The good lawn mower of 2025, tested and reviewed

Whenever you happen to’re dreaming of a manicured carpet of mown grass, you’ll want tools to fabricate it happen. The good lawn mowers turn declaring your yard into … well, perchance no longer a joy, nonetheless no doubt much less of a chore. Picking one, alternatively, will be tricky — even for a legit gardener with 30 years of experience admire myself. After recently relocating from the East Wing to California, I sold a home with an acre and a half of land. On the time, I didn’t occupy a lawn mower, so I stumbled on myself available within the market.

Most modern legislation prohibits anyone from attempting to search out fuel lawn mowers in California (likely a mark of issues to advance wait on: In step with a recent peep by the market study firm NielsenIQ, battery-powered lawn tools is expected to outpace fuel). Fortunately, I chanced on that many indispensable, and a few current, producers manufacture battery-powered electric lawn mowers for rental owner utilize.

In my study, I discovered that electric mowers are factual. In actual fact, they’re handsome colossal. They reduce grass to boot as (and in most cases greater than) fuel-powered mowers, are powerful quieter, require much less traditional upkeep and benefit reduce CO2 emissions. Most modern years occupy viewed substantial leaps in battery technology, and for lawn mowers, it’s no somewhat just a few. So after I changed into requested to connect nine of the good electric lawn mowers to the test, I jumped on the chance. I alive to on push and self-propelled models, versus utilizing lawn mowers or robot mowers, due to they’re the most up-tp-date and cheap alternate choices (that said, we’ll be sorting out these down the road). One of the vital vital machines I tried performed so well, I’m overjoyed that making the swap from a fuel- to a battery-powered mower is a clear transfer, whatever the attach you stay.

• Associated: The good gardening gloves | The good plant pots

Desk of contents

Update, July 8, 2025: We’ve confirmed contemporary pricing and availability for all merchandise. Our No. 1 pick remains unchanged.

Easiest lawn mowers of 2025

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Components to remember when picking a lawn mower

An electrical lawn mower is an funding, so that you simply could fabricate jog you’re spending your money on a machine that lasts and is dazzling to your yard. Sooner than attempting to search out, here’s what to withhold in mind, including some tricks from DIY and instrument educated Chip Wade:

• Lawn dimension: Electrical push mowers are most attention-grabbing for minute to medium lawns. Nonetheless will occupy to you occupy a property that’s greater than an acre, you’ll presumably desire a utilizing lawn mower, so that you simply don’t must fright about batteries loss of life ahead of you carry out the duty. Wade recommends a zero-turn mower will occupy to you bear a utilizing mower: “It’s faster, more maneuverable around landscaping, and supplies an advanced carry out with fewer passes,” he says.

• Watt hours: Here is the calculation that determines the energy capabilities and the likely bustle time of your mower ahead of the batteries want recharging. The increased the watt hour, the more work the mower can carry out on a single payment.

• Series of batteries required and payment time: Few batteries point out much less payment time, and faster payment time potential much less down time.

• Self-propelled or no longer: Self-propelled mowers require somewhat more energy and payment, nonetheless the advantages outweigh any boundaries (and worth) due to they transfer on their very occupy without you having to make utilize of power to push them. Spinning blade(s) utilize most of the battery energy. Both self-propelled and push models are a clear pick if storage is tight, says Wade, due to many advance with collapsible handles and even vertical storage alternate choices, so that they absorb much less location.

• Blade kind: Heinous-reduce mowers with two blades reduce and mulch greater than single-blade models. Wade recommends sharpening your blades no longer lower than as soon as a season to steer jog of outdated-fashioned cuts and wasted effort.

• Energy modes: Most mowers self-alter the energy mode in accordance to what is wished for the peak and fabricate of grass, or if mulching, bagging or discharging the clippings.

• Weight: Lighter is fundamentally greater, for battery payment longevity and ease of maneuverability.

• Cutting width: Decks vary in dimension, in most cases maxing out at 22 inches for a self-propelled or push mower. Larger decks occupy increased blades that reduce more grass location on every slither. “Upright remember greater isn’t repeatedly greater,” says Wade. “In case your yard has tight gates, narrow pathways, or landscaping parts, a smaller deck will be more straightforward to maneuver.”

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What to examine for within the good lawn mower

By assignment of electrical models, the good lawn mowers are battery-powered and provide vital bustle time on a single payment. Ogle excessive-quality hardened steel blades, namely will occupy to you are inclined to mow over roots or branches. “More than one blades are a plus, due to it potential finer mulching and much less must web,” Wade says.

He provides that you simply’ll also must note for adjustable cutting heights — a mower that adjusts from 1 to 4 inches supplies you essentially the most flexibility across seasons, grass kinds, and lawn conditions. Then, there are add-ons admire mulching kits or facet discharge chutes. Mediate how you could administer grass clippings and decide the dazzling parts that’ll manufacture mowing more straightforward for you.

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How we tested lawn mowers

We researched nearly 100 lawn mowers, specializing in indispensable producers and models with excessive buyer rankings. We also seemed at somewhat just a few publishers to locate what has been lined and reached out to energy-tools companies to be taught about their latest launches. We then narrowed down the sorting out pool to mid-priced electric lawn mowers designed for home homeowners.

As a legit garden clothier for 30 years, I occupy masses of experience mowing lawns, so I eagerly jumped into sorting out. I unboxed and assembled every machine, recording the time it took to fully payment the required battery or batteries. While the batteries charged, I read the owner’s handbook and explored the controls, adjustments and alternate choices of the machine. With the battery/batteries installed, I attach every mower by its paces in plenty of staunch-world lawn-cutting eventualities within the wait on two acres of my and my subsequent-door neighbor’s yard. To sinful, the mowers had to excel within the following checks:

• “Hasty and gigantic” test: In taller, uncut grass, I space the cutting height at 3 inches and self-propelled or walked briskly to be taught how well the lawn mower maneuvered on somewhat just a few terrains, similar to up and downhill, across hills, tight turns and . I swapped between bagging, mulching and discharging the clippings out the facet (when equipped with a chute.) Here will even be after I experimented with the adjustable energy modes and self-propel speeds if equipped.

• “Low and unhurried” test: Within the medium-height lawn produced by the first test, I space the cutting height at 1.5 inches and self-propelled or pushed the mower at a late slither, as soon as more swapping between three therapies of the clippings: bagging, mulching or discharging out the facet (when equipped with a chute possibility.) This helped decide the standard of the reduce to boot as the potential of the machine to contend with clippings. This test helped me specialise within the comfort of the kind out and controls to boot as sound and dirt phases.

• “The attach the wild issues grow” test: This took the mower into very gigantic grass and weeds space at its tallest cutting height (in most cases 4 inches) to locate how it may per chance per chance perchance withhold up to the pains of working by plenty of inches of tricky stalks and fallen twigs whereas contending with bumps and ruts. I skipped the bagger for this test (due to it may per chance per chance perchance have too quick) and alive to on how every machine either mulched or discharged the clippings to boot as the total energy of the machine. I continued with this test unless the batteries ran out of payment and the machine stopped.

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Other lawn mowers we tested

Greenworks 16 in. Cordless Battery Push Lawn Mower ($279, battery and charger incorporated): The Greenworks is a fun dinky machine that couldn’t compete with the stronger, more adaptable lawn mowers tested. Nonetheless, anyone with a the truth is minute lawn and a restricted budget will even web it the good fit. It’s extremely-light, huge easy to make utilize of and will get the job finished.

Husqvarna Lawn Xpert 21 in. Self-Propelled Mower ($700, battery and charger incorporated): This mower puts Husqvarna (a pioneer in robot mowers) within the electric lawn mower game, and it held its occupy by energy, quality of reduce and self propel. Nonetheless its efficiency did no longer warrant the nearly $800 worth worth and it wasn’t quieter than fuel.

Ego Energy+ 800 Series 21 in. Self-Propelled Mower ($779, instrument handiest): While nearly the same in energy and efficiency to the runner up Easiest Push Mower of the same model, the Ego self-propelled mannequin felt overly complicated with too many lights and settings that don’t point out powerful when all you wish is a well-mowed lawn. On the worth level of $579, there are greater alternate choices if self propel matters.

DeWalt 2X20V Max 21 in. Cordless Battery Powered Push Lawn Mower ($599, two batteries and two chargers incorporated): Here is a stable machine from a legitimate model, nonetheless the frustratingly prolonged wait to payment the batteries (three hours) kept it from our top picks. Be aware-smart, it competes with, nonetheless doesn’t beat similarly priced mowers, and the very low deck hurts its efficiency in gigantic grass and weeds.

Craftsman 2x20V Max 21 in. Self Propelled Battery Stroll Mower ($449, two batteries and two chargers incorporated): The Craftsman mower is a clone of the DeWalt (every companies are owned by Stanley Shaded & Decker) nonetheless with self propel. It suffers from unhurried battery payment time and clogging in gigantic grass and weeds. Oddly, at $549 with self propel it costs lower than the DeWalt.

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FAQs

What’s essentially the most legitimate lawn mower model?

By assignment of picking an electrical lawn mower, this may per chance well be tough to retort to. Newer companies admire Ego and Greenworks occupy a restricted music represent, nonetheless their specialization in electric tools makes them industry leaders. Battery technology is current territory for prolonged-depended on producers admire Toro, Craftsman and Husqvarna, so that you simply could decide to either rely on the dilapidated hats or financial institution on the current guns.

What lawn mowers carry out landscapers utilize?

As of 2025, landscapers, even in California, utilize fuel-powered lawn mowers, admire Scag, Honda, Toro and Stihl. These machines on the entire occupy wider cutting widths up to 30 inches and are self-propelled. All this energy and dimension comes with a worth, as most commercial toddle-within the wait on of mowers worth from $1,500 to over $2,000.

How in most cases in case you replace a lawn mower?

The easy resolution is “when the dilapidated one doesn’t work anymore and may per chance perchance’t be repaired.” Cutting blades are designed to be changed as are wheels, cables and lever bars. One factual reason to replace a working lawn mower is to swap your fuel-powered machine for electric energy. Whenever you happen to carry out slither electric, this overview will occupy to abet you pick out which one to decide.

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Meet the educated

• Chip Wade, founder, Wade Works

We obtained complimentary samples of some merchandise and bought others ourselves, nonetheless we reviewed all merchandise utilizing the same goal criteria.