5 Best BBQ Covers to keep your grill in great shape
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You owe it to your investment in your BBQ, and to your love of outdoors grilled food, to keep your grill safely covered when it’s off-duty. For those whose grill didn’t come with its own brand cover, our review looks at covers in a wide range of sizes for both regular BBQs and for kettle grills. We list the pros and cons of each cover, discuss their features and give the reasoning behind our recommendation. Our Buyer’s Guide points out what the best BBQ covers must have.
Best Pick – Regular BBQs
Best Pick – Kettle / Egg-shaped grills
Best BBQ Covers Reviews
For Regular BBQs
1. Unicook Waterproof Heavy Duty BBQ Cover
Best Pick – Regular BBQ
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Unicook Barbecue Cover is a generic BBQ cover that fits most brands of grill, including Weber, Outback and Charbroil. It comes in a variety of sizes – 127cm (width) to 190cm (width) – that match standard size barbeques.
This Unicook BBQ cover has all the elements of the Best cover. It’s made of black Oxford fabric that’s water-resistant and the PVC lining bumps this up to waterproof. Raindrops pool up on the outside of the cover and don’t make it through to your BBQ underneath.
The Oxford fabric also has a UV-protection coating that makes it colourfast and resists brittleness from sun damage, thus resisting tearing and cracking. As well as being strong and durable, the plastic Oxford material protects against all weathers, dust and dirt.
The design of the cover helps in making it windproof. The two hidden mesh vents at the side let air flow through under the cover, stopping it from billowing up on windy days. This airflow also prevents moisture from building up on your grill and causing mould.
The Velcro straps at the bottom of the cover also help prevent it from blowing away as they attach firmly to the legs of your grill. And the double stitching on all the seams ensures that the cover stays in one piece.
Manoeuvering this cover onto and off your grill is easy with the 3.8cm fabric handles at the top of the cover. You can also use the handles to hang up your cover on a hook in your shed or garage when it’s not in use.
The model we review, the 190cm one, is the largest size available and fits a two to three burner grill with a shelf on either side. But please measure your BBQ carefully before making any purchase.
Pros
- Black BBQ cover for grills with two to three burners.
- Made of Oxford fabric with a vinyl coating inside for year-round, all-weather protection.
- Fabric handles on each of two shorter sides for easy removable of cover.
- Heavy stitching along the seams adds to the strength and durability.
- Hidden mesh air vents on both sides for air circulation.
- Easy to clean by hosing down and letting dry in the sun.
- Dimensions: 190cm (width); 61cm (depth) and 112cm (height).
- Durable and thick material; easy to deal with.
Cons
- Material not as thick as expected. (Common complaint.)
Our recommendation
The Unicook Barbecue Cover has all the features of the Best BBQ cover. It’s waterproof (with a PVC lining), strong (heavy stitching), good for your BBQ (protection from all kinds of harmful weather elements) and easy to use and maintain. Plus it comes in a range of sizes to fit most grills. What’s not to love?
We’ve made the Unicook Barbecue Cover our Best Pick. We like all its features, its range of sizes and that it’s much less expensive than brand name BBQ covers.
2. Classic Accessories Ravenna Grill Cover
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Classic Accessories Ravenna Grill Cover is a worthy alternative to our Best Pick, the Unicook Barbecue Cover. Like the Unicook cover, this Ravenna cover comes in a range of standard grill sizes but this range includes a cover for a very large BBQ, of 203cm width. The Ravenna cover also has a few more features and, at the time of writing (May 2021), is a little more expensive than the Best Pick.
The Ravenna Classic BBQ model fits a wide range of BBQ brands including Brinkmann, Weber and Jenn Air. The material of the cover is Gardelle One cloth which is a woven polyester fabric. The cover has a laminated PVC lining making the whole cover waterproof. Your choice of colours for the cover is black, tan or grey, all available on the same website. Gardelle One cloth has the same resistances as Oxford cloth, including to sun, water, dust, dirt and so on.
The structure of this cover is definitely designed to keep it in place during any wind or rainstorm. The air vents (with mesh to keep bugs out) have gussets and are adjustable so you can control the airflow through the interior. This stops any mould from forming through stagnant air and also prevents the cover from ballooning up from wind getting underneath it.
The elastic drawstring in the hem at the bottom of the cover also prevents wind from getting in. Draw these single and double cord closures tight for a snug fit to your grill and secure them with the toggles. The straps that fit around the legs of the grill are also adjustable and have secure click-close fasteners. Your cover isn’t going anywhere in any bad weather.
But when you do want to remove the cover, the padded handles at the top make it easy to pull the cover off. The handles are reinforced so as to deal with a lot of use.
Please measure your BBQ carefully before deciding on which size cover to order. Note that Ravenna covers aren’t designed to fully cover the legs and wheels of your grill.
Pros
- Black rectangular BBQ grill that comes in a range of sizes, particularly this large size.
- Fits most popular BBQs with two side tables.
- Made from Gardelle One woven polyester fabric lined with a water-resistant laminated PVC backing.
- Adjustable click-close straps for securing the cover to the grill legs.
- Has elastic drawstring in hem for a custom fit.
- Adjustable air vents with gussets for good air circulation under the cover.
- Reinforced, padded fabric handles on top to put the cover on and off easily.
- Choice of black, tan or grey fabric.
- Double top stitching adds strength along the engineered seams of the cover.
- Easily cleaned by spraying or wiping down with water and letting dry in the sun.
- Dimensions: 203cm (width); 66cm (depth) and 130cm (height)
Our recommendation
The Classic Accessories Ravenna Grill Cover is a sturdy BBQ cover in a wide range of standard sizes that includes an option for a very large BBQ – 203cm width. The cover (in black, tan or grey) is of Gardelle One woven polyester fabric with a PVC backing that makes it waterproof and resistant to most other things thrown at it by the environment. It fits very securely to your grill through the drawstring in the hem and the click-close adjustable straps around the legs.
We recommend the Classic Accessories Ravenna Grill Cover for those who have a large BBQ to cover or those who live in very windy areas.
3. Umi.Essentials 2 Burner Barbecue Cover
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
Not everyone has a large BBQ, especially those people who BBQ on the balcony of their apartments or flats. The Umi.Essentials 2 Burner Barbecue Cover comes in a range of standard sizes, including the small one we review. At 81cm wide, this cover is perfect for grills with only two burners. However, note that if your grill has side tables, you have to flip them down to fit this small cover. Measure your BBQ carefully to see if it will fit.
Online reviewers agree that the Oxford cloth in this Umi.Essentials cover is a really heavyweight. The cloth is UV-resistant with a vinyl coating and a PVC lining that makes it water repellent as well as dust, dirt, snow etc. The seams of the cover are both sealed with waterproof tape and double stitched for more protection as well as extra strength.
The mesh air vents at the side of the cover enable air to flow through the inside. This prevents a build-up of stale air that encourages the growth of mould in your grill. In addition, it stops air from billowing under the cover and lifting it up.
This is important as, though there are Velcro fastenings to fit the cover snugly to the form of your grill, there’s nothing to attach the cover actually to the grill. It just sits over it without being tied down. You may want to fashion some kind of tie-down method yourself, maybe clips and bungee cords.
Pros
- Black BBQ cover in a variety of sizes, particularly this small size that fits an 81cm (two burner) grill.
- Made from woven Oxford (polyester) fabric with a PVC backing.
- Seams are double stitched for strength and sealed with waterproof tape.
- Mesh air vents of side stop moisture from forming under the cover.
- Handles, made from Oxford fabric, at the top of the cover make for easy removal of the cover from the BBQ.
- Straps with Velcro fastenings lets you mould the cover to the shape of the BBQ.
- Money-back guarantee for 60 days.
- Dimensions: 81cm (width); 61cm (depth) and 109cm (height).
Cons
- Nothing to fasten cover to BBQ.
Our recommendation
The Umi.Essentials 2 Burner Barbecue Cover is a good alternative to our Best Pick for those who have smaller grills (two burners). This range of covers is made of heavy-duty Oxford cloth with the usual PVC lining found in the best BBQ covers. The seams are sealed and double stitched so nothing gets through them. While there are straps to fit the cover snugly around your grill, there’s nothing to fasten it to the grill itself.
The Umi.Essentials 2 Burner Barbecue Cover is a great choice for a small grill if you’re not bothered by windy days or can think about how to fasten it to your grill yourself.
4. Classic Accessories 55-178-015101-00 Ravenna Kettle Grill Cover
Best Pick – Kettle / Egg-shaped BBQs
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Classic Accessories 55-178-015101-00 Ravenna Kettle Grill Cover comes in the standard size of kettle grills and egg-shaped BBQs. As with the BBQ covers for regular (rectangular BBQs), it’s made of a woven polyester fabric, Gardelle One in this case, with a PVC backing.
This construction gives the cover resistance to colour fading and becoming brittle due to exposure to UV rays, as well as waterproofness. It’s also dust, dirt, snow, etc. resistant. The side vents are self-supporting (they stay open by themselves) and have mesh to keep bugs and insects out. Air flowing through the vents creates a healthy environment in which mould can’t flourish. Your grill is safe under here.
The dark taupe cover fits well to your grill if you cinch the webbing straps in. Pulling in the drawstring in the hem at the bottom of the cover also helps to keep the wind out, making sure that the cover doesn’t fill up with air ready to blow away. Even if this happens, it has to stay put as four straps attached to the grills legs and wheels hold it down.
But when it’s time to take off the cover, just loosen everything and use the padded handles at the top of the cover to pull it up easily.
Pros
- Dark taupe cover for kettle grills up to 67cm in diameter and 96cm high (not including the legs or wheels).
- Constructed from Gradelle One woven polyester fabric with a PVC backing.
- Hem channel at the bottom of the cover has elastic drawstrings for a snug fit.
- Self-supporting side vents, with mesh, let air circulate under the cover.
- Four straps with buckles secure the cover to the grill’s legs.
- Webbing straps adjust to for a custom fit for your cover.
- Seams have tailored double stitching for strength and durability.
- Padded handles make it easy to put on and take off the cover.
Our recommendation
The Classic Accessories 55-178-015101-00 Ravenna Kettle Grill Cover is an extremely well-reviewed BBQ cover. It fits all standard size (67.3cm) kettle grills and those that are smaller. Some online reviewers even use this cover for their round patio furniture instead. It has all the features of the best grill cover and the colour matches all the other patio furniture covers available from Ravenna.
We recommend the Classic Accessories 55-178-015101-00 Ravenna Kettle Grill Cover for anyone with a kettle grill, especially if they already have other covers from this brand.
5. Amazon Basics Kettle Grill Cover
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
The Amazon Basics Kettle Grill Cover has all the features we look for in a BBQ cover but at a budget price (as at May 2021). It’s made from an unnamed woven polyester fabric with an unnamed waterproof lining, but the reviews of its functionality are excellent.
This cover fits all kettle grills of the standard size and smaller. The cover is mainly beige with a brown bottom part, which some online reviewers didn’t care for. But many liked that this cover has a bottom part that acts as a splash guard, with a drawstring for a snug fit.
The seams are interlocking and heavily stitched for strength and durability, to keep everything in one piece. Click-close straps around the legs of the grill hold it in place on windy days and through other bad weather. One mesh air vent for circulation ensures a constant input of air into the interior environment making it difficult for moisture to build up and mould to take hold there.
Pros
- Beige kettle grill cover made from a woven polyester fabric with waterproof lining.
- Covers kettle grills smaller than 67cm in diameter.
- The base of the cover (in brown) acts as a splash guard.
- Straps snap around the legs of grill to hold the cover on in windy days.
- Easy to maintain, just wipe down with a damp cloth.
- Seams are sewn to be interlocking to add strength to the cover.
- Hidden mesh flap for air circulation.
- Drawstring at bottom of cover to pull it tighter.
- Built-in fabric handles for taking the cover off the grill.
- Dimensions: 67.3cm (width) and 91.4cm (height).
Our recommendation
The Amazon Basics Kettle Grill Cover provides all the basic features of the best BBQ cover for a budget price. If you’re OK with the beige and brown colour scheme and have a kettle BBQ or an egg-shaped one up to 67cm in diameter, there’s no reason why you can’t stick to your budget with this Amazon Basics Kettle Grill Cover.
Buyer’s Guide
If you’ve read through the reviews, you know that there’s no difference in the functionality of BBQ covers and not much in their features. Here’s a brief summary of how the Best BBQ Covers deliver.
Size
All the covers we review for regular (rectangular) BBQs come in a range of sizes that match the standard sizes of BBQs. One of the most common complaints from online reviewers is that they went with the recommendation from the various manufacturers’ websites as to the right size of cover for their brand/model of BBQ, and it was wrong. Please, measure your BBQ for yourself. Don’t take anyone’s idea of what fits.
Material
All the best BBQ covers are made of woven polyester fabric (usually Oxford cloth of various weights but sometimes Gardelle One) with a polyester lining (generally PVC). The Oxford cloth is water-resistant/repellent so water drops remain on top and runoff; the PVC lining is waterproof so water doesn’t get through.
Resistances and -proofs
What the cover is resistant to or proof from depends on the fabrics used. In general, look for: waterproof (rain, snow, hail etc.), dust/dirt proof, UV-resistant (colourfast, fade resistant), rip/tear-proof and windproof.
Reinforced or engineered seams, double-stitched seams and seams closed with waterproof tape help with these -proofs and resistances. Mesh air vents, preferably with gussets to keep them open, keep the air moving under the cover and prevent mould from growing.
Fastenings
Look for fastenings of two types. The first type helps the cover fit snugly to the shape of the BBQ, stopping rain and wind from blowing underneath. These may be drawstrings in a hem at the bottom of the cover or adjustable straps (preferably with click-close buckles) on the sides of the cover. The second type are straps that attach the cover to the BBQ to stop it blowing or being pulled off. Again, click-close straps are great through Velcro straps work well too.
Ease of use
All the covers in our review have fabric handles of some sort to let you easily lift the cover on and off the grill and to adjust it once it’s there. And the woven polyester fabric is easy to clean; just hose it down or use a damp, lightly soapy cloth and let the cover air dry.
Final Conclusion
Keeping your BBQ covered when it’s not in use prevents any harm coming to it from dust, rain, hail and even sunlight. Plus it keeps it looking as shiny as possible. All the regular BBQ covers in our review come in a variety of standard sizes to match the regular sizes of grills. All modern BBQ covers are resistant to many damaging environmental elements. So don’t limit your cover use to your BBQ; some online reviewers use them to cover their kid’s stroller or their patio furniture for example.
Our Best Pick of regular (rectangular) BBQ covers is the Unicook Barbecue Cove. Its wide range of sizes covers most domestic BBQs.
If you have a kettle BBQ / egg-shaped grill, our Best Pick is the Classic Accessories 55-178-015101-00 Ravenna Kettle Grill Cover. It has all the best features at a high quality.
If taking this close look at your BBQ has brought up ideas of buying a new one, we have reviews on our other website that help with that decision. Best Gas BBQs covers grills of that fuel type while Best BBQs also includes charcoal grills.
Regardless of how old your BBQ is, every outdoor chef needs the right Grilling Tools and Accessories to support their BBQ skills.
And if you often find yourself in the age-old “discussion” about which type of BBQ gives the best flavour to your steaks and burgers, read our Grilled vs Charcoal Grilled Meat article for more backup to your side of the argument.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API