Are today’s electric zero turn mowers any good?

Clearly, the electric vehicle industry is the way of the future, and zero turn mowers are no exception. Demand is increasing. However, while car technology is fast advancing and becoming truly ‘road-ready’, the mower industry is some way off being able to offer this same level of quality at an affordable price. With electric zero turn mowers, there are also the usual concerns around battery life, run times, and ultimately battery disposal.

What is available in New Zealand?

There are some versions available today from big box generalist stores like Bunnings; for instance Ryobi offer an electric zero turn mower in New Zealand, available from around $8000. That’s quite an investment. But is it really worth it?

How’s the quality?

Electric motor aside, the build of the mower itself is exceptionally low grade with pressed steel and plastic componentry. Compared to similar petrol model for the same price, the petrol model would offer 10x better build design and longevity.

What about the motor?

While it is low to no emission, should you encounter any faults, you are unlikely to have as easy an experience having these fixed as you would with a mower purchased from an outdoor equipment dealership.

Are there better options?

Overseas we are seeing some mid-range units coming out which appear to be of good quality and with better battery life and technology. However these manufacturers do not yet offer a NZ or Australian plug option (as of the time of publishing this article – Feb 2021) and would likely retail at around $15,000 entry level up to $25,000 for something comparable to a Bobcat ZT300 (at $13,495).

Overall, we are very interested to see how technology progresses and excited to see more and more people turning to electric zero turn mowers in the future. But for now, we’re at least able to offer products and service that see uses petrol and diesel as efficiently as possible. Ask us how. Get in touch anytime – there is nothing we love more than talking zero turn mowers.