GOAT A1600 RTK
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →Ecovacs's fast satellite-guided mower for medium and large lawns, now replaced by a newer model. It suits open lawns with wide passages. It leaves uncut strips where plants hang over the edges.
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
Where it sits in ECOVACS’s range
- ECOVACS GOAT O1200 RTKSmaller 2025 satellite-guided model for lawns up to 1,200m²
- GOAT A1600 RTKThis model
- ECOVACS GOAT A2500 RTKNear-identical US version
- GOAT A1600 LiDAR PRO2026 replacement: laser-guided, no aerial, adds a side trimmer
- ECOVACS GOAT A3000 LiDAR2025 laser-guided sibling for lawns up to 3,000m²
Feedback
What reviewers found
There are two home tests from 2025. nextpit rated it one of the best mowers it had tried: fast, neat and easy to run from the app. Notebookcheck agreed it's quick, climbs well and navigates reliably, but found more faults: rough, hurried turns, missed strips beside overhanging plants, one stuck moment on a bed edge and high power use on standby. Both say it can't mow right up to every edge, though Notebookcheck saw a much wider gap than nextpit.
Notebookcheck, hands-on, Jun 2025 · nextpit, hands-on, May 2025 (Archived copy; the original page has been taken down)
Cut quality and edges
Mixed resultsThe main cut is neat: nextpit found the lawn looked great even at full speed, and Notebookcheck got straight lanes at the set height. Edges are weaker, with nextpit seeing a small margin left and Notebookcheck broad strips beside overhanging plants.
Setup and boundaries
Reviewers rate it highlynextpit found automatic mapping impressive, apart from skipping the area round a new tree, and Notebookcheck found pairing smooth and well explained. You do need to site an aerial with a clear view of the sky.
Navigation
Mixed resultsnextpit saw it stay within its map and mow in a tidy, structured way. Notebookcheck also found it mostly reliable, but it got stuck once on a bed edge and spun for a while in a metre-wide passage.
Slopes and rough ground
Reviewers rate it highlyBoth nextpit and Notebookcheck saw it handle the steepest gradient Ecovacs claims, about 27°, and Notebookcheck praised its grippy rear wheels. Its quick turns can mark soft ground.
Obstacles and safety
Not enough evidenceOnly Notebookcheck tested obstacles: on the most sensitive setting it spotted a dummy hedgehog and a hose but missed a tennis ball, and later drove over two small plants. No other review we use tested this.
Weather
Not enough evidenceOnly Notebookcheck tested it in the rain, finding the rain sensor worked reliably. No other review we use checked how it handles wet conditions.
App and software
Mixed resultsnextpit found the app intuitive and clearly laid out. Notebookcheck had no trouble pairing but found cutting height buried in a submenu and was annoyed by pop-up adverts for sales.
Upkeep
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use has covered blade changes or cleaning yet.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use has run it long-term or judged Ecovacs's support.
Value
Not enough evidenceOnly Notebookcheck clearly judged value, calling it attractive for the money despite a few faults. No other review we use weighed up the price.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
Quick, with a neat finish
Speed is the headline. nextpit ran it at full speed and found the lawn looked great afterwards, with the mower staying inside its map. Notebookcheck mostly used the slower of its two speeds and still got through a good 200m² an hour, in straight lanes cut to the set height. On one charge it mowed for nearly an hour and a half and covered over 300m². If you have a big, open lawn, that pace means fewer hours of mowing each week.
Edges are the weak spot
nextpit found it left a small safety margin along the lawn's boundaries. Notebookcheck saw a bigger problem: wherever plants from a bed hung over the grass, the mower swung wide around them, leaving broad unmown patches. At the time of its test there was no way to turn obstacle avoidance off for the edge run. Plan to strim along planted borders, or trim back anything that leans onto the lawn.
Obstacles: set it to sensitive
On its first run, Notebookcheck watched it drive over almost everything in its obstacle test, because avoidance was set to the tall-grass level. On the most sensitive of the three settings it spotted nearly all the test objects, including a dummy hedgehog and a garden hose, missing only a bright tennis ball. Even so, it later drove over two small plants in the lawn and got stuck once on a visible bed edge. Check the sensitivity setting, but still clear toys and keep pets away while it mows, because even on that setting it missed things, so don't count on it to spot every hazard.
Strong on slopes, big in tight spots
Both testers saw it handle a 50% slope, the most Ecovacs claims, and Notebookcheck praised its powerful drive and grippy rear wheels. It's a large mower, though. Notebookcheck got it through gaps down to 80cm, but it was happiest with a metre or more, and in one metre-wide passage it spun on the spot for a while before finding the exit. Notebookcheck also found its quick turns rather rough, which could mark soft ground.
Easy setup and fast charging
Pairing the app went smoothly for Notebookcheck, and the mower can map the lawn by itself using its camera. nextpit found that automatic mapping impressive, though it skipped the area round a newly planted tree. nextpit timed a full charge at 45 minutes, while Notebookcheck measured about an hour from 15 to 100%. The downside, per Notebookcheck, is the 14 watts or so it draws while sitting idle in the dock.
nextpit's review is no longer at its original address; we link to an archived copy.
Our take
Should you buy the GOAT A1600 RTK?
Best for: Open lawns with little tree cover. Skip it if: Trees or buildings block the sky over much of your lawn.
The A1600 RTK may suit an open lawn with generous passages if remaining-stock pricing and support are acceptable. Both tests liked its fast central cut, but it leaves strips beside overhanging plants and can mark soft ground in turns. The LiDAR PRO replacement removes the aerial and adds a trimmer, yet its tests also found slope and passage limitations; check those against your garden.
The GOAT A1600 RTK was Ecovacs's 2025 mower for medium and large lawns. It finds its way using satellites and a small aerial you put up in the garden, helped by a camera and a 3D sensor on the front that spot obstacles and lawn edges. Two cutting discs side by side give it a wide 33cm cut, and it can drive at up to 0.7 metres a second, so it gets through a lawn quickly. It replaced Ecovacs's older GOAT G1 models, which needed radio beacons in the corners of the lawn.
The catch is the edges. Its obstacle spotting steers it well clear of plants that lean over the lawn, and you can't switch that off while it trims the border. It's also big, so narrow passages are a squeeze. Ecovacs's own European stores now list it as out of stock, and the 2026 GOAT A1600 LiDAR PRO, which drops the aerial and adds a side trimmer, has taken its place.
The US-market GOAT A2500 RTK is a related model with a different area rating; the A1600 tests here do not verify its full specification or capacity.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
How close does it cut to the edge?
Not all the way. The twin discs reach within about 7cm of the side, per Notebookcheck, but it steers wide of plants hanging over the lawn and left broad strips beside beds. nextpit also noticed a small margin left along the boundary. Keep a strimmer handy.
Will it cope with my slope?
Ecovacs rates it for 50% (27°), per the specifications. Notebookcheck had it climb that on a test ramp without trouble, and nextpit also saw it manage 50% gradients. Notebookcheck notes its fast turns can be hard on soft ground.
Can it handle two lawns or a narrow passage?
Up to a point. Notebookcheck got it through gaps as narrow as 80cm, but it was more reliable with a metre or more, and once spun on the spot in a metre-wide passage before finding its way out. The app lets you add, split and merge zones, per the specifications.
Does it need a clear view of the sky?
Yes. It uses an aerial in the garden to pin down its position, and Notebookcheck points out that this kind of system works best with a largely open view of the sky. The camera and 3D sensor help with obstacles and edges, per the specifications.
What happens when it rains?
It has a rain sensor, which Notebookcheck found worked reliably, and the mower is rated IPX6, so you can hose it down. nextpit notes you can set how many dry hours it waits before going out again.
Alternatives
Other robot lawn mowers to compare.
GOAT A1600 LiDAR PRO
Why consider it: Its replacement steers by laser with no aerial and adds a side trimmer for the edges.
The compromise: Testers found it struggles on steep slopes and narrow gaps.
i2 LiDAR (i208, i210, i215, i220)
Why consider it: A laser-guided mower built for gardens with trees and buildings, praised for tidy lines and quiet running.
The compromise: Setup can take tweaking, and the edges still need a strimmer.
LUBA 2 AWD
Why consider it: All-wheel drive and a 40cm cut for large, rough or sloping lawns, with dead-straight stripes.
The compromise: Setup had hiccups, and it needs open sky for its satellite aerial.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the GOAT A1600 RTK?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
- Notebookcheck: Ecovacs Goat A1600 RTK im Test ↗Hands-on
- nextpit: Ecovacs Goat A1600 RTK review ↗Hands-on · Archived copy; the original page has been taken down
Sources
- ECOVACS: GOAT A1600 RTK product page ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Search YouTube for ECOVACS GOAT A1600 RTK ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.