Choose gas if you grill often and want dinner on the grill a few minutes after deciding to cook. Choose charcoal if flavor matters most and you enjoy the fire. On our scores for 53 gas and 21 charcoal grills, gas leads on heat performance, build quality and long-term reliability, and charcoal leads on value.
The difference at a glance
| Gas | Charcoal | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready to cook | About 10 to 15 minutes | About 20 to 30 minutes |
| Flavor | Clean, mild | Smoky, more char |
| Heat control | Turn a knob | Move coals, set vents |
| Fuel | Propane tank or natural gas line | Charcoal, bought by the bag |
| Cleanup | Brush the grates, empty the grease tray | Brush the grates, empty the ash |
| Our average score | 8.19 from 53 | 7.90 from 21 |
Where the heat comes from
The two cook the same food in different ways, and the difference you taste comes mostly from where the drippings land.
How they compare on our scores
Every grill we review is scored on the same six categories. Here is the average for each side. On ease of use and maintenance the two sit within 0.15 of each other, which we call level.
GasCharcoal
Heat Performance measures how evenly a grill heats and how well it holds what you set, not just how hot it gets, which is why gas leads it (8.5 against 7.9). Kamados, left out of the charcoal side here, average 8.9, the highest of any kind we score. See how a kamado works.
Does charcoal taste better?
Usually, yes, though less than people expect on quick cooks. Charcoal burns hotter at the grate and the drippings burn on the coals, so food picks up more smoke and a darker crust.
On a burger or a chicken breast that cooks in ten minutes, the gap is small. On anything that cooks longer, or when you add a chunk of wood to the coals, charcoal pulls well ahead. Add a smoker box of wood chips to a gas grill and you close some of the gap.
Which costs more?
To buy, charcoal. A good charcoal kettle costs far less than a good gas grill, which is why charcoal leads on our Value score (8.2 against 7.8). To run, it depends. A bag of charcoal usually costs more per cook than the propane for the same meal, and a natural gas line costs least of all, so the gap narrows the more often you grill.
Is gas or charcoal healthier?
Neither by much, though gas makes it easier to keep smoke and flare ups down. Cooking meat at high heat forms two kinds of chemicals that are linked to cancer in lab studies: HCAs, which form in meat that is charred, and PAHs, which form in the smoke when fat drips onto a flame and the smoke coats the food. The National Cancer Institute notes that both form when meat is cooked at high heat over an open flame, on either fuel, and more when it is charred.
The fuel matters less than how you cook. On either grill:
- Trim extra fat, so less drips and flares up.
- Cook over medium heat, and move food away from flare ups.
- Flip often, and cut off any charred bits.
- Use a two zone fire: sear over the heat, then finish on the cooler side.
The best of each we have scored
See every pick in our best gas grills and best charcoal grills. Want both fuels? A gas and charcoal combo puts one of each on a single cart.
Questions people ask
- Which is better for a beginner?
- Gas. You light it with a button and set the heat with a knob, so you can learn timing and doneness before learning to manage a fire.
- Which gets hotter?
- A full bed of charcoal gets hotter at the grate than most gas grills, which is why it sears so well. Gas grills hold an even heat across the grate more easily, which is what our Heat Performance score rewards.
- Can I use charcoal in a gas grill?
- Not loose in the grill. It can damage the burners and void the warranty. Some makers sell a charcoal tray made for their gas grills; otherwise, a smoker box of wood chips is the safe way to add smoke.
- Do gas grills last longer than charcoal grills?
- On our scores they do: gas grills average 7.8 for Long-term Reliability against 7.3 for charcoal grills, and they usually carry longer warranties. Our guide to how long grills last has the figures.
- Is propane or natural gas better?
- They cook the same. Propane comes in a tank you can move; natural gas needs a line run to the grill but never runs out and costs less to burn. Many gas grills come in both versions, and the two are not interchangeable without a conversion kit.