Best Battery Mowers and Tractors for Mulching Your Grass
These top-rated, eco-friendly models cut like champs, then leave the clippings to fertilize your lawn
By Tobie Stanger
A battery mower or tractor is a good green choice because it’s powered by electricity, not polluting gasoline. It’s an even better green choice when it capably mulches—that is, cuts your grass clippings into tiny pieces and strews them on your lawn.
Mulched grass clippings that are left to disintegrate are good for your lawn because they reintroduce nutrients like nitrogen back into the soil. That means you’ll need to use less manufactured fertilizer.
“Mulching lets you recycle the nutrients within your grass by feeding them directly into your lawn,” says Misha Kollontai, the Consumer Reports engineer who leads lawn-mower testing. “It also reduces your carbon footprint a little further, since those clippings don’t have to be collected and transported.”
Consumer Reports’ lawn mower and tractor ratings include scores for how well our tested lawn mowers mulch. We look at how fine the clippings are and how completely each mower distributes them over a lawn’s surface, so you don’t get unsightly clumps.
Below, you’ll see recommendations for some of the best battery-powered mulching mowers from CR’s tests. We’ve included push models (best for lawns up to a quarter-acre), self-propelled mowers (for lawns up to a half-acre), and riding mowers for larger lawns. You’ll see top-rated models as well as a couple of high-performing counterparts at more moderate prices.
For dozens more options among battery mowers, CR members can check out our comprehensive lawn mower and tractor ratings and buying guide.
Battery Push Mowers
Ego LM 2135
CR’s take: Your neighbors will thank you for using an Ego LM2135 because it’s very quiet, both at 25 feet away and at the ear of the user. While this unit is expensive as push mowers go, its performance rates Excellent for mulching, cut evenness, and handling. It also earns Very Good ratings in bagging and side discharging. Run time is as long as 50 minutes, enough to cover about a quarter of an acre in one go. What’s more, the battery can be fully charged in just over an hour. Other benefits: the ability to store the unit upright, a 3-year battery warranty, and a generous 5-year warranty on the mower itself. Ego battery push mowers earn ratings of Very Good for reliability and Excellent for owner satisfaction.
Ryobi RY401170VNM
CR’s take: The 20-inch Ryobi RY401170VNM is rated Very Good overall, and its CR Best Buy label earns it a place in this lineup. This unit comes with just one battery; its run time is about three-quarters of an hour. Charging the battery with the included charger takes about 1½ hours. But it’s a commendable performer, earning Excellent ratings in mulching, evenness of cut, handling, and noise at 25 feet. Its side-discharging and bagging performance—and noise at the user’s ear—all rate Very Good. Ryobi push mowers are warrantied for a generous 5 years and their batteries have a more standard 3-year warranty. These mowers also earn a Very Good rating for predicted reliability and an Excellent score for owner satisfaction.
Battery Self-Propelled Mowers
Greenworks MO80L421
CR’s take: You get a lot for your money from the self-propelled Greenworks MO80L421 mower. Foremost is a long battery run time of nearly 75 minutes when you account for the included extra battery, enough to cut at least one-third of an acre. The MO80L421’s performance is exemplary for mulching, cut evenness, handling, and noise. Side discharging rates Very Good, though we judged its bagging to be just Good. This mower has a 4-year battery warranty, the longest among its category in our ratings, and a 4-year warranty for the machine itself. Greenworks battery self-propelled mowers earn Very Good ratings for reliability and get a top score for owner satisfaction in our member ratings.
Ryobi RY401140US
CR’s take: The 21-inch Ryobi RY401140US is the least expensive model among several self-propelled battery mowers rated Excellent overall. In fact, it performs similarly to the top-rated Greenworks model above but for a lot less money. It earns Excellent scores for mulching, handling, and run time. For side discharging and bagging, it actually scores higher than the Greenworks model. But noise at the user’s ear and predicted reliability are just middling. The battery warranty is a fairly typical 3 years; the warranty on the mower itself is a generous 5 years.
Battery Riding Mowers
Ego ZT4204L
CR’s take: The zero-turn Ego ZT4204L is pricey but impressive. It earns Excellent scores for side discharging, mulching, and handling. It’s also quieter than a standard gas-riding mower. The ZT4204L runs for about 80 minutes on one charge, enough to potentially get through an acre depending on the terrain. Charge time is a relatively short 3 hours. This model sports a high-backed seat and reverse cutting, and has a washout port. But the relatively narrow 42-inch deck means longer mowing times. Battery-powered zero-turn mowers haven’t been on the market long enough to be scored for owner satisfaction or reliability. This one has a long 5-year warranty.
Ryobi RY48140
CR’s take: The zero-turn Ryobi RY48140 is a champ at mulching, side discharging, and handling, and has an impressive run time of close to 2 hours, enough to do nearly two acres on one charge. What’s more, it has a 54-inch deck, wider than any other battery riding mower in our tests. That means you can get through your chores more quickly. The downsides: It’s noisy for a battery mower, and its lead-acid battery—also not the norm among battery mowers—takes a sluggish 20 hours to charge.
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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.
