9 Best Gas Grills of 2026, Tested by Our Experts
Our rigorous tests found standouts in every size and price range
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Want to boost your grill game? We’ve got you covered.
- Best Gas Grills: Small Midsized Large
- How CR Tests Gas Grills
Best Small Gas Grills
We categorize gas grills by the number of burger patties you can cook at one time. Small gas grills can typically hold 18 or fewer patties at once, making them a good alternative for small cookouts.
Best Midsized Gas Grills
The most widely sold grill size, the midsized gas grills in our ratings are able to accommodate from 18 to 28 burger patties. You’ll find some basic grills with few features as well as souped-up models with plenty of accessories and room for storage.
Best Large Gas Grills
In our categorization, large gas grills hold 28 or more burger patties at once. These heavyweights are ideal for big cookouts and family gatherings.
How CR Tests Gas Grills
In our lab, we wire the surface of each gas grill with heat-resistant thermocouples and do four temperature tests. We also assess how evenly each model heats. That’s an important attribute when grilling for a crowd. All your food, no matter where you throw it on the grates, should finish at the same time.
Photo: Scott Meadows/Consumer Reports Photo: Scott Meadows/Consumer Reports
“Just like your oven, a grill needs to preheat,” says Breann Chai, who oversaw gas grill testing at CR. “A preheated grill cooks more evenly, and it can also help prevent food from sticking.” We measure how hot the surface gets at the 10-minute mark because that’s when our data says most folks like to start cooking.
We also gauge how reliable gas grill brands are by surveying thousands of CR members about their own gas grills. In our latest polls, we asked CR members about their experiences with tens of thousands of gas grills, and we used that data to determine the most and least reliable gas grill brands. Lastly, we score grill makers at the brand level for both reliability and owner satisfaction, and we factor those scores into our grill ratings.
@consumerreports It’s grillingseason! In our lab, we wire the surface of each gas grill with thermocouples and perform four temperature tests. See ratings and reviews at cr.org/grills. #grilling #outdoorcooking #foodtiktok
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