The Best Cordless Lawn Mowers

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Battery mowers have caught up with gas for most suburban lawns. They start with a button, they don’t need oil or fuel, and they’re quiet enough to mow early on a Saturday without annoying anyone.

The catch is that the battery decides almost everything: how much lawn you cover, how heavy the mower feels and how much the kit costs. So I sorted these picks by lawn size and battery platform, not just by brand.

I picked them based on the published specs and owner reviews, plus long-term tests from reviewers like ToolBoxBuzz and Pro Tool Reviews. I work with tools and blades in my metal and composites workshop, and I use EGO battery tools on my own lawn, so I paid attention to the things that matter after the first season: weight, deck material and how the battery fits the rest of your tools.

The picks

How I chose

Four things decide whether a cordless mower works for your yard:

• Runtime vs. lawn size. Maker runtimes are measured in easy conditions. Plan on getting less in thick or wet grass.
• Self-propelled or push. Over about a quarter acre, or on any slope, self-propelled is worth paying for.
• Weight. Battery mowers with self-propel run from about 60 to 85 lb. That matters if you lift it into a shed or up steps.
• Battery platform. The battery is the most expensive part. If you already own a brand’s trimmer or blower, staying on that platform saves real money.

1. EGO Select Cut XP LM2135SP: best overall

The LM2135SP is EGO’s 21-inch self-propelled Select Cut mower. It runs two blades stacked on one shaft: the upper blade cuts the grass, the lower blade lifts it and chops the clippings finer. It ships with a 56V 7.5Ah battery and a 550W rapid charger.

EGO’s comparison chart lists it at up to 60 minutes on the 7.5Ah battery, a 1 to 4-inch cutting height and 63.9 lb without the battery. In ToolBoxBuzz’s review, a full-speed run lasted 50 minutes, and the reviewer saw noticeably finer clippings in the mulching test. They also list a 5-year mower warranty and 3-year battery warranty, LED headlights and one-handed height adjustment on the handle.

Why it’s the pick:

• The dual-blade deck mulches better than most single-blade battery mowers.
• Touch Drive self-propel is easy to control with one hand.
• The 56V battery runs the whole EGO line of trimmers, blowers and hedge trimmers.
• It folds flat and stores upright.

What to watch: it’s heavy for a battery mower, and runtime drops fast on hills or at full speed. If you want more cutting time without a second battery, the LM2156SP is the same Select Cut mower with a 10Ah pack, rated by EGO at up to 75 minutes.

My EGO lawn mower review goes deeper into the whole EGO range.

2. Ryobi 40V HP CrossCut RY40HPLM02: best for Ryobi 40V owners

Ryobi’s 21-inch CrossCut mower is the closest rival to the EGO. It also uses stacked blades, and the kit comes with two 40V 6Ah batteries and a rapid charger. Ryobi lists up to 75 minutes of runtime, a 1 to 4-inch cutting height, a weight of 79.2 lb and a rating for lawns up to 3/4 acre, with a 5-year tool and 3-year battery warranty.

Pro Tool Reviews scored it very highly and liked the turbo mode that kicks in under load, the strong side discharge and the blade-life indicator. Their reviewer thinks about half an acre is the realistic maximum per charge, which matches my own view of maker runtimes.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Two batteries on board, so the mower switches packs on its own.
• The control panel shows runtime and blade life.
• Ryobi 40V batteries run a big range of yard tools.

What to watch: at almost 80 lb it’s the heaviest 21-inch battery mower here, and the thumb-drive controls feel less solid than the rest of the mower.

There’s also a lighter, single-blade Ryobi 40V HP model, covered in my self-propelled mower guide and the Ryobi cordless mower review.

3. Toro 60V Recycler 21327: best for clean mulching on a steel deck

Toro’s 21-inch Recycler is the pick if you like a steel deck and a mower that feels like a traditional Toro. It has a 15-gauge steel deck, a brushless motor, rear-wheel drive with variable speed up to 3.2 mph and a 60V 6.0Ah battery. Toro lists up to 52 minutes per charge, up to half an acre, 1.25 to 3.75-inch cutting height and 66 lb.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Steel deck and Toro’s Recycler mulching system.
• Lighter than the Ryobi and the 22-inch Toro.
• The 60V Flex-Force battery runs Toro’s other battery tools.

What to watch: the cutting height tops out at 3.75 inches, height adjusts at two points instead of one lever, and Toro sells it mainly through dealers. The 2-year mower warranty is shorter than EGO’s or Ryobi’s.

4. Greenworks 80V 21-inch MO80L416: best for 80V power on a steel deck

Greenworks’ 80V self-propelled mower pairs a brushless motor with a 21-inch steel deck. Greenworks lists a 4.0Ah battery, up to 33 minutes of runtime, a 1-3/8 to 4-inch cutting height with seven positions, 75 lb with battery and a 4-year tool and battery warranty, according to Greenworks. It mulches, bags, side-discharges and has a turbo button for picking up leaves. Greenworks says it charges in about 40 minutes.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Steel deck at a price close to plastic-deck rivals.
• Fast charging and a long warranty on the battery.
• 80V platform with a big tool range.

What to watch: 33 minutes is short, so plan on a second battery for anything near half an acre. It’s also on the heavy side.

5. DeWalt 2x20V MAX DCMWSP244U2: best for DeWalt tool owners

DeWalt’s self-propelled mower runs on two 20V MAX batteries and comes with two 10Ah packs. It has a 21-1/2-inch deck, front-wheel drive with adjustable speed, a 1-1/2 to 4-inch cutting height and up to 60 minutes of runtime in DeWalt’s test, per DeWalt. DeWalt gives it a 3-year limited warranty.

In Pro Tool Reviews’ test, it ran just over an hour on a light cut and more than 45 minutes on moderate cutting, which they think covers most quarter-acre lawns and some third-acre lawns. They also noted it clumps in heavy grass and that the wide wheelbase leaves strips unless you overlap.

Why it’s a good choice:

• The batteries work in your DeWalt drills and saws.
• Quiet, with a steel deck.

What to watch: front-wheel drive loses grip going uphill with a full bag, and the drive takes some getting used to.

6. EGO LM2114: best cordless push mower

If your lawn is flat and you don’t mind pushing, the LM2114 gives you EGO’s 56V platform for less. It’s a 21-inch push mower with a 6.0Ah battery, up to 55 minutes of runtime, a 1.25 to 4-inch cutting height and a 45.2 lb tool weight, according to EGO’s comparison chart.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Light for a 21-inch mower.
• Long runtime for a push model.
• Same batteries as the rest of EGO’s tools.

What to watch: no self-propel, so it’s tiring on slopes and big lawns. The deck is polymer, not steel.

7. Worx 40V Power Share WG743: best for small yards

The Worx WG743 is a 17-inch push mower that runs on two 20V Power Share batteries. OPE Reviews lists it at 29 lb with two 4.0Ah batteries, a seven-position height adjustment, a rear bag with a full-bag indicator, and Worx’s claim of about 1/8 acre per charge. IntelliCut raises blade speed in thicker grass.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Light enough to hang on a garage wall.
• The 20V batteries run Worx’s trimmers, blowers and drills.
• One of the cheapest name-brand kits.

What to watch: 1/8 acre per charge is the real limit. Past that, you need spare batteries or a bigger mower.

8. Sun Joe 24V-X2-17LM: best budget 17-inch kit

Sun Joe’s 17-inch mower runs two 24V 4.0Ah batteries together as a 48V system, with a 670W brushless motor. Sun Joe lists a 1 to 3-inch cutting height with six positions, an 11-gallon bag and a 2-year warranty. Its support page lists the mower at 33.8 lb and notes it won’t run on one battery.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Light and easy to store.
• Brushless motor at a low price.

What to watch: Sun Joe doesn’t publish a runtime, the cutting height tops out at 3 inches, which is low for tall cool-season lawns, and the warranty is short. More cheap options are in my cheap cordless mower guide.

How much lawn does a battery cover?

Battery capacity is the honest way to compare. Look at amp-hours (Ah) and voltage together. A 56V 7.5Ah pack holds about 420 watt-hours, according to ToolBoxBuzz’s EGO review. A Toro 60V 6.0Ah pack holds 324 watt-hours, according to Toro.

Rough guide from the maker claims above:

Thick spring growth, wet grass, bagging and hills all cut runtime. Mowing more often, so you only take a little off each time, helps more than any battery upgrade. My guide on how to mow a lawn covers the timing.

Self-propelled vs. push

Push battery mowers are much lighter. The EGO LM2114 weighs 45.2 lb; the self-propelled LM2135SP weighs 63.9 lb. On a flat, small lawn, the push mower is easier to handle and store.

Self-propel helps with:

• Slopes and uneven ground.
• Lawns over a quarter acre.
• Bagging, because a full bag adds weight fast.

Rear-wheel drive grips better uphill than front-wheel drive, especially when the bag is full. The EGO, Ryobi, Toro and Greenworks models here are rear-wheel drive; the DeWalt is front-wheel drive.

Deck material

Polymer decks (EGO, Ryobi) don’t rust and are lighter. Steel decks (Toro, Greenworks, DeWalt) feel more solid and are easier to scrape clean. Ryobi gives its composite deck a lifetime warranty on the RY40HPLM01.

From a shop point of view, steel dents and rusts at the welds if you leave wet clippings caked on it. Polymer cracks if you hit something hard enough. Either lasts for years if you clean under the deck after mowing.

Battery platform: the real decision

If you already own battery yard tools, that usually decides the mower. One battery that runs the mower, trimmer and blower saves a lot. My battery yard tool systems guide compares the platforms, and EGO vs Ryobi vs Greenworks covers the three biggest.

Should you get a cordless or gas mower?

For lawns under half an acre, cordless is the easier choice for most people: no fuel, no oil changes, no pull cord, and much less noise. Gas still wins on big lawns, long wet grass and when you want to mow two acres without stopping. Electric vs gas lawn mower goes through the trade-offs.

Care tips

• Keep the blade sharp. A dull blade tears the grass and drains the battery faster. See how to sharpen a lawn mower blade.
• Store batteries indoors over winter, not in a freezing shed.
• Clean under the deck with the battery removed.
• Don’t run batteries completely flat every time if you can avoid it.

When to buy

Prices on battery mowers move with the season. Kits with extra batteries or a free trimmer show up often. When do lawn mowers go on sale covers the usual timing.

My pick

For most lawns up to half an acre, the EGO LM2135SP is the cordless mower to get. If your garage is already full of Ryobi 40V tools, get the Ryobi RY40HPLM02. For a small, flat yard, the Worx WG743 costs much less and is light enough to hang on a wall.