Traditional gas-powered lawn mowers are noisy, smelly, and not that great for the environment. Electric mowers are the complete opposite. They’re super quiet, don’t give off an irritating gas smell because there’s no gas present, and are great for the environment.
Electric mowers are often also foldable, making them easy to store in your garage without taking up a ton of space. And as if you haven’t already heard enough to sway you toward an electric mower, they’re also great for your wallet. You don’t have to pay for gas or oil for the life of the mower, which will save you a ton of money in the long run.
Plus, you usually start electric mowers with the push of a button, so no more yanking and pulling to start your mower! Here are our favorite picks:
What to Look for in an Electric Mower
So, you’ve made the decision to invest in an electric mower over a gas-powered mower. How do you choose the right one for you? Here’s everything you need to consider before making your purchase.
- Type of Electric Mower: There are a few different types of electric mowers to choose from, including push mowers, self-propelled mowers, riding mowers, and even robot mowers. Push mowers require your muscles to push them, as the name implies, whereas self-propelled mowers mainly only require your direction. Self-propelled mowers can be a bit more expensive, but the extra cost can be worth it because mowing won’t take as much physical effort. Riding mowers are fantastic if you have a large lawn but not so practical for small lawns. Then there are robot mowers, which are essentially like a Roomba for your lawn. Although robot mowers sound great, they’re not the most functional as of now and can often be more of a pain than a regular old mower.
- Brushed vs. Brushless Motors: Brushed motors come with more parts, like brushes, that need replacing over time, but replacing them is fairly easy and can extend the overall life of the mower. Brushed motors have less complicated wiring than brushless motors, using a wound wire coil configuration. Brushless motors, on the other hand, use electromagnets and a permanent magnet as its external rotor. Brushless motors are used more nowadays in electric mowers because they hold up longer and are slightly more efficient than brushed motors, but they can be more expensive.
- Motor Power: Don’t be fooled by the high number of volts advertised in an electric mower. Some motors may have high voltage but low overall power, represented in kilowatts (KW); these motors won’t have as strong a current as motors with lower voltage but the same power in KW. When comparing motor power between mowers, keep this equation in mind: Voltage multiplied by current equals overall power.
- Battery Size: Most new mowers use lithium-ion batteries, but they vary in amp-hours (Ah). A battery’s amps illustrate the battery’s overall capacity, but as with the voltage above, a higher Ah number doesn’t always equate to longer battery life. If you want to figure out the battery’s wattage to see how powerful a mower is, keep this equation in mind: Voltage multiplied by amps equals total wattage.
- Deck Size: A lawn mower’s deck size is represented in inches and measures the mower’s base. The smaller the deck size, the more passes it’ll take for you to mow your lawn. However, a mower with a smaller deck is easier to store and can sometimes help you get around curved flowerbeds or other hard-to-reach spots in your yard. A smaller deck will be just fine for small yards but could be a real pain for large multi-acre lawns.
- Corded vs. Cordless: The main difference between these two versions of electric mowers is how it’s powered. Corded mowers are powered by an electrical outlet, just like a lot of other household appliances; depending on the size of your yard, you might need to purchase an extension cord to reach all of your lawn. However, because it’s powered by plugging it in, you won’t have to swap out the battery as you would for cordless mowers. Cordless mowers get their power from a built-in battery that you’ll have to recharge and eventually probably replace. For the slight inconvenience of having to recharge the mower between sessions, it’s beneficial to not have your mower tethered to a cord while you’re mowing. You don’t have to worry about how far you are from an electrical outlet or about tripping over cords.
Best Overall: EGO POWER+ 21-inch 56V Cordless
EGO’s Power+ mower is a solid pick for most people because it has a sizeable (but not too large) 21-inch deck and plenty of battery. It can last up to 45 minutes between charges with its 56V motor and 5.0Ah Lithium battery. That’s plenty of time to mow a small- to medium-sized lawn!
This is a push mower, so you’ll have to put a bit of muscle behind it, but you’ll have more control over where you’re going with it. The deck has six different height adjustments between 1.5 inches and 4 inches, so you can always set your mower to a higher deck setting to make mowing easier on you.
For grass-clipping discharge, there are three options to choose from. You can use the mulching insert, attach a bag to catch clippings, or throw grass clippings out the side with the side discharge chute. It also has handy LED headlights and can fold up for compact storage.
Best Budget: Sun Joe 14-inch 28V Cordless
If you’re on a budget but want a quiet electric mower that’s friendly to the environment, this one from Sun Joe is a great option. The deck measures 14 inches, which is the smallest of all of the mowers on this list. As mentioned before, a smaller deck size can help you get into all the small nooks and crannies of your yard. Yes, you’ll have to make more passes to mow your yard, but you can still get the job done.
A 28V motor and a rechargeable 4.0Ah battery give you about 25 minutes on a single charge. So if you have a small or medium-sized lawn, this will work perfectly. There’s even a built-in LED battery level indicator so you can see how much time you have left while you’re mowing. However, if you have a larger yard, you might want to consider spending a bit more upfront for a mower that’ll last longer in between charges.
There are three manual height adjustments so you can customize the height of your lawn. Then, the clippings go into the detachable 10.6-gallon grass catcher for quick and easy disposal. You can also use the mower without the catcher attached if you’d rather leave the chopped grass in your yard as you go.
Best Premium: Greenworks Pro 21-Inch 80V Brushless Cordless
If you have a little more money to spare, consider investing in this brushless, self-propelled mower from Greenworks. With two fully charged 2.0Ah batteries and an 80V motor, you can use this mower for about 60 minutes. And because you have two 2.0Ah batteries, you can start rapid charging one as soon as you start using the second one during your mow session. Each battery fully recharges in about 30 minutes.
The 21-inch steel deck gives you a wide area to cover with each strip you mow while staying slim enough to get around tight areas. There are seven different height adjustments available, so you’ll have quite a few options to customize your lawn height. You can control these height adjustments manually with a single lever.
For grass clippings, you’ll have three options: catch everything in the detachable rear bag, catch it in the mulch container, or spit it out through the side discharge chute. And once you’re done, the mower can fold vertically for easier storage.
Plus, this Greenworks mower comes with Smart Cut Load sensing technology, meaning it’ll automatically slow down if you come across a patch of grass that’s lower or thinner to conserve energy. And if you come across a tougher patch of grass, the mower will automatically bump up the overall power to make cutting that area easier.
Best Premium
Best Corded: Greenworks 20-Inch 12 Amp 3-in-1
Because this mower from Greenworks is corded, it’s more affordable and also removes the time limit for mowing your yard. It has a 12 amp motor that’s powered by an electrical outlet. An extension cord is not included, so you will need to purchase one to get extra length. And again, if you go with a corded electric mower, you’ll need to be careful not to run over the cord and cut it; going with a brighter cord color like yellow will help prevent any accidents.
The deck is a nice 20 inches, wide enough to make mowing fast but narrow enough to get into tight spaces. There are seven different height adjustments you can easily switch between with a single lever. Then for grass clippings, you can or use the side discharge chute to toss clippings back into your lawn as you mow or use the rear bag to catch clippings to throw away or use for mulch.
Best Corded
Best Riding Mower: RYOBI Brushless 38-inch 48V 100 Ah Battery
If you’re looking for a powerful riding mower that’s electric, look no further than this 48V RYOBI mower. There are three brushless motors and a 100Ah battery giving you plenty of power. On a single charge, you’ll get up to two and a half hours of run time, which should be enough to cover about two and a half acres.
There are 12 manual deck adjustments, ranging from 1.5 inches to 4.5 inches of grass height. And speaking of the deck, it’s a whopping 38 inches. With such a wide deck, you won’t have to make nearly as many passes to get your large yard mowed.
On top of being incredibly powerful and easily able to tackle huge lawns, this RYOBI mower also comes with a few neat features that increase its value. There’s an onboard control panel that makes it easy to engage the blades, operate the LED headlights, and monitor the battery level. From this control panel, you can even charge your phone through the USB port and turn on cruise control for an even easier mowing experience.
