This Riding Lawn Mower Earned The Top Spot In Consumer Reports' 2026 Rankings

If you have a large yard, a riding lawn mower is a no-brainer. They allow you to mow your lawn in half the time and use far less energy than you would with a push mower. That said, a good riding lawn mower will set you back a few thousand dollars, so you'll want to avoid unreliable brands and look for ones that offer consistent and long-lasting performance.

A great starting point to figure out which brands are worth buying is Consumer Reports (CR), which released its list of the 13 Best Riding Lawn Mowers of 2026 based on expert testing and data collected from over 39,000 CR members. The John Deere X354 topped the list this year with an overall rating of 84. In its description, CR stated that, while the mower is expensive at $5,100, "its performance is near perfection, acing our bagging, cutting evenness, handling, mulching, and side-discharging tests."

Being the most popular lawn mower brand in the USA, it isn't a surprise that John Deere would make the top of the CR list. What is a little surprising is that the X354 was followed by three other John Deere models: the S240-48 (84 score), the X350-42 (83), and the S170 (80). John Deere also ranked as the top choice for zero-turn mowers, beating the likes of Kubota and Club Cadet as the brand with the best consumer rankings.

In the detailed  Consumer Reports X354 rating, the model ranked well in overall performance. The mower dispersed lawn clippings smoothly when not bagging, and the completed cut was even with no noticeable dips and minimal clumping. CR also noted that the mower was incredibly easy to handle, which may be a nice aspect if you are someone who is just learning how to drive a riding lawn mower. Other pros included the cruise control operation, a comfortable high-backed chair, and simple mode switching.

It is worth noting that the X354 did have one considerable drawback. The deck of the mower is only 42 inches wide, putting it on the skinnier end for a rider mower. That means it will take you a little longer to mow a larger swath of lawn.

Otherwise, the machine carries a 4-year warranty and has the benefit of being adaptable to other John Deere add-ons. These include the 44-inch front blade or snow blower that can be attached to the X354 so you can use your riding mower as a snow-removal machine. Overall, experts and consumers seem to agree the X354 is one of the more user-friendly and effective mowers on the market for 2026, provided you have the budget and don't mind the smaller deck size.