Best Walk-Behind Lawn Mowers—and the Worst

To get you ratings and reviews of the latest models by early spring, our testers travel to our mower-testing facility in Fort Myers, Fla., to conduct tests in late winter at grounds we prepare each year. We plant 1,800 pounds of grass seed (predominantly annual rye, prized for its dense growth) and cut 500,000 square feet of grass in three modes—mulching, side-discharging, and bagging (a total of 3,000 pounds of clippings). We mow both level turf and slopes to get a feel for each model’s performance and review the convenience features.

The Overall Score incorporates all that performance data, along with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings from our latest member surveys. The surveys leverage data on more than 42,300 lawn mowers and tractors that members purchased between 2012 and 2022.

When you start to shop, keep in mind that some mower brands are associated only with Home Depot or Lowe’s, while others are sold only through independent dealers. And some brands may sell certain models at a big home-improvement chain and others through dealers.

“Shop around, checking a few different stores,” says Courtney Pennicooke, the Consumer Reports product analyst who covers lawn mowers.

And if you need a mower right now, prepare to be flexible with your choices. CR’s lawn-mower and tractor shopper reports high demand and potential backlogs for certain brands or models.

To see more options, check out our complete lawn mower and tractor ratings. If you’re not sure which type of lawn mower is right for your needs, start with our lawn mower buying guide. 

Following our recommended picks, we’ve listed several models that fall at the bottom of our ratings.

Battery mowers are best suited to smaller yards because of their run times, which are generally 30 to 45 minutes, according to our testing. However, battery technology continues to improve, and some of the best performers can provide 60 minutes or more of run time.

Like battery push mowers, battery-operated self-propelled mowers cut grass just as well as their gas counterparts—but they have a limited run time.

Gas-fueled mowers aren’t limited by rechargeable batteries and can cut much larger yards in one go (assuming, that is, you have enough gas on hand).

Gas self-propelled mowers usually cost less than their electric counterparts, though you might spend more in the long run on fuel and maintenance.

Wide-deck self-propelled mowers use one blade to cut a swath of grass that’s 25 inches wide and over, cutting back on the time it takes to mow a large yard.

More than half of the walk-behind mowers in our ratings perform well enough for CR to recommend. Others struggle in our exhaustive cutting tests. Here, we list a few of them. Check CR’s mower ratings for a more complete list.

Is your lawn mower failing to make the cut? On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports expert John Galeotafiore explains to host Jack Rico how to find the best mower for your needs.