Gas sensors utilizing a chemiresistive metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) are extensively employed, particularly for detecting nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at moderate temperatures. However, the gas response and the recovery time are hindering the performance of the MOS. In this research, to enhance the gas response and the recovery time a systematic investigation was performed to explore the impact of cobalt (Co) doping in tungsten trioxide (WO3) and its gas sensing properties. Fascinatingly, the 3 mM% Co-doped WO3 sensor exhibits a remarkable gas sensing response of 20776 % at 10 ppm NO2, showcasing a seven-fold enhancement compared to the pristine WO3 sample at 200 ℃. The findings demonstrated that the sensor exhibited an outstanding repeatability, selectivity and long-term stability of 95 % over 8 weeks. Moreover, the sensor possessed a fast response and recovery time 15 s/23 s as compared to the pristine sensor 26 s/154 s. The exceptional gas-sensing capabilities can be ascribed to the existence of defects (oxygen vacancy) within the structure. These defects effectively boost the surface reactivity of WO3 nanoplates, thereby augmenting their sensitivity and enabling a broad-range sensing performance. As a result, this research demonstrates considerable promise for utilizing environmental NO2 monitoring applications.