When to buy a lawnmower – we reveal the exact dates you can save money on these expensive machines

We're coming up on the start of the mowing season, and you may be looking to upgrade your mower this year. However, lawnmowers are among the costliest appliances throughout the home and garden, and it can feel daunting to find the right option at the lowest possible price.

The good news is that there are specific times of year when mower prices drop to their lowest. However, there are some drawbacks to each sale date and season.

I've reviewed the best lawnmowers for a variety of magazines, and I've covered sales events for years. Here's exactly when to buy a lawnmower to save a little money.

When are the lowest prices for push mowers?

The best time to buy a push lawn mower is on three sales days: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Black Friday. There are exceptions, but mower prices - whether gas, electric, or cordless - drop on each of the key sales dates throughout the year. You may see some discounts on minor holiday sales like Presidents' Day or Labor Day, but those three dates see the biggest discounts.

Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are close together and therefore tend to see similar prices, but Black Friday sees the biggest drops. Lawnmowers are large and therefore expensive to store, and demand drops in the fall, so retailers drop their prices lowest on Black Friday to sell on stock before new models arrive in spring.

However, while Black Friday sees the cheapest prices, it isn't always the best time to find a lawnmower deal. Because of the time of year, many mower accessories aren't available, and stock is limited, so you need to be fast. If you buy in-store rather than online, you may find that your local hardware store has moved all their mowers into storage, so you may not be able to get a deal at all. It's also a few months before lawn mower manufacturers announce new models for the following year, so you could miss out on the latest lawn tech. That said, prices will be at their absolute lowest on Black Friday.

When is the best time to buy a ride-on mower?

While there are exceptions, zero-turn and tractor mowers tend to have fixed prices and see little price fluctuation throughout the year. Even when they go on sale on the big holidays they're often only discounted a couple hundred dollars. That sounds like a big saving, and it's always nice to have, but when these mowers cost thousands of dollars it's actually only a 5% or 10% discount. As with push mowers, your best option is to buy a ride-on mower during a sale, but the discounts won't be as steep as with push mowers.

However, many ride-on mower retailers try to kick-start sales at the start of the mowing season by offering better financing deals than they offer in the rest of the year. Many large manufacturers like John Deere and Cub Cadet have 0% APR options, and in spring these financing offers often throw in extras. That's just online, too - local retailers often have better offers. As with buying anything on finance, there can be drawbacks, and that 0% APR rate typically runs out after 12-36 months and ramps up to significant rates of interest that can build up to big monthly outlays.

Early spring is the best time to buy a second-hand ride-on mower. Unlike push mowers, dealers tend not to reduce prices in winter because they want as much money as possible while demand is low. In early spring, dealers want to move their stock ahead of new models arriving, and you'll also find that random sellers on eBay and Facebook marketplace want to move on their old models before buying new ones ahead of the mowing season. That means you can find good prices on second-hand riding mowers in early spring.

When is the best time to buy a robot mower?

Like push mowers, the best time to buy a robot mower is during the big sales events. Black Friday and Cyber Monday tend to see the lowest prices. Robot mowers are often grouped under 'tech' rather than 'tools' by big retailers' discount algorithms and therefore see the biggest drops over these sales events rather than in the spring and summer sales.

Should I buy a mower in spring?

Early spring - late February through early March - is a good time to buy a lawnmower. Most manufacturers have launched their latest products and they'll all be in stock. Depending on local conditions, this tends to be just before prices ramp up and before stores figure out which mowers are bestsellers and increase their prices accordingly.

But that means that mower prices increase throughout the spring as the mowing season gets underway. Gardening expert and Content Editor for Homes & Gardens Drew Swainston says 'If you can, buy a mower in early spring before the weather turns, otherwise you could end up overpaying.'

Drew Swainston

Drew qualified as a journalist and wrote for many websites and publications, before studying for a horticulture qualification. He worked as a professional gardener for several years, specializing in kitchen gardening. He's now bringing his expertise and passion to Homes & Gardens.

Should I buy a lawn mower in summer?

Summer is the worst time to buy a lawnmower unless you're buying in Memorial Day or July 4th sales. Demand for mowers is highest in summer; grass is growing faster than ever, even the least green-thumbed homeowners are mowing their lawns, and that means more broken mowers needing replacement. That means that prices are at their highest, too.

However, as outlined above, Memorial Day and July 4th sales can see huge discounts. So, while you shouldn't buy a mower on a random weekend in May, you can find big savings during sales.

Should I buy a lawn mower in fall or winter?

Once grass enters dormancy, mower prices start to fall. You can find good deals in September through to Black Friday, but this comes with a big caveat. Stock is much lower and the best models usually sell out, so you have a much smaller pool of machines to pick from. While you can find big discounts, sometimes the only discounts are on inferior machines.

It can also be inconvenient to buy a mower in the fall, especially in late fall. It's harder to maneuver a mower into your yard and set it up during muddy fall weather. It also means that your mower will sit idle for a few months until the mowing season, and dormant gas and oil lines can cause a range of mower problems when you come to mow in the spring.

These problems are especially true in winter, so while the absolute lowest prices are found on Black Friday, you could end up with a poor machine.

Know how to buy a lawn mower and how much to spend is only half the battle. Before you do anything, you should weigh up the benefits and drawbacks to riding mowers vs push mowers to work out which is the best option for your yard.