Battle of the Battery Mowers: Ranking the Top Electric Lawn Mowers

Electric lawn mowers provide a convenient cordless alternative to gas mowers. I tested 5 of the most popular battery-powered mowers to see which is the best: Milwaukee, Greenworks, Ego, Ryobi and Makita. After putting them through grueling challenges, a surprising budget model came out on top.

The Contenders

Here are the electric mowers compared:

• Milwaukee M18 21″ Self-Propelled
• Greenworks 80V 21″ Self-Propelled
• Ego Select Cut 56V 21″ Self-Propelled
• Ryobi 40V 20″ Push
• Makita XML08 18V 21″ Self-Propelled

I purchased all mowers myself for unbiased reviews. Now let’s see how they stacked up.

The Challenges

To determine the best electric mower, I tested them in 5 key areas:

Mower Mile

Timed battery run time while walking with mowers. Longer times win.

Charge Time

Tested how long dead batteries take to fully recharge. Faster is better.

Bog Down

Measured how far mowers could cut through high, thick grass before stalling. Farther distances win.

Cut Quality

Evaluated cut evenness on test plots using spray painted grass tips. More consistent cutting across all blades is best.

Cash Comparison

Ranked mowers by price. Cheaper mowers scored higher than expensive models.

The Results

Here is how the electric mowers fared in each challenge:

Mower Mile

Mower	Run Time
Milwaukee M18	1 hr 52 min
Makita	1 hr 38 min
Greenworks	1 hr 31 min
Ego	1 hr 24 min
Ryobi	35 min

The Milwaukee had the longest battery life by far. The Ryobi died quickly.

Charge Time

Mower	Charge Time
Ego	1 hr 4 min
Greenworks	1 hr 41 min
Ryobi	1 hr 54 min
Milwaukee M18	1 hr 56 min
Makita	2 hr 32 min

The Ego charged fastest. The Makita took nearly 3 hours to fully charge.

Bog Down

1st – Milwaukee
2nd – Ego
3rd – Greenworks 4th – Ryobi 5th – Makita

The Milwaukee powered through the thick grass with ease. The Makita stalled quickly.

Cut Quality

With turbo buttons OFF:

1st – Ego 2nd – Ryobi
3rd – Greenworks 4th – Milwaukee 5th – Makita

With turbo ON:

1st – Greenworks
2nd – Milwaukee

The Greenworks left the most even, consistent cut with turbo button enabled.

Cash Comparison

Rank	Mower	Price
1st	Greenworks	$600
2nd	Makita	$760
3rd	Ryobi	$799
4th	Ego	$850
5th	Milwaukee	$1100

The Greenworks was the most affordable while the Milwaukee was most expensive.

The Final Rankings

Adding up all the points, here is how the electric mowers stacked up overall:

1st Place – Greenworks – Excellent cut quality, good battery life and bog down performance plus cheapest price.

2nd Place – Milwaukee – Incredible power and run time but very expensive.

3rd Place – Ego – Great battery efficiency, decent cut quality.

4th Place – Ryobi – Surprisingly good given the price, but battery life was poor.

5th Place – Makita – Disappointing performance in most tests.

The Verdict

The Greenworks 80V is my pick for the best electric lawn mower. It left a beautiful cut and could handle thick grass as well as models costing $500 more. Run time and recharge times were also impressive. At only $600, it’s a tremendous value.

The Milwaukee M18 is an incredible machine and won on power and battery life. But the steep $1100 price knocks it down to second place.

Ego finishes a solid third with good run times and middle-of-the-pack performance in all tests.

Ryobi gives you decent power for the low $799 price. Poor battery life needs improvement.

I can’t recommend the Makita due to extremely poor showing across all challenges. Spend your money elsewhere.