Updated October 2026 · 5 generators, no paid placements

Best Propane Generators in 2026

A propane generator is, in practice, a dual fuel or tri-fuel portable: it runs on a 20 lb tank you can store for years, and on gasoline when you'd rather. These five lead the 95 propane-capable listings we rate, starting with the DuroMax XP12000EH at 9.3/10. Expect fewer watts on propane than on gas; the catch of each one is spelled out.

In short

Our top pickDuroMax XP12000EH9.3/10. The one we'd start with.$1,299 on Sep 30, 2026, may have changed

The crowd favouriteWestinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter1,672 buyer reviews, 9.2/10. Plenty of owners to learn from.$949 on Sep 30, 2026, may have changed

The most running watts on paperWestinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel10,500 W running watts per the listing, 9.2/10. The biggest running figure among the rest.$1,249 on Sep 30, 2026, may have changed

Planning around a 20 lb tank? Start with the DuroMax XP12000EH, then check the propane running watts of the other four. Its 9.3/10 is the rating on its own review page: buyer reviews where they exist, the listed specs otherwise. Variants that share one listing family take a single slot: five different propane-capable generators.

Written from each listing's specs and buyer reviews, not from our own use · How we rate

The ranking in detail

Dual fuel generators · DuroMax · Top pick

DuroMax XP12000EH

9.3Excellent · out of 10

Also available as: XP13000EH (10,500 W running, 13,000 W peak) · XP5500EH (4,500 W running, 5,500 W peak)

Best for: a house that has to keep the well pump and the furnace going

12,000-watt dual fuel power
Transfer switch-ready 50 amp outlet
All-metal frame and panel

The catch: Its 4.5/5 buyer rating ties for the lowest of these five.

4.5/5 from buyers3,966 buyer reviews, shared by 2 variants$1,299 Price on Sep 30, 2026 · may have changed

See it on Amazon ↗Read the reviewaffiliate link to Amazon.com

Dual fuel generators · Westinghouse · Runner-up

Westinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel

9.2Excellent · out of 10

Also available as: 14,500W Tri-Fuel (11,500 W running, 14,500 W peak)

Best for: a house with a natural gas line and long outages

13500 peak watts
Tri-fuel with remote start
Transfer switch ready

The catch: On propane it drops to 9,500 running watts, per the listing.

4.8/5 from buyers1,169 buyer reviews$1,249 Price on Sep 30, 2026 · may have changed

See it on Amazon ↗Read the reviewaffiliate link to Amazon.com

Inverter generators · Westinghouse · Top 5 pick

Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter

9.2Excellent · out of 10

Best for: quiet nights during a long outage

5000 peak watt inverter
As low as 52 dBA
Up to 18 hour run time

The catch: No 50 amp outlet named for the Westinghouse, unlike most of this list.

4.7/5 from buyers1,672 buyer reviews$949 Price on Sep 30, 2026 · may have changed

See it on Amazon ↗Read the reviewaffiliate link to Amazon.com

Dual fuel generators · DuroMax · Top 5 pick

DuroMax XP13000HX

8.8Very good · out of 10

Also available as: XP13000HXT (Gasoline, Propane, Natural gas) · XP15000HX+ (12,000 W running, 15,000 W peak) · XP15000HX (Gasoline, Propane) · XP15000HXT (Gasoline, Propane, Natural gas) · XP5500HX (Gasoline, Propane)

Best for: long outages with most of the house running

13,000 watts dual fuel
500cc OHV engine
Heavy-duty 50AMP outlet

The catch: A unit this size is a two-person lift, wheels or not.

4.5/5 from buyers1,047 buyer reviews$1,079 Price on Sep 30, 2026 · may have changed

See it on Amazon ↗Read the reviewaffiliate link to Amazon.com

Dual fuel generators · Champion · Top 5 pick

Champion 12,500W Tri Fuel

8.2Very good · out of 10

Also available as: 16,875W Tri Fuel (13,500 W running, 16,875 W peak) · 8,125W Tri Fuel (6,500 W running, 8,125 W peak)

Best for: storm country where gas stations close first

12,500 starting watts
Runs on gas, propane, natural gas
Electric start, battery included

The catch: An open frame runs at full speed and is loud; neighbours will hear it.

4.5/5 from buyers165 buyer reviews, shared by 2 variants$1,259.99 Price on Sep 30, 2026 · may have changed

See it on Amazon ↗Read the reviewaffiliate link to Amazon.com

Product images: Amazon listings

Best rated by stated running watts

The best-rated model in each running-watt band its listing or manual states (gasoline rating), among the 95 listings eligible for this ranking (one per listing family). Start from your running-watt total and read across.

Up to 5,000 W running	Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter (#3) · 9.2/10 · 3,900 W running · 5,000 W peak
5,001 to 9,000 W running	Champion 11,000W Dual Fuel Inverter · 7.8/10 · 9,000 W running · 11,000 W peak
Over 9,000 W running	DuroMax XP12000EH (#1) · 9.3/10 · 9,500 W running · 12,000 W peak

How to choose

Plan on the propane watts, not the gasoline headline. Most dual fuel listings state fewer running watts on propane. If the 20 lb tank is your outage fuel, add up your loads against the propane figure in the manual of the exact model.
Count tanks, not hours. Runtime claims are quoted at quarter or half load. A big frame at a partial whole-home load can empty a 20 lb cylinder in well under a day, so fill several before the storm and store them outdoors, upright.
Check the hose and the regulator in the box. Some generators ship with a propane hose and regulator, others do not. Read the box contents in the listing, and look the hose and the cylinder valve over for damage before each season.

Pros and cons of a propane generator

The good

Propane keeps in a sealed tank for years, where gasoline goes stale in months
Dual fuel models still take gasoline when the tanks run dry

The catch

Fewer watts on propane than on gasoline
A 20 lb tank goes quickly at a heavy load, so you need several

Warranty, as each listing states it

Only what the exact listing says. Where it says nothing, the manual or the maker's site has the terms; registration rules and what counts as wear differ by brand.

#1 DuroMax XP12000EH	Not stated in the listing
#2 Westinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel	Not stated in the listing
#3 Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter	Not stated in the listing
#4 DuroMax XP13000HX	Not stated in the listing
#5 Champion 12,500W Tri Fuel	3-year limited warranty (stated in the listing)

Not quite your outage? Other rankings

Best dual fuel generators: #1 DuroMax XP12000EH (9.3/10), 4 models ranked.
Best dual fuel inverter generators: #1 Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter (9.2/10), 5 models ranked.
Best tri-fuel generators: #1 Westinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel (9.2/10), 5 models ranked.
Best 10,000 watt generators: #1 DuroMax XP12000EH (9.3/10), 5 models ranked.

Comparison table

All 5 on one screen. Tap a column header to sort by what matters on outage night: running watts, peak, fuel or price.

Comparison table: Best Propane Generators in 2026

DuroMax XP12000EH	DuroMax	9.3	$1,299^†	9,500 W	12,000 W	Gasoline, Propane	Open frame	3,966 (shared)^*
Westinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel	Westinghouse	9.2	$1,249^†	10,500 W	13,500 W	Gasoline, Propane, Natural gas	Open frame	1,169
Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter	Westinghouse	9.2	$949^†	3,900 W	5,000 W	Gasoline, Propane	Inverter	1,672
DuroMax XP13000HX	DuroMax	8.8	$1,079^†	10,500 W	13,000 W	Gasoline, Propane	Open frame	1,047
Champion 12,500W Tri Fuel	Champion	8.2	$1,259.99^†	10,000 W	12,500 W	Gasoline, Propane, Natural gas	Open frame	165 (shared)^*

^† Prices as of Sep 30, 2026; they may have changed. The button always shows today's price.

^* Shared: the same review pool appears on every variant of a listing family (DuroMax XP12000EH, 2 variants; Champion 12,500W Tri Fuel, 2 variants), so the count is not specific to one variant.

How we rank

Every model gets a rating out of 10 from its exact listing: what buyers give it, how many of them there are, and how completely the seller documents the specs. We also weigh how it stacks up against the other generators on the list. The best-rated model goes first; on an exact tie, the listing slug decides. Here the order follows the rating on each product page, which comes from buyer reviews where they exist and from the listed specs otherwise.

We haven't run or load-checked these generators ourselves, and a commission never moves a rating or a rank.

Read the methodology →Affiliate disclosure

45 % buyer rating, damped when a listing has fewer than 50 reviews.
35 % review volume, on a logarithmic scale up to 5,000 reviews.
20 % documentation: feature bullets, images and stated brand of the listing.
Running watts, peak watts and fuels are shown only when the exact listing or its manual states them (gasoline rating unless stated); we measure nothing ourselves.
One slot per listing family: variants of one parent listing, which usually share one review pool, count once and are listed under the best-rated variant.
Prices carry the date we recorded them. They may have changed since; the button shows today's offer.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best propane generator in 2026?

Our pick is the DuroMax XP12000EH, at 9.3/10, the rating shown on its own product page. It has 3,966 buyer reviews averaging 4.5/5, a review pool shared by the DuroMax XP12000EH listing family (2 variants); its listing states 9,500 W running and 12,000 W peak. Close behind: the Westinghouse 13,500W Tri-Fuel at 9.2/10.

How is this ranking built?

We start from 95 generators whose exact listing states propane operation (dual fuel and tri-fuel). They are ordered by the rating shown on each product page: the review-based rating where buyer reviews exist, otherwise the spec-based rating. Variants of one listing family (same parent listing or the same shared review pool) share a single slot, so you see 5 different generators, not one generator in 5 sizes.

Does a generator make less power on propane?

Usually, yes: most dual fuel listings state fewer running watts on propane than on gasoline. One of the 5 is an inverter design, and two also list natural gas. Plan your loads against the propane running watts in the manual of the exact model.

How long does a 20 lb propane tank run a generator?

It depends on the load and the engine, and listings quote runtimes at quarter or half load. A big frame at a partial whole-home load can empty a 20 lb cylinder in well under a day, so a propane plan means several cylinders, filled before the storm.

What is the best portable propane generator?

Our pick is the DuroMax XP12000EH at 9.3/10, out of 95 generators that state propane operation. For a quiet propane unit, see our dual fuel inverter generators; for a natural gas line as well, our tri-fuel generators.

Is there a propane-only generator here?

Every generator in this ranking also runs on gasoline: the listings we rate state dual fuel or tri-fuel operation. That is a plus in a long outage, because you can switch fuel when one runs out.

What is the best propane inverter generator?

See our dual fuel inverter generators ranking, led by the Westinghouse 5,000W Dual Fuel Inverter (9.2/10).

Are the prices up to date?

Each price is the one we recorded on Sep 30, 2026, and it may have changed since. The button always opens the exact listing with today's price and seller.

Have you used these generators yourselves?

No, we haven't run or load-checked these generators ourselves. The ratings come from what buyers say and from the specs stated in each exact listing or its manual, weighed with a formula we publish, and from our editors' read of how the models compare.

Dual fuel generators →Inverter generators →Westinghouse →Champion →DuroMax →Buying guides →