The best electric lawn mower of 2025

We test electric lawn mowers by running each one through a battery of tests (no pun intended, as we run actual battery tests) and yes, we mow stuff too. There are some product categories where we collect, at the time, tons of data, but despite our best efforts, data alone cannot give us the whole picture of which product works best. Getting these in the yard is the best way to help filter and decipher the data we have.

Battery tests

Let’s start with those battery tests. This isn’t too complicated, but it can be a bit tricky to physically set up. To measure the voltage and amps the mower draws while running, we need to insert our measuring equipment between the battery and the mower. The physical process varies slightly from mower to mower, but once it’s set, we get a measure of the DC voltage and amps moving between the battery and the mower, which gives us an idea of ​​the mower’s motor power (in watts).

We take these measurements at zero load, meaning we’re not cutting grass at the time or providing any resistance to the blades, which would change the numbers, making them higher to account for tighter limits. high engine power. Our next round of testing updates will include those upper power limits as well.

RPM tests

Yes, we absolutely measure blade RPMs on electric mowers. The eagle-eyed lab staff at CNET has developed the ability to count tens of revolutions per second in a super-accurate manner. Just kidding, though we have a meter for that. In reality, we take some reflective tape and put it on the mower blade, then point the gauge so the laser light overlaps that tape and get an accurate reading on the RPM of the blade.

Now, if we combine those numbers with others like blade length and weight, and throw in some of our motor power calculations, we can estimate things like the amount of force, in Newtons, that the blade exerts on the grass. These numbers are not very helpful. Most people won’t have much of an idea what force 5 newtons are comparable to. We prefer to take the route of comparing power output to something people are more familiar with; in this case, horsepower.

Gas powered mowers vary in horsepower, but most of them land in the 3 to 5 horsepower range. We’ll have the upper limit numbers added for our next update, but you can see that the lower limit on horsepower for the electric mowers we tested ranged from about 0.1 to 0.6 hp. That is, not much. In general, you should expect to see electric mowers triple that number toward their upper limits, so we’re looking in the 1.75 horsepower ballpark. You’ll be hard-pressed to find retail gas mowers that run under 2 horsepower.

Noise level

We often talk about sound level, especially with outdoor type gear. Historically, these gas-powered outboards have been quite noisy. (Try sleeping when all your neighbors are mowing early on the weekends.) With the advent of power tool rigs, that’s all changing. Your neighbor may be obsessing over lawn care while you nap all day.

We tested the decibel level for lawnmowers from the perspective of a person using it. We put a decibel meter stationary and take the measurement. The results weren’t too surprising, with our quietest mower being the smallest, the Litheli 13in at 68.6dB, and the loudest also being the most powerful mower, the Ego, at 86.7dB.

Speed ​​tests

You can usually think of mowers as moving at a certain pace, specifically, at whatever pace you happen to push it. An increasing number of mowers are now coming with self-propelled options. Many of these electric mowers allow you to use that function even when the blades are not running.

We measure how fast mowers move in miles per hour. You won’t be visiting any ramps with these, but if you plan to use this mod, this can help you decide which one to take or skip. The Ryobi had the widest range of speeds to choose from, but it was no less than the fastest mower. The Ryobi topped out at 3.03 mph and the Greenworks Pro at 3.33 mph.

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