Which Is Better, Petrol or Electric Lawnmowers? Let’s Find Out!

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Which is better, petrol or electric lawnmowers?

Your lawnmower is a crucial tool for garden maintenance and one of the most valuable products you’ll invest in for your yard. However, it’s not always easy to decide which kind of lawnmower is best for your needs.

Some people swear that petrol lawnmowers are the most powerful and practical options, offering a better quality of grass cutting, though often at a higher price.

Others say that an electric lawn mower is the best choice, particularly if you’re looking for gardening tools that don’t require a lot of maintenance or initial investment.

Today, we’re going to explore which kind of mower is best for different scenarios.

The Petrol Mower

Let’s start by looking at the petrol lawnmower.

A petrol mower is a powerful device designed to cover extensive gardens in no time. Compared to electric lawn mower options, petrol mowers are often more expensive as they can handle a wider grass area. If you have a big garden, then petrol lawnmowers can help you to get through your chores a lot faster.

A petrol lawnmower is quite a large machine, with significant cutting widths intended for more extensive lawns. They are also more versatile because they won’t be tied down by a cable or plug that needs to stay connected to an outlet.

You can get self-propelled petrol lawnmowers, just like your standard rotary mower. You can also find much larger mowers that you can use to ride around your garden. But keep in mind that the bigger the petrol mower, the more you can expect to pay.

It’s also worth noting that petrol lawnmowers often require a lot more maintenance than their counterparts. It would help if you topped the mower up with petrol to ensure it has power, and you’ll be expected to invest in things like fuel filters to keep your garden in good condition.

Pros and Cons of Petrol Lawnmowers

Often, homeowners buy petrol mowers when they need a lot of power for a more extensive garden. Petrol lawnmowers have the following pros and cons:

Pros:

• Power: A petrol mower comes with a strong engine, which means you get a better, faster cut.
• Versatility: Petrol lawnmowers are exceptionally good at cutting more challenging grass and rougher sections of the garden.
• Better features: The petrol lawnmower often comes with various extra features, like rear rollers and mulching plugs, that help you get the most out of your lawn maintenance.
• Range: A petrol lawnmower is a good choice if you have a more extensive lawn because it can cover more grass fast.
• Strength: Petrol lawnmowers can often stand the test of time. They’re designed to require more maintenance, but they do last.

Cons:

• More maintenance: A petrol lawnmower needs more work to keep it in excellent condition. You’ll need to stock up on petrol and make sure that you clean the cutting blades regularly.
• Heavy: The wider cutting blades on petrol lawnmowers and various other features can make them difficult to move when you’re done cutting your lawns.
• Environmental problems: One of the biggest problems with petrol mowers is that they’re not great for the environment. Petrol is known to create air pollution.

• More expensive. As mentioned above, petrol lawnmowers are often more costly as they are generally larger and have more power.
• Harder to start: Petrol lawnmowers can also be trickier to start than their electric counterparts. These mowers’ common problem is that they are stubborn to start, and sometimes it is hard to pinpoint which is causing this problem.

Electric Lawn Mowers

The electric lawn mower is a powerful device that offers an excellent level of versatility for garden maintenance. As the most lightweight lawnmower available, electric mowers are often easy to move around your garden. There are two different kinds of electric lawn mowers for most people to choose from today: corded or cordless.

Corded electric mowers share some of the same benefits as gas mowers. For instance, because you’re not connected to an outlet by a cable, you can cover a wider area of grass. Meanwhile, cordless lawnmower products come with lithium-ion batteries attached to rotary mowers, so you have to recharge the battery whenever you want to deal with your lawns.

Like petrol mowers, electric lawn mowers can come in both self-propelled versions and in designs that allow you to ride them around your garden. Even robotic electric lawn mowers on the market use battery power and AI algorithms to mow your garden without any effort from you.

Electric lawnmowers generally can’t cover surfaces as large as the ones that petrol lawn mowers can handle. Additionally, these products usually have less power, making it harder to push them up slopes, even when you have plenty of battery power.

Pros and Cons of Electric Mowers

Electric mowers are affordable, versatile solutions available either with batteries or corded connections. You can find a wide range of electric mowers to suit different needs. Here are some of the pros and cons of this range of lawnmowers.

Pros:

• Easy to use: Electric mowers make mowing as simple as possible. You can cut your grass to the perfect length using adjustable buttons and settings. You also don’t need to spend an excessive amount of time trying to get your mower started.
• Easy to Maintain: Although electric lawn mowers don’t feature as much power, they are relatively easy to maintain. All you need to do is change the battery or spark plugs at times.
• Affordable: You can get a decent electric lawn mower size to cover your entire garden site without paying a fortune. There are plenty of mower models out there to suit any budget.
• Lightweight: it’s easy enough to move your lawnmower around the garden when you get the electric type. The blade can still be heavy, but it’s often not as challenging to move as a petrol mower, despite its size.
• Convenient: You don’t have to refuel your electric mowers with petrol from time to time, which is an excellent way to save some extra money. However, you will have to recharge the battery at times. Some batteries will last longer than others.
• Significant Results: You should be able to get a quality cut in your garden with an electric mower. Many even come with bins to collect grass clippings, so you don’t have to worry about stripes of dead grass in your yard.

Cons:

• Limited power: As mentioned above, petrol mowers generally are the type with the most power, although this can depend on the kind of mower you get and the battery potential. You may have a hard time getting an electric mower up slopes.
• Recharging: if you don’t have a cable lawnmower, then you will need to recharge the battery regularly. Some models come with an extra battery to help with this. Recharging can be a headache.
• Fewer features: Your electric cylinder mower might not feature the same advanced capabilities as a petrol mower.
• Some safety risks: If you’re using a cable lawnmower, the corded feature could be dangerous. It’s easy to run over one of these cables when you’re not careful.

What Is the Most Reliable Lawn Mower?

The perfect lawn mower will depend on many things, including the kind of lawn you have and whether you’ve used an electric lawnmower or petrol mower in the past. Petrol cylinder mowers can sometimes be more reliable if you have a more extensive garden or a lawn with many sloping. That’s because a petrol lawnmower often has more power behind it. However, an electric lawn mower can also offer excellent reliability, particularly if you have a good battery.

Take Your Pick

So which is better, petrol or electric lawnmower? It depends on you. When shopping for lawn mowers, ask yourself what sort of garden you’re going to be looking after. The best lawn mowers on the market today often come with descriptions that can help you to make better decisions about the features you need.

Don’t settle for a lawn mower that won’t cut all of the grass in your garden. There are many lawn mower models out there, and you should be able to find one that suits your budget. Take advantage of the internet to check out all the features that matter for your lawn mower models before investing.

Remember, the reliability of your lawn mower will also depend on how well you care for it. Whether you choose an electric or petrol lawn mower, you should always keep it stored in a safe place when it’s not mowing the lawn. Maintain your lawn mower after regular cleaning, and follow all tips and instructions found in your user’s manual.