Weber Spirit E-310 Review: The New Version Has Less Gas Behind It
The Spirit E-310 has been the default British answer to “which gas barbecue should we buy?” for more than a decade. The one on sale now is a different barbecue from the one most reviews describe: cheaper, with a cabinet for the bottle, and with noticeably less burner output. A UK tester still rates it highly. Long-time Weber owners are less sure.
Where the reviews line up
The evidence comes from three places: a hands-on garden test by Woman & Home, published in May 2026; the owners on TVWBB, the long-running Weber enthusiasts’ forum, comparing this year’s model with last year’s; and the buyer ratings on Weber’s own UK and US shop pages, 464 of them between the two. They agree on the cooking and part company on the build.
Three things come up everywhere. It cooks evenly. Woman & Home’s tester found the cast-iron grates held their heat with “no frustrating cooling off”, and the five-star UK buyer reviews say the same. It heats up quickly — about ten minutes to cooking temperature in that test. And three separately controlled burners let you cook two things at different heats, or run one side off for slower, indirect cooking.
The worry they share is what Weber has taken out to hit the price. The current UK model is rated at 7.0 kW; the Spirit E-310s it replaces were rated at 9.38 kW. TVWBB regulars complain about painted rather than stainless parts and side tables that no longer fold, and the biggest US review pool, 457 ratings, is good overall but carries a steady thread of parts arriving faulty.
The buying decision is price against heat. At around £494 from independent Weber dealers it is a sound, even-cooking family barbecue with a strong ten-year guarantee on the parts that matter. If you sear hard and often, or you could find a run-out 9.38 kW Spirit II, that extra burner output is the thing the new model gave up.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Woman & HomeUK hands-on test, May 2026: assembly, heat-up and family cooking.
- TVWBBWeber owners’ forum: an 18-reply thread on the 2024 versus 2025 Spirit E-310.
- Weber UK & Weber US2.9/5 from 7 UK reviews; 4.3/5 from 457 on the US version — on pages that sell it.
Before the review: which Spirit E-310?
The name has covered at least three barbecues. The Spirit II E-310 (Weber code 45010174) and the Spirit Classic E-310 were both rated at 9.38 kW. The one Weber UK sells now is code 1500869, rated at 7.0 kW, with a door-fronted cabinet for the gas bottle. Weber’s old Spirit II web address now opens the new 1500869 page, so the Spirit II is no longer on Weber’s UK shop. Most reviews and videos online describe the older models. This page is about 1500869 — check the code on any listing before you buy.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Burners | 3 stainless steel burners, Snap-Jet ignition on each | Weber UK product page |
| Burner output | 7.0 kW (main burners) | Weber UK; matches Weber US’s 24,000 BTU/hr for the US version |
| Older Spirit E-310 output | 9.38 kW (Spirit II and Classic); 32,000 BTU (2013 US model) | WowBBQ and AmazingRibs — the previous models, for comparison |
| Cooking area | 2,314 cm² main grill + 580 cm² warming rack = 2,894 cm² | Weber UK; repeated by two retailers |
| Size, lid closed | 117 × 123 × 67.5 cm (H × W × D) | Weber UK |
| Size, lid open | 154 × 123 × 78.5 cm (H × W × D) | Weber UK — leave room behind for the lid |
| Weight | 44.5 kg | Weber UK only |
| Gas | Propane (Patio Gas) with a 37 mbar clip-on regulator | Weber UK help centre, for its UK gas barbecues |
| Gas bottle | Not included; stored in the cabinet | Weber UK and Norwich Camping |
| Regulator and hose | Not confirmed for this model | Weber says “most” UK models include one; not listed on this product page. Spare is £108.99 |
| Cooking grates | Porcelain-enamelled cast iron; stainless Flavorizer bars | Weber UK |
| Cover | Not included | Weber UK; see “cover and cleaning” below |
| Assembly | “1–2 hours” (Weber) · “within the hour” (Woman & Home) | Two figures, both printed |
| Guarantee | 10 years cookbox, lid and burner tubes · 5 years cast-iron grates · 2 years paint and other parts | Weber UK warranty page |
| Price | RRP £549 · £493.99 and £494 at two dealers · £449 at a third (out of stock) | Checked 5 October 2026 |
Woman & Home
This is a lifestyle title rather than a test lab, so there are no thermocouple readings — but it is a real British garden test, done by hosting family and friends over several cooks, and it is recent enough to be the current barbecue. The tester had it built within the hour and reaching cooking temperature in about ten minutes. Her strongest praise is for the cast-iron grates: they held their heat, with none of the cooling-off she had found on cheaper barbecues. She also rates the three independent burners, which let her cook different meats at different heats at the same time.
A practical detail other reviews miss: the enclosed cabinet took her 11 kg gas bottle “with ease”, which her previous barbecue could not. Cleaning she found simple, with the grates releasing residue easily and disposable liners available for the drip tray. Her one real criticism is price against rivals. What the review does not cover: how hot it gets, how evenly it heats edge to edge, or how it holds up after a winter outside.
Watch: Best Grill Ever? Weber Spirit E-310 Review
A US owner’s review. The Spirit E-310 name covers several generations and we could not open YouTube to check which one this shows — see the caveat box below.
Watch on YouTube ↗TVWBB
TVWBB, the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board, is where people who have owned Webers for twenty years go to argue about them. Its members are American and the prices are dollars, but the thread is about the same redesign that reached the UK as code 1500869. The comparison is simple: the 2024 Spirit E-310 had folding side shelves and more stainless steel; the 2025 model is cheaper and has painted shelves that do not fold.
The tone is sceptical. One long-time owner, who still rates the older design as “pretty solid” with proper care, adds that he has “not been impressed with the newer offerings for some time now”. Others question why the smallest, cheapest models lost fold-down tables, and several worry about painted steel cabinets rusting, steering people towards refurbished older Spirits or Weber’s Q range instead. These are enthusiasts with high standards, not typical buyers — but their point about painted parts lines up with Weber’s own guarantee, which covers paint for two years, not ten.
Watch: Weber Spirit E-310 Gas Grill Review (Black, Model 46510001) - 2025
A 2025 US review of model 46510001, a US code rather than the UK 1500869. Useful for the general layout; confirmed by search listing only.
Watch on YouTube ↗Weber UK and Weber US
These are buyer reviews hosted by the company that makes and sells the barbecue, so treat them as ratings, not a verdict. Seven UK reviews are too few to mean much, and the 2.9 average is dragged down by delivery and service complaints rather than the barbecue itself — the lowest, from May 2026, is about a barbecue that never arrived and a refund that was slow to follow. The UK reviews that talk about cooking are positive: quick to heat, even cooking, solid build, easy to clean.
The US page has the numbers: 457 reviews at 4.3 out of 5. The US model is rated at 24,000 BTU/hr, which works out at roughly the same 7.0 kW, and has the same three burners, cabinet and side tables. The criticism there is consistent and worth knowing: parts shipped faulty, regulators and burners that did not work at first, and replacement parts taking two weeks or more to arrive. Most of those buyers ended up happy once the parts came. Check every part when you unpack it, before you dispose of the box.
Watch: Weber Spirit E-310 3-Burner Gas Grill Review 2025
A 2025 review of a US Spirit E-310. We could not confirm which generation it shows; confirmed by search listing only.
Watch on YouTube ↗Gas, cover and cleaning: what to buy alongside it
Gas. UK Weber gas barbecues run on propane — the green Patio Gas bottles — through a 37 mbar clip-on regulator. Weber’s help centre says a 5 kg bottle gives roughly six to eight hours of grilling and a 13 kg bottle fifteen to twenty. The bottle is not in the box. Weber’s help centre says “most” of its UK gas barbecues come with the regulator and hose, but the product page for this model does not list one, and neither do the dealers we checked. Ask before you order: Weber’s spare regulator and hose costs £108.99. Whatever you connect, do the soapy-water leak test Weber describes — spray the joints with the gas on and look for bubbles.
Cover. Not included. Weber’s product page offers a cover at £94.99. Be careful with older covers: Weber’s £114.99 Premium cover lists Spirit three-burner barbecues from 2016 to 2024, which may not be the right fit for this newer body.
Cleaning. A grease tray slides out from the front, and Weber’s routine is to brush the grates, scrape the Flavorizer bars, clear the burner ports and wipe the lid. Cast-iron grates are covered for five years against rust-through, but only if you keep them clean and dry.
The guarantee, in plain terms
Weber’s UK warranty for the Spirit series gives ten years against rust-through or burn-through on the cookbox, the lid and the stainless burner tubes; five years on the cast-iron grates; and two years on paint, the Flavorizer bars and everything else. Normal wear and tear is excluded. To claim, you fill in Weber’s claim form and upload proof of purchase and photos of the fault, so keep the receipt. Registering the barbecue is recommended, not required.
Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- Even cooking from heat-holding cast-iron grates, according to the UK tester and buyers.
- About ten minutes to cooking temperature in Woman & Home’s test.
- Three independent burners for two-zone and indirect cooking.
- A cabinet that hides the gas bottle — Woman & Home’s took an 11 kg bottle.
- Ten-year rust-through cover on cookbox, lid and burner tubes.
- Usually £55 or so below RRP at independent Weber dealers.
What people complain about
- 7.0 kW is well down on the 9.38 kW of the Spirit E-310s it replaces.
- Painted parts and side tables that do not fold, say Weber enthusiasts.
- Paint is covered for two years, not ten.
- US buyers report faulty parts on arrival and slow replacements.
- Gas bottle and cover cost extra, and the regulator may too.
- Price is high against non-Weber rivals, even the UK tester says so.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you want a proper three-burner barbecue for family cooking — sausages, burgers, chicken, a joint done indirectly — with the bottle tucked away and the backing of a long guarantee on the parts that rust. For most gardens that is exactly what the Spirit E-310 has always been for, and the evidence says the new one still does it well.
Look elsewhere if searing heat matters most to you, or if you want stainless steel and folding shelves; the older 9.38 kW Spirit II is worth taking if you find a genuine run-out deal. If you only cook for two, something smaller than a 123 cm-wide, 44.5 kg three-burner may suit you better.
What we could not check
- Whether a regulator and hose are in the box. Weber says most of its UK gas barbecues include one, but no product or dealer page for 1500869 confirms it. Ask the seller.
- The videos. We could not open YouTube from here. All three were confirmed by appearing in two differently worded search listings, not by watching them; no listing named the channel. All three appear to be US reviews, and we cannot confirm any of them shows the UK 1500869.
- Exactly which version Woman & Home tested. Its May 2026 date and its mention of a bottle cabinet fit the current model, but the review gives no model code.
- A large UK buyer sample. Weber UK has seven reviews, and the dealers we checked had none. The 457-review figure is for the US version.
- Whether a 13 kg Patio Gas bottle fits the cabinet. The UK tester’s 11 kg bottle did; we found no published cabinet dimensions.
- Which cover fits. Weber’s page shows a £94.99 cover without naming it; the £114.99 Premium cover lists 2016–2024 three-burners only.
- Temperatures and gas use. No source measured maximum temperature, edge-to-edge evenness or gas burned per hour on this model.
- Independent editorial lab testing. We found no published Which? result or other lab test of the 1500869.
- The “same price everywhere” claim. It is not true today: we found £449, £493.99, £494 and £549 for the same code.
Sources last checked 5 October 2026. Prices, kit contents and model codes change — check the code and what is in the box against the listing in front of you before ordering.