Best Eco-Friendly Lawn Mowers

• How Lawn Mowers Earn Consumer Reports’ Green Choice Label
• Do Electric Mowers Add to Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
• Most Eco-Friendly Electric Push Mowers
• Most Eco-Friendly Electric Self-Propelled Mowers
• Most Eco-Friendly Electric Riding Mower

CR members can see several CR Green Choice battery mowers and riders, below, that excel at energy efficiency and also earn high performance and survey-based reliability ratings. Check our lawn mower and tractor buying guide for more on how to shop. CR members can also see CR’s complete lawn mower and tractor ratings for even more options. If you’re interested in pursuing a green lifestyle beyond your lawn—and looking for information on eco-friendly products from washing machines to cars—check out CR’s Guide to Sustainable Living.

Consumer Reports uses several criteria to determine which electric walk-behind mowers and riding mowers qualify for its Green Choice designation. We not only take the efficiency of the batteries themselves into account but also look at the mowers’ designs and features for elements that lead to less energy consumption or more environmentally friendly yard maintenance. Here are some of the factors we consider:

Electric lawn mowers do contribute to greenhouse gas emissions—indirectly. That’s because the electricity used to recharge those batteries may very well have been produced by a utility that consumes fossil fuels and produces greenhouse gases to generate and transmit its power. Plus, there’s the energy involved in producing the batteries—and the mowers themselves.

To be sure, an electric mower’s indirect emissions are a fraction of what gas tools produce. But consumers of electric mowers still can have a greater positive impact on the environment by choosing an energy-efficient, CR Green Choice mower. "Through reducing electricity use, we reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions," Whitehurst says. 

"We may be very far off from renewable energy sources providing the amount of electricity needed to completely support the grid," Whitehurst says. "Until we get there . . . these newer technologies that allow us to harness energy in new efficient ways can sustain us for right now."

You can further reduce your carbon footprint from using electric power tools if some of your home’s electricity comes from solar panels, or your utility depends on hydropower, solar, wind, or another form of renewable energy to create your electricity.

And you can extend the life of your battery by storing it properly in the off-season—in particular, keeping it in its charger, inside and away from extreme cold. Follow the maker’s manual for more tips.

Consumer Reports’ ratings include three electric push mowers that meet our strict criteria for a Green Choice designation. One of those also is a CR Smart Buy, making it a green choice that also saves you green.

Ten self-propelled electric walk-behind mowers earn Consumer Reports’ Green Choice designation, and most are at or near the top of our ratings for this mower type. We’ve included two of those top-rated models, plus a capable model that’s also a CR Smart Buy.

Only one of the eight electric riding mowers in our ratings qualifies for the Green Choice designation. Because electric riding mowers are relatively new to the market, CR does not yet provide survey-based reliability ratings for this category.