Electric powered garden tillers - also known as electric cultivators - are ideal if you just have a small patch of ground to cultivate and wish to save on digging. They are much quieter then petrol models, so ideal for built-up areas; and might even be used in conjunction with a low-noise suitcase generator on allotment plots where noise restrictions apply. Electric tillers are lightweight and energy efficient with running costs at a fraction of a petrol model. They are however generally less powerful than petrol machines and therefore more suited to surface tilling and weeding in amongst rows and flowerbeds.