The 7 Best Gas Grills Under $500 for Backyard Cooking of 2026

Royal Gourmet rates the GA6402S at 835 square inches, which it equates to 39 burgers at once, and nothing else in this guide is close. Five 10,000 BTU tube burners, a 14,000 BTU sear burner, and a 10,000 BTU side burner total 74,000 BTU, and the cabinet underneath swallows the tank and the tools.

What that much grate buys is a grill you can load once and walk away from: two zones of burgers, a row of corn, and a side burner for the pot. Heat across the front of the box runs uneven enough that food needs turning and swapping positions, and the sear zone is the least convincing part of the package — useful, not dramatic. Both are things you work around when the alternative is cooking in batches.

At 116.6 pounds with a cabinet, it wants a permanent address and a cover; this is not the grill you wheel into the shed in October. That is the whole trade. The Aoxun or the Charbroil cooks a weeknight dinner just as well in half the floor space, and neither of them feeds a graduation party without a queue.

The smallest grate among our four-burner picks, 435 square inches, belongs to the most expensive cart of that group. What you pay for instead is a two-year warranty — the longest here — and a brand with a parts network behind it, which matters the year a burner tube gives out.

The rest of the package is tidy. The cabinet hides the tank and the clutter, the side burner earns its keep at breakfast, and heat comes up quickly and stays level enough that a full grate of chicken breasts browns together rather than in relays. Grease that reaches the flame tamers can flare, so scrape the tray before a long session instead of after it.

Those 435 square inches hold about a dozen burgers, which is the right size for a household cooking four nights a week and hosting twice a summer. If the guest list runs bigger, the Aoxun gives you 190 more square inches for less money, and the Royal Gourmet doubles the space outright.

For a patio with a narrow slot and a household of three or four, this is the shape that fits: three main burners at 8,000 BTU each, a 10,000 BTU side burner, 489 square inches of total cooking space, and four wheels with two that lock.

The build is the pleasant surprise. Parts come bagged by step, the instructions match what is in the box, and we managed ours alone, which is more than we can say for the cabinet models. Small touches earn their place too — a bottle opener on the shelf, hooks for tools, a grease tray that slides out in one motion.

Two cautions worth knowing. The stamped edges inside the firebox are sharp enough to catch a knuckle, so wear a glove when you wipe it down. And the stainless is thin gauge, so set it down gently when you move it; a curb or a step will leave a dent that stays.

Where it lands: the primary grate handles four comfortably and six in a squeeze, with the rest of the space in the warming rack. What we appreciate most is that it does not demand a wider deck than a two-burner — you get a side burner and a full-size lid in the same footprint.

On a deck barely wide enough for a chair and a half, the fold-down shelves are the whole argument. Folded, the cart tucks against the house; opened, you get 434 square inches of porcelain-coated grate, three 10,000 BTU burners, and a shelf for the platter.

It assembles faster than most of this group — hardware bagged by step, panels that line up, no drilling. Heat is honest for 30,000 BTU: the grate gets hot enough that burgers want the middle setting rather than full, and the coated grates release food without a fight. One quirk: the left burner can be slow to catch, so a long lighter in the drawer is cheap insurance.

The steel is where the savings show. Shelves flex under a hand, the lid does not settle like a heavier cart's, and a winter left outdoors will dull the finish — cover it and it holds up for weekend cooking through several seasons. For a rental, a small yard, or a first grill that lives under a cover, that is a fair set of compromises.

Thirty-four pounds and 418 square inches: this is a grill one person can carry out of a shed and still cook for six on. Two flat burners total 26,500 BTU, the all-porcelain-enamel body handles weather better than painted steel, and there is prep space on both sides. As a first grill, we think it is the most sensible cart in its price bracket.

Cooking is where the compromise shows. The rear of the grate runs noticeably cooler than the front, so keep what you are finishing toward the middle and park buns and corn at the back. The enamel body is the reason to choose this over a painted cart at the same money — rain and dew bead off it instead of finding seams — and for a small deck with one cook a week on it, that trade pays for itself.

Two hundred and fifty-eight square inches is not a party grill, and COWSAR does not pretend otherwise. What it is: a stainless two-burner cart with 8,000 BTU per burner, lockable wheels, a side shelf, and a drip tray that pulls out in one motion.

It goes together quickly — the parts count is low and the steps are clear — and the cart feels more solid than the size suggests, with a lid that closes squarely. The cast-iron grate takes a seasoning coat and holds heat well for a small steak or a couple of burgers. A griddle plate is listed with the package, so check the box before you plan a breakfast around it.

Where it fits: two people, weeknights, a balcony with a railing to work around. What it will not do is sear four steaks at once or hold heat through a long cookout, and 16,000 BTU is the reason. We like it as a second grill, or as a first one for somebody who eats outside more often than they entertain.