5 Best Generators For Food Trucks

Discover the best generators for food trucks so you can reliably delight your customers no matter what the local power situation is.

Best generators for food trucks top picks

1. Powerhorse 7500i – Best medium generator for food trucks (7500 peak watts, 55 dBA)
2. Honda EU7000iS – Quietest generator for food trucks (7000 peak watts, 52 dBA)
3. Westinghouse iGen4500 – Best small generator for food trucks (4500 peak watts, 52 dBA)
4. Champion 201175 – Best dual fuel generator for food trucks (8500 peak watts, 61 dBA)
5. Westinghouse wGen9500 – Best large generator for food trucks (non-inverter, 12500 peak watts, 74 dBA)

If you are not sure about the right power level for your needs, you can check out the article on what size food truck generator you need.

How we selected our top picks

When it comes to food truck generators you likely want enough power, a long run time, low THD, silent noise levels, and reliability.

A CO sensor and nice commercial warranties are nice too but these are not always an option without giving up some of the other important details.

Besides these things, I also looked at some of the following details when putting together the list of the best generators for food trucks:

• Outlets, fuel efficiency, portability, fuel options, etc.
• User reviews
• Anecdotal reviews from experts
• Price
• Brand trustability and reputation
• The performance categories below

If a pick seems interesting click it to see the online prices.

*Compared to similar generators and sometimes based on customer input

5 Best generators for food trucks reviewed

Food truck owners who are familiar with portable generators could be able to choose the best model for them with just the list of top picks and the performance table.

That being said, you will likely find it easier to decide between the options after checking out the detailed reviews below.

1. Powerhorse 7500i – Best medium generator for food trucks

Our top pick for the best medium generator for food trucks is the Powerhorse 7500i thanks to its combination of a nice amount of power, quiet operation, good reliability, and nice run time.

With 7500 starting watts, 6500 running watts, and 240 volts, the Powerhorse 7500i should be able to power a microwave, electric grill, refrigerator, and slightly more.

At the same time, you should still easily be able to hear the orders through the noise levels of 55 to 63.9 dBA at 25% to 100% load.

Additionally, thanks to 16 hours of run time at 25% load, you should be able to serve food trailer customers throughout the event without (too many) refuel interruptions.

The electric start is not the most unique feature but it does help you preserve your arm strength for serving your food truck customers.

You may also like the extra layer of safety the four GFCI outlets provide.

One thing you do want to keep in mind is that the Powerhorse 7500i has a relatively short 90-day commercial warranty.

At the same time, the current customer reviews of this generator are very positive.

So if you are able to get the 287 pounds (130.2 kg) of the Powerhorse 7500i in position and it offers enough power, you likely want to consider this generator.

2. Honda EU7000iS – Quietest generator for food trucks

The Honda EU7000iS is the quietest food truck generator with noise levels of 52 to 58 dBA at 25% to 100% load.

However, whether you want to get this option for your food trailer is a different question due to details like its expensive price.

And even at this price point, there are still a few exceptional cases where customers have issues with their Honda EU7000iS.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the silent operation of a few decibels less is not the only positive point of the Honda EU7000iS.

The Honda EU7000iS stands out in the BlueTooth connection to the Honda My Generator app too.

This allows you to start, stop, and track the performance of this generator from your food truck (after the initial setup).

In turn, figuring out how much more you can run in your food truck and when it will be time to refuel become easier to see.

The refuel schedule may not even be necessary since the Honda EU7000iS has a nice run time of 16 hours at 25% load on a full tank of gasoline.

So while many people will turn toward the Powerhorse 7500i due to its price, you may like the noise levels, BlueTooth, and Honda brand enough to invest more in the Honda EU7000iS.

3. Westinghouse iGen4500 – Best small

For some dishes, snacks, and food trucks, a smaller generator like the Westinghouse iGen4500 could be strong enough.

With 4500 starting watts, 3700 running watts, and 30 amps, this machine can still be strong enough to power a blender, microwave, ice maker, and coffee maker at the same time.

Something more unique to the Westinghouse iGen4500 is how quiet it is when producing these amounts of power.

With a noise level rating of 52 dBA, this generator should not disturb you and your food truck customers too much.

Additionally, the long run time of 18 hours at 25% load should be enough to allow you to focus on running the food truck instead of regularly refueling.

You may also like to hear that you can get a Westinghouse iGen4500 variation with remote start and/or duel fuel.

These details require an extra investment but do allow you to operate the generator from your food trailer and make you more flexible in terms of fuel options.

On top of all these nice features, the Westinghouse iGen4500 is relatively reliable and reasonably priced.

And even if the Westinghouse iGen4500 turns out to be too small for your food truck, you can get a second model and put the two in parallel for more power.

4. Champion 201175 – Best dual fuel generator for food trucks

While you can get the Westinghouse iGen4500 in dual fuel version too, to get a lot of power from propane in a single machine, something like the Champion 201175 is a better choice for your food truck.

Before going into the benefits, it is worth noting that there are not that many Champion 201175 customer reviews yet.

In simpler words, there is still some uncertainty about the quality of this specific model.

That being said, Champion generators tend to be some of the more reliable options on the market.

Additionally, you simply don’t have too many other options when it comes to good dual fuel inverter generators.

Especially if you want a medium/large food trailer generator that is as quiet as the Champion 201175.

Noise levels of 61 dBA (typically measured at 25% load and 23 feet away) are not the quietest on this list.

However, it should be good enough considering a regular conversation is around 60 decibels.

So if you like the idea of powering your food truck with propane and need a lot of power, the Champion 201175 is often the best choice.

5. Westinghouse wGen9500 – Best large

You will likely prefer one of the previous options but if you have a big food truck and/or strong devices, something like the Westinghouse wGen9500 could be necessary.

Something you do want to keep in mind is that the 12500 starting watts, 9500 running watts, and 50 amps come in high THD power.

In simpler words, to power sensitive electronics like a microwave, a coffee machine, and certain refrigerators, you likely want to get a separate smaller inverter.

With the remaining high THD power, you can then potentially run something power-hungry like a dual basket commercial deep fryer (assuming this does not have electronics).

Another thing to note about the Westinghouse wGen9500 for food trucks is its high decibel rating.

To give you and your customers a comfortable experience, you likely don’t want to put the Westinghouse wGen9500 close to your food truck.

On the flip side, one of the benefits of non-inverters like this is that they are relatively budget-friendly.

Especially considering all the power capacity you get.

Some positive things that are more unique to the Westinghouse wGen9500 are the remote start, optional CO sensor, and very positive customer reviews.

• Related: 5 Best 7000 Watt Generators For Serious Power

How do you choose a generator for your food truck?

Choosing a generator for your food truck can be challenging with all the different areas of both.

By answering some of the key questions below for your situation, choosing the right model should become easier.

How much power does your food truck need?

Since the main goal of generators is powering your devices, how many watts, amps, and volts your food truck needs is one of the most important details.

That means you want to check these details for the equipment that will run at the same time and figure out how big your generator should be.

If you want a more detailed step-by-step process on how to do this, you want to check the food trailer generator sizing article.

What generator fuel type(s) do you prefer?

Once you know how much power you need, it is time to think about what fuel types you want to be able to use.

When it comes to food truck generators, gasoline-only and dual fuel (propane too) will typically be the best options.

The dual fuel models can be better if you prefer using propane tanks.

One reason for this could be that you don’t take your food truck out that often.

In that case, using propane typically involves less maintenance than gasoline.

There are diesel, tri fuel, and solar generators too but these are often not that great for food trucks.

Diesel generators are typically not that mobile, natural gas is often not that available, and solar generators are often not strong enough.

Do you want a quiet food truck generator?

Even with power cords, your generator will likely be at least somewhat close to your food truck.

To make sure you can hear the orders and to offer customers a better experience, quieter generators tend to be better for food trailers.

On the flip side, a downside of these quieter generators is that they tend to be pricier.

Especially at larger sizes which tend to be necessary to run a well-equipped food truck.

Since I assume this is a valuable detail for food truck owners, most of the generators on the top picks list are relatively quiet.

Will the generator power sensitive electronics?

Inverter and low THD generators produce clean power that is suited for sensitive electronics.

Since your food truck likely has at least a microwave, coffee machine, loudspeaker, etc. these generators tend to be recommended.

On the other hand, you can theoretically get a strong high THD generator and install a separate small inverter for these electronics.

That being said, since inverter generators tend to be the most convenient, low-risk option, I mainly selected these.

FAQ

What is the best generator for food trucks?

The Powerhorse 7500i is our top pick for the best generator for food trucks thanks to its quiet noise levels, nice amount of power, reliability, inverter power, and nice run time.

Additionally, the Champion 201175 can be the best choice if you want to be able to power your food truck with propane too.