Home › Appliances › Outdoor & Pool › Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) › California

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Electric Lawn Mower (Corded or Battery) in California? (2026)

A corded mower draws 1,000 to 1,800 watts while cutting. Battery mowers use a similar amount per mow after charging losses. Weekly mowing of a typical lawn costs a few kWh a month.

A typical electric lawn mower (corded or battery) (1,200 W) costs $0.42 per hour, or about $9.45 per month at 0.75 hours a day in California. Average running cost

Electricity price region Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low (800 W)	$0.28	$0.21	$6.30	$76.65
Typical (1,200 W)	$0.42	$0.31	$9.45	$114.97
High (1,800 W)	$0.63	$0.47	$14.17	$172.46

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.75 h/day ≈ 328 kWh per year.

In California, with electricity at $0.35 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical electric lawn mower (corded or battery) costs $0.42 per hour and about $114.97 per year at 0.75 hours a day. That is about 94% more than the US national average of $4.86 per month, because electricity in California costs $0.35 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 2.4 hours of use.

How to lower the cost of running a electric lawn mower (corded or battery)

Keep the blade sharp. A dull blade makes the motor draw more and cuts worse.
Mow when the grass is dry. Wet grass loads the motor.
Raise the cutting height in summer to mow less often.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to mow the lawn with an electric mower?

About 1 kWh for a 45 minute mow. Check the daily figure above.

Is a battery mower cheaper to run than corded?

Slightly more expensive per mow because of charging losses, but with no cord to manage.

Are electric mowers cheaper than petrol?

Yes, by a wide margin. A kWh of electricity costs far less than the petrol for the same mow.

Cost by region

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator →