Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Charcoal vs gas portable BBQ

Updated: 16.10.2026

You are packing for a weekend and you have not chosen a fuel. One option smells like a barbecue and leaves ash. The other lights faster, costs whatever the canister costs that month, and tastes less smoky. This charcoal vs gas portable BBQ page is that fork, for a UK pitch or a small garden. Every grill in this set is charcoal, from £8.99 to £34.99. No gas model is reviewed on this page. The charcoal table is the [portable grill comparison](/hub/portable-grills/portable-grill). The Products Compared editorial team wrote this on 15 October 2026 from UK guides, the England fire-safety leaflet and those listings. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are packing for a weekend and you have not chosen a fuel. One option smells like a barbecue and leaves ash. The other lights faster, costs whatever the canister costs that month, and tastes less smoky.

Our top picks

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black

Best overall

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black
8.8/10about £22.34
View offer
Odoland Odoland collapsible camping grill

Alternative

Odoland Odoland collapsible camping grill
7.0/10about £34.99
View offer
CUQOO CUQOO DYN12665 folding charcoal grill

Preis-Tipp

CUQOO CUQOO DYN12665 folding charcoal grill
8.1/10about £12.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What actually changes
  2. 2.On a pitch
  3. 3.Cleaning and carrying the mess home
  4. 4.Which one to open next

What actually changes

UK camping writers split this into flavour against time. Live for the Outdoors says gas wins on speed and charcoal on flavour, and that canister prices vary. Ideal Home says gas is quicker, the fuel can cost more and weigh more, and charcoal is cheaper to buy, smokier, and leaves ash. On charcoal you wait for a glow and you manage depth. The England leaflet's guide is about 5 cm, and the Charmline bullets say below half the tray. On gas you lower the flame and stop when you turn the supply off. A plain burner will not taste like the Odoland's coals, and this folder does not test smoke boxes. Charcoal fails as heat and ash. Gas fails as a leak or a stored cylinder. The leaflet bans petrol on charcoal and gives gas its own cylinder lines.

On a pitch

Arrive late, in the rain, and gas matches the clock. Waiting out charcoal on a lidless tray is the condition that sends you out of this set. The site can still ban either fuel. Choose charcoal here when you will wait for the coals and cool the ash before the drive. The black Charmline is the cased tray for two or three people. The CUQOO is the lighter cased option, on a smaller grate. The Odoland at £34.99 is a fire pit, a poor fit where the site allows a raised barbecue and not an open fire. This page will not invent a canister price. If you need to eat within minutes of parking, charcoal is the poor plan.
Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black

Testsieger

Charmline Charmline CL-PGL black
8.8/10about £22.34
View offer

Cleaning and carrying the mess home

Charcoal's mess is the ash and the wait. Ideal Home says cool the grill completely, empty the ash, then wash and dry the grates so they do not rust. A Charmline or CUQOO case only helps once the metal is cold. Bag it wet and rust still finds the mesh. Gas cleaning is a grate and a drip tray, not an installation guide and not a review of any Campingaz model in the Independent's £14 to £500 mix. A foil tray is a third product. OPSS defined single-use barbecues on 14 August 2026, and that page was still up on 15 October 2026. These steel grills sit outside it. Foil still leaves hot ash, and it does not settle the fuel choice.

Which one to open next

Stay with charcoal if you will manage the fire and the ash. Both cased trays are lidless, so a hood is already a reason to look elsewhere. Leave for gas if you need a flame you can turn down on a late pitch. The sibling comparison for a canister and a control knob is the camping gas barbecue. Small gas grills and tabletop gas BBQ are the other gas folders. This page names no winner on them, because no gas listing is in this set. The tent, the awning and the caravan stay off limits either way.

Common questions

Is charcoal or gas better for a portable barbecue?
Gas fits better when you need speed and a flame you can turn down. Charcoal fits better when you want smoke and you will wait, then deal with ash. Live for the Outdoors and Ideal Home both describe that split. Neither fuel is safer in every setting. This folder only contains charcoal grills, so a gas model has to be chosen on the gas comparisons.
Which tastes smokier?
Charcoal does. That is why the camping guides call it the flavour choice. A plain gas burner does not reproduce that taste, and this page claims no smoke score. The Odoland's bullets mention wood as well as charcoal. That is a fire-pit listing, not a measured flavour test against gas.
Which is easier on a late arrival at a campsite?
Gas, if the site allows it, because you are not waiting for a charcoal glow on a small tray. Charcoal from this set makes sense when you have time to light it and to cool it afterwards. A late arrival does not allow cooking in the awning. Ask the site before you assume either fuel is welcome.
What do I do with the ash if I am not at home?
Let it go cold, which can take hours, and put it on bare soil or in a metal point the site provides. Do not put warm ash in a plastic bin, a bag or the boot. The England leaflet and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are the sources for that wait. A carry case is for a cold grill, not an ash bin.
Is a disposable tray the same as a charcoal portable?
No. This set is reusable trays and one fire-pit bowl. A foil tray is single-use. The OPSS guidelines of 14 August 2026 cover that disposable product and were still online on 15 October 2026. Many campsites restrict foil even when a raised reusable barbecue is allowed. Foil does not settle charcoal versus gas.
Do gas canisters have their own safety rules?
Yes. The England fire-safety leaflet says store cylinders outside, turn the supply off first, and do not store them under the stairs. That is the gas warning this page carries. Connecting a regulator, and choosing a canister thread, belong with the gas grill you actually buy.
Which comparison should I open next?
Open the portable grill comparison if you are staying with charcoal. Open the camping page for pitch rules, and the how-to page if you are about to light a tray. If you need a knob, open the camping gas barbecue, small gas grills or tabletop gas BBQ comparisons. This article does not pick a model on those pages.

Related pages

Portable grill for camping

Portable grill buying guide

How to use a portable grill

Portable grill

Best portable BBQ in the UK: top pick for this set

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk files saved for this set, not a live basket on 15 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK — Smoke control areas: the rules (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK — Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  3. OPSS — Statutory guidelines on disposable BBQs, 14 August 2026 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  4. BSI — BS EN 1860-1:2024 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  5. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service — Guide to safer barbecues (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  7. Bradford Council — Reducing the risk of moorland fires (retrieved 15.10.2026)
  8. The Independent — Best portable BBQ 2026 (retrieved 15.10.2026)