The 9 best gas BBQs to buy in 2026, as tested by our experts

Cooking and eating outside in the garden are highlights of the summer, and although charcoal barbecues are often the traditional choice, gas BBQs make grilling simple. Quicker and cleaner than charcoal, they leave little mess, cook without smoke, and often come with a range of bonus features to take your cooking to the next level. Watch our video above for expert advice on buying the best gas BBQs for your garden.

Gas BBQs – Buyer’s Guide

Best Buy gas BBQs at a glance

• Best gas barbecue for small gardens: Weber Q2200N gas barbecue with side tables and premium cart
• Best premium gas barbecue: Weber Genesis Series EPX-335
• Best portable gas barbecue for design: Cadac Citi Chef 40
• Best gas barbecue for convenience: Weber Traveler gas barbecue
• Best portable gas barbecue: Weber Q1200
• Best gas barbecue for crowds: Everdure Furnace 3 burner gas barbecue
• Best all round gas barbecue: Napoleon Rogue 425
• Best gas barbecue for small families and couples: Char-Broil Grill2Go
• Best basic gas barbecue: Boss Grill Deluxe Portable Gas Barbecue

Jump to:

• The best gas BBQs to buy
• The best of the rest
• Should I choose a gas BBQ or a charcoal BBQ?
• Are gas BBQs safe?
• How to choose a gas BBQ
• Which gas do I need?
• How we tested

Best gas barbecues

Weber Q2200N gas barbecue with side tables and premium cart

RRP: £463

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World

Pros

• Feels sturdy and well made
• Handle stays cool and comfortable
• Drip tray effective
• Cooks quickly, evenly and well

Cons
• Expensive

This sturdy little barbecue is easy to put together and to move in and out of storage with four lockable wheels and side tables that slot on and off in seconds. It takes up very little room and the gas can be stored in the cart when not in use. It’s light but robust, and the grill is a comfortable height for cooking. It's easy to connect the gas, with intuitive controls, and the Porcelain-enamelled, cast-iron cooking grates get to temperature (400°F, 204°C) in just five minutes, with even heat distribution and slightly cooler edges. There’s enough space for up to 12 burgers, and all the food we tested was evenly cooked with good grill lines. The lid has a thermometer and a heat-proof handle, and the quality and design’s very good. It feels sturdy and long-lasting and has a five-year warranty. We awarded it BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best gas barbecue for small gardens.

Buy the Weber Q2200N from BBQ World

Weber Genesis Series EPX-335 smart gas barbecue

RRP: £1,769

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World

Pros

• Easy to load rotisserie arm
• Double width warming rack
• Side burner perfect for popping a skillet on

Cons

• Short power cord
• Expensive

Retailing at more than £2,000, the Weber Genesis Series EPX-335 Smart gas barbecue is a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best premium gas barbecue. This three-burner barbecue is packed with features. Not only does it cater for a whopping 12 people, but it has a digital thermometer that lets you control the temperature to the exact degree. It also sends step-by-step temperature alerts to your phone to guide you through cooking. There’s a large sear zone, as well as a side burner that’s perfect for pans and skillets and doubles up as an additional work surface with its lid down. The warming rack is double-width, for extra snacks, and there’s even a rotisserie arm for cooking whole birds. We found even heat distribution across the whole barbecue.

The combination of the sear zone and the side burner allowed us to sear steaks on the right whilst cooking kebabs on the left, while at the same time keeping extras piping hot on the double-width warming rack. The steaks we cooked had well-defined char lines and a delicious flavour while remaining pink, tender and juicy in the middle. The rotisserie arm is easy to use and turned out two succulent roast chickens. There was no sticking with any of the ingredients and recipes on test, and everything we cooked was delicious.

However, we can’t get around the cost. There’s a lot of functionality crammed into this barbecue, but almost £2,000 is a very hefty price tag, especially in the current climate. It also has a large footprint on a patio, so in small gardens it will dominate your space. You need to place it near a power socket too, as it has a short power cord to run the digital temperature gauge. We also can’t comment on how easy this barbecue is to assemble, because it was delivered to us fully built.

Buy the Weber Genesis Series EPX-335 Gas Barbecue from BBQ World

Cadac Citi Chef 40

RRP: £280

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Very little assembly
• Easy to use and carry
• Light but stable
• Cooks evenly with good char lines
• Carry bag and pot stand included
• Lots of accessories available

Cons

• Lid a little hard to fit
• Lacks carry handles
• Regulator not included

This super simple barbecue is well thought out and was awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for design. There’s very little assembly needed, just slot in the pot stand and put the lid together with the Allen key supplied, and you’re ready. However, this barbecue doesn’t come with a regulator, so you do need to purchase this separately and set it up before you can get cooking. It's very light at just over 6kg, and easy to pick and carry onto a tabletop or the grass, but it does lack handles, which might have made it easier to move about for some people. A great carry bag is included, though, which zips up with the lid strapped in to the top so it's easy to pack away and transport to wherever you’re cooking.

It has an attractive circular design that sits on low, sturdy legs with rubber non-slip feet, and a domed lid with a temperature gauge, a cool-touch handle and a handy hook on the inside to rest it on the back of the barbecue while you add and turn your food.

At 33cm, the circular ceramic-coated grill is big enough for a family of four, and the auto ignition is easy to light. It takes just a few minutes to get this barbecue up to temperature. It cooked our range of barbecue staples well, with clearly defined char lines, and there were no evident cool spots. Beneath the grill is a removable porcelain enamelled fat pan that runs like a moat around the burner to catch dripping fat. It's easy to take out and clean, and the grill itself is simple to lift out and run under the tap or wash in the dishwasher.

This is a well-designed barbecue that’s easy to use and take with you to the allotment or on holiday, and it's also ideal for use on a balcony or small patio. It’s available in a choice of three colours and, as the Cadac is part of a modular system, there’s a whole host of interchangeable cooking surfaces available, including a griddle, paella pan, pizza stone and more to increase your cooking repertoire. It comes with a five-year warranty.

Buy the Cadac Citi Chef 40 from Amazon and BBQ World

Weber Traveler gas barbecue

RRP: £490

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World

Pros:

• Easy set-up and transportability
• Solid and sturdy
• Side table, tool hooks and drip tray
• Large cooking area
• Cooks evenly and well
• Powerful burner
• Easy to store

Cons:

• Small gas canister doesn’t last long
• Large and heavy to lift if needed
• Expensive

This well-designed barbecue is great for small gardens and taking camping or down to the beach for instant barbecuing. We awarded it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for convenience as it’s one of the easiest to use of all the barbecues we've tested. Almost ready to go straight out of the box, it just needs the wheels slotted on, the grill plates and drip tray inserted, and you have a table-top barbecue, complete with work surface no matter where you are.

Easy to lift up into position, it has a good-sized cooking area with two cast iron grill plates with a porcelain enamel coating above a single burner. The domed lid has a temperature gauge, and the grill plates heat up quickly within just a few minutes. The control dial is easy to adjust, there’s ample space to feed a family or larger gathering, and in our test everything cooked well and evenly, and nothing stuck to the grill plates. Next to the burner are handy plastic tool hooks, and the side table is easily big enough for plates, sauces and more.

As a travel barbecue, it uses small, screw-in canisters of propane and butane, which won’t last long. We used about two-thirds of a bottle in our test, but if you plan to use this barbecue regularly at home, it’s worth investing in a regulator and adaptor hose so you can hook it up to a bigger propane canister.

With its trolley design, the barbecue collapses down flat with the flick of a button (and the lid and legs lock automatically), and it’s then simple to lift and move around on its wheels. It’s also very easy to store as, once flat, it stands up vertically and can be tucked away flat against a wall. Compared to other portable barbecues, it's quite pricey, but given its quality, ease and cooking results, we think it’s well worth it. It comes with a five-year warranty.

Buy the Weber Traveler gas barbecue from Amazon and BBQ World

Weber Q1200 gas barbecue

RRP: £305

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Easy to use
• Cooks well
• Portable and compact to store

Cons

• Non-stick coating disappointing

The Q1200 portable gas barbecue is a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best portable gas barbecue. It’s easy to use and cooks well, albeit without the bells and whistles of larger models. Fuelled by a C500 gas cartridge, it heats efficiently, but the temperature does drop if the lid is opened for any length of time, and it takes several minutes to regain heat, especially once the grill is covered with food. The compact grill makes this barbecue ideal for cooking a few steaks for a cosy gathering of four, rather than a prolonged burger-flipping session catering for a larger party. It cooks well and creates good char lines, but sections of the grill are solid, which reduces the areas where you can achieve this authentic barbecue texture. The non-stick coating isn’t always effective.

Clear instructions mean it’s easy to assemble, just make sure the plastic side tables don’t accidentally touch the hot grill, as they are likely to scorch. This is a versatile barbecue that’s completely portable, whether you’re in the garden or on the beach, and it’s easy to store. It's also available with a stand.

Buy the Weber Q1200 Gas Barbecue from Amazon

Everdure Furnace 3 burner gas barbecue

RRP: £695

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from B&Q

Pros

• Large cooking area
• Quick to preheat
• Easy to control temperature
• Attractive, intuitive design

Cons

• Lengthy, fiddly assembly
• Some cold spots across grill
• No warming rack

Winner of a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best gas barbecue for crowds this simple-to-use barbecue impressed us with its good looks and quick, ferocious cooking. It comes with three die-cast grills, each of which slots above a burner that works independently – so you can fire up all three at once or just use one at a time. It reaches grilling temperature in a matter of minutes and reacts well to temperature change, with three hob-like knobs to adjust the heat that sit on the right-hand side of the grill and bring an element of familiarity if you’re used to cooking on gas indoors.

Putting this barbecue together is quite fiddly and time-consuming, especially as some of the screws don’t thread through properly, but the instructions are mostly clear and, although no tools are provided, all you need is a Phillips screwdriver. Once built, it can stay assembled and has two small wheels to help you push it in and out of storage. Alternatively, there’s a (somewhat pricey) cover to protect it from the elements available to buy from BBQ World.

It's robust and a good size, with a wide grill able to handle a large amount of food. There's space for up to 28 burgers or three roast chickens at one time, and almost everything we cooked was well charred and succulent. However, we did find the occasional cold spot on the grill, which line up with the positioning of the burners underneath, that made some results inconsistent.

It has a sturdy hood with a temperature gauge and a side table on the left-hand side, plus a shelf below for storing accessories and utensils. It's expensive, which no doubt reflects the attached celebrity name, but it's a high-performing barbecue with plenty of user-friendly features, and we think it's good value for money. It also comes with a five-year warranty.

Buy the Everdure Furnace 3 burner gas barbecue from BBQ World and B&Q

Napoleon Rogue 425 gas barbecue

RRP: £674.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from BBQ World

Pros

• Good temperature control
• Excellent cooking results
• Thoughtful design
• Easy to move around and lock

Cons

• Non-stick coating disappointing

A BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy winner, the Napoleon Rogue 425 is the best all-round gas barbecue. It’s quick to set up and simple to use, and thanks to its slick, lockable wheels, it's easy to move around the garden. It ignites easily and reaches temperature in 10 minutes, hitting a powerful 700°F (371°C) and has a large grill area at 46cm x 59.5cm, with Napoleon’s iconic wavy grill lines. The grills are at the perfect distance from the burners to prevent burning and ensure even heat transfer, which also massively reduces hot and cool spots on this barbecue. All our test recipes turned out to be delicious, with golden caramelisation and crisp grill lines, and we love the temperature gauge, which is clear to read in both Fahrenheit and Celsius and offers precise control.

We also appreciate that your gas tucks away neatly on its own inbuilt shelf, so this sleek barbecue looks fantastic on a patio. However, the warming rack gets so hot that it can continue to cook your food, and we also found the non-stick grill disappointing, as marinades often stuck to the grill. This is an expensive barbecue, but it’s well thought out, with excellent cooking results, and it comes with a 15-year warranty.

Buy the Napoleon Rogue 425 Gas Barbecue from BBQ World

Char-Broil Grill2Go gas barbecue

RRP: £229.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Robert Dyas

Pros

• Easy to set up and use
• Compact and lightweight
• Cooks well
• Includes scraper

Cons

• Some flare-ups and cool spots

The Char-Broil Grill2Go gas barbecue is designed for use at home and on the move, and won a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for small families and couples. A simple, single-burner gas barbecue, it’s almost ready to go from the box. You just need to plug in the regulator and add your gas. However, unless you shell out for a specialised propane gas regulator, it only runs on threaded EN417 gas bottles with a mix of butane and propane.

It gets to temperature in under five minutes and has a handy thermometer in the lid. When cooking, the most notable feature of this barbecue is its well-defined grill lines. Burgers will come off this barbecue looking picture-perfect, with precise grill lines. The Grill2Go is also excellent at retaining moisture, which can be tricky on a barbecue. Vegetable kebabs come off the grill with crisp, charred outsides and succulent insides. It’s small and lightweight, so though it has a relatively large 44 x 28cm cooking area, it’s easy to move around the garden and would be a great companion while camping. It also comes with a useful scraper for cleaning after use.

However, this barbecue suffers from the success of its char-lines, which can quickly blacken food even at lower temperatures, making it difficult to cook through larger ingredients. This is particularly tricky because of its temperature control, which is simple to use but doesn’t always react quickly. We spotted a few flare-ups, and the right half of the grill is also much hotter than the left, with a noticeable cool spot along the front of the barbecue. Nevertheless, we think this grill is excellent for couples and small families. Because it heats up so quickly, it’s just the thing for everyday grilling too.

Buy the Char-Broil Grill2Go Gas Barbecue from Amazon, Robert Dyas and Wayfair

Boss Grill Deluxe portable gas barbecue

RRP: £249.97

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Appliances Direct

Pros

• Stylish, keep-cool handle
• Intuitive controls
• Generous cooking area
• Easy to move around

Cons

• Hose for gas is a little short
• Quite low and a little wobbly

This barbecue is a brilliant option if you’re after something that gets the basics of barbecuing right, so it won a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best basic barbecue. It’s worth noting that while the majority of the build could be done by just one person, the quality of the manual is seriously lacking. On test, it left the builder to work out a considerable amount on their own, owing to the poor-quality images and the lack of text. It’s a little wobbly, and we also think the overall height of the barbecue is a little short – on our 5'5" tester, the grill sits just below the hips. This isn’t a barbecue for experts; rather, it's geared toward someone who wants a simple barbecue for basic dishes, but it’s all you need to get grilling.

It features a large, generous grilling area with a double burner and enough space to comfortably cook for four people. This model takes just five minutes to heat up and provides an even and consistent heat, right to the edges. It’s also particularly responsive to changes in temperature, and overall, it cooks well, with wonderfully defined grill lines and excellent sealing. The faux-leather handle is a particular hit, keeping the handle cool in style. It's lightweight and easily moves around thanks to the chunky wheels.

Buy the Boss Grill Deluxe Portable Gas Barbecue from Amazon and Appliances Direct

The best of the rest

Although some models didn’t quite achieve a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award, they still have great features that make them worth recommending. Browse our pick of the best of the rest on test.

Campingaz Attitude 2go Table Top gas barbecue

RRP: £229.99

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from B&Q

Pros

• Ready to go
• Sleek and simple to use
• Good char lines
• Sturdy carry handles

Cons

• Slow to heat up
• Heavy for portability
• Regulator bought separately
• Lacks accessories

This neat, tabletop barbecue needs no assembly: just add the grill and the drip tray, and it’s ready to go. However, it doesn’t come with the gas regulator included, so you do have to purchase this separately and attach it yourself, which can be tricky. We found that soaking the end of the hose in warm water to soften it before attaching it definitely helped. It’s compact with carry handles built in to the legs, so it’s easy to carry and lift onto your table or patio, but at 13kg it’s heavier than other portable BBQs such as the Cadac.

The enamelled cast iron grill sits above a single gas burner, which is easy to adjust by a chunky dial on the side, and the lid has a handy temperature gauge. But, we found this barbecue slow to heat up, taking 10 minutes to reach temperature, although once there, it maintains an even, constant heat and cooks food well with good char lines and no sticking. The chunky handle on the front of the lid stays cool to the touch and feels sturdy and safe, and the front-loading drip tray is easy to clean. Once cool, the barbecue is simple to pick up and store away.

Overall, this is a simple tabletop barbecue, but it lacks accessories, so the range of what and how you can cook with it is limited. The lid has a 10-year warranty, and the cooking grill has a five-year warranty.

Buy the Campingaz 2go table top gas barbecue from Amazon and B&Q

Spirit II E-310 GBS Gas Barbecue

RRP: £559

Our rating: 4/5

Available from Argos

Pros

• Great cooking results
• Versatile

Cons

• Long assembly time
• Bulky and hard to move around

This intuitive barbecue from Weber makes gas grilling a breeze. It’s easy to connect to your gas, and it ignites on the first click every time, reaching cooking temperature in 15 minutes. With responsive temperature knobs, this barbecue is easy to control, too. However, you’ll need a rubber mallet, 7/16-inch spanner, and a Phillips head screwdriver to assemble this barbecue, and it’s tricky to move around. Though the side burner and side table are great additions, they get in the way when manoeuvring, and lack handles for you to push or drag the barbecue. Despite being a two-burner barbecue, it has quite a large patio footprint, so you might struggle to store it in a shed or a greenhouse.

On test, chicken wings and burgers cooked well thanks to excellent heat retention, and it gives sausages and halloumi wonderful grill lines. We especially like the versatile grill. The circular panel in the grill can be replaced with Weber accessories, like a wok and pizza stone. The included thermometer is quick to respond and easy to read, and there are very few cool spots. Suiting both serious grill masters and casual barbecuers, it looks impressive, is simple to use, and turns out great dishes.

Buy the Weber Spirit II E-310 GBS Gas Barbecue from Argos and BBQ World

George Foreman GFSBBQ1 single burner gas barbecue

RRP: £149.99

Our rating: 4/5

Available from Amazon

Pros

• Clear instructions
• Cooks well with even heat coverage
• Low price

Cons

• Basic - no extra features or functions
• Regulator assembly fiddly
• Some cold spots

The George Foreman GFSBBQ1 is a single-burner barbecue for three people, but we think you could easily stretch this to four. It’s easy to assemble, but it needs a screwdriver for the lid, and you have to screw in the thermometer, too. Its biggest weakness is that you have to put together the regulator yourself, which is very fiddly as you need water to lubricate the hose in order to fit it, and you need to use small hose clamps to tighten everything. However, the instructions are simple and clear. Once you’re set up, it’s a dream to use.

It gets to temperature in just five minutes, and its temperature control is smooth and reacts quickly to any change. It has a couple of cool spots in the corners, but otherwise has even coverage, so you can cook everything at exactly the same rate, no matter where it is on the grill. It produces good char-lines, but other barbecues on test have better definition. Though everything tastes delicious, the food isn’t as quick to cook or as well-cooked as with some of the other barbecues on test.

Above all, what you see is what you get. There are no extra functions or hidden storage, just a simple grill. It also feels a little flimsy, but that isn’t a surprise at this price. We also found that the 70cm width of this barbecue slightly defeats the point of a tabletop barbecue, as it’s too big to comfortably sit on most patio or garden tables. We think this barbecue would best suit an unfussy family of four. You might not make gourmet grub on this grill, but it’s all you need for a few burgers on a sunny afternoon.

Buy the George Foreman GFSBBQ1 Single Burner Gas Barbecue from Amazon and Tesco

Napoleon Freestyle 365 gas barbecue

RRP: £469.99

Our rating: 4/5

Available from BBQ World

Pros

• Quick to heat
• Cooks precisely and easy to control
• Effective side burner
• Generous warranty

Cons

• Long assembly
• Noisy

The Napoleon Freestyle 365 comes with a handy side burner, and our Good Food Magazine colleagues love how well it cooks. However, before you get started, it’s worth noting that this barbecue is difficult to put together. You’ll need a Phillips screwdriver, as well as a set of spanners. Frustratingly, the diagrams are all over the place and demonstrate the assembly from odd angles, so it takes a little figuring out. All told, it takes at least two hours to get everything together, so if you’re planning a big bank holiday barbecue, you don’t want to be building this on the day. That said, we like the inclusion of spare parts, so there’s no panic if you lose a screw.

Once it’s assembled, it’s easy to ignite and quick to heat, offering remarkable evenness across the whole grill. The 51cm by 45cm grilling area is a good size, offering lots of space for cooking without taking up the entire patio. However, the grates are wide, so smaller items like prawn skewers might struggle to cook or char evenly. That said, more substantial ingredients like chicken ended up with beautifully defined grill lines. We found the three burners and thermometer responsive, letting you precisely control the temperature of whatever you’re cooking, and the warming rack is suspended in just the right spot to keep kebabs and corn on the cob at the perfect temperature. Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly noisy when it gets going.

The side burner is a hit, grilling an astonishing steak, and the bottle opener on this side burner is a lovely extra touch, making this barbecue a social focal point on a patio. All of its parts are robust, high-quality steel and aluminium, neatly stamped with Napoleon’s logo. This quality extends to the warranty, which covers you for an impressive ten years.

Buy the Napoleon Freestyle 365 Gas Barbecue from BBQ World

Outback Magnum 3 burner hybrid barbecue

RRP: £529.99

Our rating: 3.8 out of 5

Available from Direct Stoves

Pros

• Well thought-out instructions
• Good features
• Includes charcoal basket

Cons

• Some cool spots
• Grease tray requires sand layer
• Side burner close to ignition

The Magnum 3 is a well-thought-out gas barbecue with a lot of features for the price. It has a large cooking area, with a removable grill that can be swapped with a griddle or pizza stone for an additional cost and it also comes with a charcoal basket to fill with charcoal briquettes to get that traditional smoky charcoal flavour from the ease of a gas grill. There’s a detailed thermometer in the hood, with helpful markings for types of cooking, and it has a side burner for sauces or charring aubergine, tool hooks, or even a bottle opener.

It took around an hour to assemble this barbecue, but the instructions were clear, and it was a slow, methodical build that required two people towards the end. On the whole, it cooked well in our test. There were some cool spots around the edges of the burners, and it didn’t char or sear as well as others, but it heated up quickly, and, for those new to gas barbecuing, it’s versatile, quick and easy to cook on.

It’s also light with two wheels that make it easy to move around and in and out of storage, but it is quite large with no folding tables, so it will take up a fair bit of room on the patio or in the shed over winter. It's best for medium-sized gardens.

Buy the Outback Magnum 3 Gas Charcoal Barbecue from Calor, Charlies and Direct Stoves

Boss Grill Georgia classic gas barbecue

RRP: £299.97

Our rating: 3.5/5

Available from Appliances Direct

Pros

• Useful accessories included
• Features side burner and two plate styles on the grill

Cons

• Poor instructions and assembly is hard
• Flimsy materials
• Side burner hard to light

The Boss Grill Georgia Classic is a decent choice for a starter barbecue. This model comes with two different grilling plates to suit a range of meals and will fit easily into most mid/large-sized gardens. With four burners for the main BBQ area and an additional side hob, it offers a lot of room to cook multiple foods at once. Although large, it’s lightweight and features wheels on the back, so you can move it around your garden with ease. It also comes with some handy accessories.

Some food cooked well on the barbecue, like skewers, aubergine and potato. Our potato slices were particularly great thanks to a griddle plate, which is great for flat, thin items like halloumi. However, this barbecue leaves courgette slices with poorly defined grill lines and unevenly toasted burger buns. The side burner was tricky to get going, and the build is tricky thanks to poor instructions.

Buy the Boss Grill Georgia Classic Gas Barbecue from Amazon and Appliances Direct

If a gas grill isn’t for you, check out our tests of the best charcoal BBQs, we've also reviewed the best pizza ovens, in collaboration with Good Food magazine. For accessories, check out our guides to the best BBQ accessories and BBQ shelters.

For extra help with barbecuing, take a look at Good Food Magazine’s guide to barbecuing safely, their range of BBQ recipes, with delicious ideas for burgers, BBQ ribs, hot wings, and drinks, as well as vegetarian and vegan treats.

Should I choose a gas BBQ or a charcoal BBQ?

The main considerations are how much and how often you want to barbecue. Gas barbecues tend to be better for feeding a crowd, as they often have a larger cooking area and a uniform temperature across the grill, so you can be sure of a consistent cooking time wherever you’re cooking. They also heat up and get to cooking temperature fast: depending on the model, they can be ready to cook in just five minutes, compared to thirty or forty for a charcoal barbecue. This means you won’t be stuck at the grill and left out of the party. You can also get everyone’s portion to the table at once or, if you have guests coming and going throughout the day, cook as and when you need to. This speed also makes a gas BBQ great for everyday cooking. If you fancy a quick burger in the garden after work, there’s no need to bother with a messy bag of charcoal as if you’re getting ready for a big family get-together. Just switch on the gas and get grilling.

Gas barbecues are also ideal if you’re new to barbecuing. With a gas grill, there won’t be any panic on the day as you light charcoal for the first time, which can take a few attempts. They’re easier to control, too. With charcoal, achieving the right temperature requires playing around with vents and learning the difference between direct and indirect heat so you don’t sear everything you’re trying to cook. On a gas barbecue, you can precisely control the temperature by simply turning the knob. They’re also safe, as you can just turn the barbecue out when you’re done, rather than having to keep an eye on hot coals as they cool.

They’re a neighbourly way to cook, as they don’t produce smoke. The strong smell of a charcoal barbecue can be antisocial, especially if next door has washing out and, because they don’t smoke, gas barbecues are also cleaner to use, with no chance of getting charcoal dust on your hands and clothes. This in turn makes gas barbecues easier to clean, because there’s less charring on the grill.

However, a gas barbecue can’t quite match the smoky flavour of a charcoal barbecue, or at least not as much as manufacturers claim they can. On a charcoal barbecue, fats and oils from the food drip between the grill and vaporise on the hot coals, to create that unmistakable smoky flavour. This happens a little on a gas grill too, if oils drip onto the flames, but not to the same extent. Your food will still have that distinctive char-grilled caramelisation, but it won’t be as smoky. If you want the best of both worlds, there are also a few combination charcoal and gas barbecues on the market, such as the Outback Magnum 3 hybrid barbecue we tested.

Are gas BBQs safe?

Used correctly, a gas barbecue is perfectly safe. Make sure you use the right gas for your barbecue and that the gas hose, regulator and canister are in good working order and connected correctly and securely. Don’t stand the canister in the storage area beneath the grill, but well away from the cooking area and high temperatures. Always cook in an open area away from fire hazards like wooden fences, sheds, hedges and trees. Once finished, be sure to turn the barbecue off and disconnect the gas.

How to choose a gas BBQ

• Size. Bigger isn’t always better. A small gas barbecue with one or two burners is all you need for entertaining a family of four. This is especially true with gas barbecues, which need somewhere to store propane, too. If you’ll be entertaining a larger gathering of upwards of six people, opt for a gas barbecue with at least four burners. Height is also crucial here. You don’t want a barbecue that’s too high or low for you to use comfortably. Bigger barbecues also need more assembly time, so factor that in if you’re planning to build a barbecue on the same day you’re cooking
• Special features. Some of the best gas barbecues come with extras as standard. Look out for warming racks to keep food hot until you’re all ready to eat, thermometers to gauge heat, and side burners for cooking extra bits like caramelised onions or homemade BBQ sauce. Side tables and tool racks to keep spatulas, sauces and serving dishes to hand are also useful, as is built-in storage for the gas bottle. Make sure you have a drip tray for collecting waste fat and oils

Which gas do I need?

Gas barbecues are fuelled by a gas canister, which you need to buy separately. Most use propane (in a green canister and also sold as patio gas) or butane (in a blue canister), but some smaller, tabletop and portable barbecues use small bottles of camping gas. Make sure to check which type you need in the manual before you buy.

With current events affecting gas prices and availability, it’s important not to spend too much on fuel. For one- to three-burner gas barbecues, a 5kg bottle is all you need and should give you about ten barbecues’ worth of fuel. You need at least a 10kg bottle for bigger appliances with five or more burners, though 13kg is a common unit.

Gas is available through homeware and DIY shops like Homebase and B&Q, or directly from manufacturers like FloGas and Calor. You'll pay a deposit the first time you buy one, plus the cost of the gas. After this, you just pay to refill the canister, and once you’ve finished with a canister, it can be returned for a refund of the original deposit.

The gas is connected with a hose and regulator, and although most barbecues come with these connected, you may have to attach them yourself or even buy them separately.

How we tested

Together with our colleagues at Good Food Magazine, we tested a range of gas barbecues. Each barbecue was unpacked, assembled, used to cook a variety of dishes, and then assessed according to our specific criteria. Good Food Magazine put particular emphasis on how well each barbecue cooked but, at Gardeners' World Magazine, we assessed the barbecues with emphasis on their garden context, including how easy they are to assemble, move around and store.
They were assessed according to the following points, with equal marks attributed to each:

• Setup and storage. Looked at the ease of assembly, clarity of instructions, warm-up time and how easy the barbecue is to store
• Ease of use. Focused on ease of use, how simple it is to move around the garden and how easy it is to control the temperature and cook
• Cooking results. We cooked a variety of common barbecue dishes to assess the non-stick ability of each grill, its grid-cooking capabilities, and how well it chars, softens, and seals food. We also checked for defined lines, even cooking, sticking and hot spots. Above all, we tested how long it took to cook each dish and how good each dish tasted
• Value for money. Considered all of the above as well as quality, design, warranty and price

For more information on our testing process see How we review

Meet our testing panel

Oliver Parsons, Strategic Projects Editor
Oliver is a gardener and magazine journalist of 20 years’ experience. He trained as a professional horticulturalist at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford and has also worked for Gardening Which?, as a freelance gardener and with the gardening team at Down House in Kent. He is now Strategic Projects Editor at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and GardenersWorld.com, heading up our reviews desk, Apple News output and weekly newsletter.

Kay Maguire, Magazines Editor
Kay trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has been writing and making films about gardening ever since. She has written for websites and magazines, including The Garden and Amateur Gardening, was Horticultural Editor on BBC Gardeners' World for five years, and has also written several books on a range of gardening topics from growing house plants to making the most of a small space. After several years as Reviews Editor, building up our reviews section into a leading resource for UK gardeners, she has now become Magazines Editor for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, responsible for all print output.

Harry Duncton, freelance powered tools tester
Harry has a wealth of experience, from being a language teacher to a tree surgeon, and has built this into a career writing about all things DIY and gardening. A passionate believer in self-reliance, his aim is to inspire others to give it a go themselves and not worry about making a few mistakes along the way. A regular contributor to popular DIY blogs and a recent addition to the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team, he loves tracking down the best new tools and writing about them.

Sue Fisher, freelance garden writer
Sue’s extensive horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker. Sue writes regularly for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, GardenersWorld.com, and Garden Answers magazine. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, plants for small gardens and designing with colour, and she has co-authored other books with some of the biggest names in gardening.

Emma Crawforth, Horticulture Editor
Emma holds the Kew Diploma in Horticulture and has been working in horticulture for 18 years, including roles in public gardens, a plant nursery supplying plants for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and a training college for young horticulturists. She looks after an ornamental, fruit and veg garden at home and regularly undertakes trips to see plants growing in their natural habitats. She is the author of the Kew Publications book, Things to do with Plants.

This review was last updated in January 2026. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.