Is an electric BBQ better than charcoal and gas? We tested them to find out and these are the best

Telegraph

20-05-2025

Using an electric barbecue is simple: plug it in, heat it up and you're cooking in no time. Even the best charcoal barbecue takes a while to get going and the best gas barbecues can still run out of fuel (I've been caught out mid-garden party by bad planning before). So, they're growing in popularity and have the advantage of precise temperature control and fitting in smaller spaces where flames or smoke may otherwise be a concern.
The best electric BBQs range from around £80 for a basic model with no lid up to around £900 for sophisticated models, with grill and appliance brands like Char-Broil, Weber and Ninja all entering the market. You can cook on grill plates or griddles and choose portable models small enough to sit on a table or big enough to feed the whole family, like a traditional charcoal one. Some even provide woodchips to get that smoky barbecue taste. This guide is also regularly checked and updated to include the best models on the market.5m
The best electric BBQs: At a glance
How to choose the best electric BBQ for you
Electric barbecues come in all shapes and sizes. Some offer straightforward heating so you cook on a grill plate, some offer a wider range of functions like air frying and smoking. Some models let you swap the cooking surface too, for example, adding a pizza stone.
I spoke to Taylor Hawkins, outdoor barbecue buyer at John Lewis, who says: 'Electric barbecues offer convenience with no need for charcoal or gas, faster start-up times, easy temperature control and lower running costs, meaning they're energy efficient and great for everyday use.'
'Opt for a model with at least 1,500 to 2,000 watts for efficient heating and quicker cooking. Temperature control is essential for versatility, while portability is key for those with smaller outdoor spaces,' adds Taylor.
I've tested a range of models, from large to portable, with a full range of options to choose from. 'Searches for electric BBQs have doubled in comparison to this time last year, showing the increase in popularity among customers,' says Taylor.
How we test electric BBQs
I tested all the electric barbecues on this list at home, feeding my family and friends so we could all enjoy the delicious results. I have an external plug socket, making it easy to get up and running, but the first test was how quick each model was to assemble, with set-up time ranging from 10 minutes to more than an hour.
I considered how well constructed each electric barbecue was, how easy it was to move around and looked for features to support safe cooking such as space for utensils and a sturdy lid. Electric grill temperatures can be precise, making it possible to test everything from searing to slow cooking.
Then came the easy part: the taste testing. I wanted to see how evenly each grill cooked and any advanced features like different cooking modes. I cooked a wide range of foods from entire roasts, a slow-cooked leg of lamb, sausages, chicken, burgers, veggie skewers and corn on the cob.
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The best electric BBQs of 2025
1. Best Buy Electric BBQ: Weber Lumin
The Weber Lumin comes in a regular or compact size, with or without a stand, at two different price points. The regular model is £599 with a 33.5 x 49cm grilling area, while the Compact is £369 with a 28 x 43cm grill. The barbecue itself is mostly complete out of the box and it only took me 10 minutes to put together with the stand it sits on, making it easy to move around.
Like many of the best barbecues, the Lumin lets fats drip from anything you're cooking onto the element, which creates smoke when it burns off giving the potential for a little more of that barbecue flavour. Or you can use the flavoured woodchips for the same effect, though it's less smokey than other models such as the Ninja Woodfire.
The Lumin's grill splits into two halves allowing one to be swapped out. I tested the Weber Lumin cooking peri-peri marinated chicken with corn on the cob, steaks, sausages and chorizo burgers.
It reaches temperatures of 315°C, but the dial is a little basic, allowing you to set it to low, medium, smoke, steam and high. There's no digital read-out here, you'll have to use the thermometer set in the lid instead. The power light could also be brighter. That said, it's easy to use and clean, with dishwasher-safe plates, simple to pack away and can be safely stored indoors.
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2. Best Value Electric BBQ: Boss Grill Compact Grill with Cover
The Boss Grill took me about an hour to assemble, but once done, the wheeled stand makes it easy to move around. The attached lid and shelves made cooking a simple task, with handy hooks to hang the utensils on. Just don't put anything hot on the plastic shelves and consider the space they take up if you have a smaller area.
The temperature gauge is set into the lid like a traditional barbecue thermometer, which meant I could keep an eye on how hot the meat was getting. The dial is simple and turns from low to high, with an LED light to tell you when it's reached optimum temperature. I set mine to high, which should be 350°C, but the LED never turned off and the temperature only reached 225°C. It does have a lower wattage than other models on this list.
Despite the sturdy exterior, the grill plate itself has a slightly cheap feel and dipped slightly in the centre so my sausages rolled into the middle. They still cooked evenly and tasted delicious and the fat is free to drip through onto the element here too, creating a little more smoke and flavour. It comes with a handy cover so you can store it outside temporarily.
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3. Best Electric BBQ for Portability: Cadac E Braai
The Cadac E Braai is one of our best portable barbecues, popular with campers. The electric version comes as a standalone grill. You can add a stand for £50, plus extra accessories such as a pizza stone for £30. You can also remove the grill and use a different pot or pan on the pot stand included.
It took me about 10 minutes to put together while the lid is separate, designed to hook onto the back when not in use, though double check it's secure in this position as I dropped mine once when it wasn't sat properly.
A large dial controls the temperature from 20 to 300°C, with an easy-to-read digital display and it was ready to cook in under 10 minutes. The E Braai has a central heating element with fat draining into a drip tray, which means it doesn't smoke and cooks more like an indoor electric grill.
The grill plate is ridged to give your food barbecue stripes and I found pieces of chicken or sausages tasted practically the same as if they'd been cooked on an indoor electric grill. The whole chicken I cooked was lovely and moist (I used a wireless temperature probe to check it), but it took longer than if I'd simply roasted it in an oven.
The holes in the lid can lead to fats spitting out, but the overall size and ability to switch out different plates make it portable and versatile, while the grill plate's ceramic coating makes it easy to clean.
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4. Best Large Electric BBQ: Char-Broil Smart-E
A full-sized electric barbecue, this one mimics the style of Char-Broil's big gas barbecues, meaning you have a large cooking area, two folding metal side shelves and four wheels for easy movement. Consequently, construction is a significant undertaking; it took me well over an hour to build.
Weighing over 50kg, it's also a two-person lift, but once built, you're rewarded with an impressive-looking barbecue. A clear control pad is to the front, with a large temperature dial and power and self-clean buttons. Its larger volume (I slow-cooked a whole leg of lamb) means it takes about 15 minutes to heat up, but I then found that the griddle produced nice, charred lines on my food when I cooked a quick ribeye steak.
There's a little more smokiness on the Char-Broil compared to the Cadac because fat is more likely to burn against the grill surface, making it more like a gas barbecue. But if you cook low and slow, you don't get much of that flavour coming through. The fine temperature control – ranging from 90°C to 370°C – produces consistently great results, but you can only set one temperature for the entire grill, meaning you can't create separate cooking zones. The high top heat means you can cook pizza, though (a pizza stone is sold separately).
The included self-clean function ramps the grill up to full temperature to burn off surface residue, ready for brushing away and you'll need a cover to store this outside. More than any other, the Char-Broil is well suited to cooking at a larger scale and is the closest replacement I've found for a conventional gas barbecue.
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5. Best Electric BBQ for Versatility: Ninja Woodfire OG701UK
Ninja has a reputation for piling functions into its appliances, so it's no surprise to find that this offers more than any other electric barbecue on this list. The 'Woodfire' part of the name comes from the included smoker box where you can add wood chips to give your food additional flavour.
I liked the resulting flavour and aroma (there are two sample packets in the box) and it's great for something like pork tenderloin. The smoky flavour depends on what you're cooking and for how long, but even when the taste is minimal, it adds a flourish and is definitely a talking point. Just remember that even when you've finished cooking, the chips will smoke until they're burnt away.
Otherwise, it has two heating elements (one at the top and another at the bottom), so it can grill and air fry. Indeed, the control dial also lists smoking, roasting, baking, dehydrating and reheating.
Conveniently, it comes almost completely assembled (you just attach the handles) and a guide that contains recipes and cooking times and suggested modes for a wide range of foods. There's no scratching your head with this one; it's the only one I tried that provides precise cooking instructions. The grill plate washes up easily (it's not dishwasher-safe) and there are accessories like a flat plate instead of a griddle for different cooking types.
The Ninja Woodfire brings some excitement to cooking outdoors, but while the compact size is convenient, you can't prepare a large amount of food. In many ways, it's an air fryer with additional functions.
Key specifications
Electric BBQ FAQs
What is the best electric barbecue for outdoors?
Taylor Hawkins, our expert from John Lewis, says: 'The Weber Lumin Compact Electric BBQ stands out for its fast heat up time – reaching 315 degrees in just 14 minutes – and compact design. It also offers multiple cooking methods, including steaming and grilling.'
Are electric barbecues as good as gas or charcoal ones?
'While electric barbecues excel in ease and energy efficiency, customers may still prefer gas or charcoal for that traditional grilling experience and smoky flavour, however, some models like the Ninja Woodfire, offer smoke-enhancing features to bridge that gap,' says Taylor.
Are electric barbecues energy efficient?
A smaller barbecue has the advantage of heating up faster and the power ratings are lower than a typical oven. But they are less well insulated and heat is readily lost through the lid.
How long does it take for an electric BBQ to heat up?
An electric barbecue can take anywhere from five to 15 minutes to heat up, depending on the temperature you want to cook at.
Can electric barbecues give food a smoky flavour?
Yes, they can. The Ninja Woodfire has a built-in smoker that adds flavour, although this works better with food that cooks for longer. Electric barbecues where the fat hits the element will create smoke to bring flavour, but it's not the same as cooking on charcoal.
Some models drain the fat away, however, so the flavours lack that smokiness. A smoker filled with wood chips that you put in the barbecue is a potential solution, but the temperature needs to be high and the food needs to be cooked for some time.