Depending on where you live, a snow blower can be either a nice luxury or an absolute necessity.
When deciding whether to buy one, consider how much snow you get in an average winter and how big an area you need to clear around your home to get your car on the road safely.
If you have a short driveway and a garage attached to your house, you might be able to get away with a decent snow shovel. Or if you live in an area that rarely gets pummeled by winter storms, you may be better off saving the money you’d spend on a snow blower and hiring a plow truck once or twice a winter to dig you out.
But if you get three or more big snowstorms per year, or can’t afford to get trapped in your house while you wait for a plow service, a snow blower is definitely for you.
Choose the Right Snow Blower
The snow blowers in our ratings range in price from about $180 to almost $3,000. Features and size dictate price; here’s what you need to consider when zeroing in on the kind of snow blower that’ll serve you best.
Snow Blower Stages
All snow blowers use an auger to suck up snow from the ground and discharge it through a chute. On single-stage snow blowers, the corkscrew-shaped auger is the only device moving snow. Two-stage models have an auger but also use an impeller, which is a fan that helps force collected snow from the back of the auger, out through the discharge chute. The impeller helps two-stage models collect snow faster and send it farther. Three-stage models have an auger and impeller but add something called an accelerator, which helps force collected snow from the auger to the impeller. These machines can clear the fastest and throw the farthest. Single-stage machines tend to be the worst performers, and we recommend only a handful of models.
Power Source
The vast majority of snow blowers use gasoline engines, and these models perform the best. You’ll find some corded electric models, which can be used with an extension cord up to 100 feet from your home, but none perform well enough for us to recommend. A small but growing number of battery-powered electric models are also available, and two-stage battery models tend to be more effective.
Wheels vs. Tracks
The majority of snow blowers are wheeled, including all single-stage models and most two- and three-stage models. For single-stage models, the user pushes or pulls the snow blower. On two-stage and three-stage machines, the wheels are powered by the engine, making those tools better-suited for clearing large areas, where you’d get tired of pushing and pulling. Some two- and three-stage snow blowers have tracks, like those on a tank, in place of wheels. They’re better for hills and steep driveways because they dramatically boost traction, but they tend to be more difficult to turn on level terrain.
How We Test Snow Blowers
It’s fascinating that no two snowflakes are alike, but that presents a problem for Consumer Reports’ testing protocol. We run our tests with something we can standardize, for consistency. That’s the reason we use a mixture of a certain type of sawdust, saturated with water, instead of snow.
The mixture we use can simulate a standard snowfall or be molded into a mound that simulates a plow pile, like the ones the town plows leave at the foot of your driveway. In each test we time how fast a model cuts through the dense mixture and note how far the sawdust is thrown and how clean the surface is.
The Overall Score for each model combines results from these performance tests as well as results of our survey of 32,000 CR members, which informs our brand reliability and owner satisfaction ratings. Brand reliability reflects estimated problem rates by the fifth year of ownership for gas snow blowers, or the fourth year of ownership for electric and battery snow blowers. Owner satisfaction reflects the proportion of CR members who are extremely likely to recommend their machine to a friend or family member.
We test single-, two-, and three-stage snow blowers as well as single-stage electric snow blowers and single-stage and two-stage battery snow blowers.
Types of Snow Blowers
Single-Stage Electric Snow Blowers
Single-stage electric snow blowers are best for short, level driveways, decks, and walkways with snow levels less than 6 inches. About the size of a small walk-behind lawnmower, single-stage electrics are the lightest, quietest, and easiest models to use.
The technology is basic: A plastic auger pulls in the snow and throws it out the chute in one step. But the auger can also pick up and throw gravel, so keep people and pets a safe distance away.
An electric motor frees you from fueling and engine maintenance, but a power cord can limit range and maneuverability. Working in swaths under 20 inches can mean that clearing requires multiple passes. And their modest power is no match for steep slopes.
Battery-Powered Snow Blowers
Like plug-in electric snow blowers, battery-powered snow blowers trade performance for convenience. They start instantly and eliminate the need for gas, oil, or engine maintenance, but they just don’t pack as much power as gas models. Some can clear 9-inch-deep snow, but most are better suited for a light dusting of the variety you’d easily tackle with a good snow shovel. In our tests, the best performance comes from two-stage battery-powered snow blowers, which are relative newcomers to the market.
Power Snow Shovels
Smaller and lighter, power snow shovels are designed to go places where a snow blower would be overkill (along a short walkway or on an elevated deck). They're corded or battery-powered and can generally clear up to 6 inches of snow. We test them just like snow blowers, but we use far less of the sawdust mixture—because for anything deeper, you'll want a traditional snow blower.
Single-Stage Gas Snow Blowers
Single-stage gas snow blowers are a good choice for level, midsized, paved driveways and walkways with typical or expected snow levels of up to 9 inches.
These models free you from the limitations of a cord and tend to cost far less than large two-stage and three-stage machines. They’re fairly light and easy to handle and take up about as much storage space as a mower. They also clear a large swath (20 to 22 inches), and some models offer electric starting.
Their gas engines are also four-cycle, requiring only straight gasoline and no oil. But like electrics, they’re a poor choice for gravel driveways. Their auger provides only modest pulling power, and they tend to veer sideways on steep slopes.
Two-Stage Gas Snow Blowers
Two-stage gas snow blowers are best for long, wide driveways with snow levels of up to 16 inches. Some models clear a swath up to 30 inches wide, and some can handle steeper inclines.
Like smaller models, two-stage gas snow blowers use an auger to pick up and throw snow, but they add a fanlike impeller behind the auger to help throw snow out the chute and are propelled by engine-driven wheels.
Two-stage snow blowers are best for clearing snow on gravel because the auger doesn’t touch the ground. But the machines are relatively heavy and expensive compared with smaller models, and they can take up as much space as a lawn tractor, though compact 24-inch-wide models can help with storage.
Three-Stage Gas Snow Blowers
Three-stage gas models are the latest breed of snow blower, aimed at homeowners who have to contend with 18 inches or more of wet, heavy snow.
The accelerator is the feature that separates these power blowers from conventional two-stage machines. As its name implies, this feature speeds up snow clearing by taking snow from the collection augers and forcing it up into the discharge impeller.
Like their two-stage counterparts, three-stage blowers can clear a 30-inch-wide swath of snow, or more in some cases. The machines are on the expensive side, they’re heavy, and they take up a lot of storage space in a garage or shed; consider a compact, 24-inch-wide three-stage blower if space is tight.
Snow Blower Features
Check out the must-have features below.
What You Need to Keep Your Blower Running
Even a well-maintained snow blower can have problems. Keep these extra items handy to ensure your machine is operational when you need it most:
• Belts. You’ll need one drive belt for single-stage machines and two for two-stage models.
• Shear pins. On two-stage models, they protect the engine and transmission by breaking if the auger hits something too hard. Keep extras on hand.
• Fuel stabilizer. If you’re running your snow blower every week, you won’t need it until you stow the unit in the spring. But when the machine sits idle, gasoline in the tank, fuel lines, and carburetor breaks down and thickens. Adding stabilizer to your fuel can slow down this process.
Snow Blower Features to Consider
A good snow blower blends competent clearing ability with smooth, single-lever chute control that sends snow any direction you want it to go. Retailers typically have floor samples you can check out. Be sure you’re comfortable with the height of the handle and with the chute adjustment controls, which you’ll be using frequently. Here are other important features to keep in mind.
Dead Man’s Control
All the snow blowers we tested have a dead man’s control—a critical safety feature that stops the spinning auger and impeller when you release the handlebar grips.
Long Handle
A longer handle on single-stage models lets you quickly change the height and direction of the snow thrown from the discharge chute.
Electric Start
Most gas-powered models now offer plug-in electric starting for use near an outlet, which is much easier than yanking a pull cord in cold weather. It also prolongs the life of the pull cord, your only means of starting a model that lacks electric start.
Headlight
This feature on many two- and three-stage machines lets you work after dark.
Speeds
Most multistage snow blowers have four to six forward speeds—plus one or two reverse speeds—for the drive wheels, compared with just one on single-stage models. A choice of speeds can help prevent clogs while you slog through heavy snow.
Trigger
A handlebar-mounted trigger release on multistage models eases steering by disengaging power to either or both drive wheels.
Discharge Shoot Control
Joystick chute controls let you change the vertical and horizontal direction of the discharge chute with the push of a lever. That’s convenient, though the lever can be a little difficult to maneuver if you’re wearing thick gloves. We’re now seeing more easy-turn crank controls, which you operate by hand. That might be a better option in frigid climates, though you should test the crank in the store to make sure it’s conveniently located.