If you’re starting to look for the best gas barbecue for the patio, garden, campsite, caravan, RV or beach, you can stop right here because we’ve done all the hard work for you by creating this tantalising smorgasbord of the best gas barbies you can currently buy.
In this guide you’ll find gas barbecues of all shapes and sizes, from large garden models to patio-sized grills and even one to two balcony-friendly products. And just below this selection you’ll find a very handy guide on How to Choose a Gas Barbecue that we’ve lovingly put together so you don’t go into the blizzard blinded by choice.
Remember, though, that this guide is dedicated to the best gas BBQs on the market, while T3's main Best Barbecue buying guide includes charcoal, gas, pellet and electric varieties. In other words, you should check that guide out if you're unsure which fuel type you're looking for.
If some of these gas barbecues are too large for your needs, head over to our dedicated guide to the Best Portable Barbecues where you’ll find a wide variety of gas, charcoal, pellet and electric BBQs that are easy to move around or take on holiday with you.
- Is your food always undercooked or overcooked? You need to read our guide to the Best Meat Thermometers
The best gas barbecues you can buy in 2023
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When it comes to naming the best barbecue manufacturers, Napoleon is right up there in the top tier with Weber and Broil King. This portable two-burner cart grill, the impressively named Napoleon TravelQ Pro285 Phantom, is a prime case in point. Firstly, its exclusive matt black finish is a sight to behold, but build quality is also fantastic, from the excellence of the Napoleon trademark wave-shaped cast-iron grill grate to the compact way in which it folds. Although it’s designed out of the box to be used with full-size propane bottles, it can easily be converted to use disposable gas canisters.
Granted, the folding mechanism isn’t as smooth as the Weber Traveler but then this model pips the Traveler to a higher spot by dint of its two stainless steel burners (the Weber has just one), jet-powered ignition and a lid that’s tall enough to accommodate a large chicken. At 37 x 54cm, you should easily fit 20 hamburgers on the ample grate and a shed-load more sausages or drumsticks.
This writer has cooked quite a few things on this grill and it has been impeccable in all disciplines. Also, the wave-shaped grate is perfect for grilling slim slippery items like prawns and halloumi, while the two burner controls provide excellent heat regulation. In short, this is the perfect gas barbie for patios, balconies and the odd camping trip. Warmly recommended.
Like the Napoleon above, this is another brilliant portable folding model that’s perfect for both home and away. Because it folds in a thrice and can be stored on its end, you can simply pop it in the shed at the end of the season. Granted, the Traveler is large for a portable – and heavy, too – but its big wheels and scissor-like cart make it really easy to move it around.
As we said in our Weber Traveler review, the Traveler’s folding mechanism is a joy to use and it collapses with such a slow and satisfying damping action you will almost certainly play around with it for some time before even attempting to start grilling on it.
The Traveler comes with a 2,065cm cast-iron grilling area which is big enough for about six guests or more if you’re just doing standard fare like sausages and drumsticks. The gorgeously fashioned porcelain-enamelled lid, meanwhile, provides reliable indirect grilling without any flare ups.
The Weber Traveler is designed to work with disposable gas canisters of the screw-top camping variety but it can also be adapted to work with a standard Patio Gas propane bottle if using it mostly at home.
This semi portable gas barbecue is extremely practical to use, easy to store and it grills like a trojan. It isn’t too expensive either.
You can compare this gas BBW to a highly-rated designer model in our Weber Traveler vs Everdure by Heston Blumenthal Force comparison feature.
This gas grill retails at a very affordable price point and features a robust frame, three burners (which can be lit individually if desired), a built-in lid thermometer and a good-size grilling area.
When we tested the John Lewis 3 Burner Gas BBQ we found that it was easy to move and sturdy, too. Our testing area is located on the top of a hill, where the winds whip up frequently, and if a grill suffers from stability issues then we're soon aware of it, so it was pleasing to see this grill was stable.
In terms of design and use, this model is very straight forward. Simply hook up your gas canister, turn on the gas, and then ignite one to three burners. This is a good thing as the size of the grill is such that if, say, just two people want to BBQ then you can just use one burner, and if you have a load guests turn up, simply whack on all three.
If you regularly want to BBQ for larger amounts of people then John Lewis also produces a 4-burner variation of this grill but naturally the price increases. For our money, though, this 3-burner model is more than enough for most al fresco banqueting.
Available in shiny stainless steel or lush black, this snazzy new gas model from one of America’s favourite barbecue brands is an absolute corker that’s exceptionally well designed and constructed using better quality materials than the majority of other models on this page.
As we detail in our Broil King Baron 490 IR review, this is a four-burner beast with a side-mounted steak sizzler, a rotisserie with dedicated rear burner, heavy-duty reversible cast-iron grilling grates, a sturdy side shelf, two solid steel doors to hide the gas bottle and backlit control knobs for night time grilling.
Like all large BBQs, the Baron 490 IR arrives on palette and requires assembly which takes up to three hours to complete. However, seeing the whole shebang as a collection of parts makes you really appreciate the quality of the materials used. Crucially, everything went together perfectly with no dodgy bolt holes and misaligned panels. In fact I only had one hiccup understanding the instructions on how to fit the cupboard doors.
At around £1,500, this is not a cheap barbecue but then you do get a lot of meal estate, an incredible steak searing station on the side and a full rotisserie kit with its own full-length back burner. I’ve tried other gas barbecues in this price bracket and none so far can compete with this one for sheer versatility and performance.
This aesthetically spot-on two-burner gas model from food sorcerer Heston Blumenthal is built almost entirely out of rust-free die-cast aluminium so you can expect it to last for years. It also comes with the most accurate control dials in the business, a top-quality cast-iron grate with integrated flame tamers and a collapsible side table.
Needless to say, the Force grills meat and veg to perfection – every time and with zero fuss. You might struggle to do Heston's signature snail porridge in it, but feel free to try
It's not a 'big' gas barbecue, unlike some of the monsters here, but the Char-broil All-Star is more than adequate for most nuclear families and a few neighbourly visitors. It is about as compact as a grill can get without being more of a portable, camping type BBQ.
Assembly is a little fiddly and the smaller size means that larger gas cylinders can't fit in the recess underneath. That doesn't mean you can't use larger canisters however; just seat them on the ground instead.
Overall we love this Char-Broil grill. You can find out more by reading our five-star Char-Broil All-Star review.
The three-burner Genesis EX-335 GBS comes with a tranche of smart tech that monitors your cooking using the Weber Connect app. It’s a great system for novice chefs and for those who would rather not be manacled to the grill.
The Genesis II is equipped with three main gas burners, a Sear Station burner sandwiched between the two right-hand burners, and a side burner for boiling stuff and warming sauces. Its heavy-duty 68cm x 48cm porcelain-enamelled cast iron grill grate provides ample space for up to 10 guests and can also be used with a range of accessories from Weber’s Gourmet BBQ System. For night-time use, it comes with bright red back-lit burner knobs and a clever clip-on LED grill lamp that automatically switches on when you raise the lid.
If you’re a big entertainer who hates having to stand by the grill while everyone else is shooting the breeze, then consider this premium bells-and-whistles model.
To see how the EX-335 compares to Char-Broil Pro 2, check out our Weber Genesis II EX-335 GBS Smart Barbecue vs Char-Broil Professional Pro S2 comparison feature.
If you’re shopping for a small 4kW gas barbecue that can be easily collapsed for winter storage in the shed or taken away with you on a camping or caravan holiday, the Broil King Porta Chef 120 is a very reasonably priced option that ticks many boxes.
This grill has one long burner that stretches the entire width of the unit and 1,420 square cm of grilling space on its high-quality cast iron cooking grate. For its sub-£300 asking price, the Porta Chef 120 is well built though the legs can be a bit wobbly if you don’t pull them outwards a bit when in situ. The removable legs and side shelf make it easy for storage and transport.
Refreshingly, the Porta Chef 120 is one of the easiest gas barbecues to build because most of it is factory assembled. All you have to do is clip in the four legs, attach the lid using the supplied grommets, screw in the lid handle and position the cast iron grates. A great easy-to-store travel choice for gas fans.
This mid-priced three-burner model has a large 61cm x 46cm porcelain-enamelled cast iron cooking grate that’s good for up to eight hungry gannets. Rather cleverly, the grate is divided into two sections: a large cast-iron section with a removable centre to accommodate a range of Campingaz’s Culinary Modular cooking accessories, and a two-way flat/ribbed griddle plate for fish, prawns, halloumi, vegetables and breakfast fry-ups. It’s also equipped with a right-hand side burner for pot-based boiling and a large shelf on the left.
This model’s main grill grate is designed with several solid sections that are placed directly above each burner. These sections protect the burners from dripping fats while allowing naked flames to kiss the food for authentic charcoal-style flavour and texture. Its innovative cleaning system is an especially cool, time-saving feature. In essence, a water tray beneath the barbecue catches all the fats which then float on the water. All you do is remove the tray and pour away the fatty water.
If you’re after a reasonably priced and very versatile three-burner gas barbecue that excels in a myriad of ways, then this could be the model for you. Just be prepared to spend a few hours assembling it.
For even more information on this top BBQ be sure to read our Campingaz 3 Series Premium S review and our Campingaz 3 Series Premium S vs Char-Broil Professional Pro S3 comparison feature.
This stainless-steel model comes with a 47.8 x 44.5cm porcelain-coated, cast-iron grate and uses Char-Broil’s renowned ‘TRU-infrared’ technology – essentially a couple of perforated corrugated steel sheets above the two burners – to ensure even cooking temperatures across the entire cooking surface. Amazingly, it also comes with a side sear burner which is perfect for caramelising steaks and, for added ambience, illuminated dials in bright red for night-time use.
Like most gas barbecues, the Char-Broil Professional Pro S2 fires off a 5kg Patio Gas bottle (refills around £30) which tucks away in a cupboard underneath. This is a cracking gas barbecue that grills exceptionally well though it does take a few hours to assemble.
If you have a large family and need a grill grate with a bigger surface area, we would advise giving this model's larger stablemate, the equally excellent Char-Broil Professional Pro S3, a gander.
To see how the Pro S2 compares to a top competitor from rival firm Weber, be sure to check out our Weber Genesis II EX-335 GBS Smart Barbecue vs Char-Broil Professional Pro S2 comparison feature.
This stylish open-cart Weber comes equipped with three high-performance burners, a large heavy-duty cast-iron cooking grate, a warming rack above the main grill, a gorgeously smooth porcelain-enamelled hinged lid with integral thermometer, reliable flame ignition, two side tables and space on the side for a Patio gas bottle. It’s also compatible with Weber’s optional iGrill 3 Bluetooth-enabled thermometer probe system. A top choice for al fresco connoisseurs.
This rugged portable gas barbie uses camping gas-style canisters so it’s perfect for campers, caravaners and boaters. It’s also a prime little two-person model for balcony and patio use.
The great thing about this particular gas model is that it features what Char-Broil calls TRU Infrared technology. In a nutshell, a perforated corrugated sheet of metal above the burner and just beneath the cooking grate radiates heat right across the entire cooking surface.
And that means fewer cool spots, an anomaly with many gas barbecues. The infrared system works a treat though it does require regular cleaning. The X200 is quite bulky to carry single handedly so perhaps enrol another pair of hands if your chosen barbecue spot involves a lengthy stroll.
As we say in our Landmann Fryton review, this is the first barbecue we know of to ship with a built-in electrically-powered air fryer. No, really. The air fryer has a capacity of 3.5 litres which, while smaller than a standard kitchen top model, is large enough for several portions of French fries, chips, broccoli or rosemary potatoes. Figure in a 3kW side burner, and you have a gas barbecue that can grill, boil and fry.
The Fryton’s excellent cast-iron grill measures 65 x 40cm so it provides ample space to feed a party of up to six – more if you’re grilling small ingredients like sausages and chicken wings.
We tested both the grill and the air fryer and both performed exceedingly well. In fact, aside from some chicken wings on the main grill, we also tried some air-fried drumsticks and they were out-of-this-world crispy with a succulent centre that isn’t that easy to replicate on a barbecue grill.
If you’d rather stay out in the garden and not have to enter the kitchen when whipping up an al fresco banquet, the Landmann Fryton might just be the BBQ you’re looking for.
The Very 2 Ring Gas BBQ with Side Burner doesn't deliver any fancy features but, providing you're happy with its compact size and grill area, it's a really super affordable choice of gas BBQ.
At well under £100 that price is very hard to overlook. But you do get two burners, with a useful exposed side-burner allowing you to fry onions, create sauces for your meat, veg and fish, or cook other sides, as well as a 45 x 34 cm grilling area that is suitable for individuals, couples and small families.
Assembly is relatively straight forward, too, and as it's compact the whole grill is light and easy to manoeuvre, even if its wheels are a bit plasticky and don't rotate. Naturally, build quality is nowhere near the premium gas grills and its design is very, but for this money we don't think you can complain too much.
How to choose the best gas BBQ for you
Most seasoned chefs and barbecue aficionados will argue that charcoal is a much better heat source for alfresco grilling than a gas flame. But contrary to that, gas fans will argue that it doesn’t really matter what the heat source is because the whole essence of a barbecued dish is the smokey flavour produced by meat fats dripping onto the heat below. Whether the heat source is hot charcoals or a metal heat shield above a gas flame shouldn’t make a great deal of difference to the flavour.
One thing’s for sure – gas barbecuing is a much more convenient way to grill than charcoal, even though the barbecues themselves are invariably more expensive to buy and a lot more hassle to assemble. Gas is a much more dependable way to grill, too, especially for novices who might still rue the day they lit the charcoal too late and started grilling before the charcoal was at optimum temperature. With a gas barbecue you’re ready to start cooking in about five minutes, flare-ups are easily dealt with by simply turning down the heat, and you can go on grilling for as long as there’s gas in the canister.
If gas is ultimately your bag, then you need to decide next what size of gas grill you need. There's portable, single, dual and even triple burner models on the market, which allow you to cook everything from a handful of sausages and a few burgers, right up to industrial levels of chops, steaks, sausages, burgers, vegetables, fish and tofu. Most families will be fine with just a single-burner gas grill, but larger families or those that entertain a lot should scope out a dual burner at the minimum.
Portable BBQs can be a great shout, too, as they of course can be used on patios and balconies for example at home, as well as on road trips, picnics or camping trips. Again, the obvious downside with these grills is that they don't tend to have as large a cooking plate as most non-portable barbies.
Some gas grills, like the Char-Broil Gas-2-Coal, deliver both gas and charcoal functionality in one product. These sorts of grills are the last word in versatility, as they can be used on gas at home, or on charcoal while sat on the ground near a picnic hamper.
In terms of brands, the big names in the gas BBQ world are Weber, Char-Broil, Broil King and Campingaz, so expect to pay a premium for grills made by them. These brands have been making BBQs for years, though, and they've got serious pedigree in the field, so you can expect quality.
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