Lawn mowers
Mowers ranked for lot size, terrain, and how much cutting you actually want to do. Start with the pillar guide, then match deck width and power to your yard.
Buying guides
Best-of and under-$ budget guides for lawn mowers.
The best riding lawn mower for 1 acre is a 42- to 54-inch deck with enough power to clear the lot in one sitting. EGO TR4204 leads for battery owners, Husqvarna Z254F for gas buyers, and the EGO Z6 for tight turns.
The best electric lawn mower for a small yard is a light push mower with a 16- to 20-inch deck. The Greenworks 40V 16-inch leads for most lots, the Greenworks 48V 20-inch adds coverage, and the EGO LM2114 is the quiet upgrade.
The best battery lawn mower for a small yard is a light 16- to 21-inch push mower on a battery line you can expand. The Greenworks 40V 16-inch leads for most yards, the Greenworks 48V 20-inch covers a bigger small yard, and the EGO LM2114 is the quiet premium pick.
The best robot mower for a small yard is the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK, which maps a quarter acre with no boundary wire and cuts close to beds. The NovorikX X3 is the best at steering around toys and pets, the Sunseeker S4 is the pick under heavy shade, and the ANTHBOT M5 is the value route for an eighth-acre lot.
The best lawn mower for a small yard is a light push mower with a 16- to 18-inch deck. The Worx 40V 17-inch leads for most lots, the PowerSmart EasyCut 18-inch is the gas pick, and the Greenworks 60V 21-inch self-propelled handles a slope.
Ryobi builds its mowers on the 18V ONE+ and 40V battery systems and sells them through Home Depot, so there is no Ryobi lawn mower on Amazon. Here is what the 2025 recall covered and the three cordless mowers worth buying on Amazon instead.