Best Lawn Mowers for Small Yards
These 10 push mowers from CR's tests excel at cutting up to a quarter-acre
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The beauty of a small yard is—in theory—easy care. So why complicate your life with a pricey lawn mower with features you really don’t need?
“For lawns up to around a quarter-acre, I’d recommend a push mower,” says Misha Kollontai, who oversees CR’s lawn mower testing. The bells and whistles on more complex and expensive self-propelled mowers aren’t necessary for smaller yards, he says.
Consider, for instance, the boost that self-propelled mowers provide to assist you in moving forward. “The feature helps most when moving in long stretches in one direction,” Kollontai says. That’s not a concern in small yards, he adds, because you’re mowing short swaths and turning often.
That said, push mowers have their limitations. They’re ideal if your lawn doesn’t take a lot of time to mow—say, half an hour. (That’s about the time it takes to cut a quarter-acre, CR has found.) “But once you start creeping above that length of time, anyone can start getting a little fatigued pushing a mower around,” Kollontai says.
And some homeowners with small plots still may want or need the extra ease that a self-propelled mower’s drivetrain provides. If it’s a struggle for you to push a mower or your yard has hills, you may want to upgrade to one.
How CR Tests Lawn Mowers and Tractors
To get you ratings and reviews of the latest models by early spring, our testers travel to our mower testing facility in Fort Myers, Fla., to conduct tests in late winter on grounds we prepare each year. We plant 1,800 pounds of grass seed (predominantly annual rye, prized for its dense growth) and cut 500,000 square feet of grass in three modes—mulching, side discharging, and bagging, a total of 3,000 pounds of clippings. We mow level turf and slopes to get a feel for each model, and review the convenience features.
The Overall Score incorporates all that performance data, along with predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings from our latest member surveys. They leverage data on more than 61,600 lawn mowers and tractors that members purchased between 2011 and 2021.
CR members with digital access can read on for ratings and reviews of the 10 best battery- and gas-powered push lawn mowers for small yards. Each one on the list cuts well, is easy to maneuver, and won’t hog storage space.
Check CR’s comprehensive lawn mower ratings for even more good choices, including over 30 push models from brands such as Atlas, Cub Cadet, DeWalt, Ego, Honda, Kobalt, Ryobi, Stihl, Toro, Troy-Bilt, and more. And consult our lawn mower buying guide before you hit the shops.
Best Battery Push Mowers for Small Yards
Best Gas Push Mowers for Small Yards
Finding the Perfect Lawn Mower
Is your lawn mower failing to make the cut? On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports expert John Galeotafiore explains to host Jack Rico how to find the best mower for your needs.
