The best electric BBQ in Australia is the Weber Lumin

Electric BBQs exist for balconies where strata by-laws ban gas and charcoal. A standard power point limits them: it supplies at most about 2.4 kW, which is less heat than a single small gas burner. So the first rule is to buy the most power you can, and the second is to read the warranty on the heating element, because some makers cover it for less time than the body. The picks’ prices are what each shop charged on 9 November 2026 (other models on 23 October), in Australian dollars including GST.

Questions to ask before buying an electric BBQ in Australia

• 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, because an electric BBQ can be banned too.
• Is the outlet right? Weber’s electric manual says use an earthed outlet, no plug adaptors, and a safety switch (RCD) rated at 30 mA or less (Weber electric manual). If you have no outdoor power point, that’s a job for a licensed electrician.
• Can you use an extension lead? Weber’s manual says not unless the lead meets the specifications in the manual, and to keep the connection dry and off the ground (Weber electric manual).
• Does it have to be outside? Yes for the Weber range. Its manual says outdoors in a well-ventilated area, not in a garage, covered walkway or tent, not beneath overhead combustible construction, and 61 cm from anything combustible (Weber electric manual).
• Can you use it on a Total Fire Ban day? In NSW, yes, with an adult present the whole time and nothing combustible within 2 metres (NSW RFS). Check your own state’s rules.
• What does the warranty cover on the element? It varies: the Lumin’s element is covered for two years and the Pulse’s for five (Weber warranty). Consumer guarantees still apply on top of any warranty (ACCC).

Power is the spec that matters most

• Weber Lumin: 2,300 W (Weber).
• Weber Pulse 2000: 2,200 W (Weber).
• Jumbuck Pulsar: 2,000 W (Bunnings).
• Ninja Woodfire Pro XL: 1,700 W (Ninja). It makes up for it with real wood smoke.
• KickAss portable: 600 W, a quarter of the Lumin.

Warranty: watch the element

Weber covers the Lumin’s cookbox, lid and cast-iron grills for five years, but its heating element for two. The Pulse 2000 gets five years on all parts (Weber). Ninja gives two years on the Woodfire, and Bunnings lists 12 months on the Jumbuck Pulsar.

What they cost to run

Electricity is cheap next to gas or pellets. The Australian Energy Regulator caps standing-offer prices for 2026-27; the flat rate for Ausgrid customers in Sydney is 33.14c per kWh (AER). At that rate, flat out:

• Weber Lumin: about 76c an hour.
• Weber Pulse 2000: about 73c an hour.
• Jumbuck Pulsar: about 66c an hour.
• Ninja Woodfire Pro XL: about 56c an hour, plus pellets.

The caps are lower in south-east Queensland (27.97c) and higher in Adelaide (41.91c), and your own plan may differ.

Check the by-laws first

Strata by-laws decide what you can cook on a balcony, not the BBQ maker. Some schemes allow electric only, some ban all BBQs, and some need the building manager’s approval. Check before you buy. Our balcony BBQ guide compares the small gas and electric options.

The competition

We looked at these too. Each is a fair buy for someone, but not the one we’d pick first. Prices checked 23 October 2026.

• Crossray 2200W portable ($759.40 at Bunnings, special order). A bigger cooktop than the Lumin (57 x 34 cm, by Bunnings’ figures), but it’s a special order you can’t see in store, and the listing doesn’t state a warranty. For $110 more than the Lumin we’d want both answered.
• COZZE E-500 two-zone ($549 at Bunnings, special order). Two zones like the Pulse 2000, but a two-year warranty against the Pulse’s five on every part, and another special order you can’t see first.
• Jumbuck Pulsar ($249 at Bunnings, 9 Nov). A hooded electric on a cabinet trolley with 2,000 W, a hotplate and a grill, but a 12-month warranty and the smallest cooking area here. Sold only at Bunnings.
• KickAss portable 600 W ($180 at BCF). Fine for sausages at a powered campsite. With a quarter of the Lumin’s power, it’s too weak for searing.
• Ninja Woodfire OG751 ($749.99 at Ninja, sold out online). Ninja’s other Woodfire grill. We picked the Pro XL because Ninja says it holds a 4.5 kg brisket and has a built-in food probe, and The Good Guys had it in stock.
• Companion Roam Swift Sear 240 V. A camping-brand electric. Amazon was the only seller we could confirm, so we couldn’t put a checked price beside the others.