The best snow blower for most paved driveways in 2026 is a 21-inch battery single-stage with a steel auger, and the best one for deep snow or a long driveway is a 24-inch self-propelled two-stage, battery or gas. Everything else in this category is a variation on those two answers. We lined up 18 well-reviewed snow blowers from EGO, Toro, Ariens, Honda, Greenworks, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT and WEN, and compared them on the six specs that actually decide how they clear: stage type, clearing width, intake height, power source, whether the wheels are driven, and weight.
Snow blower spec sheets have a particular habit. The makers measure the good numbers generously and publish the awkward ones quietly, if at all. Throw distance is a best-case figure in dry powder. Battery models are weighed without their batteries. And "self-propelled" means three different things depending on whose brochure you read. Where a reviewer actually ran these machines through a winter (mostly Bob Vila's cordless roundup, with Consumer Reports' ratings and TopTenReviews filling in), we lean on what they saw instead.
Slopsheets says: Match the machine to the end of your driveway, not the middle. The fluffy six inches on the driveway is easy for anything here. The wet, packed ridge the city plow leaves at the curb is what separates a single-stage from a two-stage, and it is the reason most people who return a snow blower return it.
Single-stage vs. two-stage: the spec that matters most
A single-stage blower uses one spinning auger to scoop snow and fling it out the chute in the same motion. The auger touches the pavement, which is why single-stages scrape down to bare asphalt and why you should never run one on gravel: it will throw the gravel too. A two-stage machine splits the job. A slower steel auger feeds snow to a fast impeller behind it, and the impeller does the throwing. That extra stage is what lets a two-stage chew through heavy, wet snow and tall plow ridges without choking.
Our field splits roughly in half. The single-stages are the EGO SNT2110 and SNT2102, Toro's 60V Power Clear e21 and gas Power Clear 721 E, DEWALT's 60V 21-inch, Greenworks' 60V and corded 20-inch, the WEN 5670, and Toro's SnowMaster 824 QXE. The two-stages are EGO's SNT2405 and SNT2410 XP, Toro's 60V Power Max e24 and gas Power Max 824 OE, Ariens' Deluxe 24, Deluxe 28 and Compact 24, Honda's HSS724AW, and CRAFTSMAN's Select 24.
The SnowMaster is the odd one. Toro's own spec table lists it as single-stage, but its in-line auger feeds a separate high-speed impeller, so some retailers call it two-stage. Think of it as a fast single-stage that throws like something bigger.
Pay up only if: You get more than a foot at a time, or a plow buries your driveway's mouth. Below that, a good single-stage clears faster, weighs a third as much, and fits in the corner of the garage.
Clearing width: how many passes it takes
Clearing width is how wide a path the machine cuts in one pass. Here it runs from 20 inches on the Greenworks 60V, the Greenworks corded and the WEN, up to 28 inches on the Ariens Deluxe 28. Almost everything else sits at 21 inches (single-stages) or 24 inches (two-stages). Honda lists its HSS724AW at 23.8 inches, which is the same class as the 24s.
Width is the least surprising spec in the table. A wider machine needs fewer passes, but it is also heavier and harder to turn at the end of each pass. For a typical two-car driveway, the difference between 21 and 24 inches is a couple of passes. The 28-inch Ariens makes sense for long rural driveways and big parking pads, where every pass you save is real time.
Intake height: the number that predicts the plow pile
Intake height is how tall the opening at the front is. It is the best single number for predicting whether a machine can handle a deep drift or a plow ridge without you hacking at it in layers. This is where single-stage and two-stage separate cleanly. The corded machines and the Greenworks 60V open about 10 inches. Most battery single-stages, including both EGOs and the DEWALT, reach 13 inches. Toro's e21 sits at 12, and the gas 721 E at 12.5. Every two-stage here opens between 20 and 21.7 inches, led by the Honda.
The numbers aren't perfectly comparable. Ariens publishes "housing height," Greenworks talks about "clearing depth," and Toro gives both an intake height and a recommended snow depth that is lower. Toro rates the e21 for about 10 inches of snow despite its 12-inch opening, and DEWALT rates its blower's ideal depth at 6 inches despite a 13-inch intake. Treat intake height as a ceiling and the recommended depth as the honest answer.
Power source: battery, gas or cord
This is the spec that has changed the most in five years. Battery snow blowers used to be glorified electric shovels. Now EGO's 56V two-stages sit in the same conversation as gas. Bob Vila's October 2026 cordless roundup ran its battery picks in temperatures down to -7°F, with no fumes and no pull cord. Its dedicated SNT2405 test called the drive strong and measured about a 50-foot throw. EGO's newer SNT2410 XP gets similar praise from Techaeris for moving heavy, wet snow like a mid-size gas machine.
The catch is runtime, and it gets worse exactly when you need it. Bob Vila got roughly an hour from the SNT2405 at top speed, while owners report closer to 20 minutes in heavy wet snow. Toro's 60V e24 ran about 30 minutes on its two included batteries in Bob Vila's testing, and over an hour with a third pack in its spare bay. Batteries also need to cool before they recharge, and a full recharge takes hours. If you get a storm that drops two feet over two days, a gas machine just needs a jerry can.
Gas still owns the heavy end. Consumer Reports named the Honda HSS724AWD its best compact two-stage, with top marks for pile removal and handling, per House Digest's summary of CR's ratings. Bigger siblings of machines in our table, the Ariens Deluxe 30 and Toro Power Max HD 1030, also hold CR Recommended marks. The cost is noise, fuel, oil changes and a carburetor that hates last spring's gas.
Corded blowers are the cheapest way in, and the most limited. The WEN 5670 and Greenworks 2600502 weigh about 36 pounds and need nothing but an outdoor extension cord. They are fine for a short walk and a small driveway in light snow. Past that, managing the cord around a 20-inch auger gets old fast.
The catch: A battery blower's sticker price usually excludes the batteries, and the two-stage kits need two big ones. Once the EGO SNT2410 has its packs, Techaeris found it costs more than comparable gas machines. You're paying up front for the quiet and the lack of maintenance.
Self-propelled: whether the wheels actually push
On a two-stage, self-propelled means what you'd expect: the engine or motor drives the wheels, with several forward and reverse speeds. Every two-stage here has it. Honda's hydrostatic drive is infinitely variable, which is the smoothest of the bunch. Ariens adds Auto-Turn steering to the Deluxe and Compact, so the machine pivots without you wrestling it. The Toro SnowMaster is the only single-stage in the field with truly driven wheels, using Toro's Personal Pace rear-wheel drive.
Single-stages muddy the term. Most of them are pulled forward by the auger itself as it grips the pavement, which the makers describe in hopeful language.
Power Propel, auger-assisted drive, self-propelling action. It pulls itself along so you don't have to push.
The auger only pulls while it's biting pavement. Lift the front, hit a patch of packed snow or go up a slope, and you're pushing a 55-pound machine on plastic wheels.
We mark those auger-pulled machines (both EGO single-stages, Toro's e21 and 721 E, the DEWALT, the Greenworks pair and the WEN) as not self-propelled, because the wheels aren't driven. Bob Vila specifically called out the DEWALT's plastic wheels for weak traction, and found the Toro e21's weight distribution awkward enough that it tipped a few times.
Weight: what you're steering and storing
Weight decides how hard the machine is to turn, push up a slope and fit in the garage. The field runs from about 34 pounds (the Greenworks 60V without its battery) to 232.7 pounds (the Ariens Deluxe 28). Battery single-stages cluster around 53 to 59 pounds, the gas single-stages land at 84 pounds for the Toro 721 E and 131 for the SnowMaster, and the two-stages run from 143 to 233.
Two caveats. First, battery machines are almost always weighed bare: EGO's 143.3 pounds for the SNT2405 is without its batteries, and Toro doesn't say either way for the e21 or e24. Second, retailers disagree with manufacturers all the time. We use the maker's number and note the conflicts in the table.
The real surprise is how heavy the battery two-stages are.
Don't overpay for: A two-stage you'll struggle to steer. If you live where a big storm means eight inches, a 50-pound battery single-stage or the 84-pound Toro 721 E will clear faster than a 200-pound machine you have to horse around every turn.
Our picks
- Best overall: EGO SNT2405. A battery two-stage with 20 inches of intake, real wheel drive and about a 50-foot throw in Bob Vila's test. It has a huge, happy owner base to back that up. Runtime in wet snow is its only real weakness.
- Best gas two-stage: Honda HSS724AW. Hydrostatic drive, the tallest intake here at 21.7 inches, and Consumer Reports' pick for best compact two-stage. It costs the most and has no heated grips.
- Best single-stage: EGO SNT2110. The steel-auger Peak Power version of EGO's 21-inch blower, at 53 pounds bare. It throws dense driveway-end slush that stops rubber-paddle machines.
- Best on a budget: WEN 5670. A 15-amp, 20-inch corded thrower with headlights. It works for light snow on a small driveway, as long as you're happy managing a cord.
Also worth a look: the Toro Power Clear 721 E, a perennial owner favorite, if you want a light gas machine for a paved driveway. And the Ariens Deluxe 28 if your driveway is long enough that a 28-inch path saves you real time.
FAQ
Is a battery snow blower as good as gas? For most suburban driveways, yes. EGO's 56V two-stages hold up against gas machines in Bob Vila's testing. The gap shows up in long storms and heavy wet snow, where batteries drain fast and take hours to recharge.
Do I need a two-stage snow blower? You do if you regularly get more than about a foot of snow, deal with a plow ridge at the curb, or have a gravel driveway. Otherwise a single-stage is lighter, cheaper and quick to clear down to pavement.
Can I use a single-stage snow blower on gravel? No. The auger touches the ground, so it picks up and throws stones. Gravel driveways need a two-stage with its skid shoes set to hold the housing above the surface.
Sources / further reading
- Bob Vila: The Best Cordless Snow Blowers of 2026, Tested and Reviewed, hands-on testing of the EGO, Toro and DEWALT battery machines.
- Bob Vila: Ego Snow Blower Review: Does the SNT2405 Deliver?, a dedicated test of the battery two-stage.
- Bob Vila: The Best Ego Snow Blowers for Any Driveway, Tested, EGO's full lineup compared.
- House Digest: The Top Performing Two-Stage Snow Blowers, According To Consumer Reports, a summary of CR's two-stage ratings.
- TopTenReviews: Best snow blowers, tried and tested, field testing in heavy Northern Utah snow.
- Techaeris: EGO Power+ 24 in. Self-Propelled 2-Stage XP Snow Blower Review, a season with the SNT2410.
- Manufacturer spec pages: EGO, Toro, Ariens, Honda.