Best Riding Lawn Mower (2026): Lawn Tractor and Zero-Turn Picks by Lawn Size

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links are paid. Disclosure

Of the riding mowers in stock new on Amazon, the best for most lawns of half an acre to about 1.5 acres is the EGO Power+ T6 TR4204, a 42-inch battery lawn tractor, Popular Mechanics' best electric tractor and our lawn tractor pick. Colin Aylesworth of Popular Mechanics has mowed his half-acre yard with it for two full seasons, ProToolReviews.com mowed nearly a full acre of overgrown grass on one charge and still had about 15 percent left, and Gardening Know How's tester finished her half acre with 44 percent left. EGO says its six batteries cut up to 1.5 acres a charge, ProToolReviews.com puts its sweet spot at about an acre, and it has a hitch for a cart.

For a faster zero-turn on up to about 2 acres, the EGO Power+ Z6 ZT4204L, steered with lap bars, has hands-on tests of the exact model from Bob Vila and OPEReviews.com. The other picks cover a zero-turn you drive with a steering wheel and the Husqvarna Z254F, a 54-inch gas zero-turn for lawns past what the battery picks cover on a charge. The testers' top gas lawn tractors, from John Deere and Cub Cadet, did not turn up on Amazon in our searches (see Also considered). Below the picks we work out how long each deck size takes per acre, then cover mower types, battery or gas, what makes a rider last, slopes and safety, and upkeep.

Jump to: Mowing time by lawn size | Tractor, zero-turn or rear-engine | Battery or gas | What makes a rider last | Slopes and safety | Charging and upkeep

Start here: which riding mower for your lawn

• Half an acre to about 1.5 acres, with a steering wheel and a hitch for a cart: EGO Power+ T6 TR4204 lawn tractor (pick 1).
• Up to about 2 acres, as fast as possible, with lap bars: EGO Power+ Z6 ZT4204L zero-turn (pick 2).
• Zero-turn speed and tight turns, or 1.5 to 2 acres, steered with a wheel like a car: EGO Power+ Z6 e-Steer ZT4215S (pick 3).
• More than about 2 acres, or you would rather refuel than recharge: Husqvarna Z254F 54-inch gas zero-turn (pick 4).
• A gas lawn tractor: the testers' top picks, the John Deere S130 (Bob Vila's best overall) and the Cub Cadet Enduro XT1 (Popular Mechanics' best gas tractor), did not turn up on Amazon in our searches; see Also considered.

Popular Mechanics says riding mowers are worth a look from about half an acre of grass up, suggests 42 inches of deck for up to 1.5 acres, and a deck 50 inches wide or wider once a property passes two acres. Under half an acre, our best lawn mower guide covers walk-behind mowers. Every acreage figure from EGO on this page is the maker's best case; ProToolReviews.com notes that grass height, the conditions, and the drive and blade speeds you choose all play a role in how far a charge goes.

The best riding lawn mowers, by job

1. EGO Power+ T6 TR4204 42-Inch Lawn Tractor: best overall

The T6 is a battery lawn tractor that runs on six of EGO's 56V ARC Lithium batteries, the same packs its other tools take, and the TR4204 kit comes with six 6.0Ah batteries. Its Amazon listing says the set cuts as much as 1.5 acres per charge, that the batteries together give the equivalent of a 21-horsepower gas engine, and that it mows at up to 6 mph. The 42-inch deck is stamped steel with 12 cutting heights from 1.5 to 4.5 inches and two brushless cutting motors with no belts. It side-discharges, and EGO's page lists a T6 bagging kit and a mulch plug among its parts and accessories. A digital display offers three settings each for blade and drive speed, plus cruise control, and LED lights, a USB charging port, Bluetooth and a rear tow hitch come standard. EGO's manual limits a towed cart to 600 lbs total rolling weight. EGO's page gives a 5-year limited tool warranty and a 3-year limited battery warranty.

Why it is the pick: three independent testers have mowed with it, one for two full seasons. Colin Aylesworth, an editor at Popular Mechanics, names it the magazine's best electric tractor and says that after two seasons on his half-acre yard he still mows it on a charge, provided the grass has not grown overly long and he skips double-cutting. He calls it "comfortable to sit on and easy to drive", and says it is quiet enough to hear yourself think with the blades engaged and to run without hearing protection. Josh McGaffigan of ProToolReviews.com took it to a neighbor's overgrown St. Augustine and Bahia lawn, parts of it more than 6 inches tall, set the deck at 3-1/2 inches and got a very even cut; on one charge he covered close to a full acre with roughly 15 percent of the battery to spare, and he puts its sweet spot at about an acre. Gardening Know How's Alex Temblador mowed her half-acre yard in the Dallas area and had 44 percent of the charge left after the first mow and 46 percent after the second.

Good to know: it is a lawn tractor, not a zero-turn: it steers with a wheel and has an 18-inch turning radius rather than turning on the spot, and Gardening Know How's tester, who had only used a zero-turn before, mowed her yard in a perimeter pattern. All six batteries charge in the tractor through one port, which Gardening Know How's tester found easy; Popular Mechanics' tester says charging fully takes a few hours, so he plugs it in when he finishes. EGO's manual says not to mow slopes greater than 15 degrees.

2. EGO Power+ Z6 ZT4204L 42-Inch Zero-Turn: best battery zero-turn

On the Z6 you steer with two lap bars, one for each rear wheel, and the machine holds up to six of EGO's 56V batteries. The ZT4204L kit comes with four 10.0Ah batteries, which its Amazon listing says cut as much as 2 acres per charge, and EGO's page says six 10Ah batteries reach 3 acres. The listing gives the equivalent of 22 horsepower, speeds up to 8 mph (EGO's page gives 3 to 7 mph mowing and 8 mph in its travel mode), Standard, Control and Sport driving modes, 10 cutting heights from 1.5 to 4.5 inches on a 42-inch stamped steel deck that mulches, bags or side-discharges, and about a two hour recharge with the included Z6 charger. EGO's page lists 32 LED lights and a 5-year limited warranty on the tool, batteries and charger once registered.

Why it is the pick: two outlets have mowed with this exact model. Mark Wolfe of Bob Vila, a tester with more than 20 years in landscaping, spent about a month mowing 2.25 acres of rolling terrain with it and found it quiet, easy to start and intuitive to control, and Bob Vila's zero-turn guide names it the best overall electric zero-turn. Bob Vila's battery riding mower guide, which ran seven battery riders over 4 months on a 2-acre property, names its EGO Z6 with four 10Ah batteries, the kit linked here, the best bang for the buck. On overgrown grass, he says, "I could bump up the blade speed and slow down the travel speed to get great results the first time." Kenny Koehler of OPEReviews.com mowed for right at an hour in Standard mode on his acre of yard plus some of a neighbor's, and recharged the batteries from 6 percent to full in 1 hour, 53 minutes.

Good to know: lap bars steer differently from a wheel; if you want a wheel, see pick 3. OPEReviews.com notes that, as on most zero-turns, the long wheelbase is noticeable when you mow around objects. EGO's page says the Z6 can handle 15-degree slopes under ideal conditions. EGO's newer 42-inch Z6, the ZT4214L, is also on Amazon; its listing gives six 6.0Ah batteries for up to 1.5 acres a charge, power on par with a 24-horsepower gas engine and up to 8 mph, and Bob Vila's riding mower guide names a ZT4214L its best battery zero-turn; we keep the ZT4204L kit as the pick because it is the one the testers above mowed with.

3. EGO Power+ Z6 e-Steer ZT4215S 42-Inch Zero-Turn: for zero-turn turns with tractor-style steering

The e-Steer is a Z6 zero-turn you drive with a steering wheel and an accelerator pedal instead of lap bars. Its Amazon listing says it "Drives like a car, turns on a dime", that its two 10.0Ah and four 6.0Ah batteries cut as much as 2.0 acres per charge, with power on par with a 24-horsepower gas engine, and that it runs at up to 8 mph in Control, Standard and Sport driving modes, with a wide frame for balance on slopes, a color screen, blade speeds you can set between 2,300 and 3,200 RPM, and 10 cutting heights from 1.5 to 4.5 inches. EGO's page adds cruise control and a 12-gauge stamped steel deck, and lists a Z6 bagger kit among its parts and accessories. The warranty is 5 years or 300 hours on the mower, whichever comes first, up to 5 years on the batteries with registration within 90 days, and 5 years on the charger.

Why it is the pick: it gives zero-turn turning without lap bars, and testers of the first e-Steer found the wheel easy to pick up. ProToolReviews.com put one of its least zero-turn-experienced crew members on the first-generation e-Steer, the ZT4205S, and says that "Literally minutes after getting on for the first time, he was mowing like a Pro"; its electronic power steering means no muscling the wheel, and on a first spring cut in higher grass it ran for just under 53 minutes, blades and drive speed set to high, which at 6 mph ProToolReviews.com works out to 2.25 acres, or about 1.8 acres with the 20 percent overlap allowance in our table. Bob Vila named the ZT4205S its best steering system: its tester found maneuvering around a pool on the test lawn easy and effortless, and on one charge mowed a whole 2-acre property plus the one next door.

Good to know: those tests were of the ZT4205S, the first e-Steer, sold with four 12.0Ah batteries and a 22 horsepower equivalent; it was not in stock on Amazon on November 10, 2026. The ZT4215S on Amazon is EGO's next-generation e-Steer, with a different battery set (two 10.0Ah and four 6.0Ah packs, 44Ah in all, against the tested model's four 12.0Ah, 48Ah) and the 24 horsepower figure above, and we found no hands-on test of it that we could read and cite yet, so the testers' runtimes above are for the earlier model. On the first e-Steer, ProToolReviews.com describes backing up by pulling and holding paddles on the wheel; the mower shifts back to forward when you let go.

4. Husqvarna Z254F 54-Inch Gas Zero-Turn: for big lawns, or if you prefer gas

The Z254F is a gas zero-turn with a 54-inch deck, the widest of the picks here. Its Amazon listing gives a 23 HP Kawasaki engine, a top speed of 6.5 mph and a hydrostatic transmission (which, Popular Mechanics explains, drives the wheels with hydraulic fluid and pumps, with no clutch and no gears to shift), and says it side-discharges, mulches or bags, with the mulching kit and the bagger sold separately. Husqvarna's page lists the engine as a 24 hp Kawasaki (as rated by the engine maker), a ClearCut fabricated deck, a spring-assisted deck lift, LED headlights and an automatic park brake worked by moving the steering levers in and out.

Why it is the pick: it covers what the battery kits linked here do not, lawns past about 2 acres in one go, with a refuel instead of a recharge. Popular Mechanics suggests a deck 50 inches wide or wider once a property passes two acres and an engine of 22 horsepower or more for decks of 52 to 60 inches, which the Z254F's 23 to 24 hp meets, and at 6 mph a 54-inch deck mows an acre in about 23 minutes by our mowing-time table. Popular Mechanics notes that gas riders are still the leaders for power and runtime because refueling takes seconds. This pick rests on Husqvarna's page and the Amazon listing, because no independent hands-on test of the Z254F turned up that we could read and cite.

Good to know: a gas engine needs oil changes, air filter care and fuel kept fresh, by Popular Mechanics' upkeep advice. On a hilly lot, check the slope limit in its operator's manual before you buy; Bob Vila's guide to mowing hills advises against running zero-turns on slopes greater than 10 degrees. Popular Mechanics notes that a deck 50 inches or wider can be too wide for some fence gates and needs more room in the garage, so measure your gate and shed door first. For a 42-inch deck from the same Husqvarna line, the Husqvarna Z242F Special Edition is also on Amazon; its listing gives a 21.5HP Kawasaki V-Twin, a 42-inch fabricated (welded) 2-blade deck, a 3.5 gallon fuel tank and a 3-year consumer warranty.

How we chose these

We searched Amazon's catalog for riding mowers, lawn tractors and zero-turns, battery and gas, and read Amazon's product data for each candidate's model number, seller and stock. We then read the hands-on results of independent testers: Popular Mechanics' riding mower tests (updated September 30, 2026) and its zero-turn guide, Bob Vila's zero-turn, battery riding mower and riding mower tests, ProToolReviews.com's tests of the EGO T6 and the EGO e-Steer and its riding mower roundup, OPEReviews.com's test of the EGO Z6, and Gardening Know How's test of the T6 (first reviewed April 2024). We read EGO's and Husqvarna's product pages for every pick, EGO's T6 operator's manual, and for safety the riding mower fact sheet of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics' lawn mower safety advice.

Our rules: each pick was in stock on Amazon on November 10, 2026, with no low-stock warning and a new offer in the buy box. Every spec on this page is the maker's or the listing's, named where it appears, every runtime or acreage result is the tester's, and every mowing time we give is worked from deck width and speed with the method shown in the table. Two of the four picks have published hands-on tests of the exact model that we could read and cite; for pick 3 the tests we could read are of the model before it, and pick 4 has none we could read and cite; we say so where each appears. Only mowers that met the stock rule could be picks, which is why the testers' top gas tractors are not among them.

Also considered: other riding mowers we looked at

Gas lawn tractors. The testers' top gas tractors are the John Deere S130 (Bob Vila's best overall riding mower), the Cub Cadet Enduro XT1 (Popular Mechanics' best gas tractor) and John Deere's 500 Series (ProToolReviews.com's best lawn tractor); Popular Mechanics also names the Husqvarna TS 375XD. Bob Vila points to the S130's frame of full-length welded steel and cast-iron front axle, and its fit with baggers, snow blowers and dump carts; Popular Mechanics notes the XT1 pairs a 46-inch deck with a 16-inch turning radius; and ProToolReviews.com points to the 500 Series' thicker steel and welds for a stronger build. On November 10, 2026, none of the Husqvarna TS tractors we found on Amazon met our stock rule, and our searches for John Deere, Cub Cadet and Toro riders turned up parts, covers and toys rather than the mowers. If you want a gas tractor, a dealer or home center that stocks those brands is the place to look.

EGO Power+ Z6 ZT5216L, 52 inches. EGO's 52-inch Z6, which its listing says cuts up to 3.0 acres a charge on six 10.0Ah batteries with power equivalent to a 27-horsepower gas engine. It was in stock on November 10, 2026, but we found no hands-on test of it to cite, so pick 4 covers the biggest lawns.

EGO Power+ Z6 e-Steer ZT4205S. The first e-Steer, the model ProToolReviews.com and Bob Vila tested. It was not in stock on Amazon on November 10, 2026, so pick 3 is its successor.

Ryobi battery riders. ProToolReviews.com names Ryobi's 80V lawn tractors its best battery-powered lawn tractor, Bob Vila's battery riding mower guide names a Ryobi 80V its best lawn tractor, and Popular Mechanics names Ryobi's 30-inch rider its best value electric. Our Amazon search for Ryobi's 80V riders returned no Ryobi rider.

Other battery riders. Greenworks' 42-inch battery lawn tractor, its 54-inch MaximusZ battery zero-turns and EGO's earlier 52-inch Z6 (ZT5207L) did not meet our stock rule on November 10, 2026.

How big a riding mower for your lawn: deck size and mowing time

A wider deck cuts more grass per pass, and speed does the rest. The table below gives minutes of mowing, from half an acre (0.5 acre) to 3 acres, for a 42-inch deck (picks 1 to 3) and a 54-inch deck (pick 4) at 4 mph and 6 mph. Popular Mechanics says lawn tractors often reach 4 to 6 mph and zero-turns 7 to 10 mph, and that mowing at top speed may not give a very even cut, so we stop at 6.

How we worked it: square feet of lawn divided by (deck width in feet x speed in feet per minute), with the deck width cut by 20 percent for overlap between passes, the allowance ProToolReviews.com's battery mower runtime method uses for overlap and taller grass (5,280 feet in a mile; an acre is 43,560 square feet). Turns, trimming and emptying a bagger add time.

For a battery mower, check the charge as well as the clock. EGO gives up to 1.5 acres a charge for pick 1 and up to 2 acres for picks 2 and 3; ProToolReviews.com's T6 mowed nearly a full acre of overgrown grass with about 15 percent left, and Gardening Know How's T6 finished a half acre with 44 to 46 percent left. If your lawn is near the edge of a charge, mow at the lower blade speed, or pick a bigger mower or gas.

Count the grass, not the lot. Popular Mechanics' zero-turn guide says a 42-inch deck is enough for a two-acre lot, since the house, driveway, outbuildings and beds take up part of it. ProToolReviews.com starts at 42 inches for lawns up to about an acre or a narrow gate, and moves up to as much as 60 inches past an acre. Measure your gate and shed door before you choose a wider deck.

Comfort counts on a big lawn. By our table a 42-inch deck at 4 mph takes 66 minutes for 1.5 acres, so on a bigger lawn you may spend an hour or more in the seat. ProToolReviews.com suggests a well-cushioned seat with a tension adjustment and enough travel to sit comfortably, and Bob Vila notes that some riders have spring-coil shock absorbers under the seat or in the frame.

Lawn tractor, zero-turn or rear-engine rider?

A lawn tractor (pick 1) steers with a wheel and drives with a pedal, much like a car, and its hitch tows a cart. A zero-turn (picks 2 and 4) steers with two lap bars, one per drive wheel, so it can turn on the spot; Popular Mechanics says zero-turns are quicker than lawn tractors and give a wide open view with nothing high in front of the seat, while tractors are the better choice for towing yard implements. The e-Steer (pick 3) sits between them: a zero-turn with a steering wheel.

For a yard with many trees and beds, a zero-turn's tight turns save time, while Gardening Know How says the T6's 18-inch turning radius is not much of an issue in a yard with few obstacles. For open lawn, a cart to pull, or a driver who has never used lap bars, the tractor is the easier start up to about 1.5 acres; past that, the e-Steer (pick 3) keeps the wheel. Popular Mechanics also notes that zero-turns may have a hard time on steep hills, more so when the grass is wet.

A rear-engine rider is the third and smallest type: its engine or motor is behind the seat, so little blocks your view. Popular Mechanics says they typically cut about 30 inches wide, suit yards up to about an acre and tend to cost the least of the three types, and Bob Vila suggests one for yards under half an acre. We pick none here: Popular Mechanics' best value gas pick is a 30-inch rear-engine Cub Cadet (its best value electric is a 30-inch Ryobi rider), and our Amazon searches for Cub Cadet and Ryobi riders turned up neither.

Battery or gas riding mower?

Popular Mechanics says gas riders are still the leaders for power and runtime, since refueling takes seconds; plan for fuel, oil changes and engine upkeep. Battery riders skip the oil changes, stale fuel and carburetor cleaning and run at lower noise levels; a full recharge takes a few hours unless you have spare batteries. Gardening Know How puts the T6 at 67 dB while moving and gas riders at about 87 to 91 decibels.

If you already own EGO 56V tools, the batteries in picks 1 to 3 fit them, and EGO's listings say its riders run on any EGO 56V ARC Lithium battery. Past about 2 acres in one session, gas (pick 4) is the simpler answer.

What makes a riding mower last

Popular Mechanics says to expect 10 years or more from a good riding lawn mower with care. Before you buy, the testers point to four things worth checking:

• The deck. Some decks are stamped from one sheet of steel and others are fabricated, welded from several pieces. Popular Mechanics says fabricated decks are thicker and more durable, that most buyers need not worry much about it, and that a fabricated deck is worth considering if you look after a large rural property with rough, washboard ground.
• The line, not just the model. ProToolReviews.com says that moving up a maker's line from entry level usually brings a better engine, a stronger build and better transmissions and electronics.
• The warranty terms. Popular Mechanics notes that some riding mower warranties cap the hours of use as well as the years, whichever comes first, so compare both; the sections for picks 1 to 3 above give EGO's warranty terms, and for pick 4, check Husqvarna's terms for the Z254F before you buy.
• Service nearby. ProToolReviews.com notes that someone can usually service a gas mower within a reasonable drive of home, while there are far fewer service centers close by for battery riders, so find yours before you buy. It also says battery packs need replacing every 3 to 5 years; EGO's battery warranties run 3 years on pick 1 and up to 5 years with registration on picks 2 and 3.

Slopes and safety

The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) names "blade contact and loss of stability" as the hazards most often tied to riding equipment, and estimates about 35,000 riding mower injuries a year treated in emergency rooms (2012 to 2014) and about 90 deaths a year on average (2008 to 2010).

• Stay within the maker's slope limit. EGO's T6 manual says not to mow slopes greater than 15 degrees, and EGO says its Z6 can handle 15-degree slopes under ideal conditions. Bob Vila's guide to mowing hills advises against running zero-turns on slopes greater than 10 degrees. Whatever you buy, read its manual's limit before you mow a slope.
• Mow up and down. The American Academy of Pediatrics says: "With a riding mower, mow up and down slopes, not across, to avoid tipping over." EGO's manual says to "Travel in the manufacturer recommended direction on slopes" and to avoid starting and stopping on them.
• Mind the ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics says a child should be at least 16 years old to operate a riding mower, and that children should not ride as passengers on riding mowers.
• Look behind you. The CPSC's fact sheet says to avoid mowing in reverse unless it is truly necessary, and to look down and behind you before you back up and while you do. Since 2003 the voluntary safety standard has required riding mowers that meet it to stop the blades when backing up, unless the operator overrides it, but it excludes zero-turn mowers, so do not count on that with picks 2 to 4.
• Do not tow on inclines. EGO's manual warns that a towed cart's weight can cause loss of traction and control on an inclined surface.

Charging, storage and upkeep

EGO's riders charge with the batteries in place: the T6 through a charging port on the tractor and the Z6 through its own charger, which OPEReviews.com says charges up to six batteries on the mower. Gardening Know How's tester plugs in after an afternoon mow and finds it full before bed. For winter, Gardening Know How advises pulling the safety key and the batteries and keeping them where it stays above 45 degrees, and blowing off debris and using the wash port after each mow.

Popular Mechanics says gas riders need their oil level checked, the air filter changed or cleaned at least once a season and belts checked; electric motors need none of that. For every rider, keep the tires at pressure, clean grass from under the deck, and sharpen or replace the blades; our mulching blades guide covers replacement blades.

Related guides

For lawns under half an acre, our best lawn mower guide covers walk-behind mowers, and our best electric lawn mower guide sorts battery mowers by what one charge covers. To keep a rider out of the weather, our storage shed guide names sheds with a door wide enough for a riding mower, and our mulching blades guide covers blades for when yours wear.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best riding lawn mower?

Of the riding mowers in stock new on Amazon, for most lawns of half an acre to about 1.5 acres it is the EGO Power+ T6 TR4204 lawn tractor, which Popular Mechanics' editor has used for two seasons and ProToolReviews.com ran for nearly a full acre on one charge. For a faster zero-turn on up to about 2 acres, the EGO Z6 ZT4204L; for a zero-turn with a steering wheel, or 1.5 to 2 acres without lap bars, the EGO Z6 e-Steer ZT4215S; and past about 2 acres, or for gas, the Husqvarna Z254F 54-inch gas zero-turn. The testers' top gas lawn tractors, from John Deere and Cub Cadet, did not turn up on Amazon in our searches.

What is the best lawn tractor?

Of the lawn tractors in stock new on Amazon, our pick is the EGO Power+ T6 TR4204, a 42-inch battery tractor with a rear hitch, 12 cutting heights and up to 1.5 acres a charge by EGO's figure, tested by Popular Mechanics, ProToolReviews.com and Gardening Know How. For gas, Bob Vila's best overall riding mower is the John Deere S130 lawn tractor, Popular Mechanics' best gas tractor is the Cub Cadet Enduro XT1, and ProToolReviews.com names John Deere's 500 Series its best lawn tractor; they did not turn up on Amazon in our searches, and none of the gas lawn tractors we did find there on November 10, 2026 met our stock rule.

Which riding mower brands do testers pick?

Popular Mechanics' riding mower picks come from Cub Cadet, EGO, Ryobi, John Deere, Toro and Husqvarna; Bob Vila's riding mower guide names John Deere, Cub Cadet and EGO; and ProToolReviews.com's top picks come from Hustler, Toro, John Deere, Cub Cadet, Greenworks, Ryobi and EGO, with Stihl, Husqvarna and Exmark among its further recommendations. Our picks come from EGO and Husqvarna because theirs were the riders that met our stock rule in our Amazon searches.

What size riding mower do I need for my yard?

Popular Mechanics suggests 42 inches of deck for up to 1.5 acres and a deck 50 inches wide or wider once a property passes two acres. By our table, a 42-inch deck mows an acre in about 44 minutes at 4 mph, and a 54-inch deck in about 34.

How many acres can a battery lawn tractor mow on one charge?

EGO gives up to 1.5 acres for its T6 lawn tractor with the six 6.0Ah batteries in the kit. In ProToolReviews.com's hands, the T6 mowed nearly a full acre of overgrown grass with about 15 percent left, and those testers note that grass height, the conditions, and the drive and blade speeds you choose all play a role in runtime. If you need more from one charge, EGO gives up to 2 acres for its Z6 zero-turns (picks 2 and 3).

Is a zero-turn or a lawn tractor better?

A zero-turn is quicker and turns on the spot, which suits big lawns with trees and beds; a lawn tractor steers like a car and tows a cart. Popular Mechanics notes that zero-turns may have a hard time on steep hills, more so when wet, so check the maker's slope limit before you buy. The EGO e-Steer gives zero-turn turning with a steering wheel.

Can a lawn tractor mow hills?

Only within the maker's slope limit: EGO's T6 manual says not to mow slopes greater than 15 degrees. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to mow up and down a slope on a riding mower, not across it, so it does not tip over. Zero-turns have their own slope limits, set out in Slopes and safety above.

How long does a riding lawn mower last?

Popular Mechanics says to expect 10 years or more from a good riding lawn mower, depending on care: change the oil and filter on a gas mower, sharpen the blades each year and clean the deck.

How old do you have to be to drive a riding mower?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says at least 16 years old to operate a riding mower, and that children should not ride as passengers.

Is a riding mower worth it for half an acre?

Popular Mechanics says riding mowers are worth a look from about half an acre of grass up, but in a smaller yard with many trees and beds a walk-behind can be the better tool, and Bob Vila suggests a small rear-engine rider for yards under half an acre. By our table a 42-inch rider mows half an acre in about 15 to 22 minutes.

What is the difference between a lawn tractor and a garden tractor?

Bob Vila's guide to mowing hills says the main difference is versatility: a lawn tractor is built mainly to mow, while a garden tractor can also take on jobs like plowing snow and towing equipment. Every pick here is a mower first; pick 1, the EGO T6, is a lawn tractor with a rear hitch for a cart.

Disclosure: Some links pay us a commission when you click or buy, and on some pages brands pay us through Amazon's creator program on links to their products. Availability was checked on Amazon on November 10, 2026 and can change.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.