Best Gas Clothes Dryers of 2024

Unlike electric dryers, which use electricity to produce the heat that dries clothes, gas dryers burn natural gas or propane to produce heat, and use electricity only to power the drum, fan, lights, and controls. Because they require less electrical power, they can be plugged into a 120-volt outlet, rather than the 240-volt outlet that most electric dryers require. But gas dryers do require a gas supply line as well as a vent to exhaust combustion gases outside the home. 

Major brands like GE, LG, Maytag, Samsung, and Whirlpool offer both gas and electric dryers. LG and Samsung are market leaders for gas dryers, according to TraQline. Before you choose a gas dryer, make sure your laundry area has both a working gas line and a 120-volt outlet available. If not, you will need to have these installed. As always, measure the space you have for your new dryer and your doorways to ensure easy delivery and installation. Perhaps for obvious reasons, most people keep their current hookup—be it gas or electric—when purchasing a new dryer.

On average, gas dryers cost $50 to $150 dollars more than electric dryers. But because they cost less to operate (gas is typically less expensive than electricity), a gas dryer will save enough money long-term to easily make up for the initial cost. 

“When you look at the national averages for electricity and natural gas, electricity is over three times more expensive,” says Jim Nanni, director of appliance testing at Consumer Reports. “It really matters what the prices are for each fuel, and then you can evaluate which is best for you,” depending on where you live, Nanni says.

In our ratings, gas dryers range from about $400 to $2,300, with plenty of high-performing models at less than $1,000. For example, you can find a very good $480 Insignia gas dryer that performs comparably to—and with a slightly larger capacity than—a $2,300 Speed Queen.

Our tests show that gas dryers and electric dryers are comparable in performance, reliability, size, noise, convenience, and design. More than two-thirds of the gas dryers in our ratings have an excellent or very good Overall Score, just like electric models.

Which one is best for your home—and budget—comes down to the cost of electricity vs. gas in your area, and which type your laundry room is equipped to accommodate.

Previously, CR had considered the gas version of dryer models we tested to be similar to the electric versions. But as our testing and ratings methods have evolved, we found that the differences in operation between the gas and electric versions of the same model were significant enough to warrant testing both. As a result, you’ll now find more than 70 gas dryers in our ratings, each tested for drying performance, noise, and convenience, just like their electric counterparts.

We test both gas and electric dryers by running loads of laundry of varied weights and fabrics. To help you choose the best dryer for your home and budget, we incorporate lab test results, predicted reliability, and owner satisfaction into one Overall Score for each dryer. Our rigorous lab tests entail the following steps.

• We time how long it takes to dry each load using the most appropriate setting—the minimum setting to see if clothes come out damp and the maximum setting to see whether the dryer can dry laundry in the shortest possible time without overheating it.
• We evaluate how convenient each machine is to operate, evaluating the controls and the ergonomics when you load and unload laundry. Our panelists also judge the dryer’s noise level as it dries an average-sized load.

LG dominates the top 12 slots of our gas dryer ratings. That’s primarily because of the brand’s reliability, energy efficiency, and performance in our comprehensive tests. The brand also offers a variety of machines, price ranges, and features, which give consumers choice. But dryers from other brands can get the job done too. Below are some of the top gas dryers from our ratings.