Gas vs. Electric Lawn Mower: Which Is Better?

Environmental and noise concerns: Many communities—plus the state of California—are effectively banning gas outdoor power tools to curb the air and noise pollution they generate. If you live in one of those communities, the decision to go electric has been made for you. If you’re simply sick of your gas mower’s smell and din—or your mowing noise disturbs nearby neighbors—an electric mower offers a solution. They do make considerable noise, but they handily beat out their gas competitors in those tests.

Cost: There’s a decent argument to be made that electric walk-behind mowers, both push and self-propelled, are cheaper to own in the long run than gas mowers when annual maintenance and gas prices are taken into account. We found that to be true when comparing lower- and average-cost electric and gas models. But electric models are still generally more pricey up front.

Batteries: Charging the power source before every use and replacing it every few years aren’t issues for gas mower and tractor owners. With an electric mower, you’ll need to do both. Charge times are improving to less than an hour and a half for most batteries in CR’s lawn mower and tractor ratings. That’s still not an insignificant time, so you need to factor that in when planning your mowing.

Batteries for electric mowers are getting better and lasting longer, but replacing them—at $100 to $300 and sometimes more—still adds to the cost of operation. “The added benefit, though, is that most manufacturers offer other tools that can share that battery,” says David Trezza, who heads CR’s mower and tractor testing. “You’re getting multiple benefits from the same battery.” 

Most manufacturers sell those compatible tools on their own, without the batteries and chargers—and their associated costs.