How to buy the best electric lawn mower

How do you choose an electric mower?

Are you looking for a new electric lawn mower – may be as an upgrade from an older model or because you’ve got your own lawn to mow for the first time.

Either way, an electric lawn mower will suit you if you have a relatively small lawn, you want a quiet machine and you are not worried about having to handle the extension cord as you mow.

If you’re in that category, then there are some good value models out there and the expert information you’ll find here will help you make the right choice.

If you want to buy the best lawn mower for your situation and you think that an electric lawn mower might suit you, this article will give you the well-researched guidance you need.

To be clear, in this article we’ll be looking at corded electric mowers – i.e. mowers with a cord or lead that has to be plugged into the electricity supply. We look at cordless electric lawn mowers in a separate post.

How does an electric lawn mower work?

Your electric outlet delivers power, via an extension cord, to an electric motor seated on the top of the mower deck.

In the most common arrangement, at the flick of a switch, the motor delivers power to spin the rotary cutting blade that is seated in the deck housing. Some modern models use a cutting line, like a string trimmer, instead of a steel blade.

Your lawn is cut as you push the mower, or the mower self-propels itself, around your lawn as a result of power from the motor being directed to the wheels.

Size and power of electric lawn mowers

Corded electric lawn mowers range in size, with 13 to 21 inch cutting widths and 10 to 13 amp electric motors. A good example of the small electric lawn mower is this Ryobi 13 inch 11 amp model:

If you have a small garden or, importantly, only limited storage space for your mower, then a small electric lawn mower is likely to be a good option for you. The smaller mowers are easier to turn in tight spaces and lighter to carry out of storage.

However, the smaller the cutting width, the less lawn you can cut in each pass, so the longer it will take you to cut the lawn. If your lawn is small anyway then this is unlikely to make much difference to you.

Types of electric lawn mowers

Apart from the differences in size of motor and cutting width, there is not a huge amount to distinguish different types of corded electric lawn mowers.

These machines are light in weight and designed for small flat areas, so they are generally all push mowers.

The main distinction lies in the means of grass discharge. Some mowers are 3 in 1 mowers, offering side discharge, mulching and bagging options, whilst some only offer bagging and mulching.

There is full discussion of these various option on our page showing you how to compare lawn mowers.

How do electric lawn mowers compare to gas/petrol powered lawn mowers?

Electric lawn mowers are cheaper, quieter and more environmentally friendly than gas powered lawn mowers.

They are also lighter in weight and usually smaller and easier to store.

Apart from blade sharpening or replacement, little maintenance is required with an electric mower, whereas a gas mower needs fuelling, oil changes and sometimes a bit of tinkering to get it started.

On the downside, corded electric mowers are less powerful than gas mowers, so they are not suitable for rough ground and long, wet or tall grass.

At the risk of stating the obvious, they are also limited in range by the length of an electric extension cord.

The extension cord also makes it less easy to mow freely than is the case with a gas powered or cordless electric model, especially if you have trees, shrubs or other features in you lawn.

This ‘cord management’ issue, as it is rather grandly called, is one of the main reasons why people might opt for a gas or cordless model.

If you want to avoid the noise and maintenance issues associated with gas models then a cordless lawn mower might suit you. However, cordless models are much heavier and more expensive than corded models and even the best are limited to a run time of around an hour to an hour and half by their battery life.

Features to look out for in electric lawn mowers

Corded electric mowers are the cheapest kind of mower available, so they are do not generally have tons of features.

However look out for the following:

• The right grass discharge option for your preference – bagging, mulching, side or rear discharge, or all 3
• A cord holder that lets you mange your cord more easily when you turn
• Enough height adjustment for your needs and, preferably, a single lever adjustment mechanism
• Comfortable handles
• Handles that can be adjusted to your height
• Handles that fold for easy storage
• Decent size wheels for better stability and traction.

The other most important point to remember is the bigger your lawn, the bigger the cutting width of your mower should be. This is because it will take you less time to cut with a wider mower, because you’ll cover more ground with each pass.

Likewise, if you have a bigger lawn or rougher type grass, you’ll want to opt for a more powerful model.

Best uses for electric lawn mowers

A corded electric mower will suit you if:

• You have a smallish, flattish lawn to mow
• You have few or no obstacles in your lawn
• You want a budget lawn mower option
• You want a quiet, environmentally friendly lawn mower
• You want a light weight machine
• You want the minimum in maintenance
• You don’t have an inbuilt urge to tinker with engines
• You don’t mind ‘cord management’.

A word about ‘cord management’

It sounds like something they should run classes in doesn’t it? But actually it’s quite straightforward.

First up, start at the point on you lawn nearest your power outlet and then mow away from there.

So, if your power source is in the bottom left corner, start there and mow up the lawn first and then progress across to the right.

Try also to keep you cord on the same side of the mower as your power source.

You should also make sure you get an extension cord that is properly rated for your mower.

A 14 gauge cord up to fifty feet long, will be fine for a load of between 10 and 15 amps.

For a similar load but a greater length you’ll need a 12 guage cord, like the LifeSupply cord featured above.

RECOMMENDED: Electric lawn mower best sellers

US Buyers

The mowers below are current Amazon best sellers. So these are worth considering given that the best sellers are almost exclusively those that have received a high number of good customer reviews.

Are you a UK buyers? There are further options for you below.

And, if you think about it, the best experts for judging these mowers are the people who are using them on a regular basis.

Last update on 2023-10-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Interestingly, most of the best sellers are on the small side, which probably reflects the fact they these mowers are generally used for the smaller lawns.

If I was looking for a bigger model, then the 21 inch, 13 Amp Greenworks model is a great option:

UK buyers

For buyers in the U.K, here is an excellent selection of top electric mowers, with a variety of sizes to cater for most gardens. However, as indicated above, corded electric mowers don’t work for very large spaces because of the limitations of the electric cords.

Summing Up

As with all outdoor power equipment, it’s a matter of horses for courses when choosing the best electric lawn mower for your needs.

If your circumstances fit within the categories outline under ‘best uses’ heading above, then a corded electric lawn mower is likely to suit you well.

However, if you’ve anything much more than a quarter of an acre to mow, or you might have in the future, you might be well advised to think about a gas or cordless lawn mower model.

Just beginning your lawn mower research? Start with our definitive guide on how to buy the best lawn mower.