Ryobi battery-powered lawn mowers have burst onto the scene and are now one of the leaders in the electric mower world. The best Ryobi battery-powered mower is the Ryobi 40V Brushless SmartTrek mower because it is the most affordable while still maintaining really high quality.
I first got my hands on my Ryobi mower back in 2022 when my friend let me borrow his for one of my YouTube video reviews. I loved that I could quickly pop off the 40V battery and put it in my Whisper series blower.
Here are my choices for best Ryobi lawn mowers in 2024 after testing:
- Best Ryobi riding mower: Ryobi 38 inch Rear Engine Mower
- Best Ryobi ONE+ battery-powered mower: Ryobi 16 inch Brushless
- Best Ryobi 40V battery-powered mower: 40V Brushless Smart Trek mower
How I tested these Ryobi mowers
As I mentioned earlier, I got the Ryobi 40V mower from a friend last year and fell in love – so started trying out a bunch of different ones that I could grab from my local Home Depot. I’ve spent a lot of money buying lawn mowers and testing them, documenting it all on Youtube.
When I am testing these mowers, I am looking for a few things: power, ease of use, battery-run time, and the right technical specifications, which I try to break down in plain English.
7. Ryobi 38 inch 100 Ah Battery Electric Rear Engine Lawn Mower (RY48111)
The Ryobi 38 inch riding mower is extremely unique. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed before I did all of this research. This is not your typical riding lawn mower. The unique design on the 48V Brushless 38 in riding mower allows for a nice clean cut for much larger lawns.
I know what you’re thinking – how does this thing run on batteries? Well, it is much different than other battery-powered mowers in that it plugs in like a dang Tesla. And it can run for up to 2.5 hours on a single charge.
The more I read up on it, the more I love it. When I first sat on this one outside of Home Depot (they let me ride it around), I was shocked at how comfortable it was and how intuitive it was to use – just like my truck. I actually think this is one of the better (if not best) electric riding mowers I’ve seen. Good job Ryobi!
This one is available at Home Depot for a surprisingly good price.
6. Ryobi 13 in ONE+ 18V Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Mower
Sorry y’all – I am a little biased here. I am not the biggest fan of the 18V ONE+ series and am a much bigger fan of the Ryobi 40V series.
The 13in mowing deck on this mower is simply tiny. When thinking about mowing your lawn, think about how wide of a path you need and the number of those paths to complete your yard. At just over a foot wide, this will leave you outside in the sun for longer than you may like.
My neighbor let me borrow this one for testing since he has Ryobi’s super lightweight weed eater – the 18V ONE+. This uses the same battery and was equally lightweight for a mower.
If you have a small yard however, this may fit you really well – just like it did for my neighbor. But for the price, I think you can do better. Check out our guide to mowers for small lawns – you may find a better one over there.
This one is for sale from Home Depot.
5. Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V Brushless 16in. Cordless Battery Walk Behind Push Mower
This one is similar to the one above, but a few inches wider. If you have a <10,000 sq.ft plot of land, then this is actually a great mower. It is small enough to navigate nooks and crannies, but wide enough to knock out a few more passes in the yard.
The one positive I will say about the 18V ONE+ series is that the battery can easily be popped back into the other indoor tools you may already own. While I like the longer battery life of the 40V, I can see the appeal of the 18V series for folks with smaller yards/projects.
If I’m picking a mower in the ONE+ HP 18V series, I’m going with this one. Go buy it online and pick it up at Home Depot.
4. Ryobi RY40180 40V Brushless Lithium-Ion Cordless mower kit
Okay, now we are talking! My Ryobi 40V Brushless Lithium-Ion mower (why are the names so dang long?) is a great mower. The cutting deck is a nice 20 inches, meaning you can cover much more ground than the mowers in the ONE+ series.
This mower is really light, and folds in-half for a super compact storage design. This would fit underneath some stairs in your garage, or in a shed or even a closet. It also comes with a nice bag for collecting grass clippings.
And the best part – you can pop off the 40V battery and stick it right onto your Ryobi trimmer or blower.
3. Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21 in. Mower
Another mouthful of a mower, but it is pretty sweet. This is far and away the heaviest duty push mower that Ryobi offers. It has dual blade technology, similar to the rival EGO 56V mower. It is actually probably a direct response to the competition from EGO, since it has almost all of the same exact features, including the higher price.
The beautiful things about this mower:
- 21 inch cutting deck
- 40 V battery that can be used with a ton of other Ryobi tools
- Incredibly quiet
- Self-propelled
- Comes with two batteries
- Dual blade technology adds some more power.
You can’t go wrong with this one if you are looking for a high end mower and are a Ryobi loyalist. It isn’t available on Amazon from what I can tell, but I have seen it at Home Depot for a reasonable price.
2. Ryobi Lawn Mower 20in 40V Lithium-Ion Brushless mower
This is similar in voltage and size to the mower above, but comes in at a way lower price point. It is essentially a barebones Ryobi mower, with still some of the features we love. It doesn’t have a self-propelled function, but it does have a brushless motor.
It doesn’t sacrifice quality for price, but it does sacrifice bells and whistles. It’s a great, quality mower that is on the lower end of the price range.
Brushless engines on Ryobi’s lawn mowers are manufactured to be quieter, use less energy, and last longer than standard electric motors. When it comes to electric mowers, you want something that will last you for a long time – just like gas mowers do.
With the Ryobi 20in 40V brushless mower, you get a battery-powered mower that is an absolute unit. We recommend grabbing it from Amazon for a great price (compared to >$500 for other brands) or buy it online from Home Depot.
They’ve recently updated this one for 2024 and made it look a little bit cooler, with a darker tint over the battery and a boxier look. It is honestly the same exact thing but costs $100 more! Don’t fall for it. See how this one stacks up against the Greenworks 48V mower.
1. Ryobi 20in 40-Volt Brushless Smart Trek Self-Propelled Walk Behind Mower
Yep – it is official. Love at first sight is real. This Ryobi 40V mower which I wrote extensively about here is very similar to the mower above (both have brushless engines, 20 inch cutting decks, and 40V batteries), but has a few key differences.
The first difference – it is black! And looks way cooler than the other ones (in my opinion).
The second difference – the Smart Trek self-propelled feature. For those that have never used a self-propelled mower, they are awesome. Basically, they move for you – only light pushing and steering required. I ranked this number one because it has the most luxurious experience, best motor, and great interchangeable battery. When I was testing it, I loved how light it felt and how surprisingly well it did with my tall fescue.
As compared to other mowers like the EGO 56V mower, this one is lighter and easier to control. We did a full YouTube video review of this one if you want to check it out.
The Ryobi 20in 40V Self-propelled Mower from Home Depot, where it is almost exclusively sold!
Why I started The Lawn Review
The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site.
As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.
Ryobi tool batteries used for mowers
You may have found this page because you already have a bunch of Ryobi tools and have the batteries. If you didn’t know, you can buy the tool-only version of Ryobi mowers and save a ton of money.
Tool-only versions come without any batteries and can accept ones you have from other tools. They are way less expensive and allow you to pop your battery off another tool right into your mower (and vice versa).
Another benefit of tool-only products is that you won’t take up another plug on the wall in your garage. Avoid the mess!
Make sure you know exactly what to look for in an electric lawn mower by checking out our guide.
Are Ryobi Lawn Mowers any good?
In short, yes they are great lawn mowers but differ widely in their style and application. You also get what you pay for with Ryobi lawn mowers – if you are expecting to spend under $300 – you will get a budget mower (albeit a good one).
Ryobi makes great products in general and if you go with the 40V battery line, you can build out your entire shed with the a single battery, saving you tons of money.
Conclusion: My Experience with Ryobi Mowers
My Ryobi mowers actually rock! They are quiet, hold their charge, and tend to last longer (if you get Brushless). We highly recommend getting one of these mowers if you are looking for a nice mower to complement your Ryobi collection.
