The 7 Best Lawn Mowers Under $1000 of 2026, Ranked & Reviewed

Our verdict: A full-size cordless mower with self-propelled drive on a broad battery platform.

EGO's LM2134SP-2 is the mower to buy when the lawn is bigger than a postage stamp and you refuse to haul gas. It pairs a 21 inch deck with self-propelled drive on the company's cordless battery platform. That drive matters because it matches wheel speed to your walking pace, so the pushing effort that tires you on a slope or a long afternoon mostly disappears.

It ranks first because it is the only pick that combines full deck width, drive assist and zero fuel in the $500 and up tier. The Greenworks 80V matches that format for less, but EGO's platform is the more established of the two and shares batteries with other tools from the same maker.

Medium to large lawns, with any slope at all, reward it most. The caveat is cost and weight: it is the priciest cordless here and heavier than the push models, so skip it for a small flat yard.

Deck

21 inch

Drive

Self-propelled

Power

Cordless battery platform

Price tier

$500 and up

Our verdict: Self-propel and a 21 inch deck without paying near the top price.

The Greenworks 80V is the sensible answer if EGO's price makes you wince. It brings a 21 inch deck, self-propelled drive and an 80V 4Ah battery with a charger in the box, all in the $200 to $500 tier. That puts drive assist at roughly the cost of a basic push mower, which is why it earns the value label.

It sits second rather than first because of the battery. Four amp hours is a modest reserve for a 21 inch cutter, and the platform is the less flexible of the two, with fewer companion tools and a thinner accessory range than EGO's.

Buy it for a medium lawn where you want drive assist without paying top money. Skip it for a very large property, since a single 4Ah pack will run out before a big yard is finished and a spare is an extra purchase.

Deck

21 inch

Drive

Self-propelled

Battery

80V 4Ah with charger

Price tier

$200-500

Our verdict: A full-width EGO deck without the self-propel premium.

The EGO LM2114 answers a question many buyers get wrong: do I need drive assist at all? On a standard flat lawn, probably not. This is a 21 inch deck on the 56V battery platform, sold with battery and charger in the $200 to $500 tier, and it cuts the same swath as the self-propelled models above it.

It lands third because it hands the pushing back to you. Against the Greenworks 80V, which costs in the same tier and adds drive, the EGO trades convenience for a better-established battery system and a lighter feel without a drive motor.

Buy it for a level lawn of ordinary size. The caveat is slopes. Pushing a 21 inch deck uphill, with grass-clippings loading the deck, is where you will wish you had paid for the drive on the two models above.

Deck

21 inch

Platform

56V battery

Included

Battery and charger

Price tier

$200-500

Our verdict: Gas runtime without any battery to manage.

PowerSmart's EasyGlide is the only gas mower in the group, and it makes the case for staying with an engine in plain terms. A 144cc 4-stroke OHV engine drives a 21 inch deck with 3-in-1 mulch, bag and side discharge, and it runs until the tank is empty. There is no battery to charge, no capacity to ration and no platform to buy into.

It ranks fourth because that freedom costs routine upkeep: fuel, oil changes and spark plug care, plus more noise than any cordless pick above it. The two EGO models and the Greenworks 80V remove all that for similar or higher spending.

Choose it if your lawn is large enough that battery runtime worries you, or you already keep fuel and tools for gas equipment. It is a poor fit for anyone who wants quiet, low-maintenance mowing, and it has no self-propel.

Deck

21 inch

Engine

144cc 4-stroke OHV

Modes

3-in-1 mulch, bag, side

Price tier

$200-500

Our verdict: A light, easy-to-store cordless mower for small yards.

Greenworks' 40V push mower is the one to shop when storage space matters more than strip width. Its 16 inch deck runs off a 40V 4Ah battery with a charger, giving 160Wh of included energy, and it sits in the $200 to $500 tier. The smaller deck keeps weight down, so it hangs on a wall hook easily.

It ranks fifth because narrow decks cost time. Compared with the 21 inch EGO LM2114 at the same tier, you make about a quarter more passes across the same grass, and 160Wh does not stretch much further than a small yard.

This is the right buy for townhouse lawns and tight sheds. The honest caveat is that medium or large lawns turn into a slog, and if you have any area to cover, the full-width EGO and Greenworks 80V are better value for the work.

Deck

16 inch

Battery

40V 4Ah with charger

Energy

160Wh included

Price tier

$200-500

Our verdict: No motor, battery or fuel, just a manual reel for small flat lawns.

The American Lawn Mower 1204-14 removes every running cost: no motor, no battery, no fuel, just four reel blades turning as you walk. Its 14 inch width suits a small patch of level turf, and it costs in the $50 to $100 tier. Scissor-style reel cutting is also kinder to grass blades than a spinning rotary cut.

It ranks sixth because reel mowers only work under tight conditions. Against the corded LawnMaster below it, the reel is quieter and needs no outlet, but the LawnMaster at least powers through grass a little taller than a reel tolerates.

Buy it for a small, flat yard mowed often, where the quiet is part of the appeal. Skip it if the grass gets ahead of you between cuts. Tall or thick growth jams the reel and makes the 14 inch swath feel narrower still.

Width

14 inch

Blades

4-blade manual reel

Power

None, human powered

Price tier

$50-100

Our verdict: A cheap corded mower with no battery to replace.

LawnMaster's MEB1114K is the budget corded option, and it suits a very specific yard. Its 11-amp motor spins a 15 inch deck from a wall outlet, so there is no battery to buy, charge or replace later, and it costs in the $100 to $200 tier. The motor is the same kind of simple, dependable design that corded tools have long used.

It ranks last because the cord is the constraint. The reel mower above it needs nothing but effort and can roam anywhere, while the LawnMaster must stay within cord reach and drag its tether around trees and beds.

Buy it for a small, open lawn near an outlet where simplicity and a low outlay matter. Skip it if the yard has obstacles or distance, since managing the cord around them is tiring and the narrow deck means extra passes.

Deck

15 inch

Motor

11-amp corded

Battery

None to replace

Price tier

$100-200