The best BBQs under $1,000 in Australia

Between $500 and $1,000 is the sweet spot of the Australian BBQ market. It is where cast iron plates, enclosed cabinets, real warranties, kamados and entry pellet grills appear, and where the Weber Family Q lives. These are the five we would buy, with the picks’ prices checked at Bunnings and BCF on 9 November 2026 and the other rows on 4 October 2026 (Amazon prices change daily, so check them there), and the handful that just miss the line.

Questions to ask before buying a BBQ under $1,000 in Australia

• Is it certified for Australian gas? Every gas appliance sold here must be tested and certified (Gas Technical Regulators Committee). Look for the compliance plate and gas compliance mark; overseas marks such as CSA or CE aren’t enough (Energy Safe Victoria). You can look up the number on the national certificate database.
• Does it take an LCC27 cylinder? LCC27 valves replaced the old POL type from 1 April 2021. A new LCC27 BBQ needs an LCC27 cylinder, and adaptors that join it to an old POL cylinder override the safety valve; WA’s regulator has banned them (WA Building and Energy).
• Does a pellet grill suit your yard? Pellet grills need mains power, and Pit Boss says keep them at least 91.44 cm from combustible constructions (Pit Boss Australia).
• Can you use a charcoal or pellet BBQ on a Total Fire Ban day? No. In NSW a BBQ burning wood, charcoal or heat beads can’t be used outside during a Total Fire Ban (NSW RFS). Victoria bans solid fuel BBQs and food smokers in the open air on those days too (CFA). Check your own state’s rules.
• Do you live in strata? By-laws are the rules for the complex, each scheme can have its own, and tenants have to follow them too (NSW Government). Read yours before you buy.
• What happens after the warranty ends? Consumer guarantees apply automatically and last a reasonable time for the product, on top of any maker’s warranty (ACCC). Keep the receipt.

The price ladder, $500 to $1,000

Price	BBQ	Type	Where
$589 to $609	Weber Q+ (Q2600N+)	Gas, one burner, tall hood	BCF, Amazon
$599	Char-Griller Akorn Kooker	Steel kamado	Bunnings
$599	Pit Boss Lexington Onyx with cover	Pellet grill	Bunnings
$599	Weber Smokey Mountain 37 cm	Charcoal smoker	BCF
$599	Weber Traveler Compact	Portable gas	BCF
$649	Weber Lumin	Electric	BCF
$669	Matador Spark 4 burner	Gas four-burner, cabinet, side burner	Bunnings
$699	Kamado Joe Joe Junior	Ceramic kamado	Bunnings
$699	Char-Griller Double Play	Gas and charcoal	Bunnings
$699	Pit Boss 3 Series vertical	Pellet smoker	Bunnings
Check price	Ninja Woodfire Pro XL	Electric with wood pellets	Amazon
$798 (The Good Guys, 14 Nov 2026)	BeefEater Clubman 4 burner	Gas four-burner hotplate, cast iron burners, no hood	The Good Guys, Amazon
$799	Matador Spark 6 burner	Gas six-burner, cabinet	Bunnings
$799	Char-Griller ceramic kamado	Ceramic kamado	Bunnings
$869	Matador Ignite 4 burner	Gas four-burner	Bunnings
$883	Pit Boss 850 Navigator with cover	Pellet grill	Bunnings
$909	Weber Family Q3100N+	Gas, two burners, integrated cart	BCF, Weber Australia
$919	Weber Family Q+ Premium (Q3200N+)	The same with a lid thermometer	Weber Australia, Amazon Australia (sold by Weber)
$997	BeefEater 1200 series 4 burner	Gas four-burner, cast iron burners, side burner	The Good Guys (13 Nov 2026)

Gas: Family Q or a four-burner

The Weber Family Q+ Premium (Q3200N+) is the pick for most families. Two burners sound like fewer than four, but the Q’s tall hood and ring burners give a real indirect zone with one burner off, and it roasts a whole chicken as well as any four-burner here. Weber Australia had it at $919 on 13 November 2026 and Weber’s own store sells it on Amazon; the plain Q3100N+, the same BBQ without the lid thermometer, was $909 at BCF. The fitted cover is $94.99, or $89.99 for Club BCF members.

If you want four burners, the BeefEater Clubman 4 is our pick: $798 at The Good Guys (14 Nov 2026) or on Amazon, the Australian brand with cast iron burners, which is the part that fails first on cheap BBQs. It is a hotplate with no hood or grill, and the warranty is 12 months plus four years on the burner box. The 4-burner guide and BeefEater vs Weber go deeper. We also compared the Matador Spark 4 ($669) and Spark 6 ($799), both sold only at Bunnings; neither is a pick.

Charcoal, kamado and smoker

We compared the Char-Griller Akorn Kooker ($599 at Bunnings), a full-size steel kamado, but it is not a pick. The Kamado Joe Joe Junior at $699 is the ceramic for one or two people. The Char-Griller ceramic kamado at $799 is the full-size ceramic under $1,000. For smoking, the Weber Smokey Mountain 37 cm at $599 is the reference charcoal smoker. Covers are in the kamado cover guide.

Pellet grills

We have no pellet grill pick under $1,000. Bunnings sells the Pit Boss 850 Navigator at $883 and the Lexington Onyx at $599, both with a cover in the box. Traeger starts with the Pro 575, just over the line. The pellet smoker guide compares them.

Electric

The Weber Lumin at $649 is the electric for a balcony or a strata block that bans gas, and the full-length cover is $79.99. The Ninja Woodfire Pro XL adds a pellet smoke box to an electric. Both are in the balcony BBQ guide.

Just under, and just over, the line

The BeefEater 1200 series 4 burner trolley has dropped just under the line: $997 at The Good Guys when we checked on 13 Nov 2026, so it’s now a pick. It is the cheapest BBQ here with 15 MJ cast iron burners, a side burner and a seam-welded enamel firebox; the catch is a two-year warranty. The Weber Spirit E-325 at $1,099 is Weber’s cheapest full-size trolley and the one to look at if you can stretch a little.

The one trap

A $999 BBQ is a $1,150 BBQ. A four-burner needs a cover of $74.50 or so, the Family Q needs the $94.99 cover, the Clubman needs a $35.50 to $74.50 generic, and all of them need a $55 cylinder that is not in the box. Only the Pit Boss grills include the cover. Price the cover before you fall in love with the BBQ; the BBQ cover sizes guide tells you which one.

The competition

Everything in the price ladder that isn’t a pick, and why:

• Weber Family Q3100N+ ($909): the top pick without the lid thermometer, $10 less. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day.
• Weber Q+ (Q2600N+) ($589 to $609): the same tall hood on a one-burner Q, for four to six people rather than a family; see the Weber Q guide.
• Weber Traveler Compact ($599): a portable that folds for the boot, not a home BBQ; see the portable guide.
• Matador Spark 4 ($669), Spark 6 ($799) and Ignite 4 ($869): cabinets and side burners for the money, but sold only at Bunnings, which we no longer link.
• Char-Griller Akorn Kooker ($599), Kamado Joe Joe Junior ($699) and Char-Griller ceramic kamado ($799): good kamados, compared in the kamado guide; sold at Bunnings.
• Char-Griller Double Play ($699): gas and charcoal in one, a Bunnings special order; see the dual fuel guide.
• Pit Boss Lexington Onyx ($599), 3 Series vertical ($699) and 850 Navigator ($883): pellet grills with a cover in the box, compared in the pellet guide; sold at Bunnings.
• Ninja Woodfire Pro XL (on Amazon Australia): an electric with a pellet smoke box; the Lumin is the better plain electric BBQ, and the Ninja is in the balcony guide.