The overall score is made up of cooking performance (60%) and ease of use (40%). Our performance assessment is weighted equally between these 4 tests:

Steak cooked on the grill for six to eight minutes each side with all burners on full.
Sausages grilled on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes each side with the entire cooking surface covered and the hood closed (unless the manufacturer states otherwise).
Marinated chicken wings cooked on the hotplate over a low heat, for about 10 minutes each side.
Whole chicken roasted (if possible on the barbecue) with the outder burners on high and inner burners on low, and the hood closed.

Top-scoring barbecues cooked everything evenly throughout, resulting in consistently tender and juicy meat. This also meant the barbecue’s temperature was easy to control, and its heat was evenly distributed across the cooking surface.

Ease of use scores comprise general ease of cooking (40%) mobility (20%), controls (20%) and cleaning (20%).

Running time shows how long a 9kg gas cylinder will last when all burners are running on full.

Find out more about how we test barbecues.