What Is The Best Battery Powered Lawn Mower

The Best Electric Lawn Mower In 2022 Tried And Tested

Easy to use with little to no assembly right out of the box, the latest cordless electric lawn mowers run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, are far quieter than gas-powered models and, with no risk of fuel leaking or going bad, can be stored away vertically, saving precious garage or shed space and requiring no off-season maintenance. Most importantly, the best cordless electric lawn mowers perform just as well as their gas counterparts, so with many municipalities limiting the use of gas outdoor equipment, its time to make the switch.

To find out which electric mowers performed the best, we put six models to work, cutting, bagging and mulching grass and noting everything from interface to special features to run time. So whether youre keeping up with HOA rules, trying to be more green or just sick of choking down exhaust fumes in the summer heat and dealing with clogged carburetors in the winter, weve found the best electric lawn mower for you.

Easier to operate than the competition, self-propelled and, best of all, great at cutting grass, the Ego Power+ Select Cut electric lawn mower packs plenty of power to get through mowing a standard lawn on a single charge and almost makes the chore fun.

What Type Of Garden Is Required

Typically a battery mower would be ideal for a lawn the size of an average tennis court. This is roughly 250m2 in total provided it wouldn’t have to deal with too much undulation in the ground and the grass isnt too long each time you cut it. A battery typically would be able to last between 20-30 minutes between charges so anything larger wouldnt realistically be feasible without a spare battery to swap out mid-way through cutting the grass. As generally petrol powered mowers are more powerful they are the stronger choice for larger gardens.

There are also a number of things in your garden that can affect the efficiency of your battery. If there is a lot of debris from overhanging trees or dramatic undulations in your garden, this will require your mower to work harder which can affect the battery charge.

In addition, long grass can also affect the battery life during mowing. Often with weekly mows throughout the summer months there shouldn’t be a problem using a battery powered lawnmower..

Our Top Pick Is The Ego Power+ 21 Self

Jenica Currie is an expert content manager, producer, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience cultivating online communities. Before joining Dotdash Meredith, Jenica worked as a community manager for Just Answer, and as a community manager and managing editor at RealTravel, a former trip planning site.

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Greenworks 25022 Lawn Mower

Today’s electric lawn mowers are often easier to operate and maintain than gas-powered models, don’t generate as much noise, and won’t spew fumes. We researched and tested dozens of the best electric lawn mowers on the market, evaluating performance, maneuverability, safety, and noise level.

Our top pick is the EGO POWER+ 21″ Self-Propelled Mower because it has an excellent run-time, is easy to maneuver, and charges rapidly.

Here are the best electric lawn mowers.

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Why Buy An Electric Lawn Mower

The best electric lawn mower for you should get your lawn cut on one charge. No matter which model that is, they all share some common characteristics. There are no gas emissions and no gas engine to maintain. You still need to clean it off when youre done, but the maintenance is much easier and takes less time.

Theyre also quieter. The early bird gets the worm and if you want to start mowing at 7:00 on Saturday morning, your neighbors can probably sleep through it. More of a night owl? Many battery-powered mowers have headlights, and youre unlikely to disturb your neighbors Lord of the Rings marathon at 10:00 PM.

Those are some of the more obvious reasons, but one of our favorites is the ability to put the battery in and mow. Theres no cranking, no choke, and no fuel cut-off valve. As long as you have enough batteries to get the entire lawn cut, its an easier system to work with than gas.

Black+decker 40v Max Cordless Electric Lawn Mower

BLACK+DECKERs 40-volt cordless electric mower also comes with an extra lithium-ion battery. That way, you can charge one while you use the other in case you have a large yard and need to double the run time to about 30 minutes with both batteries. Again, this is a good deal because you get the mower and two batteries for less than $400.

Do you have dips and hills in your yard or different types of grass that need to be cut at different heights? The cordless BLACK+DECKER mower has you covered with six different height settings ranging from 1 to 3 inches. You can adjust the height easily as you mow, using the single-lever system.

Plus, you can collect clippings while you go with the large 9.5-gallon collection bag or use the mowers mulching feature. Even with the collection bag, this mower is easy to store because the handle folds to take up less space. The cutting deck is about 16 inches wide, a size that strikes a good balance between compact storage and cutting large swaths of grass at once.

Specifications:

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What I Think About The Powersmart Ps76417

Equipped with a powerful brushless motor that offers a speed of 3600 RPM, this battery mower is quite impressive. It can handle tall and tough grass quite easily with its 17-inch steel mowing deck creates. It is good quality, efficient, and durable mower that can help you mow your lawn easily.

However, the mower does have issues with battery life and the fact that the additional battery is rarely in stock can make things quite annoying. But if you have a small lawn, the battery might not be an issue for you.

I really liked that the lawnmower is easy to assemble. Also, it is quite lightweight but does not seem too flimsy or wobbly. It gives a sturdy and tough feeling. It also comes with a good quality grass bag which might be small for some. But, as mentioned earlier, this mower is best suitable for small mowers which makes the small grass bag acceptable.

It does not have self-propulsion which can be a downside but it is quite lightweight so pushing it around would not be an issue for most of the buyers. Overall, the PowerSmart PS76417 is a good and affordable mower.

Similar Options: PowerSmart PS7682

Residential Pick: Ryobi 40v Hp Brushless Crosscut 21

Ryobi crushed it with the development of the 40V HP Brushless CrossCut self-propelled lawn mower, making huge strides over its previous generation of mowers. Matching up very well against EGOs Select Cut XP, its a stacked blade design that offers excellent power and cut quality. Where it has a clear advantage over its competitors is on the side discharge. This mower distributes clippings far better than other battery-powered lawn mowers weve tested. Plus, Ryobi builds this mower in the US using global materials and the kit is $200 less than the Select Cut XPs.

Price: $599.00 with two 6.0Ah batteries and a rapid charger

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Best Budget: Greenworks 25022 12

• Cord lock keeps plug connected

For those with smaller yards, the Greenworks 20-Inch Corded Lawn Mower is a great value. This budget-friendly model is corded, meaning youll have to navigate around an extension cord, but in our testing, we found it to be surprisingly powerful and extremely easy to operate. It has a 20-inch cutting deck that can be set to seven different heights, and it offers mulching, bagging, and side-discharge options for your grass clippings.

This mower needs to be plugged in with a 14-gauge 50-foot extension cord or a 12-gauge 100-foot extension cord, which isnt included with the purchase. The good news, however, is that youll have unlimited runtime as long as the mower is plugged in, and it has an integrated cord retention system that prevents it from coming unplugged if jostled. We found that the mower was lightweight enough to push around without much effort, and the included grass collection bag is easy to detach and empty.

Cutting Width: 20 inches | Weight: 56 pounds | Power Source: Corded | Cutting Options: Bag, mulch, side-discharge | Size of Yard: 0.25 acre

The Spruce / Sarah Vanbuskirk

“I appreciated having so many debris removal options and thought it was simple enough to shift settings, say from mulching to bagging, for different parts of the lawn. I didnt experience any issues with debris spilling in any of the modes.” Sarah Vanbuskirk, Product Tester

Pro Pick: Milwaukee M18 Fuel 21

Boasting a monstrous 10 ft-lbs of torque , Milwaukees M18 Fuel self-propelled lawn mower is the strongest battery-powered walk-behind weve tested so far. Using a pair of 12.0Ah batteries, it can run up to an hour in light conditions and we ran it for more than 40 minutes when taking off 4 6 inches of growth. If theres a downside, its that the drive thumb bar introduces some thumb fatigue, but we were able to adjust our grip to deal with it.

The mower also has a tough build designed to handle professional use while offering the convenience of single-point height adjustments and vertical storage.

Price: $999.00 with two 12.0Ah batteries and a dual-port rapid charger

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Other Factors To Consider In Battery Lawn Mowers

Battery

The battery is the defining feature of a battery lawnmower. Some battery lawn mowers feature very powerful batteries with a voltage as high as 120 volts. With 36 volts and above, batteries can offer 2Ah to 5Ah with several mowers making use of multiple small batteries to make the process more convenient.

It is important to note that mowers with larger batteries cost more and can be bulky.

Runtime

The runtime is directly related to two major factors. If the runtime for a particular model is 60 minutes but your lawn is overgrown with thick grass and weeds, the motor might only run for half the time. Therefore, you must gauge the size of your lawn before proceeding to buy your battery lawn mower.

The deck size dictates the cutting width a lawnmower offers. Bigger deck size will cover a larger width of your yard and hence, you will be done in fewer passes. Ranging from 14 to 21 inches, the deck size you go for must depend on the size of your lawn and your budget.

Lawnmowers with bigger deck sizes tend to be heavier as well.

Ego Power+ 56v Cordless Self

*photo unavailable

This 56-volt, 21-inch mower from EGO Power+ is another great choice if youre looking for a self-propelled option. It has variable speed settings up to 3 miles per hour, suited for any flat or sloped land. The lithium-ion battery runs for up to an hour on a single charge, which gives you plenty of time to mow most residential lawns.

EGO built this mower to withstand any conditions, with weather-resistant construction so the parts wont rust in high humidity or frequent rain. There are even LED headlights so you can mow at night or in the early morning if your schedule demands it. This is the only mower of all our picks that offers this feature.

The EGO Power+ self-propelled mower also has the versatile features you expect of a top-quality lawn mower of this day and age. It has an adjustable cutting deck with six height options ranging from 1.5 inches to 4 inches so you can mow to different lengths as needed.

You also can discharge, bag, or mulch your grass clippings without any additional attachments.

Specifications:

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Makita Dlm380z Manual 36v Lawn Mower

Could they improve the Bosch Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex Cordless Lawn Mower?

They really havent got anything to improve here, the Rotak 43 LI Ergoflex cordless lawn mower is the finished article offering excellent power and performance. You might argue that getting the price down a bit would make them competitive with Makita but as the price stands, these guys appear to be selling more than Makita anyway, so I suppose, why change a winning plan?

The buyers guide to the best cordless lawn mower

Best Kobalt Electric Battery

Kobalt is quietly still making excellent electric lawn mowers and the 80V line is where its performance peaks. The most recent is a 21-inch rear-wheel-drive system with an upgrade to the handle system that makes folding it forward for vertical storage easier. In addition to its excellent cutting power, Kobalt also makes efficient use of its batteries, running up 60 minutes with a 6.0Ah battery. Plus, its high 4 1/8-inch top cutting height is great for tall grass species and reclaiming neglected areas.

Price: $699.00 with a 6.0Ah battery and charger, $749.00 with two 4.0Ah batteries and charger

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How We Chose Our Selection Of Cordless Lawn Mowers

Before compiling this list of the best cordless lawnmowers, we took a variety of aspects into consideration like size and performance. However, there are four major things that determined our selection that include

Brand – The top brands we selected are readily available and have earned consumer trust with thousands of positive reviews. These top brands have earned good reputations over years of service. And our favorite of the list, Ryobi is readily available at Home Depots across the United States. That means easy warranty service for those who choose it.

Quality – We looked for mowers that have a reputation for lasting a long time. This means we researched dozens of other articles and learned about brands before starting up the engines on our own testing.

Reviews – As a consumer, you can learn a ton from the opinions of other shoppers. And just like you, we read many, many reviews to make informed choices. We go through the effort to learn about these products just like you would with the goal of saving you time on research. We selected the products that had the most positive reviews as well as those that lived up to the hype.

Price – We realize that price matters. As such, we offer products on our list in a good range of prices that cut across a variety of peoples budgets, while offering value at every price level.

How We Test Lawn Mowers

A good example of how T3 performs hands-on testing of cordless lawn mowers can be seen in our Stihl RMA 443 VC review . We have a clear methodology when reviewing products and mowers are no exception, with us first assembling and then using wireless lawn mowers to actually cut grass ourselvesin areal world environment.

Take the Stihl RMA 443 VC coverage as an example. In the picture above, Deputy Editor of T3 Robert Jones is shown in videos and pictures actually using the mower. He also provides his personal, hands-on experience with the mower, talking through his findings in terms of design and build quality as well as performance and features.

We don’t just rely on what a manufacturer says about their product we test cordless lawn mowers ourselves, looking out for key signs of quality. If a mower misses the mark, we’ll let you know, while if it slays sward like a pro then you’ll know. The best mowers on the market end up in T3’s best cordless lawn mowers buying guide.

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What I Think About The Black+decker Cm1640

BLACK+DECKERs 40-volt cordless electric mower is a great pick if you are looking for a small and handy mower for your lawn. It comes with an extra lithium-ion battery and works well for lawns that are around one-eighth of an acre. It is quite lightweight which means almost anyone can push it and maneuver it around without any hassle. It is easy to carry and can be folded as well.

However, if you have a large lawn, you should consider investing in an extra set of batteries that will help you get the work done quickly without the hassle of recharging your batteries in between. Also, this mower does have shorter battery life. But that seems logical as it is meant for small yards which do not take a lot of time to mow.

I really like how quiet it is. It feels as if you are using a sewing machine. So, for people who have finicky neighbors, this would be a good buy.

However, this is not your heavy-duty mower and would only be suitable for domestic purposes. It will mow your lawn perfectly well. I would recommend that it should not be used in hayfields or any rough terrains.

Overall, this is a good pick for someone who has just started mowing and is looking for a basic, minimum-effort mower for their small yard.

Also Available: Kit with an extra 2.0 AH Battery

Similar Options: HENX 16-Inch Cordless

Single Point Vs Multi

Theres no doubt that single-point height adjustments are more convenient than adjusting each wheel. The relatively lighter weight of cordless lawn mowers also makes it a more viable solution.

Dont completely discount two or four-point adjustments, though. A four-point system typically has a more rigid construction over single point. Plus, you can kick your front wheels one notch higher than the rear to improve your bagging efficiency.

This one is really about what your preference is. We find most people set their height once and leave it, so a four-point system may not be all that bad from a convenience standpoint.

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