The 7 Best Riding Mowers of 2024, According to Research and Testing

A comfortable riding mower will have you looking forward to your weekly lawn maintenance chores.

Kat is a writer, editor, author, and frequent contributor to Better Homes & Gardens. She covers home decor, appliances, and housewares.

Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

In This Article

In This Article

A good riding mower is a must for large lawns of an acre or more. After all, it can be the difference between loathing lawn maintenance or actually looking forward to the task.

“For a larger lawn, a riding mower is the most efficient in saving time and energy,” says Brian Feldman, the senior technical director of operations at TruGreen. “Additionally, they serve more than just one purpose; they can also be used as an efficient vehicle for other yard tasks.”

While there are a few different types of riding lawn mowers available to buy—the main ones being lawn tractors or zero-turn mowers—the best option for you depends on the size of your yard, the type of terrain, and your budget.

"With buying a good riding mower, you are essentially investing in your home, which is one of the biggest and best investments people can make," says Don Quinn, who has over 30 years of experience handling riding lawn mowers and working on several farms, including his own 1.5- and 3-acre properties. "A good riding mower or tractor is going to make the work that you have to do on your property easier, safer, and more efficient."

What We Researched and Tested

We tested 15 lawn mowers in our own backyards on different types of grass and all kinds of weather, evaluating each based on their design, ease of use, power, performance, deck height and width, suggested lawn size, safety, and ease of cleaning. We also included a few additional models that we haven't yet tested but felt deserved a spot on our list based on our research in the categories listed above. For more information on how we tested the mowers, check out our testing process below.

Best Overall

Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 50-Inch Zero Turn Mower

• This mower has a large 50-inch deck size that covers more ground in less time, a mid-range price, and an ideal size for residential use.

• As a zero-turn mower, it has levers instead of a steering wheel, so there's a bit of a learning curve if you've never used one of these mowers before.

Cub Cadet's Ultima ZT1 50-Inch Gas Zero-Turn Riding Lawn Mower is the best riding lawn mower thanks to its superior build and handy features. Though it's a zero-turn mower and requires some practice to get used to if you've never operated one before, it's actually quite user friendly.

The riding lawn mower has a large 50-inch deck with 15 different height position options for a custom cut. It also has an adjustable high-backed seat, so you won't get sore even if you're mowing 4 acres of lawn in one go.

It cuts fast and smooth and can turn with ease thanks to its zero-degree turning radius. In other words, you won't have to switch the mower blades off, circle around, then start them up again to go in the opposite direction to get those straight lines. It performs as well as a much more expensive and professional-grade model and is priced reasonably for a lawn mower that can pretty much do it all.

Product Details: Power: Gas, 23 horsepower, 726 cc Kawasaki twin-cylinder engine | Lawn Size: Up to 4 acres | Deck Width: 50 inches | Deck Height: 1 to 4.5 inches | Speed: 7 miles per hour (forward), 3.5 miles per hour (reverse)

Best Zero Turn

Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 42-Inch Zero-Turn Mower

• It’s a powerful mower that’s easy to maneuver and makes clean and even cuts, even on hilly terrain.

• It’s quite noisy, and operating the levers may take some time to get used to.

During testing, we found that the best zero-turn riding mower is the Cub Cadet Ultima ZT1 40-inch riding mower. The mower offers a large mowing swath, although slightly less than its 50-inch sister model mentioned above. A little smaller and more affordable, this unit still has many of the same perks as the 50-inch model as well.

It took around half an hour to set up as there were quite a few screws to figure out. Thankfully the instruction manual was easy to understand. We tested it on a third of an acre yard that’s slightly slanted with several obstacles, and found that it performed remarkably well.

After setup, the machine started up right away (as soon as we figured out the choke) and took 3.5 inches off the lawn evenly and effortlessly. We even tried cutting down taller grass and it had no issues whatsoever. The side discharge worked properly, ejecting the grass from the chute far enough away and spreading it around very well so as not to leave chunks of grass near the mower.

It’s easy to adjust the cutting heights on this riding mower—all you do is turn a knob on the left side of the operator, press the foot pedal, and turn the dial to the selection of your choice.

There are two speed adjustment options, even in reverse. The mower provides a pleasant ride that is less bouncy than some other mowers and can make turns faster, too. The seat is adjustable to your comfort level, which could depend on how bumpy your terrain is. Its lower overall height meant we were able to have a clearer view ahead which made riding it and looking where we were mowing a much more pleasant experience.

The mower has a wider body that helps distribute the weight, so you’ll feel safe riding it. There was a little bit of a learning curve to get used to the settings and the whole riding experience, but nothing that a couple of mowing sessions didn’t straighten out.

During testing, we found that this pick is also on the noisier side. While other mowers tend to have a covered-up motor, the Cub Cadet’s is an open engine. All in all, this is a high-quality mower for larger yards that is great value for money.

Product Details: Power: Gas | Lawn Size: 2 to 4 acres | Deck Width: 42 inches | Deck Height: 1 to 4.5 inches | Speed: 7.5 miles per hour (forward), 3.5 miles per hour (reverse)

Best Electric

Ryobi Brushless 42-Inch Electric Zero Turn Riding Mower

• The mower is easy to use and cuts grass quickly and efficiently.

• The wheels might spin when going uphill on damp grass.

The RYOBI 80V HP Brushless 42-inch Electric Zero Turn Riding Mower is ready to go when you are; simply unplug the charging plug and you are off and mowing. You won’t have to deal with gas fill-ups or oil changes or have to choke your gas motor to get it started and warmed up.

We tested this mower on a half-acre backyard with a few hills, some trees, and fencing, and found it chopped 25 minutes off the usual mowing time. It’s much quieter than some other mowers on the market at around 92 decibels–we even managed to have a conversation with someone nearby when the blades were running at high speed.

Set-up took around 45 minutes and was straightforward thanks to instructions that were easy to follow. The battery came partly charged and it took only 70 minutes to fully charge. Just keep in mind that an empty battery takes around two hours and twenty minutes to charge. Luckily, it has an LCD screen that displays the battery life and run time, so you’ll know when you need to recharge.

When we took it for a test run, the ground was somewhat damp due to recent rain but the mower handled it effortlessly. The push-button controls allow you to choose from three travel speeds and three blade speeds, and there’s an on-off button for the headlights, as well as an LCD screen toggle button. The mower is controlled by a single joystick that operates the forward and reverse speeds, and it was easy to get the hang of during testing.

Setting the cutting height is simple as well. Thanks to one conveniently located lever, you can choose from one of 12 height settings up to 4.5 inches. It also comes with a height-stopping key that allows you to quickly drop the mowing deck to the cutting height you want.

The seat is comfortable and features a suspension adjustment knob. The mower has storage compartments and two USB ports that can be used for charging your phone, and a Bluetooth function that allows you to monitor your mower with the RYOBI riding mower app.

During testing, we felt that the mower also feels safe to use as the blades stop quickly as soon as you leave the seat. There are also bright headlights and reflective decals on the sides. The only issue we had was that the tires spun a little when going uphill on damp terrain, but this didn’t happen when the grass was dry.

We appreciated that the mower’s turning capabilities allow you to get very close to objects like fences and trees to cleanly mow around them in a single pass. It’s a very powerful mower and cuts the grass cleanly and evenly, leaving no patch of uncut grass.

Product Details: Power: Battery | Lawn Size: up to 3 acres | Deck Width: 42 inches | Deck Height: 1.5 to 4.5 inches | Speed: 8 miles per hour (forward), 4 miles per hour (reverse)