Lawn Mower Running Cost Calculator
What does your mower actually cost to run?
Enter your mower and we will show the real cost per mow, per month and per season — then price the same lawn on petrol, battery and corded, so you can see instantly which is cheapest.
- Petrol vs battery vs corded
- Uses your own fuel & electricity rates
- No signup to use it
1 Your mower
2 How you mow
Advanced: duty cycle & maintenance
Costs you
The same lawn, every mower cheapest first
| Mower | Per mow | Per month | Per season | Difference |
|---|
Season totals include yearly maintenance.
Estimates for comparison, not a quote. Prices move — change the rates above for your area.
What this calculator does
It works out what a petrol, battery or corded electric mower really costs you to run — per mow, per month and across the whole mowing season — then prices the SAME lawn on all three mower types so you can see which is cheapest for the way you mow.
The formula
Cost per hour = fuel (or electricity) used per hour × price
- Petrol: litres (or gallons) per hour × fuel price per litre (or gallon)
- Battery: (battery Wh ÷ 1000) × charges per mow × electricity price per kWh
- Corded: (watts ÷ 1000) × hours × electricity price per kWh
Cost per mow = cost per hour × hours per mow. Per month = per mow × mows per month. Per season = per month × mowing months.
Example: a petrol mower burning 1 litre an hour, mowing for 1 hour, 4 times a month, with fuel at $3.40 a gallon (0.26 gal/h): 0.26 × 3.40 = about $0.90 per mow, $3.60 a month.
Getting an accurate answer
- Use your real fuel and electricity prices — they vary widely by region.
- Time one actual mow; most people overestimate how long it takes.
- Treat battery runtime as the manufacturer's claim minus 10–20% for thick or damp grass.
Frequently asked questions
Which type of mower is cheapest to run? Per mow, corded electric is almost always cheapest, with battery mowers very close behind — electricity costs a fraction of petrol per hour of cutting. Petrol costs more in fuel, but the gap narrows once you add battery replacement costs over several years.
How much petrol does a lawn mower use per hour? A typical walk-behind uses 0.5–1.5 litres per hour depending on engine size: around 0.5 L/h for a 125cc engine, 0.75–1 L/h for 150–175cc, and 1.5 L/h or more for 200cc and up.
How much electricity does a corded mower use? Most corded mowers draw 1200–1800 watts. A 1500W mower running for one hour uses 1.5 kWh — at $0.18/kWh that is about $0.27 per mow.
Do battery mowers really save money? On running costs, yes — charging a 280 Wh battery costs a few cents. The saving shrinks if you must replace a $100+ battery every 3–5 years, so factor that into the total cost of ownership.
Does a bigger engine cost more to run? Yes. Fuel use rises with engine size, so a 200cc mower can cost roughly three times as much per hour in fuel as a 125cc one cutting the same lawn.
Should I include maintenance in the comparison? For a fair yearly picture, yes — petrol mowers need oil, filters, plugs and blade sharpening (roughly $50–75 a year), corded mowers need almost nothing (about $10 a year), and battery mowers sit in between. Tick "Include maintenance" in the Advanced section to add it to the totals.