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Gas BBQ buying guide

Updated: 23 October 2026

The listing is shouting burners, kilowatts, and black, and the patio is already half a table. A gas BBQ buying guide should say what those numbers buy on a Saturday. Black is a colour on amazon.co.uk, not a hotter or safer barbecue. The nine listings sit on the [black gas BBQ comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/black-gas-bbq). This page is the step before that table: burner count, width, and what the shelf price leaves out. Bottle choice is on [propane or butane](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/black-gas-bbq/sub/black-gas-bbq-propane-or-butane). Peter F. used those lines on 20 October 2026. There is no lab cook. A purchase through our links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The listing is shouting burners, kilowatts, and black, and the patio is already half a table. A gas BBQ buying guide should say what those numbers buy on a Saturday.

Our top picks

Weber Weber Q 1200N

Best overall

Weber Weber Q 1200N
10.0/10about £389
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe 6+1 with cover

Rank 2

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe 6+1 with cover
9.0/10about £299.99
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1

Best value

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Original 4+1
8.8/10about £199.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the burner guides actually disagree on
  2. 2.What an extra burner is for
  3. 3.How much patio the trolleys in this set take
  4. 4.Thermometer, cover, and the money that is not in the price
  5. 5.Which size to start from

What the burner guides actually disagree on

Grill and Grate puts two burners with one to four people, and three or four with four to six. Dunelm puts two burners with four to six, and four with ten to fourteen. Merging those tables invents a rule neither shop published. Cook for the weekend you actually have. Two or more main burners, each with its own control, give a sear side and a holding side. The Weber Q in this set is one burner, so you cannot turn half the grill off. BS EN 498:2012 sets no efficiency figure. The Campfire bullet talks about four 11.2 kW burners plus a 2.5 kW side burner, and the specification prints 11.2 kW. Do not average them.

What an extra burner is for

A side burner is a ring for a pan, not another strip of grate. A 4+1 means four main burners plus that ring. Side tables on the Weber Q are shelves, and that listing does not print a side-burner count. Six main burners zone a wider span and, as a BBC Gardeners’ World rule of thumb, want a larger bottle: about 5 kg for one to three burners, and at least 10 kg, often a 13 kg patio cylinder, at five burners or more. That note is not a test of these grills. A lid thermometer shows hood air, not an even grate. One CosmoGrill Original review describes burners lighting only part-way, so the front stayed cooler.
Weber Weber Q 1200N

Testsieger

Weber Weber Q 1200N
10.0/10about £389
View offer

How much patio the trolleys in this set take

Measure with the shelves in mind. The Original 4+1 is listed at 50 × 126 × 103 cm. The Pro Deluxe bullet is about 149 × 55 × 110 cm. The Emberr bullet says 141 × 52 × 107.5 cm and the specification says 45 × 45 × 34 cm. Those cannot both be the trolley. If the patio is under about 1.5 m, distrust a 6+1 width first. A hood around 103–110 cm closed still swings up. Listed weights run from 22 kg on the Original to about 39–40 kg on the Pro Deluxe and 60 kg on the Platinum. Do not size the barbecue for one bank-holiday crowd.

Thermometer, cover, and the money that is not in the price

A lid thermometer is a poor reason to ignore a missing hose. The Campfire bullet and both Pro Deluxe bullets say the regulator and hose are not in the box. The Emberr included line names a propane hose. One Campfire reviewer put the extra at about £18. That is one receipt, not a current kit price. Which cartons name a pipe is on the gas BBQ hose and regulator page. A cover on a damp grill traps condensation, and UK reviews still report rust under a cover. Matt black shows grease. A gas barbecue does not belong on a balcony.

Which size to start from

If you want a hot side and a holding side, start with a 4+1 at 126 cm before a 6+1 near 149 cm, and budget a hose when the included line does not name one. Who each listing suits is on best black gas BBQ.

Common questions

Is a side burner the same as another main burner?
No. A side burner is a ring for a saucepan. It does not add grate area, and it does not give you a cool zone on the main cooking surface. Side tables are shelves. If the listing does not print a side-burner count, do not assume the shelf is a hob.
How wide is a six-burner trolley once the shelves are open?
In this set the Pro Deluxe bullet is about 149 × 55 × 110 cm with the hood closed, and the Emberr bullet says 141 × 52 × 107.5 cm while its specification says 45 × 45 × 34 cm. Open shelves take more room than the closed figure. Measure your patio before you treat either line as the one that will fit.
Should I trust a single kilowatt number on the product page?
Only when the bullet and the specification print the same figure. They often do not. The Campfire bullet and its 11.2 kW specification are one example, and both 4+1 CosmoGrill pages also print burner kilowatts that do not match the wattage field. BS EN 498 does not turn a listing wattage into an efficiency score.
Does black paint change the heat?
No. On these amazon.co.uk pages, black is the colour. It does not mean more output, a thicker steel, or a grill that is safer to light. UK reviews do say a matt black finish shows oil and grease, which is a cleaning point, not a heat point.
What else must I budget besides the trolley?
A hose and regulator when the included line does not name them, a propane or butane bottle of a size that matches the burner count as a rule of thumb, and a cover only if you want one and the listing does not already include it. One Campfire review mentioned about £18 for the hose and regulator. Check a current UK kit rather than treating that as the price.

Related pages

Gas BBQ with side burner

Black gas BBQ

Best black gas BBQ: the listing that fits your patio

Gas BBQ hose and regulator: which boxes include it

How to use a gas BBQ: light, leak check, shut down

Propane or butane BBQ: which gas suits a UK garden

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: gas types and supply pressures (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. London Fire Brigade: barbecue safety leaflet, April 2024 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 498:2012 outdoor LPG barbecues (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Calor: gas bottles for a barbecue (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Calor: which hose and regulator (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Gas Safe Register: barbecue safety (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Weber UK: barbecue safety (retrieved 20 October 2026)