Best small riding lawn mowers

Top pick: Cub Cadet CC30H — a 30-inch rear-engine rider that's the sweet spot for a normal residential lot. It's short enough to turn in tight corners, slips through a standard gate, and the automatic transmission makes stop-and-go mowing around beds and trees easy. The 4.2/5 rating across 1,800+ reviews is the strongest of the compact group.

Who the others suit:

• Craftsman 30" mini rider — the simplest, lightest option if you just want to get the job done on a small, flat yard.
• Troy-Bilt TB30B — same 30-inch idea with cruise control; a good fit if your lawn is long and open.
• Cub Cadet CC30 — the manual-gear version of the top pick; fine if you prefer a lever to a pedal.

Skip the 42-inch and larger zero-turns here — their decks are too wide for the tight spots you're mowing around.