We all enjoy our BBQ grills and smokers, but from time to time, you might have to give your BBQ grill a little break depending on where you live. And, while some of us here in Florida have good weather all year and can use our grills all the time, others have harsh winters, making grilling difficult.
Weather is not the only thing you need to protect your BBQ grill from dust; excessive moisture, pollen, and pests can destroy your grill or smoker. Regardless of how often you cook on your grill, it is good to protect it when it is not in use. After all, you would like to see your investment last.
Leaving your grill unprotected without a grill cover can attract critters, collect dust, grime, and cause premature rust. Neglecting your grill and leaving it exposed to weather and the elements can damage components and temperature controls, reducing the grill’s useful life.
But after a couple of request from we set out to reach for the best grill covers online and bring a lit of our top picks.
Why Use A Grill Cover?
Buying a BBQ grill is an exciting process. Owning a grill of any kind can bring you hours of fun and joy with your friends or family.
However, leaving your grill outside exposed to the elements, weather, pests, and dust will shorten its life. You should choose a good cover to protect your investment, extend your grill’s useful life, and protect its finish.
If you own a high-end stainless steel grill, then choosing a good cover is a no brainer. Wrapping your expensive grill with a grill cover will help protect the grill’s stainless finish and prevent scratches. A good cover will only cost a fraction of what a high-end stainless steel grill does but will provide priceless protection.
Our top Picks and Best Grill Cover
1. The Veranda Grill Cover – Best Overall
Why our top pick
We chose the Veranda grill cover as the best grill cover out of a number choices because its manufacturing is of high quality, multiple options and sizes available for many grill models, and material quality is great.
Classic Accessories Veranda Grill covers look great, can take a beating, and are of excellent quality. This company offers a great collection of outdoor covers, including grill covers, furniture covers, and other outdoor covers.
These grill covers are made of highly durable polyester with a waterproof backing to ensure adequate weather protection. These covers look great and include many thoughtful features like pockets and adjustable drawstrings to ensure a tight grip around your grill, smoker, or chairs.
We also appreciate the buckled straps, which are an excellent way to strap and secure the cover to the grill, smoker, or favorite chair. Between the adjustable drawstrings and the buckled straps, you will be able to secure this cover, and it should withstand strong winds and weather.
These grill covers also have air vents that help prevent mildew and moisture-related problems. The air vents are protected by small flaps to avoid water intrusion.
If you own a high-end or luxury stainless steel BBQ grill, Veranda Classic Accessories grill covers are an excellent option to protect your high dollar investment.
The design of these covers is well thought out compared to other grills covers in the market. Classic Accessories also offers a 3-year warranty on their products. Nice!
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester
Protection: UV and weather Resistant
Pros
- The covers are built with a polyester exterior with a laminated backing payer for added waterproof protection, meaning excellent weather protection.
- US Based company with over 35 years of experience and good customer service.
- 3-year warranty
- Air Vents help with moisture and mildew build-up.
- Drawstrings allow you to create a snug seal around the grill and secure the cover.
- Buckled straps can be used to secure the cover to the grill’s wheels or body. This cover will not flyway!
- Pockets are nice to store gloves and other grilling accessories.
- The waterproof backing layer offers excellent weather protection.
- Features padded handles for an excellent grip when pulling the cover off your grill.
- The cover colors look great
Cons
- Check and make sure this cover will fit your grill.
2. Ravenna BBQ Grill Cover – Runner Up
This grill cover from Classic Accessories combines style, durability, fade resistance materials, and convenient features. This grill cover includes padded handles making removal easy, and the double-stitched seams add strength.
We like the structured vents, which stay open using a mesh barrier, preventing wind lofting. The Ravenna grill cover comes with adjustable hem cords and linked buckles to secure the cover to your grill.
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester
Protection: UV and weather Resistant
Pros
- Elastic hem cords allow you to create a tight, snug, and secure the cover to your grill.
- The buckled straps will enable you to secure this cover to your grill. This is excellent in windy conditions.
- Air vents for air circulation will help with moisture and mildew.
- The waterproof backing layer will help with moisture, making this cover genuinely waterproof.
- Four Year Warranty. Nice!
Cons
- Some users have reported color fading.
3. Unicook grill cover Heavy Duty Waterproof – Great Choice
Unicook heavy-duty waterproof grill covers are not as well-engineered as our previous picks; however, these grill covers offer useful features at a good value.
For instance, we appreciate the new special fade-resistant fabric with a vinyl coating. The vinyl coating helps repel water dust and other contaminants. This fabric also helps make the cover be more UV resistant.
We appreciated the fabric handles on both sides of the cover, making it easier for users to remove the cover off the grill when it’s time to cook.
Like our previous top pick cover, this grill cover also includes air vents on both sides of the cover for air circulation to let moisture escape and prevent blowing away during high winds.
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester
Protection: UV and Waterproof
Pros
- Good water and weather protection.
- Multiple size options available for many grill brands.
- Reasonably resistant to the elements.
- Easy to clean and maintain
Cons
- This cover can fade when exposed to the sun.
- No buckled straps.
- No drawstrings.
4. Kingkong Weber Genesis E and S Series Grill cover
The King Kong BBQ grill cover is made using a good polyester fabric that is resistant to water, high temperatures, and can protect your barbecue grill from the elements. This is the best barbecue Weber grill cover for the Genesis series , which is one of the most popular gas grills among beginners. It fits well, and the velcro straps tighten right under the side tables and prevent the cover from blowing away.
The King Kong BBQ grill cover will work well with popular gas grills, including the Weber Genesis 300 series and Char-Broil gas grills. This polyester cover is easy to clean; simply hose the cover down and dry under the sun.
This cover has large velcro straps to keep the cover snug to the grill.
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester Fabric
Protection: UV and Water
Pros
- This cover comes with a full warranty and a 60 money-back guarantee.
- Double stitch seams for strength and the fabric feels very strong.
- This grill cover comes with a nice bundle of accessories, including tongs and a meat temperature thermometer.
- Pretty resistant to the elements.
Cons
- Might not fit all grills, mainly available for Weber grills.
- This cover is prone to tears. The stitching is not as strong as some of the covers on this list.
- Now Drawsritngs or buckled straps.
- No air vents, which means that moisture can accumulate inside the cover.
4. SunPatio Waterproof Grill cover – Best Budget
The SunPatio gas grill cover is our value pick. We always have to consider the fine line between cost and quality, and the SunPatio gas grill cover comes right in between that line.
If you are looking for a good value simple-to-use grill cover without many of the bells and whistles or the more expensive build materials, the SunPatio grill cover can be a good fit for you.
However, it is noteworthy to point out that you won’t find some of the features and quality materials found in our top pick covers because of this excellent value package.
Some users have reported the cover fades after a few months of use and material damage. You must never cover your grill while it is still hot as the hot surfaces can damage the grill cover and even melt the best cover materials.
This cover is build using polyester and vinyl, and it should withstand weather, rain, and snow pretty well. This grill cover also includes double handles with velcro straps to secure the cover in place.
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester Fabric
Protection: UV and Water
Pros
- Good value for those looking for just a grill cover.
- Simple to use – just throw the cover over your grill.
- Includes a 60-day guarantee.
Cons
- Some users have reported color fade.
- Check fit and size as these cover might not fit all grills.
- No water backing for added water protection
- Water-resistant, not waterproof.
5. The GrillMan BBQ grill cover
The Grillman cover is a a good choice although it does not have vinyl lining, still weather resistant. Nevertheless it works great with compact and small grills. Because it doesn’t have a waterproof liner it is lightweight.
But the reason I the Grillman gas grill cover is because is a good fit for most 2 burner and ther burner grills.
Straps: Yes
Material: Polyester Fabric
Protection: UV and Water
How we Chose the best grill covers
We look first for quality materials. If the manufacturer claims the cover is waterproof we want to see some sort of vinyl liner. Second we go through hundreds of user reviews to confirm our research and see what others think of these covers.
Lastly, the we make our picks and test them for final inclusion in our article.
What should you consider before buying a grill cover
The most important thing to consider when looking for a grill cover is size dimensions. In my opinion, it is better to have a grill cover that is larger than you grill then something too small that won’t fit.
Not only should you review the dimensions of both your grill and the grill cover in terms of length and width, but you should also want to check the grill cover sizing guidelines. To be on the safer side, make sure you measure your grill and write down your grill dimensions and compare those to the cover dimensions you are buying.
Other than sizing your grill cover well, you should also pay attention to the cover materials. Some grill cover manufacturers will use high-quality fabrics and materials to build their covers while others will use generic materials that will not last long. However, the materials used to construct the cover will directly impact its price.
Material Type And Resistivity – Look for the materials your budget Can Buy
The grill cover materials are essential. Grill covers built using cheap materials will save you money but likely will need to be replaced sooner. If you plan on leaving your grill outside, make sure the cover is made of materials that can withstand heat, UV rays, water, and wind.
Is the cover waterproof, water-resistant, and can handle the elements?
The cover materials will offer excellent protection against the sun, dirt, wind and water damage. Waterproof grill covers can cost a bit more but will protect your grill well from rust, mildew, and the elements.
Understand that some grill cover materials offer an utterly waterproof protection layer, while other cover materials only make the grill cover water-resistant.
Waterproof vs. water-resistant grill covers
Waterproof grill covers not only repel water but will keep your grill completely dry and untouched by moisture. Water-resistant grill covers will repel some amount of water and keep your grill dry for some time, but eventually, moisture will filter through, and your grill will get wet.
Keep in mind, under heaving rains or extreme wet conditions, grill covers can eventually absorb moisture.
If you are looking for a genuinely waterproof grill cover, look for grill covers with water or weather backing layers. Weather backings are extra layers of waterproof material built into the grill cover during manufacturing. Weather backing or layers are the best way to keep your grill dry.
Size
As we mentioned earlier in this article, sizing your grill cover is a crucial step. Take the time to measure your barbecue grill or get its dimensions from the manufacturer’s website. Ensuring a good fit will give the grill cover a better opportunity to do its job well. If the grill cover is too tight, it can tear during installation, or if it is too short, well, you are not doing much.
Manufacturer Warranty
Your grill cover will get plenty of use and abuse over time, and you will likely tear a corner or notice weather damage. Even the best cover materials are susceptible to some sort of damage.
If you live in the southern states, the sun can beat these grill covers. Make sure you read if the cover manufacturer offers any warranties for premature damage, tears, or color fade. The best cover materials will have a challenge against the Florida sun. Make sure you look into the manufacturers’ warranty!
Maintenance
Some grill covers will be harder to maintain than others, primarily due to the manufacturing materials. A cloth grill cover will absorb more dirt than a vinyl grill cover.
Some grill cover materials can be cleaned using a garden house, a bit of water, and maybe some soap, but cloth grill cover, for example, might require a good wash in a washing machine. In contrast, other grill covers will need nothing more than a nice shake to dust it off.
Nice Features to Have
If you are interested in extra features, things like pockets, padded handles, velcro pockets, and zipper doors are lovely things to have in a grill or smoker cover. However, keep in mind that these features will add to your grill cover’s cost but won’t necessarily help protect your grill better. If your budget allows it, spend money on the best cover materials money can buy.
FAQ
Q. Do I have to purchase my grill cover from the same manufacturer as my grill?
A. No. You can get a grill cover from any grill cover manufacturer as long as it fits your grill.
Q. Will a grill cover trap condensation inside and cause rust even in dry conditions?
A. If the grill cover doesn’t have a water or weather backing layer, it can. So our recommendation is to find a grill cover with water or weather backing and air vents to let moisture out.
Last word
Our Top Pick in this roundup is the Classic Accessories Veranda Grill Cover, with the Classic Accessories Ravenna Grill Cover coming at a very close second.
We like the Veranda Grill Cover’s stylish look and quality. The fact that Classic Accessories Veranda makes covers for all your outdoor furniture is a plus. Having a matching cover collection helps your backyard look grand.
It is fundamental to consider size, build quality, materials, and cost when shopping for a grill cover. Earlier in this article, we discussed what you should consider when looking for a new cover for your grill.
Your grill can be a substantial investment; spending a few dollars on a good quality cover can protect your investment for years.
However, any grill cover is better than leaving your grill or smoker outside and exposed.
Enjoy Life, Get Grilling
