Consumer Reports Names The Top Riding Lawn Mower For 2026

Riding lawn mowers offer convenience, allowing you to finish the lawn care job faster without having to expend as much energy as with a walk-behind mower. However, considering the price tag for mid-range riding machines of $2,000 to $4,000, you'll want to choose your brand and model carefully. Whether you want the most reliable electric riding lawn mower or a high-quality gas-powered machine, it's helpful to have some advice you can trust.

Consumer Reports is a trusted name for product ratings with a history that dates back to 1936. The non-profit organization uses product testing and consumer surveys to help people make informed choices when buying products. When CR compiled a list of the 13 best riding lawn mowers of 2026, it named the John Deere X354 as the best lawn tractor riding mower. The CR testers acknowledged that the price for the X354 (about $5,100 directly from John Deere) is high, but its near-perfect testing results make it a machine that's worth the money.

Among Consumer Reports' overall list of the best lawn tractors released in the past few years, which contains 20 models, the X354 is also at the top. In fact, John Deere tractor models occupy the top three spots on that list, ranking highly in both CR testing results and in owner satisfaction surveys. According to CR, John Deere's overall performance puts it on the right side of the comparison of lawn mower brands to steer clear of or consider.

Considering the most popular lawn mower brand in the United States for seven consecutive years is John Deere, according to Life Story, perhaps it shouldn't be all that surprising to find a John Deere model like the X354 at the top of the Consumer Reports list. According to the Consumer Reports lab testing results, John Deere models routinely perform well, and the X354 is no exception.

In the CR testing, the X354 received perfect ratings in the categories of how the machine handles, evenness of cutting, bagging and mulching results, and side discharge chute performance. In fact, the Consumer Reports testers said the machine has no noticeable performance problems. Some of the key features found with the X354 include an adjustable seat suspension system for maximum comfort, a cruise control option, and a visible fuel gauge. It has a 726cc gas engine. The machine carries a four-year (or 300 usage-hour) warranty.

The X354 also receives high scores from Consumer Reports members who participate in product surveys from the non-profit organization. The X354 received the highest owner satisfaction and brand reliability scores compared to the other models on CR's overall list lawn tractors. The owner survey results play a role in creating the overall score for each lawn tractor included on the Consumer Reports list. In its surveys, CR has received data from more than 39,000 members regarding their satisfaction with different models of lawn mowers.

Although the John Deere X354 tops the Consumer Reports list of the best lawn tractors, it does have a few negative aspects to consider. Perhaps the biggest drawback for the X354 — other than its price tag — is its smaller-than-average cutting width. Among the top five lawn tractors listed on the CR ranking of the best 13 riding mowers for 2026, the X354's 42-inch cutting width is smaller than three of the other four lawn tractor models on the list. You can cut an average-sized lawn with a 42-inch lawn tractor in up to 52 minutes, while a 54-inch lawn tractor can complete the same job in up to 40 minutes.

Consumer Reports gives the John Deere X354 the lowest possible score in the up-close noise generation category. The CR testers recommend that people using the lawn tractor wear ear protection because of the significant noise generation. The X354 also receives the lowest possible score in the category for noise generation measured at 25 feet of distance, meaning the X354 may annoy neighbors while you're using it. However, Consumer Reports says it's common for gas-engine lawn tractors to receive poor scores for noise generation, and 17 of the 20 lawn tractors on CR's overall testing score list received the worst-possible scores in both of the noise generation categories.