Our experts tested the best electric mowers to find the perfect option to keep your lawn healthy.
Updated Sept. 28, 2023 11:15 a.m. PT Gas Push Mower
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Manufacturers often create a universal charging system for tools. For heavy users, it's worth looking into matching platforms.
The size of your battery will determine how much yard you can mow at once. Small capacity may mean you'll need to wait for a recharge more often.
There are tons of possible add-ons for mowers including various blade types and grass chutes.
There are self-propelled mowers to save you on elbow grease and those with headlights for evening mows.
The best electric lawnmower on our list is the Ego Power Plus 21-inch Select Cut XP self-propelled mower (LM2156SP). This mower has most of the features you could ask for in a push mower, all while claiming that it "exceeds the power of gas[-powered mowers]." Basic horsepower conversions cast some doubt on that claim, but the Ego still sailed through our tests, finishing at or near the top of the pack at nearly every turn. The Ego also has up to 75 minutes cutting time on a single charge, which is right on par with its gas counterparts.
You've got a number of other strong options, though, which is great news if you aren't a fan of the smell of gasoline, or if you want a cleaner alternative to a gas-powered lawn mower. Electric lawn mowers are available in both battery-powered and corded models, but for this post we'll focus exclusively on the battery-powered variety.
Mowers that run on a battery are more powerful than ever before while also managing to be more convenient than a mower with a long cord, and they're better for the environment than gas, too. And now's the perfect time to look for a new electric lawn mower, since evolution of the technology has given us a wide range of capabilities and price points.
Anyone who doubts that an electric mower can rival the power of gas models hasn't used an Ego. At 75.35 pounds, this machine is one of the biggest and heaviest in my test group. That said, the Ego Power Plus definitely had the most oomph. Whether I was cutting grass or barreling through low-brush, this mower performed like a tank. Where other lesser mowers stalled, it was largely unstoppable.
Despite its heft, the Ego Power Plus was a cinch to drive around the yard. I found it fast and stable, too. I also appreciated that I could engage its variable speed engine without having to spin the mower's blade. Other noteworthy features include a wide, 21-inch cutting platform and 56-volt battery that works with Ego's entire line of yard power tools.
In our tested metrics that include things like engine power, blade speed, blade force and blade torque, Ego was consistently moving between first or second place, most often sharing the slots with Dewalt or Greenworks. This level of performance points to some of Ego's marketing, which says this mower "exceeds the power of gas[-powered mowers]." Our horsepower conversions still place this unit as less powerful than most gasoline-powered push mowers, however.
There is a lot to like about this mower.
For starters, this push mower sports a 25-inch deck that shields two 12.5-inch blades underneath. For plain ol' push mowers, that is one of the widest cut decks you're going to find, which means you'll spend less time mowing since each pass is wider than most other push mowers.
If you look at our test data at a "per blade" glance, this unit sits near the bottom of the pack in terms of power and speed. But we should remember that we have two blades functioning at this level. While that doesn't exactly translate into double the power and speed numbers, we do still see some advantages.
This mower covers even lawns with reasonable lawn growth well. When you move into overgrown lawns or larger growth and weed types, these 12.5-inch blades tend to bind more often than the higher-powered units.
If you regularly maintain your yard, and especially if you're looking to cut down on that mowing time, this is likely your best option.
The smaller sibling I tested in the Greenworks lineup did quite well, comparatively speaking. Although it was the second smallest unit overall, it routinely made appearances in the top slots of some of our tests -- it even measured as the unit with the fastest blade speed at 178.5 miles per hour.
This unit does have the second lowest price tag of all the units we tested, but there are some caveats if you decide to go in this direction. First -- although it is an electric-powered mower, it is not self-propelled, which puts it at odds with most of the units on our list. You'll need to rely on your own personal strength to move this thing around the yard. Also, it is listed as being appropriate for yards that are 0.25-acre or less.
This is a great unit if you do have a smaller yard and don't mind the physical labor portion.
Other options: If you have a near-zero lot, the cheapest unit is the Litheli, which is also the smallest and quietest. If you have virtually no yard to maintain but you're super budget-conscious, that might be your better option. Conversely, if you need something to handle a bit more yard, you're probably looking at one of the larger units. The Dewalt would be the next best budget buy for larger yards.
Craftsman CMCWSP220P2 20-inch 20-volt self-propelled : The Craftsman did fine in our tests, coming in as the second quietest mower. It landed just below average on most of our tests, but that is also the price point for this mower. So I feel like its performance scales appropriately with its price tag.
Litheli U20LM00-0A120 13-inch 20-volt : If you need a small mower, this is indeed a small mower. It's the cheapest of the lot, but also the least powerful.
Dewalt DCMWP233U2 21.5-inch 20-volt : This version of Dewalt's self-propelled mower did much better than the last one we tested. It measured second in horsepower compared to the Ego and did almost as well on the practical tests.
Ryobi RY401140 21-inch 40-volt self-propelled : A nice mower overall and another one that tested well, finishing consistently near the top. It has lots of features to like, as well as the most versatile self-propelled system.
For more, read our electric lawn mower buying guide.
We test electric lawn mowers by running each through a battery of tests (no pun intended, since we do run actual battery tests) and yes, we also mow stuff. There are certain product categories where we collect, at the time, tons of data, but despite our best efforts, data alone cannot give us the entire picture about which product performs the best. Taking these to the yard is the best way to help filter through and decipher the data we have.
Let's begin with those battery tests. This one isn't too complicated, but it can get a bit tricky to physically set up. Basically, in order to measure the voltage and amps the mower pulls during operation, we have to insert our measurement devices between the battery and mower. The physical process varies a bit from mower to mower, but once set up, we get a measure of the DC voltage and amps moving between the battery and mower, which gives us an idea of the mower's motor power (in watts).
We take these measurements at zero load, meaning we aren't cutting grass at the time or otherwise providing any resistance against the blades, which would change the numbers, making them higher to calculate the higher limits of the motor's power. Our next round of testing updates will include those upper power limits as well.
Yes, we absolutely measure blade RPMs in electric mowers. The eagle-eyed lab staff at CNET has developed the ability to count dozens of revolutions per second in super accurate fashion. Obviously I'm kidding -- we do have a meter for that, though. We take a bit of reflective tape and position that onto the mower blade, then aim the measurement tool so that the laser light overlaps that tape and we get a precise reading on blade RPM.
You can see our test meter in blue in the center beneath the safety glass.
Now, if we combine those numbers with others such as blade lengths and weights and throw in some of our motor power calculations, we can estimate things like the amount of force, in Newtons, the blade is exerting on grass. But really, those numbers aren't exceedingly helpful. Most people won't have much of an idea what 5 Newtons of force is comparable to. So we prefer to take the route of comparing the power outputs to something people are more familiar with -- in this case, horsepower.
Gas-powered push mowers vary in horsepower, but the majority of them land in the 3 to 5 hp range. We will have upper limit numbers added for our next update, but you can see that the lower limit in horsepower for the electric mowers we tested ranged from about 0.1 to 0.6 hp. That is, not much. Generally you should expect to see electric mowers triple that number toward their upper limits, so we're looking in the 1.75 hp ballpark. You'll be hard-pressed to find retail gas-powered push mowers operating below 2 hp.
We talk about sound level often, especially with outdoor type tools. Historically these outdoor gas-powered tools have been quite loud. (Try to sleep in when all your neighbors are mowing early on the weekends!) But with the advent of electric power tool platforms, that's all changing. Your neighbor can obsess over lawn care while you snooze the day away.
That being said, we tested the decibel level for the mowers from the point of view of a person operating it. We stationary-mount a decibel meter and take the measurement. The results weren't too surprising, with our quietest mower being the smallest, the 13-inch Litheli at 68.6dB, and the loudest was also the most powerful mower, the Ego, at 86.7dB.
You might normally think of mowers moving at a certain rate -- specifically, at whatever rate you happen to be pushing it. But more and more mowers are now coming with self-propelled options. And many of these electric powered mowers allow you to use that function even when the blades aren't running.
We measure how fast mowers move in miles per hour. You won't be visiting any on-ramps with these, but if you plan to use this mode, this may help you decide which one to pick up or pass on. The Ryobi had the widest range of speeds to choose from, but fell slightly short of being the fastest mower. Ryobi topped out at 3.03mph and the Greenworks Pro at 3.33mph.
Some mowers, like this Kobalt model, can get bogged down by grass clippings.
That depends on the specific requirements of your yard, your personal budget and whether the potential benefits of owning an electric lawn mower outweigh the possible downsides. I would urge you to start by considering your needs and then taking a look at our article weighing the pros and cons of an electric mower.
We have a nice list of options here, but if the limitations of an electric mower don't suit the needs of your yard, you'll end up unhappy with your purchase.
No, it isn't recommended to mow wet grass with an electric mower. Always consult the specific user manual for your product to determine its optimal safe usage beforehand, and reach out to the manufacturer directly with questions.
According to Consumer Reports, the best months to buy a lawn mower are the spring, late summer and early fall months, specifically April, May, August, September and October. Many companies and manufacturers offer seasonal deals and discounts, especially right before and after the peak lawn-care season in June and July.
Lawn Mower Stores Yes. Battery-powered lawn mowers are one type of electric lawn mower, but some electric mowers are corded instead.