Compare the Best BarbecuesFebruary 2020

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!

BBQ Prices

BBQs range in price from $21 to $2,999 and in total we found prices for 61 BBQs. On average, a new barbecue costs $549 and 80% of BBQs are priced between $98 and $1,495. The cheapest barbecue that we found is the Sunbeam GR8210 at only $22, and the most expensive is the Weber Summit at $2,999.

Grill Brands - Price Range

Everdure barbecues start at $999 and their most expensive BBQ costs $1,600. The highest average BBQ price out of all brands is Everdure barbecues with an average price of $1,300.

The second highest average grill price out of all brands is Broil King grills with an average price of $1,102. Broil King grills range in price from $205 to $2,499.

The average price of KAMADO BBQs is $982 which is the third highest average price of all barbecue brands. KAMADO BBQs range in price from $468 to $1,495.

Grill Brands - Average Ratings

We have checked 61 expert reviews and 2,641 user reviews for BBQs and used this data to determine the average rating for each brand of barbecue. The top rated barbecue brand is Weber with an average rating of 93%. The second best brand is Campingaz with 85% and the third best brand is tepro with 77%.

Biggest Grill Retailers

The biggest grill retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 50 current grill offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Overstock with 1 offers. That means eBay is over 50 times bigger than Overstock when it comes to BBQs.

When Are Most New Grills Released?

The most common period for new BBQs to be released in is between January and March. That means that most of the latest grill technology was released in within the last 3 months, and now is good time to buy. March was the biggest month last year for new barbecues, with two new barbecues released that month. The biggest month in 2018 for new BBQ releases was January, with 39 new barbecues released that month. In January 2017, 33 new BBQs were released making it the biggest month that year as well for new BBQ releases.

How Fast Do Barbecue Prices Drop After Release?

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

That means that on a typical barbecue costing $549 you could save on average $45 by waiting 6 months before buying.

Types

The heating system used by the bbq/grill.

The most popular type amongst new barbecues is grill. We found 282 barbecues that are barbecues that have a grill Type. We found 244 BBQs that are grills that have a barbecue Type, making this the second most common type amongst new BBQs.

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.

Amongst new BBQs, the most common form factor is tabletop. We found 179 BBQs that are barbecues that have a tabletop Form factor. We found 139 BBQs that are barbecues that have a cart Form factor, making cart the second most popular 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 grills are BBQs with a lid. 65% of grills on Kagoo are BBQs 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.).

The most common heat source amongst new grills is electric. We found 188 grills that are electric barbecues. We found 174 barbecues that are gas BBQs, making gas the second most common heat source amongst new barbecues.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for BBQs?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying barbecues. For each retailer it shows the total number of barbecues 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. 49 of their grill 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 barbecues by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of barbecue prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's barbecue prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 98% of their BBQ prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.