The Best Gas BBQs to buy in 2024

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.

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If a gas grill isn’t for you, check out our tests of the best charcoal BBQs and 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 BBC Good Food’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.

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Gas BBQs – Buyer’s Guide video

Watch now, for expert advice on buying the best gas BBQs for your garden.

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Best gas BBQs at a glance

• 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 SIB
• Best gas barbecue for small families and couples: Char-Broil Grill2Go
• Best basic gas barbecue: Boss Grill Deluxe Portable Gas Barbecue

Our expertise

We teamed up with our colleagues at Good Food Magazine to ensure our tests were as accurate, fair, and useful as possible. With their culinary knowledge and our reviewing expertise we’ve found the best gas BBQs for every garden. Each review has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to set up and assembly, ease of use, cooking results and value for money. Only the standout gas BBQs have made our list, so you can buy with confidence.

Jump to:

• The best gas BBQs to buy in 2024
• 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

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Best gas barbecues in 2024

RRP: £2,149

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World (£1735), Weber (£1929)

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 winner 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 very 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 let us sear steaks on the right whilst cooking kebabs on the left and at the same time keep 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 £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.

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RRP: £200

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from Robert Dyas (£119.99), BBQ World (£124.99), Amazon (£142)

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, just over 6kg and easy to pick and carry on to a tabletop or the grass but it does lack handles which might make it easier to move about for some. A great carry bag is included though, which zips up with the lid strapped in to the top so it is 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 has 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, and 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. This is 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 a well designed barbecue that’s easy to use and take with you, to the allotment or on holiday and is 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.

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RRP: £490

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World (£399), B & Q (£465), Weber (£490), Amazon (£499.99)

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 and it’s one of the easiest to use barbecues we have 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 size 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 an in or 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 plenty big enough for plates, sauces etc. 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 this is quite pricey but given its quality, ease and cooking results we think it’s well worth it. It comes with a five year warranty.

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RRP: £325

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from BBQ World (£258), Weber (£305), Weber (£339.99)

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 winner 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 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.

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RRP: £899

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from BBQ World (£595), John Lewis (£595), Wayfair (£651.99), Lakeland (£699)

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 (some what pricey) cover to protect it from the elements available to buy from Everdure.
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 is 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 five year warranty.

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RRP: £759.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Keen Gardener (£641.24), BBQ World (£641.24), Napoleon (£674.99)

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 slick lockable wheels, 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 46 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 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.

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RRP: £229.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from Appliances Direct (£169.97), Amazon (£175.99), Wayfair (£180.29), Robert Dyas (£190.99), BBQ World (£195.49)

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 award 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, has a handy thermometer in the lid and 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.

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RRP: £249

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Appliances Direct(£209.97), Furniture 123 (£209.97), Amazon(£235.97)

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. Lightweight, it easily moves around thanks to the chunky wheels.

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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.

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RRP: £229.99

Our rating: 4.3/5

Available from Amazon (£151.05), Robert Dyas (£189.99), Wayfair (£189.99) 

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 table top 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 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 table top barbecue but it lacks accessories so the range of what and how y can cook with it is limited. The lid has a 10 year warranty and the cooking grill five years.

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RRP: £649

Our rating: 4/5

Available from BBQ World (£475), B&Q (£620), Weber (£629)

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 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” 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, pizza stone, and even a waffle maker and 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-220 GBS from B&Q and Weber

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RRP: £139

Our rating: 4/5

Available from Amazon (£130.99), Wayfair (£130.99), Currys (£150), and OnBuy (£193.87)

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 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, and though everything tastes delicious it isn’t as quick or well-cooked as some of the other barbecues on test. Above all, what you see is what you get. There’s 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 table-top 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 from Currys, Amazon, Wayfair, and OnBuy

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RRP: £649.99

Our rating: 4/5

Available from BBQWorld (£617.49)

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 BBC Good Food 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 2 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 51x45cm 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. However, 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 from BBQWorld

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RRP: £519

Our rating: 3.8 out of 5

Available from Appliances Direct (£449), Outback (£529.99)

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, even a bottle opener.
It took about an hour to assemble this barbecue but the instructions were clear and it was just 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, and 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 hybrid Barbecue from Appliances Direct and Outback

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RRP: £269.97

Our rating: 3.5/5

Available from Appliances Direct (£239.97) and Furniture 123 (£249.97)

Pros

• Useful accessories included
• Features Side burner and 2 plate styles on grill

Cons

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

The Boss Grill Georgia Classic is a decent choice for a starter BBQ. 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 from Appliances Direct and Furniture 123

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RRP: £2,599.99

Our rating: 3.25/5

Available from BBQ World (£2308.49)

Pros

• Ample cooking space
• Comfortable cooking height
• Easy to read temperature dial

Cons

• Hard to ignite and see flames
• Awkward to reach rear burner cooking shelf
• Lid and handle get hot

The Phantom Prestige 500 is not for the faint-hearted. You need some real barbecuing expertise to get the best performance from it, and it has a massive patio footprint. However, if you’re confident wielding a pair of BBQ tongs, price isn’t an issue and you’re after a bit of kit that looks the part, it’s worth considering.

This medium-sized gas barbecue comes with a range of nifty features, as well as a comparatively hefty price tag to the others on test. Awkward to assemble, it requires two people to attach the sides and internal shelves, but once it’s built, it feels sturdy and the wheels lock securely. It’s tricky to ignite, and then hard to see the flames to check it has successfully fired-up, so if you’re not confident using gas, this might not be for you.

Once you’re up and running, this barbecue preheats quickly and retains heat well, and offers an impressive selection of cooking options, including a grilling and searing plate, rotisserie function (although you’ll need to buy this accessory) and rear burner.

Buy the Napoleon Phantom Prestige 500 RSIB from BBQ World

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Should I choose a gas BBQ or a charcoal BBQ?

The main considerations are how much and how often you want to barbecue. Gas BBQs 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 BBQ. 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 BBQs 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 BBQ, you can precisely control the temperature by simply turning the knob. They’re also safe, as you can just turn the BBQ out when you’re done, rather than having to keep an eye on hot coals as they cool.

They’re also 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 BBQs are also cleaner to use, with no chance of getting charcoal dust on your hands and clothes. This in turn makes gas BBQs easier to clean, because there’s less charring on the grill.

However, a gas BBQ can’t quite match the smoky flavour of a charcoal BBQ, 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 caramelization, but it won’t be as smoky. If you want the best of both worlds there are also a few combination charcoal and gas BBQs on the market, such as the Outback Magnum 3 hybrid barbecue tested below.

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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.

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How to choose a gas BBQ

• Size. Bigger isn’t always better. A small gas BBQ with one or two burners is all you need for entertaining a family of four. This is especially true with gas BBQs, which need somewhere to store propane too. If you’ll be entertaining a larger gathering of upwards of 6 people, opt for a gas BBQ 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 BBQs 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, corn on the cob or homemade BBQ sauce. You can even buy pizza oven attachments, as tested by the BBC Good Food team. 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.

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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, table top and portable BBQS 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 BBQs, a 5kg bottle is all you need and should give you about ten BBQs’ 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 on 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.

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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 BBC 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, warmup 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 well 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.

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This review was last updated in March 2024. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.