The Best Lawn Mowers for Small Yards

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A small yard doesn’t need a big mower. It needs one that’s light enough to carry through a side gate, small enough to store in a corner and easy to start every week.

That’s why I’d skip gas for most small lawns. You’d spend more time on fuel and oil than on mowing. A cordless push mower does the job, folds up and starts with a button.

I chose these based on the published specs and owner reviews, plus hands-on reviews from OPE Reviews, The Gadgeteer and ToolBoxBuzz. I work with tools and blades in my metal and composites workshop and use EGO battery tools on my own lawn, so I looked closely at weight, battery and build.

The picks

What counts as a small yard?

For mower shopping, I’d split small yards into three sizes:

If you’re not sure of your lawn size, measure length times width of each grass area in feet and add them up. An acre is 43,560 sq ft, so 1/8 acre is about 5,445 sq ft.

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

The WG743 is a 17-inch push mower that runs on two 20V Power Share batteries working together. OPE Reviews lists it at 29 lb with two 4.0Ah batteries and a dual-port charger, a 17-inch nylon-resin deck, a seven-position single-point height adjustment and a 1.2-bushel rear bag with a full-bag indicator. Worx claims about 1/8 acre per charge, and the mower carries a 3-year warranty.

IntelliCut raises blade speed when the grass gets thick, and there are Eco and Turbo modes.

Why it’s the pick:

• Light enough to fold and hang on a garage wall.
• The 20V batteries run Worx’s trimmers, blowers and drills.
• Single-point height adjustment is quick.

What to watch: 1/8 acre per charge is the ceiling. A tall spring cut or wet grass will need a battery swap or a second session.

2. Litheli 20V 13-inch brushless: best for tiny lawns

Litheli’s 13-inch mower is for the smallest lawns: townhouse yards, front strips and patches between flower beds. The Gadgeteer’s review lists a brushless motor, a 20V 4.0Ah battery with up to 40 minutes of claimed runtime, five heights from 0.98 to 2.56 inches, 6-inch wheels, 27.3 lb, and a 5-year tool warranty with 3 years on the battery and charger. The reviewer got more than 30 minutes of cutting.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Tiny and light, easy to carry up steps.
• Brushless motor and a long tool warranty for the price.
• Blade brake stops the blade within a few seconds.

What to watch: the 2.56-inch maximum height is low. Many cool-season lawns are kept taller than that in summer. The 13-inch deck also means more passes. The reviewer had the mower shut off in thick grass until they raised the deck.

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

Sun Joe’s 17-inch mower uses two 24V 4.0Ah batteries together as a 48V system with a 670W brushless motor. Sun Joe lists six heights from 1 to 3 inches, an 11-gallon bag, a recharge time of about 1 hour 50 minutes and a 2-year warranty. The support page gives a net weight of 33.8 lb and says it won’t run on one battery.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Brushless motor and two batteries in the box.
• Big 11-gallon bag for a small mower.

What to watch: Sun Joe doesn’t publish a runtime or area per charge, the height maxes out at 3 inches, and the warranty is short.

4. EGO Power+ LM2114: best for up to a quarter acre

If your small yard is closer to a quarter acre, a 21-inch deck saves a lot of walking. The LM2114 is EGO’s 21-inch push mower with a 56V 6.0Ah battery. EGO’s comparison chart lists up to 55 minutes of runtime, a 1.25 to 4-inch cutting height and 45.2 lb without the battery.

Why it’s a good choice:

• Much longer runtime than the 17-inch mowers.
• Cuts up to 4 inches, so it suits taller cool-season lawns.
• The 56V battery runs EGO’s trimmers and blowers.

What to watch: it’s heavier and costs much more than the 17-inch mowers, and it’s still a push mower. If you have slopes, look at the self-propelled options.

13, 17 or 21 inches?

Deck width sets how many passes you make. A 21-inch deck covers about 60% more ground per pass than a 13-inch deck.

• 13 inches: for tight spaces, narrow strips and lawns you can mow in 10 minutes.
• 17 inches: the sweet spot for most small yards. Light, but not slow.
• 21 inches: worth it once the lawn is near a quarter acre or wide open.

Narrow decks also get into tight corners better and fit through garden gates.

Weight and storage

This is where small mowers earn their place. The mowers here range from about 27 lb (Litheli) to about 45 lb before the battery (EGO). If you have to lift the mower up steps, into a car or onto a wall hook, under 30 lb is the target.

Most fold their handle down so the mower stands upright or hangs. Measure the space you have before buying.

Cutting height matters more than you think

Small mowers often have low maximum heights. That’s a problem if you have a cool-season lawn like tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass, which is usually kept taller than warm-season grasses.

Worx’s published height range for the WG743 is inconsistent between sources, so I left it out.

If you’re not sure what type of grass you have, see cool-season vs warm-season grass.

Battery platform: think beyond the mower

A small yard usually needs three tools: a mower, a string trimmer for edges and a blower for the path and patio. Buying all three on one battery platform means you keep two or three batteries instead of a drawer full of chargers.

• Worx Power Share 20V batteries run the WG743 in pairs and Worx’s single-battery trimmers and blowers.
• EGO 56V batteries run the LM2114 and EGO’s trimmers, blowers and hedge trimmers.
• Sun Joe 24V packs run the 17-inch mower in pairs and Sun Joe’s smaller tools.

If you already own one of these, start there. My battery yard tool systems guide compares the platforms, and the cordless string trimmer guide covers the edging side.

Features that matter on a small mower

Single-point height adjustment. One lever moves all four wheels. The Worx WG743 has it. Mowers with a lever at each wheel take longer to set.

Bag size. Small mowers have small bags. Sun Joe’s 11-gallon bag is generous for a 17-inch mower; Worx lists 1.2 bushels with a full-bag indicator.

Mulching. All four mowers here can mulch, which saves emptying the bag every few minutes.

Blade brake. The Litheli stops its blade within about 3 seconds of releasing the lever, according to The Gadgeteer.

Wheels. Bigger rear wheels roll over bumpy lawns more easily. The Litheli has 6-inch wheels, which suit flat, smooth lawns best.

Common mistakes with small mowers

Buying too small. A 13-inch mower on a 5,000 sq ft lawn turns a 20-minute job into a 40-minute one. Match the deck to the yard.

Cutting too low. The lowest setting scalps bumps and stresses the grass. Start high and only go down if the lawn looks shaggy.

Letting the grass get long. Small motors bog down in tall grass. Mowing every week in spring keeps the job easy.

Leaving batteries in a cold shed. Bring them inside over winter.

Is a robot mower an option?

For a small, simple lawn, a robot mower can take mowing off your list. It costs more up front. See best budget robot mowers if you want to compare.

What about corded or reel mowers?

Corded mowers are cheap and never run out of power, but the cord gets in the way around trees and beds. Manual reel mowers are quiet and cheap, but they struggle with tall or tough grass. Both are covered in types of lawn mowers.

Small-yard mowing tips

• Mow often. On a small lawn it takes minutes, and taking off a little each time keeps the mower from bogging down.
• Keep the blade sharp. A small motor needs a sharp blade more than a big one. See how to sharpen a lawn mower blade.
• Mulch instead of bagging when the grass is short and dry. It saves emptying a small bag.
• Charge after mowing so the battery is ready next time, and store it indoors in winter.

My how to mow a lawn guide covers patterns and timing.

My pick

For most small yards, the Worx WG743 gets the balance right: light, quick and on a battery platform that runs other tools. Go smaller with the Litheli 20V 13-inch for tiny lawns, or bigger with the EGO LM2114 if you’re close to a quarter acre and want more runtime and a 4-inch cut. Cheaper options are in my cheap cordless mower guide.