choice — many hire companies will have both available so you can ask what they'd recommend for your specific job.

For heavier one-off ground-clearance jobs alongside strimming, it's also worth considering whether you need a powered post hole digger for the same visit, since hiring multiple tools together sometimes works out more convenient.

What to check before you hire

Ask what type of cutting head the strimmer uses (line/cord vs a blade attachment for tougher growth), whether spare line or a spare battery is included, and whether the hire company provides basic safety kit like a visor or just the machine itself. It's also worth asking about the guard and harness setup, particularly for a larger petrol model, since a proper shoulder harness makes a real difference to comfort and control over a longer session.

What about corded electric strimmers?

A third option — corded mains-powered strimmers — sits between the two: generally cheaper to buy than either petrol or a good battery model, with unlimited runtime like petrol, but tethered to a power source, which limits where you can use it and adds a trip hazard from the cable. For hire purposes they're less commonly offered than petrol or battery options, since the cable requirement makes them impractical for many garden layouts.