These Are Consumer Reports' Lowest-Ranked Zero-Turn Lawn Mower Brands

Consumer Reports' mission as an "independent, nonprofit member organization" makes it unique in today's profit-driven landscape. That's why Consumer Reports' list of "Best and Worst Lawn Mower Brands of 2025" is worthy of our attention. 

Consumer Reports uses key criteria to rank lawn mower brands: model and brand performance and reliability. Model performance refers to "the performance of individual models" while performing their "core functions." These functions can vary between models but include the way they cut grass, and bag or mulch those clippings, depending on how the mower is equipped. Other factors, such as how easy (or difficult) it is to use and the amount of noise the mower makes, also factor into this score. Brand performance scores are not model-specific but provide a baseline of the mower's value.

Overall, Husqvarna lawn mowers have the lowest predicted reliability rating from Consumer Reports. In 2024, Husqvarna barely escaped the bottom half of SlashGear's ranking of major lawn mower brands. Bad Boy was the next-worst mower brand according to Consumer Reports, with Ariens rounding out the bottom three lowest-ranked lawn mower brands on the Consumer Reports list.

Consumer Reports issues each lawn mower brand a reliability score derived from surveying "hundreds of thousands of CR members about the products they buy." From these surveys, Consumer Reports predicts the likelihood that owners of a particular lawn mower brand will experience problems within the first five years of ownership. In addition, reliability scores are adjusted based on extended warranty coverage, service contract status, and product usage as applicable.

Husqvarna has a long history of manufacturing mass-produced goods, starting with producing weapons for war as the Jönköping Rifle Factory in Sweden in the 1600s. Today, Husqvarna makes a variety of "forest and garden" equipment and motorcycles bearing the gun-sight-inspired logo, a callback to the company's roots.

With the company's vast manufacturing experience, there's no doubt that Husqvarna knows a thing or two about producing lawn mowers. In fact, the brand secured a spot on SlashGear's 2024 list of the most reliable push lawn mower brands ever built.

Husqvarna's online product catalog boasts over 30 zero-turn lawn mower models. The reviewers at Bob Villa wrote about the Husqvarna Xcite Z350 zero-turn in 2023, saying while they were "not sure if it's top-end consumer-grade or an entry-level professional mower," they liked it for mowing larger acreage lawns. They even cited Husqvarna's "lengthy track record of creative innovation and enduring quality."

To clear up any confusion, Husqvarna lists its $5,499.00 Xcite Z350 under the company's line of residential mowers where it has a 3.8-star (on a 5-star scale) rating averaged across 37 reviews. Positive reviews mention the mower's comfortable ride and powerful mowing. Some owners had problems with the battery, drive pumps, and broken mower-deck spindles.

Bad Boy lawn mowers are built in the USA, although some of its products, such as tractors, contain parts from overseas that are assembled in the States. The first Bad Boy lawn mower debuted at the 2002 Louisville, Kentucky, Lawn and Garden Expo. The brand walked away from that initial test with the Product of the Year award and began marketing its zero-turn mowers to rural landowners and homeowners in addition to commercial clients.

Over two decades after its introduction, Bad Boy offers a lineup of zero-turn riding lawn mowers, plus stand-on and walk-behind models, and gas and electric, self-propelled push mowers. Tractor Supply currently carries seven Bad Boy zero-turn mowers, where user ratings score the top six models between 4.5 and 4.7 stars.

Only the Bad Boy Magnum 60-inch zero-turn model, which Tractor Supply priced at $4,499.00, falls out of the 4-star range with a 3.9-star rating. With only eight total reviews, the Magnum's 3.9 stars is skewed by only two negative reviews, a 1-star rating for a unit that was damaged in shipping and a 2-star rating with no context.

Tractor Supply's highest-rated Bad Boy model, the $3,999.99 Kohler-engine-powered, 54-inch-cut, MZ Magnum, has a 4.7-star rating averaged over 3,092 reviews. With 4.7 stars, it's evident that most users are happy with their purchase, but some experienced issues with hard starting, failed clutches, and broken mower decks. The most alarming problems reported seem to be a lack of customer service from Tractor Supply and slow response time from Bad Boy's warranty department.

Ariens started as a family-owned manufacturing company producing gas-powered rotary tillers over 90 years ago. The company has grown to include facilities in the United Kingdom and Norway, but retains its family name.

Lowe's carries a line of Ariens zero-turn mowers that includes model names such as Edge, Ikon, Zenith, and Apex. Sorting Ariens zero-turn mowers by ratings at Lowe's returns the $5,999.00 Apex 23-horsepower 52-inch-cut on top. The Ariens Apex, like a number of top zero-turn mowers, features a Kawasaki V-twin engine. Overall, 86% of Lowe's customers give the Ariens Apex zero-turn positive reviews, earning it a 4.4-star rating with 121 reviews. While many of the negative reviews refer to Lowe's as the main source of irritation, others report issues like wheels falling off, turning to one side instead of reversing in a straight line, and poor customer service.

The Ariens Zenith 60-inch 23.5-hp V-twin has a 4.6-star rating with only 34 reviews. The Zenith is priced at $8,299.00 from Lowe's and features the Kawasaki FX730 engine. Only three of the 34 reviews fall below a 4-star rating. One of those involved a complaint that Lowe's left important documents attached to the mower, where they were ruined during delivery. Another Lowe's customer reports receiving their Ariens Zenith with a loose seat, rattling mower-deck wheels, and a stripped lugnut on one of the wheels.