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Minutes or acres: what a battery mower runtime claim is worth
Updated
Minutes are the claim you can use. Acres are minutes multiplied by a pace and a deck width the maker does not state. When a listing gives both, you can work backward to the pace. Of the three acre claims on our picks, one needs 1.3 mph, which is a slow walk. The other two need 3.1 and 3.5 mph with no overlap, no turns and no stops.
The pace behind each acre claim
| Mower | Acre claim | Claimed runtime | Deck | Pace the claim needs | Our one-charge estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenworks 60V 21 in SP | 3/4 acre (32,670 sq ft) | 60 min | 21 in | 3.5 mph | About 13,900 sq ft |
| Greenworks 40V 16 in | 1/3 acre (14,520 sq ft) | 40 min | 16 in | 3.1 mph | About 6,800 sq ft |
| WORX WG779 14 in | 1/8 acre (5,445 sq ft) | 40 min | 14 in | 1.3 mph | About 5,800 sq ft |
- Greenworks 60V 21 in SP 3/4 acre in 60 min3.5 mph
- Greenworks 40V 16 in 1/3 acre in 40 min3.1 mph
- WORX WG779 14 in 1/8 acre in 40 min1.3 mph
We gave each claim every advantage: the full deck width on every pass, no overlap, no turns, no stops to empty a bag, and every claimed minute delivered. The CDC counts 2.5 mph or faster as brisk walking. So 3.5 mph behind a mower, held for a full hour, is close to a jog.
The same mower, three different numbers
The Greenworks 40V 16 inch shows how loose these figures are. On Greenworks' own product page, the summary says up to 1/3 acre and the spec table below it says 1/4 acre. The page says up to 40 minutes. The Amazon spec table for the same model says 35. At 35 minutes, 1/3 acre needs 3.5 mph. None of these are lies. They are all "up to" figures with no stated test.
Listings that give minutes only
EGO's page for the LM2114 claims up to 55 minutes with the 56V 6.0Ah battery and gives no acre figure. It also does not say what grass the 55 minutes was measured in. The LawnMaster listing claims up to 40 minutes, also with no acre figure. That is fine. Minutes are what you need, as long as you know how many minutes your lawn takes.
How to use a claim
- Work out your mowing minutes with the calculator.
- Find the minutes claim on the listing or the maker's page. If there is only an acre claim, be careful.
- Plan on about 80 percent of the claim for normal weekly growth and 60 percent for thick or damp grass. Those shares are our estimate, not a maker figure.
- If your minutes are over that, plan for a second battery.
Work out your own lawn with the mowing time calculator, or compare all six picks on the roundup page.