Compare the Best BarbecuesSeptember 2019

Barbecues and grills are cooking devices meant for both outside and inside cooking. They usually comprise of a metal grill suspended over a fuel source (charcoal, gas or electric). The food (usually meats) are placed onto the grill, where the high temperatures from the fuel cook it quickly and efficiently. Barbeques are the epitome of summer cooking - great for parties and quickly cooking large amounts of meat and vegetables.

The two names can be used interchangably, but here are the main differences between barbeques and grills. It's important to be clear on which type you want when buying, because outdoor barbecues generally can't be used indoors - they generate a lot of smoke, that will make a kitchen very unpleasant very quickly!

Barbeques don't require electricity - prefering to use a fuel source such as charcoal or gas. They can be significantly larger than grills, meant for cooking for families and groups, which also means they can be more expensive. Their fuel sources generate a lot of smoke, meaning the can also be used for hot smoking meat and fish.

Grills are usually smaller than barbeques and can be used inside. They tend towards either electricity or gas as a fuel source, meaning they produce less smoke, but are more costly to run. They are meant more for small families, apartments, or places where setting up a big barbeque and causing lots of smoke would be more of a challenge. This means they can be significantly cheaper: however, since they don't use charcoal or wood as a fuel, you don't get quite the same chargrilled taste as a proper barbeque.

Size

Grills and barbecues come in all different shapes and sizes - from very small one-person grills that can only cook a couple of sausages at a time, to enormous barbeques that can easily cook entire racks of ribs or whole birds at once. The barbeques and grills on our site have a cooking surface measured in centimeters - the larger it is, the more food can be cooked at once. Smaller grills and barbeques may be marked as portable, meaning they are specially designed for picnics or outdoor parties.

Fuel Type

As mentioned above, barbeques and grills can use several different types of fuel sources. Outdoor barbeques tend towards charcoal, wood or gas, while indoor grills tend to use either gas or electricity. It's important that generally speaking one can't be substituted for the other - so make sure you have access to a source of fuel for your chosen barbeque before you buy it.

Lid

Some of our grills and barbeques are marked as having a lid. These are extremely useful for both increasing the heat of the cooking, and limiting the smoke generated by the barbeque. They are also essential for smoking, since it traps the smoke that gives hot-smoked meat and fish their unique taste.

Extras

Grills and barbeques are extremely customisable, and come with a wide variety of extras that can help you cook more effectively. These can include a non-stick coating to the grill rack, detachable legs for larger barbeques or a double-walled 'cool touch' handles to reduce the risk of accidental burning.

Moreover, some of our models are marked as 'easy to clean' - given how messy grilling a large quantity of meat and fish can be, this is a massive boon if you're going to use your grill frequently!

Grill Prices

BBQs range in price from $22 to $2,749 and in total we found prices for 66 BBQs. The average price of a new grill is $541 and the 80% of BBQs are priced between $80 and $1,399. The cheapest grill that we found is the Sunbeam GR8210 at only $23, and the most expensive is the Weber Summit E-670 at $2,749.

BBQ Brands - Price Range

Everdure barbecues start at $999 and their most expensive grill costs $1,399. The highest average grill price out of all brands is Everdure barbecues with an average price of $1,199.

The average price of KAMADO BBQs is $998 which is the second highest average price of all barbecue brands. KAMADO BBQs range in price from $499 to $1,497.

The third highest average BBQ price out of all brands is Traeger barbecues with an average price of $980. Traeger barbecues range in price from $980 to $980.

Barbecue Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 56 expert reviews and 2,550 user reviews for BBQs and used this information to evaluate the average rating for each brand of grill. Weber is the top rated grill brand with an average rating of 94%. Campingaz is the second best brand with 85% and tepro is the third best brand with 77%.

Biggest Grill Retailers

The biggest barbecue retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 44 current barbecue offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Overstock with 1 offers. That means eBay is over 44 times bigger than Overstock when it comes to grills.

When Are Most New Grills Released?

Over the last 3 years we couldn't see any obvious trend in the release month for new grills. January was the biggest month in 2018 for new grills, with 39 new grills released that month. In 2017 most new barbecues were released in January as well, with 33 new barbecues released that month. The biggest month in 2016 for new barbecue releases was September, with 68 new barbecues released that month.

How Fast Do BBQ Prices Drop After Release?

On average, in the first 6 months after release, BBQs drop in price by 8%.

A typical new BBQ costs on average $541. By waiting 6 months before buying you could save on average $44.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

Grill is the most frequently found type amongst new barbecues. We found 282 barbecues that are grills that have a grill Type. We found 242 barbecues that are barbecues that have a barbecue Type, making barbecue the second most popular type amongst new barbecues.

Form Factors

Form factor is the case design of the grill/bbq. It can affect everything from the load capacity to what type of fuel is best used.

We found 176 grills that are BBQs that have a tabletop Form factor, which makes this the most common form factor amongst new grills. We found 139 BBQs that are grills that have a cart Form factor, making cart the second most frequently found form factor amongst new BBQs.

Lids

Some barbecues come with a lid which can be closed over the top of grill whilst it is cooking.

Most new barbecues are grills with a lid. 344 barbecues out of 527 on Kagoo are grills with a lid.

Heat Sources

The heat source on a barbecue refers to the type of fuel that the barbecue uses (i.e. gas, charcoal, electric etc.).

Electric is the most popular heat source amongst new BBQs. We found 184 BBQs that are electric BBQs. The second most frequently found heat source amongst new barbecues is gas. We found 175 barbecues that are gas grills.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Grills?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying BBQs. For each retailer it shows the total number of BBQs where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying barbecues. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 44 of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of BBQs for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for grills by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of BBQ prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's BBQ prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 100% of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.