9 min read · Updated 29 August 2026
Artificial Grass vs a Real Lawn: An Honest Comparison
A ten year cost comparison rather than a sales pitch, plus the four garden types where artificial genuinely wins and the ones where it will disappoint you.
The ten year cost, which is the only fair comparison
Artificial grass costs far more to install and almost nothing to run. Turf is cheap to lay and costs you every year in time, water, feed and equipment. Comparing installation prices alone is how people end up disappointed either way.
| Artificial grass | Natural turf | |
|---|---|---|
| Fitted cost per m² | £55 - £95 | £18 - £32 |
| 50m² install | £2,750 - £4,750 | £900 - £1,600 |
| Annual running cost | £20 - £60 | £120 - £300 |
| Time per year | 2 - 4 hours | 25 - 40 hours |
| Lifespan | 12 - 20 years | Indefinite with care |
| 10 year total, 50m² | £3,000 - £5,300 | £2,100 - £4,600 |
| Replacement at end of life | Full relay | Overseed or returf patches |
Where artificial genuinely wins
Deep shade under mature trees, where grass will never establish no matter how much you spend on it. Very small courtyards where a mower is impractical. Gardens used hard by children all year, where a real lawn turns to mud from November to April. And households where nobody has the time or inclination for lawn care, which is a perfectly legitimate position.
Dogs are a mixed case. Artificial handles the wear well but urine needs rinsing through, and a poorly drained installation will hold odour in summer.
Where a real lawn wins
Large gardens, where the install cost of artificial becomes eye watering and the plastic reads as a car park. Hot south facing plots, because artificial surfaces reach genuinely uncomfortable temperatures in full sun, far hotter than grass. Gardens where wildlife matters, because a lawn with clover and a bit of tolerance for daisies supports insects and birds that plastic simply does not.
And any garden with a drainage problem, because artificial grass does not solve waterlogging. Water still has to go somewhere and it will pond under the carpet just as it did on the grass.
How artificial grass has to be installed
The build up is what separates a lawn that looks right in ten years from one that ripples in two. Excavate 100 to 150mm, lay a weed membrane, compact 75 to 100mm of MOT Type 1, then a 25 to 40mm layer of granite dust or sharp sand screeded and compacted flat.
The grass is then laid, left to acclimatise so it relaxes, joined with proper joining tape and adhesive rather than pins through the middle, fixed at the perimeter to a treated timber or composite edge, and brushed with a kiln dried sand infill where the product requires it.
Skipping the screeded layer is the usual shortcut. You will see every stone through the surface within a season.
Quality and what to ask for
Ask for the pile weight in grams per square metre. Below about 2,000 the grass flattens quickly in traffic areas. Ask for the pile height, where 30 to 37mm looks most natural in a UK garden, and ask whether the backing is fully permeable and what the drainage rate is.
Ask about UV warranty too. A good product carries a ten year UV guarantee. Cheap imports fade to a grey green within four or five summers and there is no fixing it.
Environment and resale
Be straight about it: artificial grass is a plastic product, it supports almost no wildlife, and at end of life it is difficult to recycle. Some buyers actively dislike it. Others see a low maintenance garden as a selling point, particularly for rentals and downsizer properties.
A reasonable middle path that we install often is a smaller real lawn kept in the sunniest, best drained part of the garden, with artificial only in the shaded, permanently muddy corner. Call 07538 218723 and we will price both options for your plot.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does artificial grass cost fitted in the UK?
- £55 to £95 per square metre fitted in 2026, including excavation, sub-base, screeded laying course, edging and jointing. A 50 square metre lawn is typically £2,750 to £4,750.
- How long does artificial grass last?
- 12 to 20 years with a good quality product and a proper base. Cheaper grass with a low pile weight flattens in traffic areas within three or four years and fades if the UV warranty is short.
- Does artificial grass drain properly?
- Modern permeable backings drain well, but only if the base beneath does too. Artificial grass will not fix a waterlogged garden, so drainage has to be dealt with before it goes down.
- Is artificial grass bad for pets?
- It handles wear well and dogs generally take to it, but urine needs rinsing through periodically and it can get hot in direct summer sun. A fully permeable backing and a free draining base are essential.