We tested the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower on two types of lawn to see if it's the ultimate in easy mowing

The Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower is a self-propelled lawn mower ideal for medium to large lawns. It has a powerful Hyundai IC200VE 196cc engine with low fuel consumption, six different cutting heights, and four options for grass pick-up, from mulching and discharging clippings to grass collection, making it a strong competitor to some of the best lawn mowers.

I tested this lawn mower on two different lawns, cycling through the options and evaluating its performance in damp conditions. I also assessed how easy assembling and setting up was, especially for a novice petrol mower owner.

Read on to find out how the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower performed and how well it rates online from previous purchasers. Plus, discover how to clean and maintain this petrol mower so it performs well and lasts a long time.

Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower product specifications

• Engine size: 196cc
• Engine type: 4-stroke OHV single-cylinder
• Rated power: 4.2kW
• Drive: Self-propelled
• Starting system: Recoil
• Cutting height: 25mm-75mm (6 cutting heights)
• Cutting width: 510mm / 51cm
• Cutting options: Rear discharge, side discharge, mulching and cut & collect
• Grass collector: 70L
• Deck material: Steel
• Dimensions: 1580 x 550 x 1050mm
• Weight: 37kg
• Warranty: 3 years

Unboxing the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower

The Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower comes in a large cardboard box with just a small amount of plastic bubble wrap to protect it in transit. The lawn mower is also wedged with thick cardboard to keep it immobile, so everything is well-packaged and secure.

Inside the box is the mower's body, the handlebar in two sections, the 70L grass collector, which folds flat, the side discharge chute, and a small bag of tools and items for set up, including bolts, a cable tidy, and rear discharge supports. You’ll also find a quick starter guide, a larger, more detailed manual, and 600ml of engine oil to get you started (although you’ll need to source unleaded petrol).

I was pleased to see that the mower was almost ready to go. All I had to do was assemble the handlebars and attach them to the lower deck of the mower with the bolts in the holes provided. There are two height positions, with the bottom hole being the tallest and the top hole being the shortest. 

Next, there’s some simple but essential cable attachment work. The handlebar has two cables, one to control the power and operation and one to control the self-propel function. Using the more detailed manual, it’s easy to find the right lever holes for these. I also needed to secure the recoil start handle to the cord loop on the side of the handlebar.

There is also a quick-start guide included, but I preferred to work from the manual, which had more detailed instructions and images. If you know your way around a petrol mower, you can probably use the quick-start guide quite easily. 

Once that’s all done, the next step is deciding how you’ll be mowing your lawn. You can have your clipping mulched, discharged from the side or rear, or collected in the grass box. We tested all four options during our review.

Adding oil and fuel is also easy, though a plastic funnel would have been helpful for the oil. I used my own, but not everyone has one of these to hand.

Overall, unboxing, assembling and setting up for the first use took me around an hour, but those with more petrol mower experience will find it easy and probably a lot quicker. I liked that I didn’t need to get a single tool from my toolbox during set-up!

I also really liked the design of the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower. It’s got a sporty, race-car feel to it, and it’s solidly built and reassuringly heavy. The steel deck is top quality, and the plastic parts feel sturdy and well-made. I also like that the handlebar is steel, and the grass-clipping box is lightweight. It’s made from canvas and plastic and folds down when not in use for easy storage. It’s easy to hook it to the rear of the mower to collect clippings. 

All the essential components are visible and accessible, from the fuel tank caps and oil caps to the exhaust and the primer bulb. But if you’re not sure, the manual points them out, too.

Mowing the lawn with the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower

If you’re not used to a petrol mower, starting one can seem daunting, but it gets easier. Essentially, to operate the mower, you need to pull the OPC lever back towards the main handle and pull the recoil cord to get the motor running. Then, you press the drive lever into the handle to self-propel function. Of course, you don’t have to use the self-propel, but it seems pointless not to use it!

Onto cutting quality. I tested the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower on two separate gardens - a medium-sized mossy lawn first (my in-laws’) and a small, dog-damaged, grassy lawn (my own). 

You can select one of 6 cutting heights, anywhere from 25mm to 75mm in height, so you have plenty of options depending on what you prefer. It’s easy to switch between cutting options by moving the lever to the side of the mower. We went for a medium length on the in-laws, which had already been mowed a few weeks before. The results were great - very even and healthy-looking grass.

On my own lawn, I opted to give it a good scalping at the shortest cutting height as I’m about to overseed it. 

You can have your clippings discharged at the rear or side of the mower, mulched and discharged, or collected in the 70L grass box. We tried all four options, and it was super easy to switch. The mulching feature makes the clippings ultra-fine, which is great for improving your lawn.

The generous 51cm/20” cutting width makes mowing easy, too, while the large grass collection box means you don’t have to stop all the time to empty it.

Ease of Use

It took me a few tries to get the hang of starting the engine. It’s worth pointing out that the machine will stop dead as soon as you take your hand off the handlebar. It’s a great safety function, but not everyone appreciates having to restart it every time they step away from their machine. 

I also found that it’s a heavy beast of a machine to move around a split-level lawn or manoeuvre up and down steps, so that’s worth being aware of. I needed an extra pair of hands to raise the mower just one or two steps.

The rear-wheel drive self-propel function also takes some getting used to. If you’re not careful, you may end up running just to stay with your mower! A gentle touch is needed while you get used to the mower's speed and the force with which it can move forward. Impressive, though. This is an impressive and powerful machine, though.

This is not a petrol mower for small lawns. It’s large, heavy, and has a very powerful propelling function, which is overkill for a small lawn. But it’s perfect if you have a large lawn and you’re looking for a mower to speed up your cutting and take the strain out of pushing a mower around. 

However, you may struggle to find room for this mower if you're short on outside storage space. Its overall footprint, even with half of the handle folded over the mower body, is 1.3m by 0.54m. So, ensure you measure up your storage options before purchasing. 

Maintenance

Despite cutting damp grass during testing, I didn't notice any clumping of grass clipping around the base of the blade. If you do want to clean it, though, Hyundai suggests removing grass and mud after each use, wiping the machine down with a damp cloth, and using a scraper for larger build-ups. 

It also suggests touching up internal chassis parts with rust-proof paint, like this Hammerite metal paint from Amazon and using a spray oil such as WD40 on exposed parts and the cutting deck.

There is also a hose attachment with the Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower that allows you to use your garden hose to swill out the base of the machine, which is a super handy feature. 

How does it rate online?

The Hyundai HYM510SP Petrol Lawn Mower scores well on the Hyundai site and Amazon, with an impressive 90% of happy customers giving it 4 or 5 stars. Customers like the lawn mower's power and value and say it ‘breezes through the grass with ease’ - even in wet conditions. They also like how it can power up steep slopes and hilly gardens, taking the grunt work out, while one user praises it as ‘the rolls royce of petrol lawn mowers.’ 

Negative reviews, of which there are very few, tend to focus on customer service or faulty parts. However, some users point out how heavy it is and how difficult it can be to move it up and down steps, for example. 

Should you buy the Hyundai HYM510SP lawn mower?

I recommend this lawn mower to anyone with a large, steep or hilly lawn. The propelling function is powerful, and the cutting quality is excellent. This mower looks and feels like it will stand the test of time.

The ease of assembly and setup combined with the powerful forward motion makes it a great starter petrol mower for anyone concerned about switching from an electric or a battery-operated mower. 

However, there is no point in purchasing this mower if you have a small or small-to-medium-sized lawn. It’s like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It suits large gardens with plenty of room to manoeuvre around and plenty of length to take advantage of that self-propelled thrust.

It’s also worth double-checking your storage space before you invest in this mower. It has a large footprint even when the handlebar is folded over, and it’s not a mower you can hang on a wall. So get your measuring tape out before splashing out. 

Joanne Lewsley

I regularly test home and garden products for UK and US websites, including Ideal Home, Top Ten Reviews, and Live Science, evaluating the quality of home and garden gadgets by putting them through their paces in a natural home environment. 

I tested the Gardena Handymower on a small lawn measuring 12.5 square metres (134 square feet) in wet and dry conditions.