A cordless electric snow shovel is a single stage, battery powered auger about a foot wide that throws snow aside instead of asking you to lift it. On decks, steps, walks, and short driveways it is the right tool. The best cordless snow shovel for most homes is the Snow Joe 24V-SS13 kit, with the EGO SNS1201 if you need to aim the snow, the Greenworks 80V for deeper snow, and the Voltask 24V at about $130.
Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Spear Head Spade earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you, and it never changes our honest, use-based recommendations.
Power shovels sit in a real gap. A hand shovel means lifting every pound of snow that falls. A snow blower starts around two feet wide and wants a garage bay and a driveway worth the trouble. A battery snow shovel hangs on a wall hook and clears a deck and a path to the mailbox while you would still be on the steps by hand.
We make garden spades, so we sell nothing on this list. Every figure below comes from the manufacturer's own listing, and we say so where a listing leaves something out. What earns a shovel its shelf space is clearing width, intake depth, throw distance, and what the battery in the box gets you.
Best cordless electric snow shovels at a glance
| Snow shovel | Best for | Clearing path | Battery | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Joe 24V-SS13-TV1 (best overall) | Decks, patios, steps, sidewalks | 13 inches wide by 6 inches deep | 24V 4.0Ah and quick charger included | amazon, about $200 |
| EGO Power+ SNS1201 (best directional control) | Putting the snow somewhere specific | 12 inches wide, throws up to 25 feet | 56V 2.5Ah and 210W charger included | amazon, about $359 |
| Greenworks 80V 12 inch (best for deeper snow) | Snow depths up to 8 inches | 12 inches wide, rated to 8 inches of snow | 80V, battery and charger not included | amazon, about $268 |
| WORX WG460 40V (best for stairs and decks) | Stairs, decks, patios, 2 to 4 car driveways | 12 inches wide by 6 inches deep, throws up to 25 feet | 40V, listing does not say whether a battery is included | amazon, about $330 |
| Voltask 24V 13 inch (best budget pick) | Light duty clearing on a budget | 13 inches wide, 6.5 inch optimal depth | 24V 4.0Ah and quick charger included | amazon, about $130 |
What is the best cordless electric snow shovel?
The best cordless electric snow shovel for most homes is the Snow Joe 24V-SS13 kit, which cuts a 13 inch wide by 6 inch deep path and is rated for up to 22 minutes on the 4.0Ah battery in the box. Spend more on the EGO SNS1201 if you need to aim the snow with a directional dial.
The Snow Joe is the best electric snow shovel here because it pairs the widest path in the group with an established brand and a kit that leaves you nothing else to buy. Thirteen inches is matched only by the Voltask, and its 6 inch intake is the same figure WORX publishes for a shovel costing $130 more. Snow Joe also rates it at up to 1,620 pounds of snow per charge, a more useful figure than minutes because it describes the work rather than the clock.
What a cordless snow shovel can and cannot do
It clears light to moderate snow, up to roughly the depth of its intake, off any hard flat surface: composite decking, wood steps, concrete patios, sidewalks, and a short paved driveway. Most cut about 6 inches deep in a pass, and two listings claim a two to four car driveway on a charge. It does that without you lifting anything, which is the entire point.
It cannot do the three things people are most often disappointed by. It is not a snow blower: nothing here is wider than 13 inches or rated past 8 inches of snow, so a foot of accumulation means layered passes or a different machine. It cannot work a gravel driveway, because the auger runs close to the surface and will pick stones up and throw them. And wet, packed, or refrozen snow is where it runs out of road, because the auger has to chew rather than scoop, so runtime and clearing depth both fall short of the numbers on the box. Ice it will not touch at all, and the hand scraper in the Snow Joe kit is a separate tool for a separate job.
The best cordless electric snow shovels, by job
1. Snow Joe 24V-SS13-TV1: best cordless snow shovel overall
This is the version of the SS13 to buy, because it arrives as a complete kit: the 13 inch shovel, a 24V 4.0Ah IONMAX battery, a quick charger, a protective cover, and an IceDozer ice and snow scraper. A 400 W motor drives it, and Snow Joe specifies a 13 inch wide by 6 inch deep path in a single pass and up to 22 minutes of runtime.
The extra inch of width against the 12 inch models is a modest edge, roughly 8 percent more snow per pass, but nothing here is wider.
About $200 on amazon as the kit. Where it loses: the 24V platform has the least headroom here, and voltage is what you lean on when the snow turns wet and heavy.
2. EGO Power+ SNS1201: best directional control
EGO's snow shovel is the one to buy if the snow has to go somewhere specific. It throws up to 25 feet, the same distance WORX publishes, but it is the only pick here with a 60 degree directional dial rather than fixed positions, so you can lay the snow across a lawn instead of onto the path you just cleared. EGO rates the kit as clearing up to a three car driveway with 6 inches of snow on the included 2.5Ah ARC Lithium battery, and credits the brushless motor for that run time.
The 12 inch clearing width is narrower than the Snow Joe, and the shaft is hinged so the tool folds down for storage. If you already own EGO outdoor tools, the same 56V batteries drop straight in, and the 2.5Ah pack and 210W charger become spares. EGO does not publish an intake depth, so the 6 inch driveway rating is the only depth guidance on the listing.
About $359 on amazon with the battery and charger included. Where it loses: it is the most expensive pick here by a wide margin, and the extra money buys aim, not speed.
3. Greenworks 80V 12 inch: best for deeper snow
The other listings here that publish a depth top out at 6 to 6.5 inches. Greenworks rates this one for snow depths up to 8 inches, and that is the reason to consider it: two extra inches is the difference between one pass and a layered skim on the kind of storm that actually inconveniences you. It is a 12 inch brushless unit with directional vanes for aiming the discharge, plus an LED light.
The 80V platform is the highest voltage here, which matters more when the snow turns heavy than when it is powder. Greenworks is also the only listing here that says what to do when the cold stops the tool: pull the battery, let it warm indoors for 10 minutes or more, then reinstall it.
About $268 on amazon. Where it loses: the battery and charger are not included, so the real cost is meaningfully higher unless you already own 80V Greenworks tools.
4. WORX WG460 40V: best for stairs and decks
WORX aims this one at the surfaces a snow blower cannot touch: it clears a 12 inch wide by 6 inch deep path on stairs, decks, and patios, throws snow up to 25 feet, and offers three adjustable throwing directions, so you can work along a railing without burying the step below. WORX rates it for a two to four car driveway on one charge.
The two features that matter on stairs are weight and the folding handle. WORX calls the shovel ultra light, though the listing does not publish a weight, and the folding handle lets it live inside a door rather than at the back of a shed.
About $330 on amazon. Where it loses: the listing does not say whether a battery and charger are included, so check that on the page before you compare this with the Snow Joe or the Voltask. The price also sits above the Greenworks without adding clearing width.
5. Voltask 24V 13 inch: best budget cordless snow shovel
At about $130 with the battery and quick charger included, the Voltask is the cheapest way into a power shovel here, and it does not cut the specifications to get there: 13 inches of clearing width, an optimal clearing depth of 6.5 inches, a 24V motor, and a 4.0Ah lithium ion pack. Voltask rates it to throw up to 20 feet with a maximum runtime of 25 minutes, and it weighs 9.3 pounds, the only weight any of these five listings publishes.
It assembles in two steps, runs off a single button, and the snow guide plates rotate 30 degrees either way to aim the discharge. The front handle adjusts, so you set the tool to your height rather than working bent over.
About $130 on amazon. Where it loses: 20 feet is the shortest published throw of the five, and it is the least established brand here, so parts and battery availability years from now are a real question.
Runtime, batteries, and cold weather
Every runtime here is an up to figure, measured in the easiest snow the manufacturer could find, so read Snow Joe's 22 minutes and Voltask's 25 minutes as ceilings and expect less in slush. A battery shovel is a sprint tool: you get one pack's worth of clearing, then you charge. To clear twice during a long storm, a second battery is not optional.
Cold makes lithium cells sluggish and costs them capacity, and every brand here works with the same chemistry. Store the battery indoors at room temperature and install it right before you work, rather than leaving it clipped to the tool in an unheated garage overnight. If a pack will not start the shovel, warm it indoors for 10 minutes or more and try again, which is exactly what Greenworks instructs. Put it away partially charged rather than flat.
How to choose a cordless snow shovel
- Clearing width and intake depth. Width sets your pace and depth sets your ceiling. Twelve to 13 inches is the whole category, 6 inches of intake is the norm, and 8 inches is the top of it.
- Throw distance and direction control. These throw 20 to 25 feet, and an adjustable chute lets you clear a path once instead of twice.
- Whether the battery is included. The biggest hidden cost: three of these listings state that a battery and charger are included, Greenworks states that they are not, and the WORX listing does not say either way.
- Weight and handle adjustment. Only Voltask publishes a weight, 9.3 pounds. If the shovel has to go up and down steps, ask the seller for one, and treat an adjustable handle as what lets you stand upright.
- Your surface. Paved and solid only, because the auger throws whatever it picks up.
If your snow is deeper or your driveway longer than this covers, buy a good pusher and skip the battery. Our guide to the best snow shovels ranks the non-powered options, including sleigh style pushers that clear a wider path per pass than anything here. Our garden winterizing guide covers the work before the ground freezes, and our best cordless leaf blower picks handle the same job in autumn.
Frequently asked questions
Are electric snow shovels worth it?
For decks, steps, walks, and short driveways, yes. A cordless shovel clears a 12 to 13 inch path and throws the snow aside, so nothing gets lifted. It is not worth it as your only tool on a long driveway, on gravel, or in deep snow, where a two stage snow blower still wins.
How much snow can an electric snow shovel handle?
Most cut a path about 6 inches deep per pass, so 6 inches of fresh snow is the practical ceiling and 8 inches is the most any of these claim. Deeper than that and you take it in layers, skimming the top half first. Wet, packed, or refrozen snow cuts those numbers.
Cordless snow shovel vs snow blower: which do I need?
A cordless snow shovel is a single stage tool about a foot wide that throws snow 20 to 25 feet. A snow blower starts around two feet wide, handles a foot or more of snow, and a two stage model can work a gravel drive on its skid shoes. Choose the shovel for decks, steps, and short paved runs.
What is the best cordless snow shovel for seniors?
The lightest one with an adjustable handle, because weight and posture matter more than power. The Voltask 24V is the only pick here that publishes a weight, 9.3 pounds, and its front handle adjusts to your height. Either 24V pick throws the snow rather than asking you to lift it.
Can you use a cordless snow shovel on a gravel driveway?
No. The auger runs close to the surface and will pick up gravel and throw it, which damages the auger and anything downrange. Cordless snow shovels are for paved and solid surfaces: concrete, asphalt, decking, and steps. On gravel, use a pusher or a two stage snow blower.
The bottom line
Buy the Snow Joe 24V-SS13 kit at about $200 for 13 inches of width, 6 inches of depth, and a battery, charger, cover, and scraper in the box. Drop to the Voltask 24V at about $130 if budget is the constraint and 9.3 pounds is the appeal. Step up to the EGO SNS1201 for a directional dial, or the Greenworks 80V if your snow runs past 6 inches and you already own the batteries. And if your driveway is long or your gravel is loose, none of these is your tool.
