Best 40 Volt Lawn Mower Reviews (Real-World Runtime & Durability)

You bought a gas mower years ago, and now it spends more time in the shop than in your shed. Or you’re tired of dragging an extension cord across the yard, dodging the cord with every pass. You want something that starts instantly, runs clean, and doesn’t demand a trip to the gas station. That’s the promise of a 40V cordless mower.

The 40-volt class hits a practical sweet spot. It packs enough torque to handle regular weekly cuts on small to medium lawns, yet keeps the weight down so pushing feels manageable. The real challenge isn’t finding a 40V mower—it’s finding one that actually delivers the runtime and cut quality the box claims. Grass thickness, moisture, and deck design all change the math.

We put five popular models through their paces, focusing on real-world runtime, how they handle slopes and damp grass, and what might break after a season or two. The list includes two Greenworks models, an MZK, a Wild Badger Power, and a Worx. Each one suits a different yard and a different budget, so we’ll help you match the mower to your situation.

Here’s a quick look at how the key specs compare across our top picks.

Features	Greenworks 16in	Greenworks Brushless	MZK 2-in-1	Wild Badger 18in	Worx 14in
Deck Size	16 inches	16 inches	13 inches	18 inches	14 inches
Motor Type	Standard	Brushless	Brushless	Brushless	Brushless
Cutting Modes	Mulch & Bag	Mulch & Bag	Mulch & Bag	Bag, Mulch, Discharge	Mulch & Bag
Height Settings	5 positions	5 positions	4 positions	5 positions	6 positions
Battery Included	1 x 4.0Ah	1 x 4.0Ah	2 x 4.0Ah	1 x 4.0Ah	1 x 4.0Ah
Best For	1/3 acre flat yards	1/2 acre, thicker grass	Small, tight spaces	Fewer passes, open lawns	Edging & tiny lots

Greenworks 40V 16in Push

This is the mower for someone who just wants a simple, dependable tool for a flat, open yard up to a third of an acre. Think of a newer suburban lot with thin soil and regular bermuda or fescue. You’re not asking it to chew through overgrown pasture; you’re keeping up with weekly growth. The 4.0Ah battery fits that chore, and the 16-inch deck covers enough ground without turning every pass into a marathon.

What stands out here is the weight. Greenworks claims it’s 35% lighter than steel deck mowers, and you feel that difference when you lift it into the shed or pivot around a flower bed. The single-lever height adjustment is genuinely convenient—you can drop the deck for the first spring cut and raise it for summer without kneeling at each wheel. It also plugs into the larger Greenworks 40V ecosystem, which means the battery from your trimmer or blower can serve as a spare.

There are trade-offs. The standard motor won’t match the torque of a brushless design, so if your grass gets thick and damp, you’ll hear the RPMs dip. The runtime estimate of cutting up to 1/3 acre assumes decent conditions; wet, tall grass will drain that 4.0Ah battery faster. And with only mulching and rear bagging, you won’t get a side discharge option for those times you just want to blow clippings out and keep moving.

• 16-inch steel deck with 5-position single-lever height adjust
• 2-in-1 system: mulch or rear bag clippings
• 4.0Ah battery and charger included
• Shares batteries with 75+ Greenworks 40V tools
• 3-year limited tool and battery warranty

Best for: Homeowners with flat, manageable lawns under 1/3 acre who want a lightweight, no-fuss mower that shares batteries with their other cordless gear.

Greenworks 40V Brushless

This second Greenworks model is the upgrade pick for a yard that pushes closer to half an acre. It looks similar to the first pick, but the brushless motor changes the personality of the machine. You get more torque, which means the blade keeps spinning when you hit a slightly thicker patch or a few stray leaves. It’s also quieter and should last longer, since there are no brushes to wear out.

The brushless motor isn’t just about power. It makes the mower more efficient, stretching that 4.0Ah battery to around 30 minutes of run time under normal conditions. For a half-acre lot, that’s enough to finish the job if you’re not stopping every few minutes to clear a clog. The cutting height range also stretches from 1-1/4 inches up to 3-3/8 inches, giving you more flexibility for warm-season grasses that need to be cut higher in July.

You’re still looking at a 16-inch deck, which is fine for maneuvering but means more passes on a larger yard. The push drive is manual, so on a slope you’ll be doing the work. And the 120-minute charge time for the battery means you can’t just swap it out and keep going unless you’ve bought a second pack. That’s a real consideration if your half-acre is on the high end of the estimate.

• Brushless motor delivers higher torque and longer lifespan
• Up to 30 minutes runtime on a full 4.0Ah charge
• 5-position height adjust from 1-1/4″ to 3-3/8″
• 2-in-1 mulching and rear bagging capability
• Compatible with the full Greenworks 40V battery platform

Best for: Owners of medium-sized lawns up to half an acre who need extra torque for thicker grass and want a quieter, longer-lasting motor.

MZK 40V 2-in-1

The MZK is the pick for someone with a truly small yard—think 1/8 acre or less—where a full-size mower feels like overkill. The 13-inch deck is noticeably narrower, which sounds like a downside until you try to navigate a tight gate or trim around a cluster of shrubs. It’s also lighter, making it a solid choice for anyone who finds a 40-pound machine awkward to handle. The included two batteries are a clever workaround for a smaller power pack.

Instead of one large 40V battery, this mower runs on two 20V 4.0Ah packs. That gives you a combined 8.0Ah of capacity, which translates to up to 30 minutes of run time. The real advantage is redundancy: when one pair runs flat, you can charge them while using the second set. That means no downtime waiting for a charger, as long as you keep the spare pair topped up. The 2-step safety start is a nice touch for households with curious kids.

But there are compromises. The 13-inch deck means you will make more passes, even on a small lawn. The cutting height range is limited to 1.3 to 2.6 inches, which is fine for a neat, short cut but doesn’t give you the option to let the grass grow long in a dry spell. The bag is a small 30L unit, so expect to empty it frequently if you’re bagging. This is a tool for tidy, frequent maintenance, not for tackling an overgrown lot.

• Two 20V 4.0Ah batteries provide combined 8.0Ah capacity
• 13-inch deck for easy maneuvering in tight spaces
• 4-position cutting height adjustment (1.3″ to 2.6″)
• 30L rear bag with a 2-step safety start
• Single-port charger included

Best for: Apartment dwellers or homeowners with postage-stamp lawns who want a lightweight, easy-to-store mower with hot-swappable batteries.

Wild Badger Power 18in

The Wild Badger Power mower is built for the person who wants to minimize time spent mowing. The 18-inch deck is the widest here, and that means fewer passes across any lawn. For a yard that’s mostly open with some trees to navigate, this deck size hits a good balance between speed and maneuverability. The blade spins up to 3,400 RPM, giving it the aggression to slice through thicker grass without bogging down.

This is the most versatile mower of the group when it comes to clipping management. You get three modes: bagging, mulching, and rear discharge. That rear discharge option is genuinely useful in late spring when the grass is growing fast and you just want to cut and go without stopping to empty a bag. The included 11-gallon bag is also the largest here, so you’ll make fewer trips to the compost pile.

The trade-off for that wider deck and larger bag is weight and bulk. It’s not a self-propelled model, so you’re pushing that wider cutting width yourself. On flat ground, that’s fine. On a slope, you’ll feel the extra effort. The single 4.0Ah battery is also the same size as the smaller Greenworks models, so the larger deck will drain it faster if you’re cutting thick grass. You’ll want to be efficient with your passes or have a second battery on hand.

• 18-inch deck cuts more grass per pass
• Brushless motor reaches up to 3,400 RPM
• 3-in-1: bagging, mulching, and rear discharge
• 11-gallon rear bag capacity
• 5-position height adjustment for seasonal changes

Best for: Homeowners with open, medium-sized lawns who want to finish the job in the fewest passes and value the flexibility of a side discharge option.

Worx Cordless 14in

The Worx WG735 is a specialist tool for a specific problem: edging. The cut-to-edge design means the blade extends right to the side of the deck, so you can run the mower flush against a fence line or flower bed and actually cut the grass there. For anyone who spends more time with a string trimmer than a mower because of awkward borders, this feature alone is worth considering.

It’s the smallest mower here at 14 inches, which makes it incredibly nimble. It’s also the best for very small lawns—the 1/8 acre rating is honest. The brushless motor is a welcome surprise in this size class, providing better efficiency and runtime than a brushed equivalent. The 6-position height adjustment offers the most range of any mower on this list, from a scalping 0.8 inches up to a conservative 3 inches, giving you real control over the cut.

You’ll sacrifice capacity for that agility. The 14-inch deck means more passes even on a small lawn. The bag is smaller than the others, and there’s no side discharge option. It’s also the most expensive per inch of cutting width here. This is not a mower for a quarter-acre yard; it’s a precision tool for a tiny, intricate lawn where a bigger machine would cause more harm than good.

• Cut-to-edge design minimizes the need for a string trimmer
• 14-inch deck for maximum maneuverability
• 6-position height adjustment (0.8″ to 3″)
• Brushless motor for longer runtime and efficiency
• 2-in-1 bagging and mulching modes

Best for: Homeowners with very small, intricate lawns full of obstacles who are tired of hand-trimming the edges after every mow.

How We Chose These Products

We started with the obvious criteria: brand reputation, battery voltage, and deck size. But the selection process went deeper than that. We looked at the motor type, because a brushless motor is a clear indicator of a mower’s intended lifespan and performance ceiling. We also weighed the battery ecosystem around each brand, since the value of a cordless tool doubles when the batteries work across a whole lineup of yard equipment.

Then we considered the real-world variables that specs sheets ignore. How does the weight distribution feel when you push it uphill? Does the bag fill evenly or clog at the chute? How long does the battery actually last when the grass is damp and thick? We prioritized models that offer flexibility in cutting modes and height adjustments, because a one-size-fits-all mower usually fits no one well. The final list covers a range of yard sizes and budgets, not just the most expensive option.

What to Look For in a 40V Mower

Deck size is the biggest factor in how long mowing takes. A 14-inch deck is fine for a tiny lot, but it will feel painfully slow on a half-acre. An 18-inch deck cuts faster but is heavier and harder to maneuver. Match the deck to the open space in your yard, not the total property size. If you have lots of obstacles, a smaller deck might actually be faster overall.

Runtime is more than just the amp-hour rating on the battery. A 4.0Ah battery on a standard motor will drain faster than the same battery on a brushless motor. Grass thickness and moisture also play a huge role. A dry, thin lawn is the best-case scenario; a wet, lush lawn in spring will cut your runtime by a third or more. Look for a mower with a brushless motor and consider buying a second battery if your yard is near the top of the mower’s rated capacity.

Think about the battery platform, not just the mower. A 40V mower is an investment, and the real payoff comes when you use the same batteries for a trimmer, blower, or chainsaw. Greenworks has a massive ecosystem, which is a strong argument for their models. The Worx and MZK systems are smaller, so you’ll have fewer tool options down the road. Check what else the brand offers before you commit to a single battery platform.

Our Top Recommendation

The Greenworks 40V 16-inch brushless mower is the best overall pick for most homeowners. It hits the sweet spot of performance, runtime, and weight. The brushless motor gives you the torque to handle a real lawn, not just a perfect one, and the 30-minute runtime is honest for a 4.0Ah battery. When you factor in the massive Greenworks 40V tool ecosystem, it’s the smartest long-term investment for building a cordless yard kit.

For a tighter budget or a smaller yard, the standard Greenworks 16-inch mower is a close runner-up. It’s lighter and cheaper, and it will handle a third of an acre without complaint. If you need the widest cut and the most clipping options, the Wild Badger Power 18-inch mower is the one to get, provided you have the strength to push it and a spare battery for bigger jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a 40V lawn mower battery actually last?
Most 4.0Ah batteries will run for 25 to 40 minutes on flat, dry grass. That time drops significantly when the grass is tall, wet, or thick. The Greenworks brushless model claims up to 30 minutes, which is a realistic benchmark. Always buy a second battery if your yard is close to the mower’s maximum rated area.

Can a 40V mower handle thick or wet grass?
A brushless motor model will handle it better than a standard motor, but no 40V mower is a substitute for a gas machine in extreme conditions. Wet grass will clog the deck and bag faster. It’s best to wait for the grass to dry, and you may need to raise the cutting height for the first pass over thick growth.

Is it worth paying more for a brushless motor?
Yes, for most people. A brushless motor is more efficient, which translates to longer runtime from the same battery. It also produces more torque and has fewer moving parts to fail. The price difference is usually modest, and the motor will likely outlast the deck and the battery.

Can I use the same battery for a trimmer and blower?
Only if they are from the same brand and voltage platform. Greenworks 40V batteries work across their line of 75+ tools. The MZK and Worx batteries are proprietary to their own systems. If you plan to expand your cordless tool collection, choosing a brand with a wide ecosystem like Greenworks makes sense from the start.