Weber Genesis E-315 vs Spirit E-435

Genesis E-315: 39,000 BTU over 513 sq in at $899. Spirit E-435: 35,000 BTU over 428 sq in, a Sear Zone and a 12,000 BTU side burner at $729.

The verdict

We pick the Weber Genesis E-315 Gas Grill

Spend the extra $170 on the Genesis E-315, unless pans are how you cook outdoors. It gives 513 sq in of grate against 428, two clear side tables and twelve years on the cookbox. The E-435 answers with a Sear Zone, 82 BTU per square inch against 76, and a 12,000 BTU burner set into its left table. Our reviews score the Genesis higher, and nearly all of that gap is reliability.

What actually differs

  1. Two ways to free up grate

    The E-435 makes room by moving pans off the grill onto its side burner. The E-315 simply starts with 85 more square inches. One cooks elsewhere; the other is bigger.

  2. Two prep tables against one

    Both Genesis side tables are fixed and free for platters and prep. On the E-435 the left one is a burner well under a hinged cover, so a pan there leaves one surface for everything else.

  3. The Spirit wins the heat score and loses the long one

    Our Spirit review scores heat higher, for the Sear Zone and the extra burner. Our Genesis review scores long-term reliability 2.5 points higher, because the side burner sits in Weber's two-year tier.

The scorecard, side by side

Both reviews are scored on the same six weighted categories, each bar on the same 0–10 scale, and every cell carries the reason that review gave. A row is marked won only where the two differ by a tenth or more. How we score →

Weber Genesis E-315 Gas GrillWeber Spirit E-435 Gas Grill
Heat Performance 25% of the score
8.0

Even heat is the whole claim, but 39,000 BTU over 513 square inches is not a dense fire.

8.5 won

Four burners and 35,000 BTU unchanged from the E-425, with 12,000 more sent where no grate sits.

Long-term Reliability 20% of the score
9.5 won

Twelve years on cookbox and lid, ten on everything sitting in the fire, five under the rest, better cover than rivals at this price.

7.0

The side burner appears in none of Weber's longer warranty tiers, so the paid-for part carries two years.

Build Quality 18% of the score
9.0 won

Porcelain-enameled lid and cast iron grates, stainless Flavorizer bars, painted steel doors, 162 pounds of cart.

8.5

Cast iron, stainless bars and a closed cabinet, but one side table is now a recessed burner well.

Ease of Use 15% of the score
8.5

Electronic ignition, six tool hooks and two fixed side tables, against an assembly job and 162 pounds.

8.5

Every burner lights on its own, though the fifth knob hangs under the table instead of on the fascia.

Value 12% of the score
7.5

The listed $899.00 buys area and warranty years, while the Crafted grillware that widens its range is charged separately.

9.0 won

No Genesis is listed under $899.00, and the four-burner E-415 asks $1,199.00 against this grill's $729.00.

Maintenance 10% of the score
7.5

The grease tray pulls straight out, but chipped enamel corrodes and paint carries only two years.

7.5

The grease tray still empties in one motion, but the burner well is a second surface catching boil-overs.

Avid Griller Score the six, weighted
8.4
8.2

Published figures that differ

Quoted from each maker's own specifications, as each review records them. Figures the two products publish identically are left out — only the differences are listed.

Cooking area 513 sq in primary, 640.5 sq in total 428 sq in primary, 533 sq in total
Size and weight 48.1 x 57.7 x 27 in with the lid down, 162 lb 46.20 x 51.80 x 26.60 in, 103 lb
Warranty 12 years on cookbox and lid, rust-through only Two years on everything Weber does not name

Which one is for you

Take the Weber Genesis E-315 Gas Grill

You want the bigger grate, two clear prep tables and the longer written cover, and can spare $170.

Check price →
Take the Weber Spirit E-435 Gas Grill

You cook sauces and sides in pans outdoors and want a marked sear side, for less money.

Check price →

More head-to-heads

All comparisons →

Every score and figure on this page comes from our own reviews of these two products, linked above. We have not tested them side by side in one place; the comparison is between two full reviews, each built from the maker's published specifications and documentation. Prices move, and the ones quoted are the ones each review checked on its own date.