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Hose reel cart buying guide

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are by a British outside tap, and the amazon.co.uk title only shouts 45 m, 60 m or 100 m. A hose reel cart buying guide starts with that hose. The metre figure is usually narrow 12.5 mm or 13 mm hose, and on nine of the ten saved listings it describes an empty drum. Peter F. ordered the checks on 21 October 2026: bore, whether a hose is in the box, wheels and fittings, the words on the title, then the tap. Shelf prices stay on the [hose reel cart comparison](/hub/garden-watering/hose-reel-cart). No lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are by a British outside tap, and the amazon.co.uk title only shouts 45 m, 60 m or 100 m. A hose reel cart buying guide starts with that hose.

Our top picks

Hozelock Hozelock Plus 50 m cart

Best overall

Hozelock Hozelock Plus 50 m cart
8.6/10about £71.39
View offer
Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy

Rank 2

Gardena Gardena CleverRoll M Easy
8.8/10about £79.99
View offer
Hozelock Hozelock 60 m hose cart

Best value

Hozelock Hozelock 60 m hose cart
8.2/10about £49.21
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Name the hose before the cart
  2. 2.Hose in the box, or not
  3. 3.Wheels, weight and fittings
  4. 4.Assembly and the words on the title
  5. 5.The tap and a ban

Name the hose before the cart

Measure the outside diameter before you compare frames. On UK shelves, 12.5 mm and 13 mm are the half-inch size, and 19 mm takes more drum for every metre. A title of 45 m, 60 m or 100 m means the narrow size unless a thicker figure is printed beside it. The empty Hozelock 2398 states 60 m of 12.5 mm and does not include the hose. The CleverRoll M Easy title says up to 60 m and leaves the diameter off the amazon.co.uk line, while Gardena's UK page gives that family as 60 m of 13 mm and 35 m of 19 mm. If your hose is 19 mm, or a 50 m coil has to live on a 45 m claim, use the hose reel cart capacity page.

Hose in the box, or not

Nine saved rows are empty carts. Only the Hozelock Plus states a 50 m hose in the included components, at 12.5 mm outside diameter, saved at £71.39 with 4.5 from 7,615 reviews. If the hose on the patio is already sound, that coil is extra weight. If you own neither hose nor connectors, it is the only row here that arrives as a set. Draper 25068's components wording pairs the cart with "45 m", and reviews say the hose-end fittings were not in the carton. That 45 m is capacity. The empty Hozelock is £49.21, includes two fittings, and still has no hose. Choosing the Plus is set out on hose reel cart with or without a hose.
Hozelock Hozelock Plus 50 m cart

Testsieger

Hozelock Hozelock Plus 50 m cart
8.6/10about £71.39
View offer

Wheels, weight and fittings

A cart stays still because of mass, a foot or a brace, and wheels that suit the path. Relaxdays lists four wheels and 10.8 kg. The Draper carts are listed at 1.37 kg and 1.9 kg, and reviews of the £22.98 Draper 25068 call the frame flimsy once a full hose is on it. Cellfast ALUPLUS is a folding aluminium reel with no wheel count, so it is not a four-wheel cart. CleverRoll M claims a metal hose guide and a fold-out foot. The Amazon title does not list tap connectors.

Assembly and the words on the title

Read the assembly line, then the reviews, because they part company. Buyers of the empty Hozelock report joins that will not undo once they click. Draper 25068 reviews say the handle should wait until the body is the correct way around, because a clip locks. Relaxdays' specification says assembly is not required, while the parts line lists individual parts. SPECILITE's title says stainless and the specification says alloy steel, at £69.99 with 2.8 from three reviews. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must match the description. How the clips and the first wind go is on the how-to page linked beside this guide.

The tap and a ban

The cart does not make the outside tap safe. WaterSafe says a garden tap needs a double check valve so hose water cannot run back into the supply, and it points to BS EN 806-5 for replacing check valves about every ten years. Leave the hose out of a pond or a water butt. If the tap has no double check valve, or if fertiliser will run through the hose, call a WaterSafe plumber. In England and Wales, section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991 lets a water company impose a temporary use ban on watering a garden with a hosepipe. Ofwat states a fine of up to £1,000. A trolley is still a hosepipe while the notice is in force.

Common questions

What should I check before I buy a hose reel cart?
Measure the bore, then see whether the carton contains a hose, then check wheels, a foot and the fittings. A Draper 25068 clip locks if the handle goes on the wrong way. The cart does not supply a double check valve.
Does the metre number include the hose?
On nine of these ten listings the metre number is capacity. Only the Hozelock Plus states 50 m of 12.5 mm hose in the included components. If the title is silent, assume you are buying a drum until the components line names a hose.
Are two wheels enough?
Two wheels are enough when the frame has mass or a foot you can stand on. Relaxdays lists four wheels and 10.8 kg. The light Draper frames dsaved reviews that call them flimsy once the hose is full.
Do I need fittings as well?
The empty Hozelock 2398 includes two fittings and no hose. Draper 25068 reviews say the hose-end fittings were missing. Buy a connector that matches your tap when the listing is silent.
Why do reviews say the cart is smaller than the title?
The title metre usually assumes narrow hose, and a thicker wall fills the drum sooner. On the CleverRoll S, 25 m only just fitted a 40 m title. On the Draper 25068, reviews say the cart is smaller than 45 m once thickness counts.

Related pages

How to use a hose reel cart

Hose reel cart

Best hose reel cart UK when you already own the hose

Hose reel cart capacity: thicker hose, fewer metres

Hose reel cart with or without hose: one box has it

Sources

Public UK sources listed in the research digest. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are the saved listing lines for these ten products. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Ofwat, hosepipe bans and non-essential use bans (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Water Industry Act 1991, section 76 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. WaterSafe, double-check your outside tap (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. WaterSafe, hosepipe backflow (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Gardena UK hose trolleys (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Hozelock 60 m hose cart (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. WRAS IRN R060 (retrieved 22 October 2026)