Best Electric Lawn Mowers for Small Yards, Corded and Cordless

For a small yard, an electric mower is quieter, lighter and easier than gas. Our picks from Ego, Toro, Greenworks, Wild Badger and Ryobi, with real runtimes from Bob Vila's testing.

By Tyler RamirezUpdated October 30, 2026How we pick products

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For a small yard, roughly a quarter acre or less, a gas mower is overkill. An electric mower starts with a button, needs no gas or oil changes, is much quieter and often folds up to store against a wall.

The main choice is battery or corded. Battery mowers go anywhere but cost more. Corded mowers are cheap and never run out of power, but you’ll be managing an extension cord.

Side by side

Test results are from Bob Vila's electric mower testing, which mowed normal and 10-inch-tall grass on flat and sloped ground and ran battery mowers until they died.

How we researched these picks

We relied on Bob Vila’s testing of more than 30 mowers, which measured real runtime and area covered for battery models and scored power, maneuverability, durability and value. We focused on:

• Runtime vs yard size
• Cut quality
• Weight and storage
• Self-propelled vs push
• Price

We haven’t tested these mowers ourselves. Read more about how we pick products.

1. Ego Power+ 56V Select Cut Self-Propelled Mower: Best overall

Best for: Most small to medium yards.

Bob Vila named this Ego its best electric mower. It’s self-propelled, so it does the pushing, and runs up to 75 minutes. Testers found the single-lever height adjustment quick, and a mulch lever switches between bagging and mulching without swapping parts. Adjustable blade speed handled dense grass well. It also has LED headlights and stores upright.

What bugs us: The bigger battery adds weight, and it costs more than the others here.

Skip it if: your lawn is tiny. You’re paying for range you won’t use.

2. Toro 60V Max 22-Inch Recycler Self-Propelled Mower: Best cut quality

Best for: People who care most about a clean, even cut.

The Toro gave one of the best cuts in Bob Vila’s testing. Its steel deck creates strong airflow, and the Personal Pace drive speeds up or slows down to match how hard you push the handle. It’s rated for about half an acre per charge, which testing matched.

What bugs us: Runtime is solid but not class-leading.

Skip it if: you need more than half an acre per charge.

3. Greenworks Pro 80V 21-Inch Brushless Push Mower: Best push mower

Best for: Flat to gently sloped yards where self-propulsion isn’t needed.

Bob Vila’s best push mower runs up to 60 minutes and can handle nearly an acre on a charge. Its SmartCut feature speeds up the blade in thick grass. Big rear wheels track well over bumpy ground, and without drive motors it’s lighter and easy to maneuver, even on slopes. It can mulch, bag or side-discharge.

What bugs us: You do the pushing.

Skip it if: your yard is hilly and you’d rather not push.

4. Wild Badger Power 40V 18-Inch Cordless Mower: Best value

Best for: Townhomes and small yards on a budget.

Bob Vila’s value pick weighs 37.5 pounds and covered about 10,000 square feet on one charge, about a quarter acre, before recharging in roughly an hour. It has a brushless motor, a push-button start, five cutting heights and both mulching and an 11-gallon rear bag.

What bugs us: The narrow 18-inch deck means more passes, and runtime is about 30 minutes.

Skip it if: your lawn is over a quarter acre.

5. Ryobi 13-Inch Corded Push Mower: Best for tiny lawns

Best for: Postage-stamp lawns, side yards and tight landscaping.

This 23-pound corded mower maneuvered easily around small patches of grass in Bob Vila’s testing. It has a single height lever and folding handles for storage, and there’s no battery to charge or replace.

What bugs us: The 13-inch deck is slow on anything bigger, and you’ll need an outdoor-rated extension cord.

Skip it if: your lawn is wider than a few passes.

Battery tips

• Stick with one brand. Batteries usually work across a brand’s trimmers, blowers and other tools, which saves money.
• Store batteries indoors over winter, partly charged, away from freezing temps.
• Mow dry grass. Wet grass drains batteries faster.

Questions people ask

How big a yard can a battery mower handle? Most handle a quarter to half an acre per charge. Some, like the Greenworks Pro 80V, can approach an acre.

Corded or cordless for a small yard? Corded is cheaper and never runs out. Cordless is more convenient if your yard is more than a cord’s length from an outlet.

Do electric mowers need maintenance? Very little: keep the deck clean and the blade sharp. Here’s how to sharpen lawn mower blades.

Mowing a small patch of warm-season grass? A reel mower can give a cleaner cut. See the best reel mowers for Bermuda grass.