Find Out What Consumer Reports Says Makes Gas Mowers Better Than Battery

It's becoming harder to know whether a gas or electric mower is best for our lawns. Whereas gas power once reigned supreme, modern advancements in electric mowing technology have rather muddied the waters. With tech constantly improving, battery mower performance is improving drastically, and they're becoming progressively cheaper, too. But are they really better than their gas-powered siblings? Well, according to Consumer Reports (CR), it's not that simple. Although it seems that gas retains an edge in certain categories.

In order to help homeowners find the most appropriate type of mower for their lawns, Consumer Reports took years' worth of lawn mower testing data. It compared the performance of dozens of walk-behind mowers, gas and electric, across categories that included cutting evenness, side discharging, mulching, bagging, handling, and noise. And while electric mowers pulled no punches as far as noise and ease of maintenance were concerned, gas remained the top scorer in terms of both bagging and cutting evenness.

Before we dive into CR's findings, it's important to note that there are several considerations to make when choosing a mower. In fact, choosing one based on the power source alone is one of the biggest mistakes people make when buying a lawn mower. What's more, as Consumer Reports' findings show, if you choose an electric mower based on noise levels or compatibility with your wider cordless tool range, then your new steed may not, well, cut it.

So, how much better is gas at cutting grass? In CR's report, gas pulled just ahead in its "Cutting Evenness" category while electric high marks as well. However, gas mowers averaged across a tighter range in this category, with all mowers scoring in the top half of CR's scale. Electric, on the other hand, scored across a much broader range, highlighting an inconsistency between electric mower brands and models versus those in the gas family. Another tick in the favor of gas mowers is their bagging ability, which put them just above electric.

One final consideration when choosing between a mower type is the price. While Consumer Reports says that electric walk-behind mowers may end up being cheaper to own in the long run, they tend to be more expensive up front. Of course, that depends on which brand you buy from and which model is best suited to your yard. Generally speaking, though, if cutting ability and reliable bagging matter to you — and your budget can't stretch to a high-end battery mower — then gas is most likely to be the best choice.