In a prolonged power outage, a portable generator is a great way to run household essentials, like lights and refrigerators—not to mention heating and cooling systems.
If you live in an area where weather emergencies are rare—or power is often restored within a few hours—you probably don’t need a home standby generator, which can cost $10,000 to $20,000 to buy and install, according to the home improvement website Fixr.
Whether you opt for a traditional portable model or the more efficient, quieter, and pricier inverter model option—you’ll end up with plenty of power to run most of the key appliances and systems in your home. Even a smaller midsized and recreational portable (also featured here) can help in a pinch.
More on Generators
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How to Safely Set Up a Generator Fast
Keep in mind, though, that portable generators carry safety risks if you don’t use them properly. They produce carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless, invisible, and toxic gas. About 85 people die each year in the U.S. from generator-related CO poisoning, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many portable generator models now feature an automatic shutoff, a low-CO engine, or both to reduce these risks.
And so, Consumer Reports puts every gas-burning generator through a rigorous safety test. “The majority of newly tested models make major improvements over older generators in terms of safety and still manage to deliver power reliably,” says Misha Kollontai, who oversees CR’s generator testing.
And when it comes to actually hooking up and running your generator, be sure to follow these important safety guidelines.
In this article
- Skip ahead to: Best Generators to Power a Home Best Generators for Small Houses, Boats, and RVs Best Generators for Camping and Tailgating How CR Tests Generators
Best Portable Generators to Power Your Home
These workhorses provide 7,000 to more than 8,000 watts of power and usually weigh upward of 200 pounds. They’re what you want to use to power most or all of your home’s essentials during a prolonged outage. (You may also want to have an electrician install a transfer switch, which allows you to power hard-wired systems like a water heater or a well pump.) Prices for these models currently range from just under $1,000 to nearly $2,000.
Best Portable Generators for Small Houses, Boats, and RVs
These midsized generators provide 2,500 to 4,900-plus watts of power, and they weigh about 80 to 180 pounds. They pack plenty of power for a boat, an RV, or a camper, or they can power a few household essentials using heavy-duty extension cords. Note both the price and the power output when you’re shopping; inverter models that deliver modest amounts of power can be pricier than higher-output traditional portables. Prices range from around $400 to $2,400.
Best Portable Generators for Camping and Tailgating
These generators provide up to 2,500 watts of power and usually weigh around 50 pounds, making them perfect for campsites. You can power a fridge and a few lights with these during a power outage, but for anything beyond that, consider the larger generators above. These more modest units are fuel-efficient and quiet, and you’ll pay around $500 to $1,200.
How CR Tests Generators
While safety is essential, our performance testing ensures that a generator will work as promised when you need it most. To do that, our expert engineers load up every model we assess with a variety of essentials you might want to power during an outage, like a space heater, refrigerator, or window air conditioner.
(Check out our guide to which size generator can power which appliances.)
We make sure the generator can handle the load it’s supposed to and also see what happens when a sudden spike in voltage hits, such as if, say, the compressor in your refrigerator kicks on when the generator is already close to capacity.
The best models take these spikes in stride, while others bog down or even stall. We also look at how easy it is to move and use a generator, as well as how efficiently it uses gasoline and how long it runs on a single tank.
