8 best electric BBQs for cooking up a fuss-free outdoor feast

Score: 92/100

Whether you need it to sear, charr, cook or grill, this electric BBQ aced every test in style. All our food, from corn on the cob to sausages, was evenly cooked, while our burgers had satisfying sear marks thanks to its top 315°C temperature (which it reached in a speedy 14 minutes, no less). It's compact, but its grill still comfortably accommodated four portions at a time.

Our expert found the indicator light hard to see when the sun was shining, and they didn’t rate its smoking ability when compared with the Ninja Woodfire below. There were some colder spots towards the very edge of the grill, too. But all in all, it’s a versatile investment (it also steams and has a 'keep warm' setting), especially for small gardens and grilling on-the-go.

If you’re after maximum portability, Weber also offers a compact version of this model, and a stand is available, too.

Score: 88/100

Despite being relatively compact, this Ninja BBQ cooked a whole chicken easily, making it an ideal choice for families with small outdoor spaces. It was quick to heat up, and the control panel makes it easy to adjust the temperature, cooking mode and time. Our expert loved the built-in temperature probe and smart cook system, which has pre-set options for different meats, taking all the guesswork out of grilling.

Our regular and meat-free burgers earnt a score of 10/10 for their grill lines and moist finish, but our sirloin steak was the real crowd-pleaser. The char was even, the grill left nice lines, and our tester called it a “perfect medium rare steak”. What more could you wish for?

Perhaps a smoker and air fry function? Well, it’s got that too, as well as removable grill plates that allowed us to hand wash in two minutes flat.

Our main bugbear is the size limitation. There are no side wings or a ‘keep warm’ rack for keeping food out of direct heat once cooked. Plus, you’ll need to buy the stand separately unless you have a heat-proof, sturdy counter to put it on. However, if you’re after a compact, capable griller, you can’t go far wrong with this Ninja.

Score: 88/100

The older sibling to the model above, this smaller 12kg Ninja still delivers that traditional smoky flavour. It features Ninja’s integrated smoker box, which burns woodfire pellets. This excelled on test, creating tender pulled pork with mouthwatering crackled skin in half the time it would take on a conventional BBQ

That’s not all – it seared sirloin steak a treat and cooked both meat and vegan sausages in a decent time with a juicy middle. Unfortunately, this BBQ struggled a little to char burgers, resulting in a similar flavour to one that’s oven cooked. Our tester also noted that it took a slower 16 minutes to cook corn on the cob and, again, it lacked that alfresco-ready char factor.

It’s a multi-tasker though, boasting some of Ninja’s famous air frying settings, which produced crispy yet fluffy chips and even impressed with fairy cakes. If smoking meats and versatility are at the top of your summer agenda, then this model is a great choice.

Score: 86/100

This large electric BBQ is an impressive bit of kit. Its steel grills and foldable side shelves are similar to those of a traditional BBQ, yet, unlike a gas or charcoal model, it has a speedy preheat time, reaching temperatures of up to 370°C in just 12 minutes for our experts.

Equipped with Char-Broil's TRU-infrared technology, this BBQ claims to distribute heat evenly across the grill, preparing food that’s 50% juicier. On test, it certainly delivered, performing best when cooking chicken and corn on the cob, barely dropping a mark thanks to its top charring and flavourful grilling.

Testers found the temperature control dial simple to use and appreciated the easy-to-read digital temperature display – it was clear, even in direct sun! They also liked the handy auto-clean feature, but while it undoubtedly helped proceedings, it didn’t eliminate all residue, so you may still need to give the grills a scrub for particularly stubborn bits of burnt-on food.

Score: 86/100

This is the second product from Ninja on our list and it once again proved that the brand is all about versatility when it comes to outdoor cooking. It's a lightweight oven-style design that does lots of heavy lifting with eight functions in one, from traditional BBQ grilling, to roasting and making pizzas.

Of course, we had to try the pizza oven function, and each of our three pizzas emerged with a crunchy crust and a soft doughy centre, while the cheese was well-melted and gooey. Yum!

Back to the BBQ-ing and our testers enjoyed evenly grilled burgers, sausages and kebabs, although they lacked some charring. And when cooking smoked pork shoulder and brisket, the oven produced tasty meat but needed a while to achieve that all-important pull-apart texture.

Overall, testers found this multi-tasker easy to use and they appreciated the handy chimes that remind you to flip food halfway through grilling. Plus, if you’re stuck for recipe inspo, Ninja provides a whole guide to get you started.

Score: 85/100

This BBQ frees up time to catch up with your guests, as its app lets you control and set the temperature anywhere between 90 degrees and 370 degrees. This means you won’t need to hover over the grill quite as much. Try this feature out before you’re playing host though; testers took a while to decipher the instructions, especially when it came to figuring out the difference between the current (ACT) temperature and the desired (SET) one. But otherwise, the app boasts some good tips and a few recipes to get you started.

After easily igniting the BBQ, our testers used the dual cooking zones to grill burgers and sausages. Both meaty and plant-based options were cooked just right wherever they were placed, and the same was true of chicken and steak.

Once you’ve wowed the crowd with your feast, clean-up is simple thanks to the auto-clean system, which started at the push of a button on test.

Score: 84/100

Claiming to remove up to 42% fat compared to other models, this George Foreman is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a healthier grill. It features specially angled plates to drain away fat and an integrated drip plate to collect the excess grease.

Everything from our burgers to our veggie kebabs cooked nicely and had a lovely flavour; however, they weren’t that charred or evenly browned. The chicken breasts took a while to cook on the inside too, so make sure to check their internal temperature or give them a few extra minutes when grilling.

If it’s raining, don't worry, you don’t need to call off your BBQ – you can simply bring this grill indoors. Cleaning was a stand-out test too. It was straightforward and quick thanks to non-stick plates which were easy to wipe without any scrubbing needed – a key feature in our eyes, especially for frequent grillers.

Score: 84/100

One of the biggest drawbacks of electric grills is the lack of that classic BBQ flavour you get from charcoal. This BBQ solves that problem with its Hybrid Power Technology allowing you to effortlessly switch between electric and charcoal grilling.

That said, our expert found it performed better when running on electric than charcoal – they were impressed by the easy ignition, quick heat-up time, responsive controls and overall design. We achieved nice grill lines on all our food thanks to the ridged grill, and our chicken breasts were perfectly cooked with a juicy interior and a lovely golden colour on the outside.

There is only one cooking zone and the ‘keep warm’ rack is on the small side. But otherwise, this is an excellent family-sized grill that’s easy to use and won’t annoy the neighbours with a lot of smoke.