Need a new fridge freezer? Don't lose your cool over what model to buy with our ultimate guide. It’s a place to keep all your fresh (and frozen) foods, from ice cream to fruit and veg and the meals you’ve prepared for the week - if you’re that organised.
Arguably, a fridge freezer is the hardest working, and most expensive appliance in the kitchen, so choosing one that’s right for you and your home should be a well-thought-out decision. There are freestanding and integrated fridges, American-style and even fridges that boast smart technology. And if you’re wanting to find a refrigerator to fit within your kitchen aesthetic, then there are retro styles and brands that offer bespoke design, too. So aside from price, there are plenty of specs to sort through.
Luckily for you, we’ve done our research and filtered out the best from the rest, to find you the top fridge freezers for any situation, style and budget. All with good energy ratings, since you’ll need to consider how much it costs to run a fridge freezer too.
The best fridge freezers
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If you’ve been yearning for a fridge freezer to fit in with your modern kitchen ideas, you’ve come to the right place.
The cool stuff
Samsung’s Bespoke collection is a brilliantly versatile range of fridge freezers, standalone fridges, and freezers, that can not only be joined together seamlessly to create an unbeatable wall of cool, but the colour and finish of each door front is entirely up to you. There are currently 12 colour options to choose from including whites, black and silver, but also navy, peach and even beige. They’re all wonderfully complementary and look fantastic together.
Features
But style is nothing without substance, and thankfully Samsung’s Bespoke fridge freezer has loads including dual compressors for accurate temperature control, an Optimal Fresh + box, which is essentially a fridge compartment that can be set to two different temperatures - one for meat maybe, one for fruit and veg - plus a freezer drawer that can also be used as extra fridge space, or three other temperatures, if needs be. There's plenty of reasons why this is our best overall rated fridge.
This is a classic side-by-side American fridge freezer updated with the latest in hi-tech cooling and smart control.
The cool stuff
If you've not seen it before, LG has included their superb Door-in-Door feature here, which allows you to easily get anything stored in the top fridge door by opening a secret door. Great for grabbing a drink or condiments, it is quick, easy and energy efficient as you don’t let all the cold air out the main fridge. That said, when you do need to access the main cavity, a jet of cold air is pumped out at the front of the fridge from top to bottom and across the entire width, which helps to maintain the temperature inside without harmful fluctuations.
Features
The freezer is No Frost as you’d expect, but there’s also water and ice on demand, and a UV light kills any bacteria build-up from the spout It’s also app-controlled, and Wi-Fi connected, allowing temperature adjustment and Express Freeze models to be done remotely, as well as monitor energy usage and alert you if the door is left open. There’s even voice control using Alexa and Google Home devices, allowing you to ask it to fast freeze for instance. A nice touch but not essential, which explains the bump in price.
There’s no escaping the fact this is a very expensive 60cm wide fridge freezer, but Miele tests its home appliances to the equivalent of 20 years of use, which is why we’re happy to recommend it as a best integrated investment buy.
The cool stuff
Thankfully it is also packed with practical design. We love the flexible storage, particularly the FlexiTray glass shelf that rotates from back to front for easy access and the automatic Ice Maker with plumbed-in connection, while all the shelves can be cleaned in the dishwasher, which is a rarity, and great for ease of use.
Features
Inventive layouts aside, the biggest reason to buy this built-in model is the quality of the cooling - very few models offer the same consistency of temperature throughout, with a fan ensuring excellent circulation and distribution of the cold air. The plumbed-in water connection also helps keep your fruit and vegetables in great condition by spraying a fine mist waterfall onto the contents of the crisper drawer, just like you find in supermarkets. The D energy rating is better than most too, and it has Wi-Fi connectivity and app control, plus smart diagnostics for engineers if something does go wrong.
Fridge freezers are practical appliances - that’s the point of them - and annoyingly many stylish options available are expensive and sometimes lack the same level of hi-tech innovation you’ll find on a similarly priced standard design. Kenwood however has managed to include a few modern extras here that make it the best cheap fridge freezer you can buy.
The cool stuff
The headline feature is the clever fast freeze technology which is designed for when you know you’ve got a big shop to do. The fridge compressor will drop the temperature extremely quickly (40% faster than usual) , ensuring your shopping stays fresher for longer, and your existing food isn’t compromised either.
Features
More affordable freezers are less likely to be huge, and the 106 litre freezer section is no exception, but the drawers are easy to access, and will never need manually defrosting. The fridge section is also impressively adjustable, and we like the fact the glass shelves have been reinforced, meaning you can load them up, even squeeze in serving trays and casserole dishes without worry. Amazingly they can take up to 100kg load, which is one enormous Sunday roast!
Water dispenser fridge freezers are extremely convenient, but do tend to cost a fortune, which makes this Beko model refreshingly affordable and great for anyone who needs loads of storage.
The cool stuff
The two generous pull-out baskets hide something Beko calls HarvestFresh, which uses different coloured LED lights to replicate the sun’s natural 24-hour cycle to maintain optimal freshness for your fruit and veg. It sounds fanciful, but the claims have been backed up by independent tests, and studies have shown that even after harvest, the phytochemical composition of fruit and vegetables continue to alter in response to light. Clever!
Features
As well as this, the large fridge has three full-width shelves and a separate chiller compartment that maintains a low temperature at around 0ºC. Pull-out freezer drawers are a revelation too, making it quick and easy to get to the food, even the stuff that usually gets forgotten at the back. While not the most energy-efficient design available, it does have twin compressors for accurate temperature control as well as No Frost for effortless maintenance.
There are quite a few other brands offering ‘retro’ style refrigeration these days, but for our money, Smeg remains the original and the best.
The cool stuff
With its wonderful FAB range, on-trend colourway options and classic Italian style, retro fridge freezers like this are gorgeous and timeless. You pay handsomely for the privilege, but we’re pleased Smeg has upgraded the tech inside to keep a pace with the more advanced hi-tech alternatives.
Features
At 80cm wide this 524litre design will take centre stage in your kitchen, and with XX fridge space spread across a full-width zero-degree drawer for your most perishable goods and three other shelves it’s a haven for veggie lovers. There’s no need to manually defrost, which is always a bonus - and a recent upgrade for the FAB range. Smeg has also included a Fast Freeze function which helps keep all your frozen food in fabulous condition.
A buyer’s guide to fridge freezers: what to look for
Our appliance experts have pulled together this must-read list of things to consider for before you start shopping.
What capacity fridge do I need?
The capacity of your fridge and freezer will be given in litres – we’ve given the usable capacity above rather than total volume. Generally, the bigger the fridge-freezer, the bigger the capacity, but you can find some standard sized 60cm designs with significantly more space than the nearest rival thanks to the use of modern insulation, which keeps the walls as thin as possible without compromising their performance. And remember, more shelves generally mean more storage area, and greater ‘usable’ capacity.
The ratio of fridge to freezer will also vary, with standard designs offering either 60/40 or 70/30 per cent split. To decide which ratio is best, think about your daily routine. If you like to cook from scratch every night with fresh ingredients, look for a big fridge. Prefer to bake in batches? Then prioritise freezer space. Not sure? Look for a fridge with a ‘multi zone’ compartment that can be converted from fridge to freezer.
Features
Did you know that the average family throws away around £60 of food a month? Thankfully appliance brands are addressing this mountain of food waste with technology that can keep your groceries fresher for longer:
Humidity-controlled drawers: Vegetables, fruit and salad like humidity, so an appliance with a humidity-controlled drawer will stop them from icing up or going soggy. So long, mushy cucumbers! Occasionally the whole fridge compartment might be humidity controlled.
Cool zone: A fridge drawer that’s at a lower temperature of 0°C or 2°C to store meat, fish and dairy more effectively. Some have a choice of temperature settings (0°C, 2°C or 4°C for meat, dairy and veg accordingly)
Fast freezing: This increases the speed at which your food is frozen, locking in more flavour and nutrients of any fresh food.
Twin Cooling: Separate air circulation compressors in the fridge and freezer ensures the cold air from the freezer doesn’t dry out the contents of the fridge.
Ice on demand: An ice and water dispenser are a convenient feature, as it can serve ice for a drink or a glass of chilled water at the push of a button. Before you buy, check if it’s a plumbed or non-plumbed model. If you go down the plumbed route, you’ll likely have to pay more to have it installed. But on the up side, you’ll never need to replenish the water tank.
Smart tech: With a wi-fi connected fridge-freezer, you’ll be able to put it into holiday mode when you’re at the airport. Or activate the fast-freeze mode as you leave the supermarket. In truth, you don’t need to connect your fridge to the internet, but we do love the fact that some brands can identify possible faults before they happen, saving you the potential disaster of a rapidly thawing freezer.
What rated fridge freezer is the most energy efficient?
You might be wondering why there are so many inefficient D, E and F rated fridge freezers. Well fear not, since March 2021 a new energy label came into effect, with the removal of the A+, A++ and A+++ ratings. The familiar colour scale remains, but a simpler A to G ranking system will be used instead. But the important thing to note is that models that previously boasted an A+++ rating are now rated D.
Style and design
Integrated fridges will seamlessly fit into your kitchen space - you won't even know they're there. So if this is the look you'd like, then consider a built-in option fitted with the same doors as the rest of your kitchen cabinets. Otherwise, free-standing fridges can be stylish too, with Smeg being the obvious choice. The prettier, the higher the price though unfortunately. So if design is lower on your list of priorities, a simple standard silver or white finish will work fine.
Filling a fridge after a big shop can be a lot like playing Jenga. However, handy storage solutions can make the game – sorry – task a whole lot easier. This is useful design detail to look for.
How we chose these fridge freezers
There are many fridge freezers on the market, all with varying features and at different price points. And with more than a few top brands to contend with, such as Beko, Smeg, Samsung, and LG, it's hard to rank just based on reviews alone.
Included in this guide then are 6 different types, to help narrow down our selection, so you can find one that suits you, and your kitchen needs. To make sure we're recommending honestly and reliably, we've cross referenced factors such as style, size and of course energy rating - to guarantee you're getting the most for your money. Cost of living is at an all time high and understanding how much it costs to run a fridge freezer is key.
Our writer and researcher is an award winning consumer journalist too, having tested everything from chainsaws and washing machines to robotic lawnmowers (you can find out the details on our how we test page). Otherwise, he knows what he's looking for when it comes to big ticket household goods.
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