A grill lasts about as long as its maker will back it, and longer with care. In our reviews the longest warranty on a typical gas grill runs 10 years, and on a kamado 10 years, with 40% of kamados covered for life. Charcoal and pellet grills run 5 years, and griddles and electric grills 3 years.
How long each kind of grill lasts
A warranty is the maker's own bet on how long the grill holds up, so it is the best guide to lifespan there is. These are the terms our reviews found on 120 of the 144 grills we have scored, alongside our Long-term Reliability score.
| Kind of grill | Typical longest warranty | Best we found | Our reliability score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas grill | 10 years | Lifetime | 7.8 from 53 |
| Charcoal grill | 5 years | 10 years | 7.3 from 21 |
| Kamado | 10 years | Lifetime | 8.0 from 12 |
| Pellet grill | 5 years | 10 years | 7.0 from 20 |
| Gas griddle | 3 years | Lifetime | 6.9 from 16 |
| Electric grill | 3 years | 5 years | 6.8 from 22 |
The longest term is usually on the body: the lid, cookbox or ceramic shell. The parts that sit in the fire get far less, as the next section shows.
Which kind holds up best, on our scores
Kamados and gas grills lead. Pellet grills, griddles and electric grills trail, for different reasons: pellet grills carry an auger, a fan and a control board; griddle tops are bare steel that rusts when the seasoning lapses; and electric grills carry the shortest warranties of all, typically 3 years.
What wears out first
A grill does not wear out all at once. Makers know which parts fail first, and their warranties say so: long cover on the body, short cover on whatever sits in the flame or carries a spark.
- Lid
- Grates
- Heat tents
- Burners
- Igniter
- Grease tray
- Cookbox
- Regulator
"Cookbox covered 25 years and burners 10, but the cast iron grids you actually cook on get only 2."
From our Broil King Crown 520 Shadow review
"Ceramic carries a lifetime warranty and metal five years, but the gasket that ages first gets only two."
From our Kamado Joe Classic II review
"Castings, grids and housing carry no end date, backburner assemblies fifteen years, and everything electrical twelve months."
From our Fire Magic Aurora A790I Built-In Grill review
That is good news. The parts that wear out first, the grates, heat tents, burners and igniter, are the cheap ones, and on most good grills you can buy them by part number. A grill with a sound cookbox is worth repairing.
Signs it is time to replace a grill
- Rust through the cookbox or firebox. Holes in the body are the end. Everything else can be replaced.
- Burner holes eaten wide, like the ones here, give tall yellow flames and uneven heat. New burners fix it.
- Grates flaking or worn through stick and tear food. New grates fix it.
- No parts to be had. When the maker stops selling parts for your model, the next failure is the last one.
- Repairs cost more than half a new grill. Then replace it, and read our best gas grills.
How to make a grill last longer
- Burn it off and brush it after every cook. Ten minutes on high turns leftover grease to ash, and grease is what rots grates and burners.
- Empty the grease tray before it fills. A full tray can catch fire, and grease left in it eats the metal.
- Cover it, but only once it is cool and dry. A cover over a wet grill traps the moisture that causes rust.
- Oil cast iron grates lightly after cleaning, and keep the seasoning on a griddle top.
- Check the hose and burners each spring for cracks, spiders and blocked holes.
- Store it out of the weather in winter if you can, or keep the cover on through the off season.
The most reliable of each kind we have scored
Each of these earned the highest Long-term Reliability score of its kind in our reviews.
Questions people ask
- How long do gas grills last?
- A typical gas grill in our reviews carries a longest warranty of 10 years, usually on the cookbox, and 22% carry a lifetime term on some part. Kept clean and covered, a well built gas grill can outlast its warranty, with new burners and grates along the way.
- How long do pellet grills last?
- Pellet grills carry shorter terms: typically 5 years on the longest part, and 10 years at best among the 20 we scored. They also score lowest of the main kinds for reliability, 7.0, because an auger, a fan and a control board can each fail. Those parts can be replaced.
- How long does a kamado last?
- The ceramic shell can last decades: 40% of the kamados we scored carry a lifetime term on it. The gasket, the metal bands and the hinge wear sooner and are replaced as parts.
- Is it worth repairing an old grill?
- Usually yes, if the cookbox is sound. Burners, grates, heat tents and igniters are the parts that wear, and they are cheap next to a new grill. If the body has rusted through, replace the grill.
- Does a grill cover make it last longer?
- Yes, against rain, sun and pollen, as long as you put it on a cool, dry grill. A cover over a wet grill holds the moisture in.
- Does stainless steel rust?
- It can. Better grades such as 304 resist rust well; cheaper grades such as 430 can show surface rust, especially near salt air or pool chemicals. The grade is often in the spec sheet, and our reviews name it where the maker does.