Compare Riding Lawn Mowers

12 ranked products · Two to 4 at a time · Updated 23 Sept 2026

Pick any two to four of the 12 ranked riding lawn mowers and read them side by side. This page opens on the board's top 3, John Deere X354 Lawn Tractor, Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT50 Lawn Tractor and John Deere S120 Lawn Tractor.

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Riding Lawn Mowers compared side by side. Each column is one product, each row is one measure taken from the same research that built the board.
Measure	John Deere John Deere X354 Lawn Tractor	Cub Cadet Cub Cadet XT1 Enduro LT50 Lawn Tractor	John Deere John Deere S120 Lawn Tractor	Toro Toro TimeCutter MyRide Zero Turn Mower	Ryobi Ryobi ZR3 42-Inch Zero-Turn Riding Mower	John Deere John Deere X590 Lawn Tractor	EGO Power+ EGO Power+ T6 Lawn Tractor (TR4204)	John Deere John Deere ZTrak Zero-Turn Mower	John Deere John Deere Z530M Zero-Turn Mower	EGO EGO Power+ 52-Inch Z6 Zero Turn Mower	Cub Cadet Cub Cadet CC30 Mini Riding Mower	John Deere John Deere S100 Lawn Tractor
Tier	S	A	A	B	B	B	B	D	D	D	F	F
Rank on this board	1 of 12	2 of 12	3 of 12	4 of 12	5 of 12	6 of 12	7 of 12	8 of 12	9 of 12	10 of 12	11 of 12	12 of 12
Ladder points	998 LP	798 LP	726 LP	635 LP	607 LP	555 LP	514 LP	341 LP	328 LP	269 LP	131 LP	0 LP
Our verdict	Consumer Reports' best lawn tractor of 2026, sitting in the dealer-supported X series rather than the big-box S series. Tested cut quality with a real service network behind it.	Bob Vila's best value and Popular Mechanics' best gas tractor, but it is MTD-built and that platform has documented deck and spindle cracking. Good value, average long-term odds.	Forbes Vetted's top pick and Lawn Love's overall best, with a V-twin engine and the largest dealer network in the category. The mainstream durability sweet spot.	The most heavily pushed zero-turn in the coverage, named best overall by Forbes Vetted, yet it is a big-box residential machine with a stamped deck and no dealer-grade drivetrain. If ownership over years matters, cross-shop the John Deere Z330R instead.	The Spruce's top-ranked rider for performance and comfort with solid runtime. Tool-grade support and unproven multi-year battery durability hold it back under this lens.	Fuel-injected Kawasaki power, a welded frame and power steering put it a build class above every entry tractor here, and owner forums describe it as refined and long-lived. The tractor most likely to still be mowing in year ten.	Popular Mechanics' best electric tractor, with a drivetrain that eliminates most gas failure points. Unproven battery longevity past the warranty years keeps it out of the top tier.	The Spruce's best for hills. A specific, credible award, but single-outlet and single-use-case.	John Deere's own current residential zero-turn pages now feature the Z300 R series, and the Z530M is the old generation that dealers still have on lots and old guides still echo. It has been superseded and appears in none of the 2026 expert roundups. Buy the current John Deere ZTrak or the Toro TimeCutter MyRide instead.	The Spruce's best large-yard zero-turn, backed by Consumer Reports' finding that top battery riders match gas. The consensus battery zero-turn.	Popular Mechanics' best value gas pick and the simplest machine among the picks, which means fewer failure points. The lightest-duty build on the picks list, so it ranks last among them.	The default suggestion at every big-box store, but owners call the S series overpriced and it runs the smallest engine in the John Deere line. Step up to the S120 or the X354.
What reviewers rate	Named the best lawn tractor riding mower in Consumer Reports' 2026 list Part of the dealer-supported X series with strong features and warranties Tested cut quality backed by extensive CR testing Power steering	Bob Vila's Best Value in its expert-tested 2026 ranking Popular Mechanics' Best Gas Tractor in its 2026 guide Hydrostatic drive and a strong cutting deck at a mainstream price Named Best Value by BobVila and Best Gas Tractor by Popular Mechanics	Forbes Vetted's top pick for durability, versatility and ease of use Lawn Love's overall best riding lawn mower with clean cuts without clogging even in tall or thick grass Sturdy stamped steel deck Strong balance of performance and comfort	Forbes Vetted names it the best zero-turn mower overall after expert consultation and hands-on testing The Spruce lists the nimble TimeCutter among its tested favorites Named best zero-turn overall by Forbes Vetted MyRIDE suspension is its signature feature	The Spruce's top spot for performance and comfort Runs up to two hours on a single charge Up to two hours of runtime per charge No gas and no belts to maintain	Fuel-injected Kawasaki engine praised by owners as awesome Fully welded frame and power steering Extra horsepower for attachments and excellent implement compatibility Owner forums describe it as a very refined garden tractor	Popular Mechanics' Best Electric Tractor in its 2026 riding mower guide Electric drivetrain removes most of the failure points that plague gas tractors Named Best Electric Riding Lawn Mower by Forbes Vetted Named Best Electric Tractor by Popular Mechanics	Best for hills according to The Spruce Named Best for Hills in The Spruce's 2026 zero-turn test The only zero-turn flagged for sloped ground Good Housekeeping's testing named the Z325E ZTrak its Best Riding Mower	Mid-tier workhorse with solid power Top of the zero-turn field Extensive dealer network	Best large-yard zero-turn according to The Spruce Zero-turn sibling of Popular Mechanics' best electric tractor, on the same battery platform Dealer-free ownership model 52-inch deck for larger properties	Popular Mechanics' Best Value Gas pick in its 2026 guide Named Best Value Gas rider by Popular Mechanics Real riding-mower experience in a compact package Ideal for smaller properties	Owners praise its ease of use, smooth ride and clean cut Marketed as an easy-operating quality product Positioned as the best entry-level riding mower to start with Entry point of the brand the test data favors
Where it falls short	Commands a premium over the S-series for capabilities casual users barely touch Smaller 42-inch deck may limit cutting width Price is high for a 42-inch deck compared to lower-priced alternatives	Deck and spindle-housing cracking reported across the shared MTD platform MTD-built riders get harsh treatment from high-hours owners Enthusiast forums grumble about MTD-family build quality Built on the MTD platform, where mechanic channels document deck and spindle-housing failures	Considered overpriced relative to the X-series by some owners	Stamped deck rather than a dealer-grade fabricated one No dealer-grade drivetrain Big-box residential build rather than a dealer-supported machine One of the priciest ways to buy zero-turn performance	Support network less proven than the dealer-sold gas machines Long-term battery durability unproven Battery-platform longevity is still an open question compared with gas dealer machines Battery pack longevity over five-plus years of ownership is still unproven	Nothing recorded	Battery pack longevity beyond the warranty years is an open question A battery tractor still asks a premium over the equivalent gas value picks Decade-long battery longevity is still unproven Long-term battery replacement cost and longevity is not yet quantified	Carries a zero-turn premium Entry positioning within the ZTrak line OEM parts can be expensive	Lacks expert recognition Higher price than comparable models Expensive parts Owner community advises against it	Decade-long battery longevity is still unproven Large premium over the brand's own T6 tractor The added cost buys deck width and zero-turn arms rather than a proportionally better experience Service centers are scarce	Small single-cylinder engine MTD-built small riders reported by high-hours owners not to survive hard use Best-value marketing does not hold up against long-term owner experience Mini riders serve only a small slice of buyers	Runs the smallest engine in the John Deere line Owners call the big-box S series overpriced Stepping up the line buys meaningfully better quality Outclassed by its own S120 and S130 siblings for a modest step up in spend
Evidence behind it	2 sources across 2 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	3 sources across 3 outlets	7 sources across 6 outlets	4 sources across 3 outlets	6 sources across 5 outlets	11 sources across 11 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	4 sources across 4 outlets	4 sources across 4 outlets	1 source across 1 outlet Thin sourcing, read it as provisional	5 sources across 5 outlets
Flagged as one to avoid	Not flagged	Not flagged	Not flagged	1 of 12 research runs	Not flagged	Not flagged	Not flagged	Not flagged	2 of 3 research runs	1 of 5 research runs	2 of 11 research runs	6 of 9 research runs
Announced	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded
Where to buy	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it

Every column is the same research that built the board. Nothing here is a specification sheet copied from a maker. Read how we rank for what a tier and a ladder point mean.