The Best Electric Snow Blowers to Weather Any Storm

The biggest innovation in battery-powered snow blowers is the arrival of two-stage operation. The category used to be exclusively single-stage, meaning there was only a paddle-like auger moving snow. Two-stagers add an impeller to send snow more forcefully out the chute. Ego’s steel-framed Power+ shows what a difference this added push makes to overall performance.

Besides its excellent snow clearing in our tests, the 24-inch Ego proved both quieter and lighter than gas-powered blowers. Ego says the run time on the two 56-volt, 7.5Ah batteries is enough to clear an 18-car driveway (an area of about 130 by 12 feet) of 8 inches of snow. That claim held up in our testing, though only with light, dry powder. The Power+ can handle wet, heavy snow, but it's run time will be reduced, especially if you run the auger in turbo mode to get maximum throwing distance.

The Power+ is a big machine, weighing 150 pounds. But testers found it easy to maneuver, thanks to its smooth handling and self-propelled engine. We like how freely the discharge chute moves through its 200-degree arc, allowing you to direct snow where you want it. The LED headlights are also helpful when clearing snow in low-light conditions, while the adjustable plastic skid shoes will protect garage floor coatings and walkway pavers.

Electric snow blowers as a category tend to be pricey, so it's tough to find high-performing models for less than $500. That's what makes this 20-inch-wide snow blower from Greenworks such a steal. It's a single-stage machine, so it's not going to tear through 3-foot-high snow drifts. But it can carve an 8-inch deep path with ease, thanks to its brushless motor powered by a 40-volt battery. Keep in mind, however, that the manual-drive means you'll need to do the pushing.

The Greenworks comes equipped with two bright LED headlights, useful in the event your snow removal efforts keep you out past sundown. The lightweight snow blower also features an easy-fold design for compact storage — perfect if your garage or shed is tight on space.

A couple more downsides to note: This snow blower's throwing distance is only 20 feet, significantly shorter than many competitors, and it's not powerful enough to handle a blanket of wet, heavy snow.

Here's another value pick that can handle moderate snow accumulations, say up to 8 inches of the light, fluffy stuff. It's from Snow Joe, an outdoor power equipment that's earned a solid reputation for performance and reliability with our experts (who also have good things to say about Sun Joe, the partner brand of warm-weather equipment like leaf blowers and pressure washers).

The 100-volt Snow Joe delivers impressive power and throwing distance, especially if you upgrade to the twin 5.0 Ah batteries, for a max runtime of 60 minutes. It's manual-drive, but at 69 pounds, lightweight enough that most users should have no trouble moving it through a blanket of snow.

On the downside, the 21-inch clearing path is fairly narrow, and the runtime drops to 30 minutes if you stick with a single 100-volt 5.0 Ah battery — more reason why our experts say this Snow Joe is best for less intense wintry conditions.

This single-stage snow blower from Ego clears snow as capably as some two-stagers models from our tests. Indeed, the machine has the power to scoop up a path that’s 21 inches wide, then chuck it up to 40 feet away. It comes with two large 56-volt 5.0 Ah batteries, which Ego claims gives it enough runtime to unearth a 12-car driveway covered in 8 inches of snow (deeper snow will be too much for its single-stage operation).

While pricey for a single-stage blower, the Power+ features a high-efficiency brushless motor, a variable-speed auger that allows you to adjust the throwing distance, two LED headlights for increased visibility during nighttime snow removal and a quick-fold handle for easy storage.

This 22-inch two-stage snow blower from Ryobi runs on two rechargeable 40-volt 8Ah batteries, which can keep it going for up to 30 minutes on a single charge. The self-propelled machine can clear a 20-car driveway and throw snow up to 45 feet — a claim that’s true with light, dry snow, but the machine may struggle with heavier wet snow.

This machine is part of Ryobi's Whisper Series of products, which our tests have found deliver quieter operation than comparable equipment. We also like this snow blower’s array of user-friendly features, such as the variable speed self-propelled system, LED lights, and 180-degree chute for directional snow throwing.

Assembly was fairly straightforward in our months-log field test, taking about 45 minutes, though our team noted that Ryobi’s online video installation guide moved a bit too quickly to follow easily. The battery runtime is also on the low side in comparison to other models.

Through decades of gas snow blower testing at the Institute, Toro has routinely made its way onto winners' list. We’re seeing that same quality as the brand pushes deeper into the battery-powered snow blower market.

We sent the Toro 60V to one of our outside experts, a professional landscaper based in the Northeast, for review. He likes the ample 24-inch clearing deck and two-stage operation that can throw snow up to 45 feet. While it has an expensive price tag, impressive clearing performance and user-friendly features make it a worthy investment.

“Assembly and set-up were simple enough, something most homeowners will be able to handle,” he reported, adding that “the blower is incredibly easy to operate, despite weighing north of 200 pounds, thanks to its self-propelled motor and automatic steering.”

Our Lab experts also called out the chute mechanism, which allows snow to be directed in virtually any direction. The headlight is also one of the brightest we’ve tested.

Though corded electric snow blowers have become less common due to the nuisance of the cord and their less powerful engines, some manufacturers still make them. The big benefit is you never have to charge a battery (or add gas) and there's very little engine maintenance required. Snow Joe’s single-stage corded snow blower will do the job if you only need to clear light snowfall from a deck, patio or small driveway. It has a 22-inch clearing path and a throwing distance of 25 feet. Although it isn't self-propelled, its lightweight design makes it easy to handle. Our experts also like the dual LED headlamps and 180-degree chute.