The best electric lawn mowers help homeowners keep their lawns looking great while reducing emissions and maintenance time.
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Buying an Electric Lawn Mower
If you’re like many homeowners, you love the idea of keeping your lawn attractive but you’re not so crazy about dealing with a smelly, messy gas-powered lawn mower.
Luckily, electric lawn mowers have improved dramatically in recent years. We’ll review some of the features to look for when you’re shopping for an electric lawnmower, then round up some of the best choices on the market today.
Here are some key considerations when shopping for the right electric lawn mower for you:
Power source: Electric lawn mowers fall into corded or cordless models. Corded tools are lighter and more affordable but tethered to the nearest outlet. Cordless tools are more mobile but limited by battery duration. Higher voltage batteries can deliver more power, while a higher amp-hour (Ah) rating means the battery can operate longer. But the battery is only one item in the greater picture. A well-designed mower can cut better and longer with an 18-volt battery than a poorly designed one, no matter how powerful the battery.
Interoperability (battery sharing):This is an important point for cordless mowers. If you already own battery-operated tools in one manufacturer’s system, you might save money by purchasing a mower as a “bare” tool in that system, foregoing additional chargers and batteries.
Brushed or brushless motors: Without sidetracking into a full discussion on the topic, brushed electric motors are more affordable, while brushless motors last longer and generate less heat.
Deck size: The width of the cutting deck, which contains the blades, determines the mower’s cutting swath. The larger the deck size, the faster the lawn gets mowed. But an overly wide mower won’t easily manuver around edges, bushes and trees.
Accessories: Most mowers have options for bagging accessories, mulching and more.
Features: Some mowers have self-propelled drives, LED lights and/or vibration reduction. How important these features are depends on your preferences and the topography of your yard.
Storage: Mowers that fold down flat take up far less space when stored or transported. Lighter models can even hang on a shed or garage wall.
Best Corded Electric Lawn Mower for Small Yards
Need a reliable corded lawn mower with a friendly price? Check out the Sun Joe MJ401E Electric Lawn Mower. A 14-in. cutting deck lets you navigate the tight turns that come with smaller yards, and the limits of a cord aren’t a concern in smaller spaces.
This mower, covered by a two-year warranty, comes with a 10.6 gallon clipping collection bag.
Best Cordless Electric Lawn Mower for Small Yards
Cordless electric mowers tend to be more expensive than their corded counterparts, but many homeowners find escaping the limitations of the power cord worth the bump in price. The Greenworks G-MAX Electric Lawn Moweris a great cordless choice for a small yard.
Its 16-in. cutting deck makes it easily maneuverable, and the 40-volt, 4-Ah battery delivers plenty of power to make short work of smaller yards. It’s compatible with other tools in the Greenworks 40-volt lineup. This mower has mulching options and ships with a bag and a charger. Everything is covered by a three-year warranty.
Best Electric Lawn Mower for Large Yards
On the other hand, if you have a larger yard, you’ll want a mower with a wider cutting deck, longer battery life and a self-propelled motor. The Toro 60-volt Max Recycler 21466 Electric Lawn Mowermeets all those requirements.
Toro calls its self-propeller Personal Pace because it responds to how fast you walk, automatically increasing or decreasing the mower speed to match. No more jogging behind your mower trying to keep up! This 22-in. mower is compatible with the Toro 60 Flex-Force cordless tool line. It ships with a collection bag and a two-year warranty (three years for the engine).
Best Electric Lawn Mower for Easy Storage
If your storage space is limited, take a look at the Craftsman Double 20-volt Max Cordless Electric Lawn Mower. When not in use, this mower folds up and hangs on the wall, freeing up valuable floor space. There are other vertical storage mowers on the market, but this 35-lb. Craftsman is almost one-third lighter than some of its competitors.
We also like the double 20-volt battery setup that makes it easy to use with other 20-volt Craftsman tools. If we had to nit-pick, we wish this mower had a low-profile cover over those batteries to keep grass clippings out of the connections. But the plusses of a lightweight, easily stored cordless motor make this mower a good choice.
It comes with a 20-in. deck, clippings collection bag and three-year warranty.
Best Electric Lawn Mower Value
For an electric lawn mower with the lowest possible price, check out the Greenworks MO09B01 Electric Lawn Mower. With free shipping to most destinations, it’s about the most affordable electric mower you’ll find.
This 14-in. corded mower is lightweight (24 pounds) and can mulch or collect clippings in the included 10-gallon collection bag. One drawback: No side discharge, meaning that if you wait too long between mows you may struggle with clogs. But at that entry level price with a four-year Greenworks warranty, it’s still a great deal.
Best All-Around Electric Lawn Mower
If you don’t mind putting down a little more cash upfront, the Ego 56V LM2100 Electric Lawn Moweroffers all-around value. The 56-volt, 5-Ah battery provides up to 45 minutes of continuous run time. It comes with LED headlights and a two-bushel clipping collection bag. It’s covered by a five-year warranty.
Best Cordless Electric Lawn Mower Combo Kit
While there are lots of combo kits on the market, we like the interoperability of the Ryobi 40-volt HP line. Ryobi’s impressive RY401140US-CMB1 Electric Lawn Mower combo kitincludes almost everything you need to keep your outdoor space looking perfect all year long.
The kit includes a 40-volt cordless mower with a 21-in. cutting deck and self-propelled rear wheel drive with up to 70 minutes of run time. Use the side discharge to mulch or hook up the included clippings bag.
Plus, the two rapid-chargers and four batteries in the kit work with the included string trimmer, chain saw, hedge clipper and leaf blower. That’s five tools, four batteries and two chargers! (The Expand-It feature on the trimmer lets it accept additional heads, all sold separately.)
All five tools are covered by a five-year Ryobi warranty.
Best Electric Riding Lawn Mower
While we’ve been concentrating on push mowers, there is a market for electric riding mowers as well. The Ryobi RY48130 Electric Lawn Mower lets you keep your yard looking great.
Smaller push mowers might get away with an 18-volt battery, but adding the power to carry a rider requires a jump to 48 volts. The impressive 50-Ah battery life means it should mow most lawns of an acre or less on a single charge. This mower has a trio of brushless motors. It comes with a twin-blade cutting deck, a bagger and the all-important cup holder.
Ryobi offers several other cordless riding mowers for larger yards.
