How to Choose the Best Refrigerator: An Expert Guide to the Best Refrigerator Brands and What to Look For

Refrigerators play a central role in your daily routine. They are in constant use and take up a large footprint in your kitchen. Yet unlike clothes and cars, which we also use daily, there is no test driving or trying them on for size.

How do you make a good decision about what refrigerator to choose when you are limited to fleeting showroom visits? That is where we can help.

I've done the research for you, with the help of repair experts, interior designers, 1000s of customer reviews, and even top fine-dining chefs. As a trained chef myself, I know what the home cook needs from this important appliance, and I have called on people in the industry to fill any gaps in my knowledge.

So, what criteria am I looking for? First, I run through every consideration you need to make when choosing a new refrigerator. From sizing concerns to knowing which tech to invest in, we look at what matters most.

Next, I have consulted experts to list out some of the best refrigerator brands – ones creating beautiful and practical designs that are easy to organize, efficient, and reliable (you never truly appreciate a good fridge until yours goes bust). As someone who loves to cook, I highly rate a refrigerator that is spacious enough to store my weekly groceries and easy to clean.

With these factors in mind, I've scoured feedback from users and professionals to help you choose the best refrigerator for you.

How to Choose the Best Refrigerator for You?

When you're scrolling through the best refrigerators online, it's easy to get lost in the range of models. Each brand offers an array of different designs, shapes, and sizes, all of which look good, but it's hard to know which option will actually suit you and your kitchen.

I enlisted the help of appliance experts, fine-dining chefs, and others spending their lives in kitchen settings to help us navigate the considerations of buying a refrigerator or fridge-freezer.

Types of Refrigerator

• French Door Refrigerators
  'These are great if you love easy access and tons of space. They have double doors up top for the fridge and a bottom freezer. Perfect for storing wide items like party platters or large trays. If you entertain often or have a big family, this style is a winner,' says expert Chef Dennis Littley. They also work well in narrow kitchens or by islands because the doors require less space to open.
• Side-by-Side Refrigerators
  Side-by-side configurations are best if you store equal amounts of fresh and frozen foods, and with a vertical design, more food can be kept at eye level. They are great for families who tend to have more frozen foods.
• Top-Freezer Refrigerators
  Small households and those on a smaller budget will find these suitable. They can also serve as a secondary fridge in garages, basements and poolhouses. They offer affordability, energy efficiency, and reliability, but less room for frozen goods than other options.
• Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators
  Chef Dennis continues, 'For those who prefer having frequently used items at eye level, bottom-freezer fridges are fantastic. This design makes it easier to reach fresh foods without bending down. If you store more fresh produce and dairy than frozen foods, this could be your match.'
• Mini Refrigerators
  Compact and convenient, mini fridges are ideal for dorm rooms, offices, or as an extra cooling option in a game room or bar area. They’re great for storing medication, drinks, and snacks, and some models even come with mini freezers for ice. If you need a no-fuss solution for keeping the essentials cold, a mini fridge is the way to go.
• Wine Fridges & Coolers
  These are a specialist subsection of home cooling, designed to store wines at optimum temperatures and recreate the conditions of proper cellaring. Look for designs with different compartments for reds and whites, UV-resistant glass to prevent light spoilage, and humidity control to protect corks.

What Size Should Your Refrigerator Be?

Before falling in love with a fridge, make sure it fits your space. Measure height, width, and depth – and don’t forget to factor in space for doors to open, ventilation clearance, and walkways. Fridges vary widely by brand and style, and there’s no true industry standard, so measure carefully before you start shopping.

Check internal capacity, configuration, and shape, too. Refrigerators have varying ratios of fridge to freezer – some are a 50/50 split while others will use 60 or 70 percent of the appliance for chilling. What you choose depends on how much of your grocery shop is fresh, and how much is frozen. If you love to batch cook, don't skimp on freezer space.

Don't overlook how the configuration dictates the size of what you can store, either. ‘If you’re looking for plenty of wide refrigerator storage, ideal for large platters or pizza boxes, think ‘Over/Under’ models, which place a pull-out freezer drawer below a wide eye-level fridge section, for full-width, easy access,’ says Ricky Davies, director, Sub-Zero & Wolf.

In terms of volume, a family of four needs a refrigerator with at least 20 cubic feet of space to comfortably fit a weekly grocery shop, leftovers and prepped lunches. Work to a volume of approximately 5 cubic feet per person.

For maximum capacity, opt for a full-size refrigerator and freezer placed side-by-side. Many people do not choose modular column options to create adaptable, cooling walls. Also look out for flexible storage, which is when one compartment (usually a drawer) can be set between 32°F and -8°F (or 0°C and -22°C). There is more on temperature control below.

Refrigerator Specs & Features

Refrigerator functionality can be split into physical and technical features. To decide what suits you, think about your household's habits. What kind of things do you eat most regularly, and would certain functions help preserve or store those more effectively?

Shelves, Bins & Racks
More shelves mean less rummaging, but think about the height you need between shelves. Most fridges have adjustable shelves, or look for split levels that can store shorter items like condiment jars next to tall bottles.

If you don't have a separate beverage fridge, look at integrated wine racks or bottle storage in the doors. Flexible drawers and shelves will be the most practical option for most people.

Climate- and humidity-controlled produce bins help keep food fresher for longer, saving on food waste. These are becoming standard in most refrigerators.

Water & Ice Dispensers
Having fresh filtered water and ice on tap can reduce plastic consumption and encourage everyone to drink more water, but can be another thing to maintain if underused. Consider whether integrated water pitchers and ice dispensers are useful or just nice-to-haves. Choose plumbed-in if possible, as the alternative requires refilling. This can be messy or is often forgotten, leading to empty pitchers that go moldy.

The latest options use UV lights to keep drinking water fresh, and integrated filters are also beneficial.

Lighting
Interior visibility helps you keep track of your food, reducing waste. Higher-end fridges tend to have better, more evenly distributed lighting to help you easily see into drawers and corners.

Lights in the freezer compartment are less common. They add cost, and many freezers have pull-out bins which would not be illuminated in use anyway. If you choose a French door refrigerator, or one where the freezer compartments are separate drawers, these are more likely to include LEDs.

Technology and Special Features
Don’t pay for tech you won’t use. Practical features worth seeking out include frost-free, auto-defrost and anti-bacterial finishes, which all help reduce cleaning and maintenance. Next, focus on functions that improve food quality or save time.

‘We’re seeing a lot of demand for rapid cooling drawers, too,’ adds Lucy Dunstan, product manager, Smeg. ‘Perfect for quickly chilling wine and soft drinks when entertaining, the handy alarm alerts when drinks are ready to serve.’

There are other alarms your refrigerator may have – the most useful being one to alert you to open doors. This is available on most mid- and high-end refrigerators now to help prevent food spoilage.

Temperature Control
All fridges have temperature settings, but many modern options have taken this to the next level to help you set up different zones. It is the case that various parts of your fridge or freezer should be cooler due to thermodynamics, but appliance manufacturers have created features to give homeowners greater control.

This is great if you find your storage needs change frequently. For example, meal preppers might have lots of fresh produce after a grocery shop, but then need to adapt their storage once they have batch cooked. As mentioned before, compartments that can be switched between fridge and freezer mode are also a great pick for family homes.

Zoneable temperature control is not essential, though. You can still keep your food fresh by following storage best practices. ‘Simply organize drawers by ingredient type, check the user manual for advice, to enjoy food that lasts up to five times longer,’ says Cesar Fernandez, Home Economist, at Miele.

Smart Features
Smart features often refer to WiFi ‘connected’ tech, which, at its most basic, allows you to control your refrigerator remotely via a phone, Alexa or other device. Advantages include being able to monitor stock and change temperature settings on the go. Some models also notify you when food is out of date and offer recipes based on ingredients stocked.

We’re not quite at the stage where your refrigerator can automatically order groceries, but those with internal cameras let you check supplies while out shopping. Models with built-in screens are useful for sharing family calendars, watching TV, and searching recipes. If you like the idea of a smart fridge, we have compared features from two of the market leaders in our LG vs. Samsung smart fridge head-to-head.

Refrigerator Style and Finish

A refrigerator is a major visual and functional piece, and you don't want it to end up an eyesore. Whether you lean modern or vintage, there are plenty of options so you can choose a model that complements your kitchen’s design.

Celebrity interior designer Hilary Matt advises choosing a refrigerator brand with timeless style that 'seamlessly integrates into the overall design of the kitchen.'

Stainless steel and matte black have been popular modern finishes for a few years now, but consider fingerprint-resistant finishes for a sleeker look (and to save on cleaning time). We are also seeing a growing number of glass-doored fridges – best suited to those with strong organizational skills as everything is on display.

For neutral color palettes, seek out chic satin white, beige and ivory. And if you want a fridge that looks as good now as it might have done 60 years ago, retro designs from Smeg and Big Chill continue to be fun yet trend-proof. Smeg even collaborated with Dolce and Gabbana on an infamous $10,000 hand-painted version of one of their fridges. It's truly iconic.

Don't forget the interior – Jennair is known for its stunning Obsidian range with striking black insides.

How to Choose an Energy Efficient Refrigerator

Good energy efficiency is crucial for an appliance that runs 24/7. A fridge with a poor rating can cost more than twice as much to run as the top-rated models. That can mean the difference between $60 and $150 in energy bills for refrigeration per year. Look for the EnergyGuide Label to give you estimated annual running costs in kilowatt-hours. This is a system led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The best refrigerators carry an Energy Star Certification administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is awarded to fridges that are 10 percent more energy-efficient than the FTC standard. The best models have a further 'Most Efficient' rating, which is granted yearly to models that exceed standards by 20 percent.

Many energy-efficient fridges also use advanced preservation systems, which can reduce food waste (a win-win for your wallet and the planet). Keep an eye out for customisable climate drawers to protect produce, dual compressors, and ethylene gas filters that slow over-ripening fruit.

Best Refrigerator Brands

If you're looking for the best refrigerator brand, these are the expert-recommended names. From luxury appliance makers to more budget-friendly brands, this is where to start. We have grouped them by need so you can choose the right category for you.

• Ultra Luxury and Commercial Grade Refrigerators
• Premium & Mass Luxury Refrigerators
• Tech Forward & Smart Refrigerators
• Quality Mass Market
• Statement & Design Brands

Ultra Luxury and Commercial Grade Refrigerators

The thought of having the type of refrigerator found in restaurants would not have been on homeowners' wish lists a decade or so ago, but celeb influence and higher expectations of home chefs have seen a rise in these types of appliances. These models can offer a fully integrated look or be flush-mounted into cabinetry, adding to the architecture of your kitchen.

Brands to look out for include Thermador, Sub-Zero, Gaggenau, and SKS. They have dual compressors, are extremely well made, and offer 20+ year lifespans. As expected, they are expensive and will require a good $10,000+ of your kitchen budget.

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Thermador

Thermador's premium cooling appliances are designed for flexibility. They offer panel-ready units – both full-height and under-counter – including fridge, freezer and wine cooler columns, allowing you to create a bespoke design with maximum refrigeration space. Inside, you will find a luxe stainless steel interior, high-impact lighting and supreme temperature regulation with their ThermaFresh System. Their wine cooler range is advanced, with UV-resistant glass and vibration control, so if professional drink storage is on your list, Thermador is a great brand to explore for everything you need.

Sub-Zero

'Sub-Zero is known for being the Rolls Royce of refrigerators,' explains Gregg Cantor, kitchen remodelling expert. This high-end brand is known for excellent food preservation, with a system based on NASA technology that removes ethylene gas and mold. Sub-Zero models consistently earn top marks for owner satisfaction, with special features including soft-close doors, glass viewports, calming Night Mode lighting and Party Mode ice makers. Naturally, each unit comes with a high price tag, and many are highly customizable offering wine cooler extensions and freezer columns. Due to the complexity, professional installation is almost always necessary – with the expected additional costs.

Premium & Mass Luxury Refrigerators

If you want an aesthetic option but don't have space or budget for the refrigeration elite, look at the range of premium built-in or freestanding models from the likes of JennAir, Monogram, and Fisher & Paykel. German and Scandinavian brands are also top runners in this category, where style and tech combine for high-efficiency appliances from the likes of Miele, Bosch and ASKO.

You don't have to forego the bespoke look in this category either, as some brands (like GE Café) offer customizable hardware and flat-panel finishes for that integrated look.

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Bosch

Bosch was the winner of the ENERGY STAR 2026 Sustained Excellence award – which tells you something about their commitment to low-energy refrigeration. Critics and homeowners alike love the precise temperature controls, vacation modes, and dual-compressor designs, which split the cooling work in the name of energy saving. They represent great value for money in the premium appliance space.

Café Appliances

We're coffee lovers here at Homes & Gardens, so we couldn't resist mentioning the Café Appliances brand. Their sleek French door models have hot water dispensers and built-in Keurig systems for your morning cappuccino. This adds cost and takes up space though, so consider your priorities when buying. They offer a range of countertop appliances to coordinate the look.

Tech Forward & Smart Refrigerators

If you want a wide range of features to keep your fridge – and even your calendar – organized, look at these mid-budget smart refrigerators. Korean rivals LG and Samsung are best known in this space, taking decades of TV and laptop tech experience to add screens and connectivity to their fridges.

The US market is catching up, though. GE has a SmartHQ range of refrigerators with hands-free water dispensers and temperature alerts; Frigidaire has been exploring connected features to offer monitoring and flexible storage; and some Whirlpool models can send you temperature and maintenance alerts.

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Samsung

Samsung excels when it comes to family life, with spacious, well-designed models to suit busy kitchens. Their smart fridge screens were specially created with busy households in mind, integrating meal plans, calendars, recipes, shopping lists, and more into the Samsung Family Hub. They also have internal cameras so you can check your fridge contents via smartphone. And the smart features extend to temperature management and optimisation. However, with more features and high-tech comes a little more maintenance, so it's worth visiting a showroom to see if the added functionality will suit you.

LG

LG's clever smart panel (called InstaView) becomes clear when tapped. You can also open this port individually to quickly grab drinks or jars. You can also open the fridge hands-free using the clever motion sensor that can be triggered by your foot. This is so handy if you have your hands full. What's more, LG is regarded as one of the most reliable refrigerator brands on the market. According to data from Yale Appliance – a respected Boston-based retailer known for publishing reliability reports based on real service data – LG is the least-serviced refrigerator brand. They report that LG’s linear compressors have just a 1.1% replacement rate, which is significantly lower than the industry average first-year appliance repair rate of 9%.

Quality Mass Market

Some of the best refrigerators are the many high-quality, yet accessible models from everyday appliance brands. KitchenAid, GE Profile, Whirlpool, and Maytag are household names for good reason – they have plenty of capacious options for busy families, don't cost too much, and are lauded by engineers for their reliability.

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Frigidaire

Appliance experts say Frigidaire units are dependable and excel at offering essential features at an affordable price point. They have been around for over 100 years and are so iconic that their brand name was often used as a generic name for household fridges in the US. If you want flexible storage, large door bins, and even cooling, they offer just that.

Maytag

Many cheaper refrigerators won't stand the test of time, but Maytag refrigerators are built to be dependable, thanks to sturdy steel shelves and heavy-duty hinges. Plus, Maytag refrigerators often go on sale. You can frequently find flash discounts on their older models, and Best Buy regularly offers discounts of up to 40%, too. They pride themselves on temperature control – great if the kids are always searching for snacks – and many come with a wide deli drawer for pizzas and platters. The designs are less customizable than others, but since many are so generous on shelf-space, it tends not to matter.

GE Appliances

GE is well-respected for full-sized refrigerators, which, according to the repair experts I spoke with, rarely require servicing. It's no surprise, then, that they've successfully scaled down their classic designs into efficient under-counter fridges. Reviewers consistently praise GE for precise temperature regulation and surprisingly powerful freezers. GE also produces high-quality wine coolers.

Statement & Design Brands

If you are looking at freestanding refrigerators, why not make them part of your decor? Smeg and Big Chill are best known for bright colors, retro styling, and vintage designs. Some models are fairly simple when it comes to the technology side, but meet modern performance expectations. Their target audience really is people looking to make a statement, perhaps in a guest house, bar area, or pool house where all you require is straightforward chilling, freezing, and reliability.

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Smeg

Smeg's iconic refrigerator will never go out of style; our interior design team at Homes & Gardens regularly writes about its retro beauty. Available in a range of calming hues or bold, bright colors, you can even choose the intricate Dolce & Gabbana designer pattern. However, when I inspected the models in a Smeg showroom, I realized they are not the most spacious inside, so it's worth considering if you have a big family or you need plenty of space for hosting.

Big Chill

Big Chill's retro fridges look like they were created in the 50s, but the brand has a much more recent history. Product Designer Orion Creamer, started making them in the early noughties when his uncle was looking for a vintage-style fridge to complement his beach house. They come in a range of fun Mid-century colorways such as pastels and Cherry Red, and with their bold chrome or gold handles, are made to be on show. Big Chill fridges might look old school, but don't lack modern tech like auto-defrost and some have ice makers. You can also choose from over 200 custom colors.

How We Researched the Best Refrigerator Brands

I would love to fill a home with the top models from all the best refrigerator brands – and more – so that I could interrogate each and every feature. However, this would be unsustainable. Luckily, there is a lot of data out there, which has helped me to decipher the best refrigerator brand (though I admit, it wasn't easy, and it demanded weeks of effort dedicated to research).

I have read through thousands of customer and expert reviews, as well as watched videos and spoken to customers with experience owning these refrigerator brands for many years. I also spoke to repair experts, asking them which brands they most commonly repair, their most hated and loved brands, and which models they have in their homes.

Finally, I visited showrooms where some of these refrigerators are on display, so that I could see what they look like in real life, too.

With hundreds of hours dedicated to refrigerator research, I know these appliances as well as, if not better than, many people who have them in their homes. If there's a useful feature, I know about it. If there's an annoying quirk, I know about that too. All this means that when you end up with one in your home, there will be no nasty surprises.

Meet the Expert Panel

Dennis Littley

Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef, writer, and recipe developer who is dedicated to making home cooking easy. He has over 40 years of restaurant experience and helps people bring that quality to their own meals. We consulted him to marry his knowledge of professional-grade appliances with home-chef needs.

Lucy Dunstan

Lucy has worked with premium appliance brand Smeg for over 20 years, with roles in product support and product management. She has a wealth of experience in the luxury appliance space, understanding both the technology and aesthetic concerns of shoppers.

Cesar Fernandez

Miele's culinary manager, Cesar, understands how to get professional results at home by using premium appliances. He is an expert in home economics, demonstrating his skills as a chef and possessing a wealth of knowledge on everything from ovens to cooling appliances.

Derek Hollifield

Derek Holifield is the product and production engineer at Polar Temp, bringing over 13 years of hands-on experience in the refrigeration industry. He has experience with ice makers and ice merchandisers, combining practical knowledge with a passion for building reliable, efficient equipment. Derek is dedicated to ensuring the end user receives the most reliable ice merchandiser possible.

Hilary Matt

Hilary Matt is an interior designer based in New York City, specializing in residential and commercial interiors. Function and comfort are the most important things to Hilary when designing a space, as well as timeless design.

Gregg Cantor

Gregg is the CEO of Murray Lampert Design, Build, Remodel in San Diego, California. His experience in construction, home remodeling, and home services spans over 42 years. His areas of expertise include project management, job costing, cost of repair, architectural and interior design, structural engineering, professional installation, and more.

Lindsey Davis

Our Content Director Lindsey has been writing about homewares and appliances for nearly a decade. In that time, she has tested countless small appliances and attended trade shows such as IFA Berlin to open every refrigerator door, drawer, and panel in sight. She is a keen home cook who redesigned her small kitchen around her many appliances (and an all-important wine rack), so she has been on both sides of appliance expertise as a researcher and customer.

Refrigerator Buying FAQs

Still have some unanswered questions? Here are some other things people wonder about when choosing a new refrigerator.