Best Cordless Leaf Blowers of 2025
The best handheld and backpack electric leaf blowers from CR's tests include models from Ego, Makita, and Toro
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In the past decade, CR testing trends show that cordless leaf blowers have evolved from a niche product for light leaf cleanup to a viable alternative to heavy-duty gas-powered blowers.
“Cordless leaf blowers are more convenient and quieter than gas, and the best ones are every bit as powerful,” says David Trezza, who leads leaf blower testing at CR.
Also called battery leaf blowers, battery-powered leaf blowers, or cordless electric leaf blowers, these tools have prices in line with what you’d pay for gas models. They’re also easier to maneuver than corded electric models, especially around trees and other objects in your yard.
- Best Battery Leaf Blowers: Handheld Backpack
- How CR Tests Leaf Blowers
- How CR Picks the Best Cordless Leaf Blowers
Best Battery Handheld Leaf Blowers
Power from handheld battery leaf blowers can be on a par with the best gas blowers. Their rechargeable batteries generally run for less than half an hour, so they’re best for quick tasks.
Best Battery Backpack Leaf Blowers
Battery backpack leaf blowers are typically more powerful than handheld battery models and have longer run times.
How CR Tests Leaf Blowers
Our leaf blower testing process starts well before the actual tests, when we rope off a swath of grass and dump the same amount of leaves inside the boundary for every model. To have a reliable pile before every fall for the newest models, we usually start collecting our leaves a year or more ahead of time. During a busy year, we use up about 2,500 pounds of leaves to find the best blowers.
During testing itself, we time how long each blower takes to clear the pile and examine how thoroughly each model removes leaves near the bottom of the pile, which can become embedded in the grass. In addition, we measure a leaf blower’s power, which is the force of its airflow. A more powerful leaf blower can clear debris like pine cones and larger twigs or clean gutters.
Our experts also assess handling, ease of use, and—for models that have it—the vacuuming function to see how well each model mulches down dried leaves. Finally, we factor in owner satisfaction and reliability by brand and type.
How CR Picks the Best Cordless Leaf Blowers
At Consumer Reports, we look for cordless leaf blowers that are quick, thorough, and quiet. They should also be easy to handle and use, and prove reliable season after season. We hold cordless blowers to the same high standard as we do gas, corded, and wheeled models. Here’s what our picks have in common:
They’re fast at moving leaves. The best blowers in our tests clear a large swath of grass in under a minute.
They’re good at loosening embedded leaves from a lawn. Even with a leaf blower that’s quick to move most leaves, you’ll notice a few stragglers. We look for machines that don’t require you to break out a rake to clean up.
They’re easy to handle. We consider weight, the placement of the controls, and ease of starting to find models that start and run effortlessly. We favor models that are light and easy enough to handle so that you won’t end up with sore arms.
They’re reliable. We survey thousands of CR members each year to provide brand-level reliability and owner satisfaction scores to zero in on leaf blowers that will continue to work well long after their first autumn.
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