Best fridge freezer guide 2021: How to choose your appliance

Best: Overall

• Capacity: 384l
• Energy rating: A
• Noise level: 35dB

In an ideal world, this is what the fridge freezers of the future would look like.

The LG Centum is beautifully finished, marvellously quiet and a pleasure to use, with effort-busting features such as its ice-free compartments, which consign the chore of defrosting to the permafrost of history. Best of all, it is superbly energy-efficient – a quality recognised in the appliance’s energy rating of A, which is rarely awarded.

Despite its sleek design, this fridge freezer offers a decent amount of storage space, with over two-thirds of its litrage taken up by the refrigerator compartment.

Best: American fridge freezer

• Capacity: 394l
• Energy rating: F
• Noise level: 36dB

This fridge freezer makes a really slick, modern addition to the kitchen, what with its snazzy, American-style double doors and the bright LED lighting inside the appliance.

We really appreciated the deep, spacious bottle shelves on the inside of the doors – they’re large enough to hold five 1l drinks bottles, solving the common kitchen conundrum of where to refrigerate bulkier items.

The one big downside to this swish fridge freezer is its relatively poor energy efficiency, which may be off-putting to those who are shopping with long-term budgeting or the environment in mind.

Best: High-tech fridge freezer

• Capacity: 508l
• Energy rating: F
• Noise level: 40dB

It’s hard to fault this high-tech fridge freezer from LG. Not only does it look great and do its job effectively; it also has some genuinely nifty features that you won’t find in the average fridge.

Our favourite feature is its remote operation, which allows you to control the temperature via a connected smartphone app. This could be particularly handy, for instance, when you need to lower the temperature ahead of loading in items that need to be cooled quickly.

We were also impressed with this appliance’s “door-in-door” design, which basically means there’s an extra fridge compartment built into one of the double doors, providing easy access to the groceries you need most often.

Best: Value fridge freezer

• Capacity: 324l
• Energy rating: F
• Noise level: 39dB

This fairly priced fridge freezer from Beko would be particularly well-suited to households that freeze lots of foodstuffs, with equal amounts of space taken up by the freezer and refrigerator compartments. The downside, inevitably, is that users may struggle for fridge space after a big shop.

Despite its reasonable pricing, this model has some interesting bells and whistles. We were particularly impressed with the appliance’s “harvestfresh” tech, which helps keep fruit and veg fresh by using lighting to simulate a natural light cycle.

Another bonus: the ice dispenser on this fridge freezer doesn’t need plumbing in.

Best: Integrated fridge freezer

• Capacity: 265l
• Energy rating: E
• Noise level: 36dB

Quiet, capacious and packed with clever tech, the serie 6 is everything we’d hoped for in a Bosch fridge freezer.

We were particularly impressed with the “Freshsense” technology – a sensor system that regulates the fridge freezer’s temperature, minimising the risk of food spoilage. We found the layout of compartments to be logical and user-friendly, and the interior of the appliance looks smart, if unspectacular.

This model integrates into your kitchen units, with the option to have the doors hinge from whichever side of the appliance suits you best.

It’s currently out of stock, but AO promises it will be back soon, and you can sign up to receive email notifications.

Best: Spacious fridge compartment

• Capacity: 426l
• Energy rating: E
• Noise level: 39dB

This superb fridge freezer from German brand Siemens combines an innovative design with impressive performance and construction.

In our opinion, the star of the show here is the fridge freezer’s layout. As well as a spacious fridge compartment, it incorporates two freezer drawers, and a 0C compartment designed to keep groceries extra fresh without quite freezing them.

We were also impressed with the glass cladding on the appliance, which combines beautifully with the textured finish underneath.

Assuming you have enough space in your kitchen for this hefty fridge freezer, the only real drawback is the price.

Best: 50/50 fridge freezer

• Capacity: 261l
• Energy rating: F
• Noise level: 38dB

This is one of our favourite integrated fridge freezers, primed to seamlessly integrate into a kitchen unit with its sliding hinge.

It’s a simple, effective option, focused on intuitive design and solid performance rather than high-tech innovation. We would recommend this fridge freezer to users who like to freeze lots of food – perhaps after batch-cooking – as the freezer space is especially generous and well compartmentalised.

AO is currently sold out of this model, but it promises it will soon return. Sign up for email updates on stock below.

Best: For retro design

• Capacity: 294l
• Energy rating: D
• Noise level: 37dB

What round-up of the best fridge freezers would be complete without a retro stunner from Smeg?

The FAB30RRD5UK is a thing of beauty, with its carefully sculpted handles, its gorgeous colour and its chic, retro layout.

Offering far more than just looks, this fridge freezer is equipped with high-quality, up-to-the-minute tech. Its energy efficiency is relatively good, compared with other fridge freezers we’ve tested, and the fridge compartment is beautifully lit.

One minor downside to this model is that it lacks anti-frost technology – so you’ll need to manually defrost it every now and then.

Best: Fridge freezer under £300

• Capacity: 87l
• Energy rating: New rating unavailable (A+ on previous scale)
• Noise level: 42dB

This smart little fridge freezer is designed to slot neatly under a kitchen counter, providing basic storage for your perishables while taking up minimal space. The appliance looks great in this silver colourway, and its layout makes good use of the limited space inside, with drinks storage on the back of the door.

We were impressed to note that the doors on this fridge freezer are reversible, which could be a dealbreaker for those who need to make efficient use of their kitchen space.

It goes without saying that this model is only suitable for users who have a relatively small amount of food to store.

Best for: Small households

• Capacity: 208l
• Energy rating: F
• Noise level: 42dB

The Swan retro range consistently strikes a winning balance between eye-catching vintage style, solid performance and value for money – and this 80/20 fridge freezer is no exception.

We were impressed with the layout of this model, which includes plenty of handy bottle storage on the inside of the fridge door. Another selling point is the classically stylish cream colourway.

If you’re thinking of buying this fridge freezer, do bear in mind that it is relatively low-capacity, and therefore best suited to households of one or two people.

This style has been so popular it’s sold out, but AO promises it will be returning. Sign up for email updates at the link below.