Most and Least Reliable Snow Blower Brands
CR's exclusive survey leverages data on more than 15,000 snow blowers to help steer you toward brands with a solid track record—and avoid a flurry of repairs
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After a storm, a snow blower can make short work of clearing driveways or walkways. That’s assuming, of course, that the tool starts up. But not all snow blowers—also sometimes called snow throwers—are built to last. In our most recent surveys, Consumer Reports members told us about their experiences with more than 11,000 gas snow blowers and more than 4,000 electric and battery blowers. The results inform our predicted reliability and owner satisfaction scores, which factor into our snow blower ratings.
Our surveys found a few interesting results. Chief among them is that neither gas nor electric gets the edge for superior reliability. “Our surveys found that power source really isn’t a predictor for reliability,” says Nick Gallivan, CR’s survey associate in charge of snow blowers. “There are gas and electric brands that stand at the top of our reliability charts, and a handful of each type near the bottom, too.”
Most Reliable Snow Blower Brands
We have reliability ratings for 11 major brands of gas snow blowers: Ariens, Briggs & Stratton, Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Honda, Husqvarna, Power Smart, Simplicity, Toro, Troy-Bilt, and Yardmax.
We also have reliability ratings for five major brands of corded electric and battery-powered snow blowers: Ego, Greenworks, Ryobi, Toro, and Snow Joe.
CR members can read on for some of the most important findings from our survey, along with recommendations for high-performing gas, electric, and battery-powered snow blowers from brands that rate well for reliability.
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