The 3 Best Push Mowers of 2024, According to Our Testing

Best Cordless Electric

Ryobi 21-Inch Dual-Blade Self-Propelled Mower

Design5/5
Performance4.3/5
Usability4.8/5
Safety5/5
Setup4/5
It's self-propelled and has all-wheel drive, making it easier to get over any type of grass or terrain.

It's self-propelled and has all-wheel drive, making it easier to get over any type of grass or terrain.

If you use the all-wheel drive mode throughout your mowing session, run times may be lower.

If you use the all-wheel drive mode throughout your mowing session, run times may be lower.

This Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Series mower gives you the power of gas, without all the noise, making it our best overall choice. When using this mower during our testing, we found that it was one of the quietest mowers we tested—it sounded more like a white noise machine than a lawn mower.

This mower has a host of convenient features, such as the push button start, LED headlights, and external fuel gauge that shows you the remaining run time. All-wheel drive makes it a good option for yards with steep hills, and the brushless motor enhances power and run times.

The self-propelling feature was intuitive to use, and the button for this feature is conveniently located on the handle. The self-propelled function can be engaged even if the blades are turned off to make it easier to transport the mower from your garage to your yard. We did find that the highest setting was a bit too fast to use on flat ground, but it could be useful when mowing steep hills.

We liked that this mower was easy to start—simply place the batteries in the battery box and hold the handle while pressing the start button. It was much easier to use than a traditional pull-to-start cord and required much less energy and effort. This mower scored high for usability, earning a 4.8 out of 5 rating.

Like our pick for the best gas push mower, this machine has a safety feature that forces blades to stop when the handle isn’t held down. Similarly, it also has a back flap to help keep your legs safe from debris while mowing.

The mower's Cross Cut multi-blade system allowed us to choose between two blades for better cutting performance or one blade for a longer run time. An integrated mulch plug made it simple to choose mulching, bagging, or side discharge, and a single lever let us choose between seven different cutting heights. Large 11-inch rear wheels helped us maneuver the machine over uneven ground, and the aluminum handles fold up for easy storage.

Two battery ports and two 40V 6Ah batteries can provide up to 70 minutes of run time, so it works well for yards up to 1 acre. The Ryobi mower also comes with a rapid charger to charge the batteries four times faster than a traditional charger.

How It Performed After Six Months

Throughout the spring and summer, we were able to consistently mow our small 2,200 square foot yard three or four times before needing to charge the battery. We ran the mower in both dry and humid weather and didn't experience any technical issues or clogs. Our yard has some uneven areas, and the mower's self-propel mode made pushing the mower much easier and more enjoyable.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JENNIFER MAY

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JENNIFER MAY

Best Gas

Honda 21-Inch Gas Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Design3.7/5
Performance4.8/5
Usability4.2/5
Safety5/5
Setup5/5
This mower had no issues mowing over bumpy and uneven terrain.

This mower had no issues mowing over bumpy and uneven terrain.

This mower starts with a pull cord rather than an electric push button start.

This mower starts with a pull cord rather than an electric push button start.

With a reliable, easy-start Honda GCV170 engine, this is a machine you can count on to be ready whenever you are (with regular maintenance, of course).

It's a self-propelled mower, so we found we didn’t have to put as much effort into pushing the machine around—plus, it adapted the mowing speed to match our stride. When mowing over bumpy and inclined terrain, it was easy to maneuver and we didn’t have to exert any extra energy.

It effectively cut grass during our testing, and the only area it had difficulty with was a tight corner close to a mailbox. However, because it was so intuitive to use, this mower scored a 4.5 out of 5 rating for its performance.

It's simple to adjust the mower to seven different cutting heights with the dual-lever height adjustment function, and we could easily switch between mulching and bagging without any extra attachments. With two offset blades, it cuts the grass into small pieces that are better for both mulching and bagging.

One of our favorite features on this mower was the blade control located on the handle of the mower. While mowing, you have to hold the lever down for the blades to rotate. However, upon releasing the lever, the blades immediately stop moving, which is an important safety feature to have in the event of a slip or fall.

There is also a flap on the back of the machine that helps prevent debris from hitting your legs as you mow. With these features in mind, we gave this machine a 5-star rating for safety.

We also appreciated that the deck is made of 16-gauge steel for extra durability. With a 170cc engine, it has plenty of power; however, it's not the largest engine available on the market.

Keep in mind that you have to start this mower with a traditional pull cord rather than an electric start button, but we found that the pull cord was easy to use. The mower turned on immediately upon pulling the cord, and over the course of a year we never had difficulty with starting the mower.

How It Performed After Six Months

As the summer went on, our weather became increasingly humid, and there was often dew on the grass when we mowed. The mower had no problem cutting the damp grass, unlike our old mower, which required that we wait until the grass was completely dry before mowing. We've also had great results with the mulching feature and have used it to clear thick, overgrown weeds. We did notice that the self-propel didn't always adjust evenly in speed, so you may have to fine tune this feature.

Best Self-Propelled

EGO Power+ 21-Inch Self-Propelled Mower

Design4.8/5
Performance4.5/5
Usability4/5
Safety5/5
Setup4.8/5
This self-propelling lawn mower has five different propulsion speeds, and it’s battery operated so we didn’t have to worry about gas or oil.

This self-propelling lawn mower has five different propulsion speeds, and it’s battery operated so we didn’t have to worry about gas or oil.

We had some difficulty clipping the bag attachment into place upon initial setup.

We had some difficulty clipping the bag attachment into place upon initial setup.

After our testing, we determined that the Ego Power+ Select Cut 56-volt 21-in Self-Propelled Cordless Lawn Mower 7.5 Ah is the best push lawn mower for those looking for a self-propelled model.

We tested this lawn mower with both dry and damp grass, and found that it performed well in both conditions and created an even, precise cut. It handled hills and inclines effortlessly, and maneuvered gracefully around trees. There is a bag attachment to catch lawn clippings, but we did find it was initially difficult to attach since the plastic clips were so tight. However, this was only an issue upon setting up the lawn mower.

We appreciated the thoughtful design that went into the self-propelling feature. There are five different speeds to choose from, and the speed of the propulsion can be adjusted with a lever on the left side of the handle. After using the self-propelling feature, we found ourselves to be much less fatigued in our backs compared to a lawn mower without this feature.

This lawn mower is also ideal for someone who wants a low maintenance machine. Because it’s cordless, it doesn’t need any gas or oil to operate. You simply have to attach the 7.5Ah 56-volt battery after it charges, which only takes an hour. Additionally, it can be folded up for easy storage and it has a handle on the bottom, which was helpful to use when we were storing the lawn mower.

Because of its performance and design, this is the best self-propelling push lawn mower.

How It Performed After Six Months

After six months of consistently using this mower, we've noticed no changes with its performance. It made easy work of tackling the long, thick grass in our yard after we were away from home for 10 days. We also used the mower to mulch wet leaves from last season that we pulled out of our flower beds without any clogging issues. We collected the mulched leaves in the mower's bagging system and were able to easily dump them from there into compost bags. The mower has mowed over sticks and along fence lines and brick pathways and has navigated them all without issues.

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / MEGAN WOOD

BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / MEGAN WOOD