Gas vs. Electric String Trimmer: Which Is Better?

Both have advantages, but our performance testing and the layout and size of your lawn can inform which makes the most sense to buy

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Electric string trimmers start up effortlessly, perform quietly, and have zero emissions. On the flip side, gas string trimmers have endless run times (as long as you refuel) and, historically, better performance.

Both styles of these tools, which are also sometimes called a weed whacker or the brand name Weed Eater, remain popular, with battery-powered electrics outselling gas by a small margin for the past few years. But which is best for your needs?

The answer depends on performance, yes, but also on how you’ll use the tool and the size and layout of your yard. “Not everyone needs to clear acres of tall, thick grass with their string trimmer,” says Misha Kollontai, CR’s engineer in charge of string trimmer testing. “Some electrics on the market are really designed for small yards and they’re not built to compete with the most powerful gas and electric models.”

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In your own yard, you should consider the following.

Yard size: The best electric string trimmers can cut for just over an hour on a single charge. Depending on how much trimming you have, that’s probably good for 1 to 2 acres, tops, on a single charge.

Edging: Edging refers to using your string trimmer vertically to dig out a small trough along pathways and patios, which in turn creates a neat look. But some people don’t bother with edging at all. If you do, remember that this task will drain a battery, or empty a gas tank, faster than regular trimming. If you go with electric, expect reduced run times.

Yard layout: You need a string trimmer to reach areas you can’t get to with a lawn mower. Those include edges along pathways and patios, near a mailbox, around trees or plantings, or around flower beds. The more of those you have, the longer you need to trim, which means gas might make sense if it typically takes you more than an hour to trim those areas in your yard.

Neighbors and noise: Gas string trimmers are loud. If you’re looking to keep the peace with nearby neighbors, note that an electric string trimmer is always quieter than gas.

If you’re just starting to shop, look to our string trimmer buying guide for advice about types and features. You can also go to our string trimmer ratings of dozens of models if you’re ready to buy. And read on for a look at how we test these two types of string trimmers.

We use each trimmer to tackle typical yard weeds and high grass as well as dense brush, noting and timing how long each model takes to clear a defined path. We also test each model’s edging, or its ability to create a neat straight line along a walkway. And we look at how easy each trimmer is to hold, maneuver, and operate, noting how difficult it is to start up or feed extra line through the cutting head.

We test gas and electric models with curved and straight shafts. If you’ve never used a string trimmer, try handling curved-shaft and straight-shaft models in a home center or hardware store to see which type feels better. In general, tall users may favor straight-shaft models because they have a longer reach. Shorter users may prefer curved-shaft models because they can be a bit easier to control.

Our engineers took years’ worth of string trimmer testing data to build a tool that allows us to compare scores from dozens of models, including both gas and electric. We compared average scores for gas and electric string trimmers in the following tests: trimming, edging, tall grass, handling, ease of use, and noise. We also looked at run times for every electric model, and across electric models in general.

One thing to note: Averages can be misleading because they include outliers that are either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. So we also built bell curves to see where the majority of models of each type fall in terms of performance. Keep in mind that we compiled this information to compare models across categories. In your own yard, the only thing that matters is the performance of the specific string trimmer you choose. For that reason, we’ve included some top-rated models of each type, below.

Here, we settle the score on which type of string trimmer, gas vs. electric, performs better overall.

Most people will probably use their string trimmer for trimming areas their lawn mower can’t reach more than for edging or clearing tall grass.

Which is better? Gas, by a tiny margin. On average, gas models earn a 4.7 (out of 5.5) in this test, while electrics earn a 4.5. We have plenty of electric string trimmers that earn perfect scores in our trimming tests, just like the best gas models. But gas models that are bad at trimming still score slightly better than the electric models that are bad at trimming. So if you decide to go with an electric model, make sure you select one that gets the top score in our trimming test.

Edging lets you cut a clear line where your grass meets a patio or walkway, leaving a clean-looking divide between the two.

Which is better? Gas again, but same story. Just as with trimming, there are plenty of electric string trimmers that ace our edging test, but a few duds drag down the entire class. The vast majority of all trimmers, gas or electric, do pretty well in this test, but the worst battery model earns an abysmal score of 2.4, while the worst gas string trimmer still musters an impressive score of 4.5.

If you’ve left a swath of your yard untrimmed for some time, you’ll want a model that can plow through tall grass and weeds. This test is also where we see some of the biggest performance differences.

Which is better? Gas. This is the first test where there’s a real winner, with gas models averaging a score of 4.9 and electrics averaging a 4.1. Notably, almost all the gas models we’ve tested perform pretty well on this test, while the electrics are all over the map. The best gas and electric models have comparable performance, but the worst electrics really struggle—the lowest-scoring electric earns a 0.5, while the worst gas model still manages to earn a 3.4.

Handling reflects how evenly balanced and responsive a string trimmer is. Gas models need to account for a heavier engine and gas tank, but electrics need to balance the weight of lithium-ion batteries, which can be heavy.

Which is better? It’s a tie. Both gas and electric string trimmers earn an average score of 4.3 in this test, but we see a much broader range of performance for electrics than for gas. However, if you really want an electric trimmer, you can find one that handles better than any gas model.

This test factors in starting up the trimmer, accessing controls, handle comfort, and the ease of feeding or advancing the cutting line.

Which is better? Gas, with an average score of 4.0 vs. electric trimmers’ average score of 3.7. But that may be because the gas models we’ve tested tend to be better at feeding and advancing the cutting line—the biggest problem with string trimmers. As a rule, many would argue that electric string trimmers are easier to use because they start instantly. If you want an electric for easy starting and maintenance, but you struggle with loading its cutting line, consider an aftermarket string trimmer head. Choose one designed to work with precut lengths of line, which cuts down on loading time. These devices work with gas and electric models and are often available at home centers and hardware stores for $20 or less.

We measure noise for outdoor tools both at the ear of the user and at 50 feet—a distance chosen to see how loud (and annoying) the sound might be for a neighbor.

Which is better? Electric, by a mile. Even the loudest electric string trimmer is less noisy than the quietest gas model. On average, electric string trimmers earn a score of 2.9, while gas models average an abysmal 1.1 (the lower the score, the worse the noise). The quietest electric models actually earn a rating of 5.0 here, and are quiet enough to use without hearing protection.

In our testing, gas string trimmers have a narrow edge over electrics. Still, in almost every case, it’s easy to find an electric string trimmer that matches or beats the performance of gas models.

Electric string trimmers, like all electric outdoor tools, perform better now than they ever have in the past. They’re also better for the planet, better for your ears, and over time, they’re probably better for your wallet, too, when you factor in gas string trimmers’ lifetime cost of gas and (in some cases) oil.

Electrics also have an advantage gas doesn’t: the interchangeability of electric batteries. Brands that make electric string trimmers know you’ll likely want to use that same battery in another tool, such as a lawn mower or leaf blower. And in most cases, you can. If you buy an electric outdoor tool, make sure to buy into the platform, not just the one tool—check that the brand you buy also offers other outdoor tools with high scores in our ratings. The advantage here is twofold. If you amass enough tools from the same brand over time, you can buy some of them without batteries, saving you about a third off the cost of the tool. Then you can simply use the batteries among multiple tools, and keep one charging at all times. And with a charged battery on hand, you’ll never run out of juice.

As it stands, a gas string trimmer’s single biggest advantage is that you can keep cutting as long as you need, provided you keep adding gas. But a backup battery solves the same problem for an electric trimmer. The cutting times you can expect from an electric string trimmer range from a lackluster 13 minutes to more than an hour without a charge. So if you’re buying only an electric string trimmer to start, make sure to choose a model with a run time long enough to tackle your entire yard on a single charge.

On the flip side, gas makes sense if you’re not ready to buy into a battery tool platform and you have a big yard you want to knock out in a single session, without waiting for a battery to charge. If you had to choose one type of trimmer, blindly off the shelf, gas gets the edge. But you don’t have to. Use our ratings, along with the models below, to find the string trimmer that’s best for you.

Paul Hope

Paul Hope is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports and a trained chef. He covers ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens, as well as grills, drills, outdoor power tools, decking, and wood stains. Before joining CR in 2016, he tested kitchen products at Good Housekeeping and covered tools and remodeling for This Old House magazine. You’ll typically find him in his old fixer-upper, engrossed in a DIY project or trying out a new recipe.