The best Firelighter liquids, compared.
Top pick: Homefiire lighting fluid (1 L) Best value: Big K fluid (4 × 1 L) – Best value as the lowest litre price among 4.5-star listings with at least 50 reviews: about £5.25 a litre at about £20.99. Updated October 2026.
Firelighter liquid is the bottled starter you pour or squeeze onto cold charcoal to get a garden barbecue going. Odourless is a listing claim, not proof the food will taste clean. Separate the bottles by format, by a stated safety cap or a child-resistant anti-flashback nozzle, and by the price per litre. Cook only after the starter has burned off and the charcoal is grey. Petrol, methylated spirits, and a second squirt on hot coals are outside this set and outside UK fire-service advice. Do not barbecue indoors, in a tent, or on a balcony. Pack, format, and the cap are in the [firelighter liquid buying guide](/hub/grill-accessories/firelighter-liquid/sub/firelighter-liquid-buying-guide). It is not a solid firelighter cube, and it is not a chimney starter. Gel is meant to stay where you put it and splash less. ZIP’s listing is the thickened fluid that claims to cling, and it is the only row that states both a child-resistant cap and an anti-flashback nozzle.
Firelighter liquid is the bottled starter you pour or squeeze onto cold charcoal to get a garden barbecue going. Odourless is a listing claim, not proof the food will taste clean.
38 products checked · 67 hrs invested · +22,800 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you want thin fluid or gel?
Homefiire’s 1 litre charcoal lighting fluid is the cheapest single bottle in this set at about £6.49, and the star line is 4.7 from 19 reviews, which is why the score is 94. Nineteen reviews sit under the 50-review line used for badges, so it is not the top pick. Reviewers who liked it mention easy, quick lighting. Others call it a mediocre chemical and say it dries out quickly, so the charcoal has to be lit straight away. The listing bullets do not state a safety cap. Attributes on the same listing say briquette, charcoal, and the brand Saras Flavours of Asia, which disagree with a lighting-fluid title, so the live page needs a look before you assume what will arrive. The rank sits in Grocery rather than Garden charcoal starters, which is a different ladder from the Big K rows.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the cheapest one-litre trial and you will check that the live listing still describes lighting fluid.
Less suitable: You want a stated safety cap, a review sample of 50 or more, or a litre price under £5.50.
Specifications
Common questions
What volume does the title state?
1 litre, sold as charcoal lighting fluid, at about £6.49 on this listing.
Does the listing state a safety cap?
No safety-cap claim appears in the listing bullets. There is also no anti-flashback claim and no shatterproof-bottle claim.
Why do some attributes say briquette?
The listing also lists item form Briquette and material Charcoal, and brand Saras Flavours of Asia. The title and bullets describe a 1 litre lighting fluid. Both are recorded; they disagree. Check the live page before you order.
This fluid bundle is two 1000 ml bottles at about £13.99, or about £7 a litre. The package weight of 2.5 kg and the size 30 × 22 × 11 cm fit two bottles more convincingly than a single litre. The line is 4.6 from 85 reviews, tied on stars with the three-litre pack and based on a slightly larger sample. Reviewers say a barbecue lights easily if you use enough to wet the charcoal, and one could not smell it or taste it on the food. The clear miss is garden rubbish: a reviewer had to keep adding fluid and would not buy it again for that job. It is a starter, not a fuel that holds a waste fire for many minutes. You pay more per litre than the three- and four-litre packs for the same style of safety-cap fluid, and there is no anti-flashback claim.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want two litres of thin fluid and a strong star line without storing four bottles.
Less suitable: You are burning garden waste, or you want the lowest price per litre.
Specifications
Common questions
How many litres are in the bundle?
The title says pack of 2 × 1000 ml. Package weight is 2.5 kg and dimensions are 30 × 22 × 11 cm, which fits two bottles better than one.
Does it claim a safety cap?
Yes. The bullets say safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. They do not state an anti-flashback nozzle.
What job did a reviewer say it failed?
Burning garden rubbish. They had to keep adding fluid and would not buy it again for that. It is a starter for cold charcoal, not a fuel that holds a waste fire.
The Topline Big K fluid pack is three 1000 ml bottles at about £15.99 on this amazon.co.uk listing, which works out at about £5.33 a litre. The listing line is 4.6 from 79 reviews, the same stars as the two-litre bundle and ahead of the four-litre pack, so it is the top pick among rows with at least 50 reviews. Reviewers call it great value, say it lights fires extremely well, and some report low odour on an oil-drum fire with food flavour kept. UK reviews also record a flame that lasted about 40 seconds and died before kindling caught, plus a lingering lighter-fuel smell, black fumes, and an aftertaste unless the coals were left a long time. The title says odourless, and the bullets say a safety cap and a PET shatterproof bottle, not a child-resistant cap or an anti-flashback nozzle. Seller text that names indoor fires and log burners does not override GOV.UK advice against petrol or paraffin on a solid-fuel stove, or against a barbecue indoors.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You light a garden charcoal barbecue often enough to finish three litres, and you will wait until the coals are grey.
Less suitable: You need a stated child-resistant anti-flashback nozzle, or you wanted gel that stays in one place.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say the bottle has a safety cap?
Yes. The bullets say safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle for this pack of 3 × 1000 ml. They do not say the cap is child-resistant, and they do not state an anti-flashback nozzle.
Is indoor use stated?
The bullets name indoor fires and log burners. That is a listing claim, not a measured clearance for use inside a home. GOV.UK still rules out a barbecue indoors, in a tent, under an awning, or in a caravan.
What do reviewers say about smell?
Some UK reviews say odour was low. Others say it smelled of refined oil, gave black fumes, or left a lighter-fuel smell and an aftertaste in food if the coals were not left long enough.
The Big K fluid bottle is a single 1000 ml at about £8.95, with 4.5 from 86 reviews, the largest sample among the one-litre fluids here. The package is listed at 26.1 × 11.6 × 10.4 cm and 890 g. Reviewers say it lights a barbecue easily, including alongside eco firelighters, and that it keeps burning once it takes. One buyer said quite a lot of liquid was needed, and another joked about losing their eyebrows, which you should read as a real flare rather than a throwaway line. The bullets state a safety cap and a PET bottle, not a child-resistant cap and not an anti-flashback nozzle. At about £8.95 a litre it costs more per litre than the three- and four-litre packs of the same fluid line. One short review says the buyer ordered the wrong product and kept the bottle for cleaning.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one litre of thin fluid to try on a garden barbecue before you commit to a multipack.
Less suitable: You barbecue most weekends and would rather pay about £5.25 to £5.33 a litre.
Specifications
Common questions
How big is the bottle?
The listing is 1000 ml. Package dimensions are 26.1 × 11.6 × 10.4 cm and the item weight is 890 g.
Does it claim a safety cap?
Yes. The bullets say safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. They do not say child-resistant, and they do not state an anti-flashback nozzle.
What do reviewers say about how much you need?
One UK review says quite a lot of liquid was needed and that was not so good. Others say it lights a barbecue well. One review describes a strong flare.
The Topline Big K fluid pack of 4 × 1 litre is about £20.99 on this listing, which is about £5.25 a litre, the lowest litre price among listings at 4.5 stars or above with at least 50 reviews. The line is 4.5 from 79 reviews, a tenth below the three-litre pack that costs about 8p more per litre. Buyers say it does what it should, starts a barbecue quickly, and still rated it well after using a B&Q fluid. The repeated criticism is that the flame goes out very fast, and several reviews are only a word or two, so the written defect story is thinner than the star line. Bullets state a safety cap and a PET shatterproof bottle. You pay about £20.99 before you have tried a single bottle, and the odourless and log-burner wording is the same claim family as the smaller fluid packs.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already use thin fluid through a season and you want the lowest litre price in this table.
Less suitable: You are buying a first bottle, or you need the flame to hold long enough for large logs without kindling.
Specifications
Common questions
How many bottles are in the pack?
The title says pack of 4 × 1 litre. On that fill, about £20.99 is about £5.25 a litre.
Does the listing claim a safety cap?
Yes. Bullets say safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. They do not say the cap is child-resistant, and they do not state an anti-flashback nozzle.
What is the repeated performance complaint?
One UK review says the flame goes out very fast. Other reviews say it works as advertised or lights a barbecue quickly. Several reviews are only a word or two.
This Big K gel pack is listed at about £20.99, with a title that says 4 × 1000 ml and a bullet that also says 1 litre, so the carton size is not agreed on the page. The line is 4.4 from 40 reviews, under the 50-review line used for badges. Praise covers coals that lit quickly and a household that found a multifuel stove or log burner easier to start. One table-top burner review describes heavy smoke, blackened glass, and flames that jumped, and that buyer would not purchase it again for that burner, while another reviewer had ordered gel when they wanted liquid fuel. If the title’s four litres are real the litre price is about £5.25, and if the 1 litre bullet is what arrives it is not a bulk buy. A safety cap and a PET bottle are stated, and indoor or log-burner bullets still have to give way to the appliance instructions.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already want this gel in bulk and you will confirm the pack count on the live page.
Less suitable: You need one agreed volume, or you are fuelling a table-top ethanol burner.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this fluid or gel?
The title says odourless gel. A reviewer who wanted fuel said they had ordered the wrong item. The title also says 4 × 1000 ml while a bullet says 1 litre.
Does it claim a safety cap?
Yes. The bullet says safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. It does not say the cap is child-resistant.
What went wrong on a small burner?
One UK review said it was very smoky, blackened the glass, and the flames jumped. They would not buy it again for a table-top burner.
This Big K gel title is a pack of five at about £29.95, about £5.99 a litre only if that count is real, while a bullet also says 1 litre. The line is 4.4 from seven reviews, and the only written review says the gel is easy to use and does the job. A customer question asks whether it is weatherproof, and no answer is on the listing. Seven reviews are too few for an about £29.95 storage buy, which is why the score does not take a badge. A safety cap and a PET bottle are stated. Buy a smaller gel with a larger review count first, and come back only if the live page shows five bottles.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already used this gel and you are reordering in bulk after checking the live pack count.
Less suitable: You are choosing a first gel, or you need a review sample larger than seven.
Specifications
Common questions
How large is the pack?
The title says pack of 5 and 1000 ml. The bullet also says 1 litre, so the pack count and the bullet do not use the same wording. About £5.99 a litre only holds if five litres arrive.
Does it claim a safety cap?
Yes. The bullet says safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. It does not say the cap is child-resistant.
How many review comments are quoted?
The listing line is 4.4 out of 5 from 7 reviews. One UK review is quoted, and it only says the gel is easy to use and does the job.
The Big K gel bottle is a single 1000 ml at about £9.95, listed at 29.7 × 11.5 × 9.7 cm and 900 g, with 4.3 from 136 reviews, the largest count in this set. The bullets mention complimentary Topline barbecue matches. Reviewers call it effective, and one owner of a fan-assisted Lotus-style grill liked the price against Lotus gel and had the barbecue ready in about five minutes. Others say it smelled of petrol for five to ten minutes, made white smoke for three to five minutes, and told Lotus owners to stay with ethanol gel because the bottle referred to odourless kerosene. A cap that would not open or screw down appears in the complaints, and one buyer says liquid arrived instead of gel. At about £9.95 a litre it is the gel to try before a multipack whose bullet and title disagree on volume. It is not the gel for a table-top ethanol stove unless that stove’s manual names it.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want one litre of gel with the biggest review count before you buy a multipack.
Less suitable: You need ethanol gel for a Lotus grill, or a cap you can be sure will open and reseal.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the box besides gel?
The bullets say complimentary Topline barbecue matches. The title mentions a thank-you card.
What are the package dimensions?
29.7 × 11.5 × 9.7 cm, item weight 900 g. Material type is Gel. The shelf price on this listing is about £9.95.
What do reviews say about Lotus grills?
One review liked the value versus Lotus gel but noted smell and flame. Another said the bottle contained odourless kerosene that still smelled and smoked, and told Lotus owners to stay with ethanol gel.
The Topline Big K gel bundle is two 1 litre bottles at about £12.99, or about £6.50 a litre, with 4.3 from 104 reviews. Reviewers say the gel stays where it is put and does not run like a thin liquid, and some say it lasts longer than fluid and heats up quickly. UK reviews also record smoke even when the buyer expected none, a house that smelled when it was used indoors, a short burn, and at least one case that did not light well. One reviewer applied it to a log-burning fire after it was already lit and reported no flashback to the bottle. That is one person’s report, not a method you should copy. The listing attribute says Ethanol Gel Powered, which is not an assay, and a different gel listing’s reviews mention kerosene on the bottle. A safety cap is stated. GOV.UK still rules out an indoor barbecue.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want gel for a garden barbecue and you will keep the bottle outdoors.
Less suitable: You need a stated child-resistant anti-flashback nozzle, or you plan to use it inside the house.
Specifications
Common questions
What power source does the listing name?
The technical details say Ethanol Gel Powered. The title calls it odourless gel. That attribute is not a measured formula. A review on a different gel listing mentions kerosene on the bottle.
Does a review mention flashback?
One UK review says they could apply it to a log-burning fire after it was lit without flashing back to the bottle. That is one user's report, not a licence to pour gel onto flames.
Is it described as odour-free in reviews?
The title says odourless. Reviews say it smokes and that indoor use left the house smelling. GOV.UK still rules out an indoor barbecue.
ZIP’s high-performance fire lighter liquid is 500 ml at about £15, about £30 a litre, with 4.0 from five reviews and no review text on the listing. The bullets are why it stays in the table: a child-resistant cap and an anti-flashback nozzle, the only listing in this set that states both. ZIP’s own notes describe a thickened fluid meant to cling, and a flammable-liquid warning that it may be fatal if swallowed and enters the airways. Five reviews are too few to treat 4.0 as a settled picture of smell or lighting speed. The listing bullets do not claim the bottle is odourless. An anti-flashback nozzle is still not a reason to pour onto a flame, and child-resistant does not mean a toddler cannot open it if the bottle is left in reach.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Children are in the house and you want the stated child-resistant cap, stored up and closed.
Less suitable: You want the lowest litre price, or a review sample large enough to judge smell and lighting.
Specifications
Common questions
What volume is this bottle?
500 ml. The price on the listing is about £15, which is about £30 a litre.
Does the listing claim a child-resistant cap?
Yes. The bullets say child resistant cap and anti flashback. It is the only listing in this set that states both. That is still not a reason to pour onto a flame.
Are there review comments on the listing?
No. The listing line is 4.0 out of 5 from 5 reviews, and there is no review text with the stars. Five reviews are too few for a badge.
This Big K gel pack is about £15.99, and the star line is 3.8 from 24 reviews, the weakest average in the comparison. One UK review is quoted. That buyer usually prefers lighting fluid, received gel, and found that a lavish spread burned longer than fluid and got the coals white-hot quicker, after which the food cooked without burning. The title says 3 × 1000 ml and a bullet also says 1 litre, so about £5.33 a litre only holds if the pack-of-three title is the true fill. A safety cap and a PET bottle are stated. With a single written review you cannot treat a lavish spread as a measured dose, and 24 ratings are too few to explain why the average sits at 3.8.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already prefer gel and you will accept a thin written review before you rely on the 3.8 average.
Less suitable: You choose on star average, or you wanted thin lighting fluid.
Specifications
Common questions
How many review texts are quoted?
The listing line says 3.8 out of 5 from 24 reviews. One UK review is quoted on the listing.
Gel or fluid?
The title says gel. The only written review says the buyer usually prefers fluid and was surprised the gel worked when used generously. A bullet also says 1 litre while the title says 3 × 1000 ml.
Does it claim a safety cap?
Yes. The bullet says safety cap and PET shatterproof bottle. It does not say the cap is child-resistant.
Eleven amazon.co.uk firelighter-liquid listings were scored from 0 to 100. The score is the UK star line times 20, so 4.7 is 94, 4.6 is 92, 4.5 is 90, 4.4 is 88, 4.3 is 86, 4.0 is 80 and 3.8 is 76. Review count does not add points. A listing under 50 UK reviews keeps its stars and cannot take a badge. The top pick is the highest score among listings with at least 50 reviews. A tie goes to the lower price per litre, which is the 3 × 1000 ml Big K fluid at about £5.33 a litre. Best value is the lowest price per litre among listings at 4.5 stars or above with at least 50 reviews, which is the 4 × 1 L fluid at about £5.25 a litre. A safety cap is discussed in the assessment and is not extra points. This is not a lab light and not a taste test.
UK star line
100%The whole score is the amazon.co.uk star line times 20. A 4.6 becomes 92 and a 4.5 becomes 90. Review count, price per litre, and a stated cap do not add points. They decide which scores can take a badge, and they appear in the written assessment.
Choose the format before the star count. Thin fluid soaks into cold charcoal. Gel is meant to stay put. ZIP’s 500 ml listing is the thickened fluid that claims to cling. Odourless is a claim on most titles in this set, not a measured effect on food. On this page the shelf prices run from about £6.49 for 1 litre to about £29.95 for a five-litre gel title. A price per litre is firm only where the pack count is agreed. A listing under 50 UK reviews keeps its stars and takes no badge.
Firelighter liquid is a bottled starter for cold charcoal, and sometimes for cold kindling, on a garden barbecue or an outdoor fire. It is not a solid firelighter cube, and it is not a chimney starter. In this amazon.co.uk set the bottles are mostly Topline Big K fluid and gel, plus Homefiire’s 1 litre fluid and ZIP’s 500 ml thickened fluid. Thin fluid soaks into the coals. Gel is meant to stay where you put it and splash less.
A fuel taste is the usual result of food going on before the starter has burned off. Wait until the charcoal is covered in grey ash. Reviews on these listings praise a clean light and still report a kerosene smell, white smoke, and an aftertaste. Odourless on the title does not settle that.
Recognised starters go on cold coals only. Do not add a second squirt to a dying fire. Petrol, paraffin, and methylated spirits are outside this set. An anti-flashback nozzle, stated on the ZIP bottle, is not a licence to pour onto a flame.
Seller text that names indoor fires or log burners does not override the stove instructions, or GOV.UK’s warning not to light a solid-fuel stove with petrol or paraffin. A barbecue indoors, in a tent, under an awning, or on a balcony is ruled out because of carbon monoxide and fire spread.
Format is the first fork. Thin fluid soaks in. Gel is meant to stay put and splash less. ZIP is the thickened fluid that claims to cling. The difference between those two Big K formats is in [gel or thin fluid](/hub/grill-accessories/firelighter-liquid/sub/firelighter-liquid-gel-vs-fluid). The closure is the second fork. Prefer a stated child-resistant cap if children are in the house. Safety cap on Big K bullets is not that phrase.
One litre is the occasional bottle: Homefiire fluid at about £6.49, Big K fluid at about £8.95, Big K gel at about £9.95. Multipacks of two to four litres land near £5.25 to £7 a litre when the title count is the true fill. The four-litre Big K fluid is about £5.25 a litre and is the best value on that rule. The three-litre fluid is about £5.33 a litre and is the top pick on stars.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one litre of thin fluid before a multipack sits in the shed. Big K fluid, 1000 ml, is about £8.95, at 4.5 from 86 reviews, with a safety cap stated. You still wait for grey ash. It costs more per litre than the three- and four-litre packs.
You already use thin fluid through a season and you want the lowest litre price among 4.5-star listings with at least 50 reviews. The 4 × 1 L Big K fluid is about £20.99, about £5.25 a litre, at 4.5 from 79 reviews. Do not add a second squirt to hot coals.
You want the only bottle in this set that states both a child-resistant cap and an anti-flashback nozzle. ZIP is 500 ml at about £15, about £30 a litre, at 4.0 from 5 reviews, with no review text on the listing. Store it up and closed. Child-resistant does not mean a toddler cannot open a bottle left in reach.
The top pick is Topline Big K fluid, 3 × 1000 ml, at about £15.99. It is the highest eligible score: 4.6 from 79 amazon.co.uk reviews, about £5.33 a litre, the lower litre price of the two 4.6-star packs with at least 50 reviews. UK reviews praise a strong light and still report a short flame, a refined-oil smell, and a fuel aftertaste if you cook too soon. The best value is the 4 × 1 L fluid at about £20.99, about £5.25 a litre, at 4.5 from 79 reviews. Homefiire is 4.7 from 19 reviews, under the 50-review line, so it takes no badge. The two-litre fluid matches the top pick on stars and costs about £7 a litre, so the tie goes to the three-litre pack. None of these scores is a lab light.
Big K fluid (4 × 1 L)
Best value as the lowest litre price among 4.5-star listings with at least 50 reviews: about £5.25 a litre at about £20.99.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines for these ASINs. We did not run a lab light or a taste test.
