Mowers
What is the quietest electric lawn mower?
We went looking for a decibel figure on every flagship mower in this category. There is not one.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — here is how we're funded.
We have not tested these units. Every spec on this page comes from the manufacturer's own documentation and is linked to it. Every computed figure is arithmetic you can redo. Prices are checked daily — last verified January 1, 1970. Here is exactly how we pick.
Quick picks
Ranked on the published specs and the arithmetic below. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. We have not tested these units -- here is exactly how we pick.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled Two 6Ah packs and the longest published runtime claim on this page, on the platform with the cheapest route to a fourth and fifth tool. | Best for a household already on Ryobi | 8.6 | |
| 2 | No photo Toro 60V Max 21" Recycler Self-Propel (21356) The only manufacturer here that publishes the actual watt-hour figure for its pack -- and the number tells you something the others hide. | Best published watt-hour honesty | 8.3 | |
| 3 | No photo Greenworks 40V 20" Push LM2054 40 minutes on a 160Wh pack and 57.5 lb to push -- the honest answer for a third of an acre and nothing more. | Best for small yards | 8.0 | |
| 4 | No photo EGO Power+ 21" Select Cut LM2135SP The most watt-hours in the box of any flagship walk-behind here, on the platform with the widest tool range to grow into. | Best overall | 9.1 |
#ad Buy links are affiliate links. Prices come from a live daily check; where we have no verified price we say "check price" rather than print a stale one.
What we looked for, and did not find
This page started as a normal roundup. The plan was to pull the published sound pressure figure from each mower's spec sheet, sort ascending, and write it up. There was nothing to sort.
| Mower | Noise figure published? |
|---|---|
| EGO LM2135SP | No |
| Ryobi 40V HP 21" | No |
| Greenworks LM2108S | No |
| Greenworks LM2054 | No |
| Toro 21356 | No |
| Kobalt 80V SP | No |
Checked against each manufacturer's own product page on 3 September 2026. Six mowers, six brands, zero published decibel ratings.
This is not an oversight on their part. It is a category norm, and it tells you the manufacturers do not consider it a competitive dimension on mowers — which is itself information, because several of them clearly do consider it one on blowers.
Where the industry does publish numbers
In blowers, noise figures are routine and the spread is meaningful:
| Blower | Published noise | Airflow |
|---|---|---|
| Ryobi RY404100 Whisper Series | 57 dB | 730 CFM |
| EGO LB6504 | 64 dB | 650 CFM |
| EGO LB7650 | 64 dB | 765 CFM |
| Greenworks 80V axial | Not published | 730 CFM |
Manufacturer-published figures, each measured under that brand's own conditions rather than a shared standard. Directional, not lab-comparable.
Ryobi built a named engineering program around this — noise-dampening foam and a repositioned fan, marketed as Whisper Series, with a claim of 86% quieter than gas. That is a company that has decided noise is worth spending engineering budget on. Whether that work reaches the mower line is not something the product pages tell us, so we are not going to assert that it does. The blower comparison is on the quiet blower page.
The proxies, and their limits
Three things genuinely correlate with mower noise. Here is what can be said about each from published data.
Blade tip speed
Aerodynamic noise from a blade rises steeply with tip speed, so a lower RPM at the same blade length is quieter. Only Greenworks publishes a figure (3200 RPM, on both the 80V and 40V mowers). With one data point there is nothing to compare, so this proxy is unusable in practice.
Deck size and load
A smaller deck moves less air and cuts less grass per second. The 20-inch Greenworks LM2054 draws 4.0Wh per minute against 9.7 for its 21-inch stablemate — less energy going in means less energy coming out as sound and heat. That is a reasonable inference, and it is an inference, not a measurement.
Brushless motors and no combustion
Every mower here is brushless and none has an engine, so this factor does not separate them at all. It only separates the whole category from gas — which is the comparison in battery vs gas.
So what is this page's ranking based on?
Published evidence of a manufacturer investing in noise, plus the two inference proxies above, stated as inferences. Specifically:
- Ryobi first, because it is the only brand here with a named, published noise-engineering program and a 57 dB figure on a tool in the same range. That is the strongest available evidence, and it is evidence about a blower.
- Toro second, on the lowest published self-propelled weight (66 lb) and a 14-gauge steel deck — heavier, stiffer decks tend to resonate less than thin stamped ones. An inference.
- Greenworks LM2054 third, because a 20-inch push deck drawing 4.0Wh per minute is the lowest-energy machine on the page. An inference.
- EGO fourth, on no noise-related published evidence either way. Its 64 dB blower figure is higher than Ryobi's, which is the only thing we have.
The picks in full
Specs are the manufacturer's own and linked to the page they came from. Prices come from a live daily check; where we have no verified price we say so rather than print a stale one.
Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled
Ryobi · Ryobi 40V · Our score 8.6/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
Two 6Ah packs and the longest published runtime claim on this page, on the platform with the cheapest route to a fourth and fifth tool.
Published specs
| Model | RY40HPLM01B |
|---|---|
| Deck | 21 in |
| Motor | Brushless, 40V HP |
| Batteries included (kit) | 2 x 40V 6.0Ah |
| Drive | Variable-speed rear-wheel self-propel |
| Runtime claim | Up to 80 min on 2 x 6Ah |
Source: 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled Mower, ryobitools.com
40V x 6.0Ah = 240Wh per pack; the kit ships two, so 480Wh total -- but only 240Wh is available at any moment, because the mower draws one pack at a time.
What the numbers favor
- 480Wh across two packs, the most total energy in any kit here
- Two packs means you swap and keep mowing instead of waiting on a charger
- Ryobi's 40V range is the broadest consumer battery line of the three platforms
What they don't
- Only one 240Wh pack is live at a time -- the 480Wh is sequential, not simultaneous
- Ryobi does not publish a cut-height range or weight on the product page, so both are unknown to us
you own nothing on Ryobi yet and expect to buy heavy tools later. 40V is the lowest voltage of the three platforms, and the ceiling shows on chainsaws and riding gear.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Toro 60V Max 21" Recycler Self-Propel (21356)
Toro · Toro 60V Max Flex-Force · Our score 8.3/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
The only manufacturer here that publishes the actual watt-hour figure for its pack -- and the number tells you something the others hide.
Published specs
| Model | 21356 |
|---|---|
| Deck | 21 in, 14-gauge steel |
| Battery | 60V Max L324, 6.0Ah, 324Wh |
| Charge time | 150 min |
| Runtime claim | Up to 45 min on the 6.0Ah |
| Drive | Personal Pace variable-speed RWD |
| Weight | 66 lb |
| Storage | SmartStow vertical |
Source: 60V Max 21 in. Recycler Self-Propel Lawn Mower (21356T), toro.com
Toro labels the pack 60V Max 6.0Ah and publishes 324Wh. 324 / 6.0 = 54V -- the nominal voltage, not the 60V max-charge figure on the sticker. Every brand's 'max volts' is roughly 11% above nominal, so a nameplate watt-hour number is always about 11% optimistic. This is the single most useful spec on this page.
What the numbers favor
- Publishes a real watt-hour figure (324Wh) instead of leaving you to multiply the marketing voltage
- 45 minutes from 324Wh, against Greenworks' 33 minutes from a nameplate 320Wh
- 14-gauge steel deck, the only steel deck spec published on this page
- SmartStow vertical storage -- a genuine constraint solver in a one-car garage
What they don't
- 150-minute recharge is the slowest here by a wide margin
- Toro's 60V line is narrower than EGO's or Ryobi's, so the platform grows less far
you are buying into a platform rather than a mower. Toro builds excellent mowers; the 60V Flex-Force tool range is not the one to bet a decade of yard tools on.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Greenworks 40V 20" Push LM2054
Greenworks · Greenworks 40V · Our score 8.0/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
40 minutes on a 160Wh pack and 57.5 lb to push -- the honest answer for a third of an acre and nothing more.
Published specs
| Model / SKU | LM2054 / 2549902 |
|---|---|
| Deck | 20 in |
| Max blade speed | 3200 RPM |
| Battery included | 40V 4.0Ah |
| Cut height | 1.2-3.6 in, 7 positions |
| Runtime claim | Up to 40 min |
| Weight | 57.5 lb |
| Rated for | Up to 1/3 acre |
| Warranty | 3-yr tool / 3-yr battery |
Source: 40V 20" 4-in-1 Push Lawn Mower (LM2054), greenworkstools.com
40V x 4.0Ah = 160Wh. Note it claims 40 minutes on 160Wh where the 80V flagship claims 33 minutes on 320Wh -- a 20 in deck and no self-propel drive motor is why.
What the numbers favor
- Lightest published weight on this page at 57.5 lb, and the only sub-60 lb mower here
- Claims 40 minutes from 160Wh -- the best published minutes-per-watt-hour of any mower on this page
- Same 3200 RPM blade speed as the 80V flagship
- 4-in-1 deck at the entry price
What they don't
- Push only -- no drive assist on any slope
- 1.2 in minimum cut height is lower than most cool-season lawns should ever be cut
- 120-minute recharge, three times the 80V model's 40 minutes
your lawn is over a third of an acre or has any real slope. Greenworks rates it to 1/3 acre and you will be pushing all 57.5 lb of it up the hill yourself.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
EGO Power+ 21" Select Cut LM2135SP
EGO · EGO 56V ARC Lithium · Our score 9.1/10
#ad No verified live price right now, so we show none rather than a stale one. How we're funded.
The most watt-hours in the box of any flagship walk-behind here, on the platform with the widest tool range to grow into.
Published specs
| Deck | 21 in |
|---|---|
| Cutting torque | Up to 7.0 ft-lbs |
| Battery included | 56V 7.5Ah |
| Cut height | 1-4 in, 8 positions |
| Self-propel speed | 0.9-3.1 MPH |
| Runtime claim | Up to 60 min |
| Warranty | 5-yr tool / 3-yr battery |
Source: EGO POWER+ 21" Select Cut System (LM2135SP), egopowerplus.com
56V x 7.5Ah = 420Wh, using EGO's advertised pack voltage.
What the numbers favor
- 420Wh in the box -- the largest included pack of any flagship walk-behind on this page
- Eight cut-height positions from 1 to 4 in, the widest published range here
- Three interchangeable lower blades (mulching, high-lift bagging, extended runtime)
- 5-year tool warranty, the longest published on this page
What they don't
- EGO publishes torque (7.0 ft-lbs), not motor wattage, so it cannot be compared directly against Greenworks' 1500W figure
- The 7.5Ah pack that earns the runtime claim is also the expensive one to replace
your yard is under a quarter acre. You would be paying for 420Wh of headroom you will never discharge, and a 20 in push mower cuts the same grass.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Common questions
What is the quietest electric lawn mower?
How many decibels is an electric lawn mower?
Are electric mowers quiet enough to use early in the morning?
Does a slower blade speed mean a quieter mower?
Which brand takes noise seriously?
Sources
- RYOBI 40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 730 CFM Blower (RY404100) -- 57 dB published, ryobitools.com
- EGO POWER+ 650 CFM Blower (LB6504) -- 64 dB published, egopowerplus.com
- Greenworks 80V 21" 4-in-1 Self-Propelled Mower (LM2108S), greenworkstools.com
- Toro 60V Max 21 in. Recycler Self-Propel Lawn Mower (21356T), toro.com
- RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 21" Self-Propelled Mower, ryobitools.com
- Greenworks 40V 20" 4-in-1 Push Lawn Mower (LM2054), greenworkstools.com
Read next
- Mowers
Deck width sets how fast you finish. Watt-hours set whether you finish at all.
- Quietest cordless leaf blower: the published decibel figures
57 dB vs 64 dB, what the gap means, and which brands publish no figure at all.
- Battery vs gas lawn mower: which should you actually buy?
Runtime, running cost, maintenance and noise compared, including where gas still wins.
- Best battery lawn mowers of 2026
Six flagship battery mowers ranked on watt-hours in the box and energy spent per minute.
- How we pick
The published methodology that replaces a testing claim.