Best 6500-watt generators for home backup power

Top pick: Champion 6500-Watt Electric Start Tri-Fuel with CO Shield. It's the most flexible home-backup choice here — runs on gasoline, propane or natural gas, so you can switch to a fuel you've stored or to a home gas line, and it has electric start plus CO shutdown. Rated 4.8 from 151 ratings.

Who the others suit:

• Champion 6500-Watt RV Ready Inverter — quiet, clean power for sensitive electronics; best if noise matters.
• Generac GP6500 / GP6500E — the familiar standby-brand workhorse, simple gasoline setup.
• Westinghouse 6500 Watt Dual Fuel — dual fuel on a budget; note its 6,500 is peak, not running.
• Honda EM6500SX — premium, long-lived engine for those who want to buy once.
• Briggs & Stratton Q6500 — inverter convenience in a compact package.

One caveat: most of these are 6,500 peak watts with roughly 5,000–5,500 running watts — check the running figure against what you need to power.