Best gas detector
Updated: 20 October 2026
The search usually starts at a gas hob: a few minutes at a joint, or an alarm that stays on. A best gas detector exists only after that job is named, and only inside this amazon.co.uk set, because a sniffer, a plug-in and an oxygen monitor are not one contest. The listings and shelf prices stay on the [gas detector](/hub/fire-protection/gas-detector) comparison. The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK sources on 20 October 2026, without a live-leak test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The search usually starts at a gas hob: a few minutes at a joint, or an alarm that stays on.
The search usually starts at a gas hob: a few minutes at a joint, or an alarm that stays on. A best gas detector exists only after that job is named, and only inside this amazon.co.uk set, because a sniffer, a plug-in and an oxygen monitor are not one contest. The listings and shelf prices stay on the gas detector comparison. The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK sources on 20 October 2026, without a live-leak test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job | Standard on the listing | Sound | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  TopTes TopTes PT520A | Gooseneck | n/a | 75 dB | 7.9 | about £39.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Firlarm Firlarm BRJ-502 | Plug-in alarm | n/a | 85 dB | 8.3 | about £18.66 | View offer |
 ABUS ABUS GWM100ME | Corded alarm | EN 50194-1 | 85 dB | 9.5 | about £53.45 | View offer |
On this page
Best for checking a joint
A handheld gas sniffer is the check tool when the job is a fitting, not a night beside the boiler. The short pens switch off after about five minutes: long enough for a joint, and too short to leave on as an alarm. Skip them if you wanted something that stays on while you sleep, because the extra pounds do not remove the shut-off.
A longer probe is still a check tool. The TopTes PT520A at about £39.99 states a 43.5 cm probe and 75 dB, the long one for a union at the back of a gas hob. Skip every gooseneck if you need an alarm left plugged in, and do not read any of these pens as certified to BS EN 50194.
Best for leaving an alarm on
A leave-on alarm is a plug in a socket, not a pen in your hand. The D MODUN at about £15.00 states a British plug, so it is the cheap plug-in to take when that line is your condition, though not if you also want an EN50194-1 highlight. The Firlarm at about £18.66 is the other low plug-in in the table, and its bullet says it cannot detect carbon monoxide. UK review wording on the Firlarm and D MODUN listings says a skirting socket is a poor place for a natural-gas alarm, because mains gas rises. LPG vapour sinks, so the same socket can be wrong the other way. Height for each fuel is on the natural gas or LPG detector page.
The ABUS GWM100ME at about £53.45 states AC 220–240 V, and its highlight is the only one in this batch that says EN50194-1 certified. We are reporting the highlight, not a certificate we opened, so skip the ABUS if a five-minute pen would have done the job. It does not replace 0800 111 999 or a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Best when the listing must state a second hazard
Only the TopTes S2 Multi, at about £79.99, has bullets that state combustible gas and carbon monoxide together. Take it when you need both hazards named on the listing you pay for. Leave it for a single hob joint, because a pen under £30 covers that check, and leave it if you wanted the ABUS line that says EN50194-1.
The Guard-756 is also about £79.99 and the wrong instrument for a fuel leak, because it is an oxygen monitor. Skip it for natural gas and for LPG. A change in oxygen is not unburnt fuel at a joint, and the shared price does not turn it into a combustible-gas alarm.
What best does not mean here
Best here means the listing that matches a job you have already named, not one scored winner across a sniffer, a plug-in and an oxygen meter. No pen in this set is claimed to BS EN 50194. The ABUS highlight is the exception, and it belongs to a mains alarm, not a gooseneck you hold for five minutes. Stars come last, after the job, and they do not reorder these picks. A lower ppm figure is not a better sensor. A detector does not stop a leak, and a 2030 mandate on a seller page is not the rule behind these picks.
Common questions
What is the best gas detector for checking a joint, not for leaving on overnight?
Use a short pen that switches off after about five minutes: the YOJOCK HT60 at about £13.99, a Neoteck colour from about £17.09 to about £19.99, or a TopTes PT177, PT199 or PT210S from about £19.99 to about £29.99. For a joint you cannot reach, the TopTes PT520A at about £39.99 states a 43.5 cm probe and is still only a check tool. Skip every pen if the alarm has to stay on overnight.
Which leave-on alarm in this set states a British plug?
The D MODUN at about £15.00 is the plug-in that states a British plug. The LLCHB at about £15.29 and the Firlarm at about £18.66 are the other low plug-ins, and Firlarm’s bullet says it cannot detect carbon monoxide. Skip the D MODUN if you want the EN50194-1 highlight on the ABUS GWM100ME at about £53.45 instead.
Which model states EN50194-1?
The ABUS GWM100ME at about £53.45 is the listing whose highlight says EN50194-1 certified, and it states AC 220–240 V. BS EN 50194-1:2023 covers fixed apparatus for flammable gas in a home. None of the pens is claimed to that standard. Skip the ABUS if you only need a few minutes at a joint.
Which listing states combustible gas and carbon monoxide together?
The TopTes S2 Multi at about £79.99 is the listing whose bullets state combustible gas and carbon monoxide together. That is seller wording, not a certificate we checked, and it does not outrank a cheaper pen for one joint. Firlarm’s bullet says it cannot detect carbon monoxide. A carbon monoxide alarm alone still does not see an unburnt gas leak.
Is the oxygen monitor a best buy for a gas leak?
The Guard-756 at about £79.99 is an oxygen monitor, so skip it for a natural-gas or LPG leak. It measures oxygen, not combustible gas at a hob joint, and the same price as the TopTes S2 Multi does not change that. Choose it only if oxygen is the reading you want.
Should I skip a skirting-level plug-in for mains gas?
Yes, when the fuel is mains natural gas. UK review wording on the Firlarm and D MODUN listings says a skirting socket is a poor place for that alarm, because the gas rises. The plug-in can still suit you if the listing states the plug you need and you site it for the fuel. LPG height is a separate decision.
Related pages
Sources
Safety rules and standards are from the public sources below. Prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings. Last checked 20 October 2026.
- National Gas emergency contacts (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE domestic gas FAQs (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE L56, safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK smoke and carbon monoxide alarm booklet for landlords (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BSI BS EN 50194-1:2023, flammable gases in household premises (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Cadent, sense of smell (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Safelincs: will a carbon monoxide alarm detect gas leaks? (retrieved 20 October 2026)