How to choose a fridge or freezer

How big a fridge do you actually need?

The right size is the smallest one that holds a normal week’s shopping without crowding, because every extra litre is cooled around the clock whether you use it or not.

Start from how you shop rather than from the size of the niche. A household that shops once a week and cooks from fresh needs a large fridge section; one that batch-cooks or buys in bulk needs freezer space. The label lists the two volumes separately: the snowflake figure is the freezer, the other the fridge and any chill zone.

Larger appliances use more electricity, though usually less per litre. The table shows the typical yearly cost per type and volume on the EU register, so you can see what one size band more costs; in the fridge and freezer overview each cell leads to its own ranking.

If you already own a separate chest or upright freezer, a fridge without a freezer compartment is often the more sensible choice: you avoid cooling two freezer spaces.

Why can an A-class fridge use more than a D-class one?

Because the energy class compares a fridge with a reference appliance of the same size and compartment layout, not with every other fridge.

The class comes from the Energy Efficiency Index: the declared yearly consumption divided by a standard consumption calculated from the volumes and compartment types. A 400-litre fridge-freezer can earn a better class than a 120-litre under-counter fridge and still use more kWh a year. Since the rescaled label arrived on 1 March 2021, classes run from A to G and the top classes are hard to reach, so a B or C is not a poor result in this category.

For the decision, the useful number on the label is the yearly kWh. Our fridge label explainer goes through every field; on model pages we add kWh per 100 litres for candidates of slightly different size. The chart shows how models in this category spread across the classes today.

Will my fridge really use what the label says?

Roughly, if it stands in a kitchen at normal room temperature; expect more in a warm spot and with frequent door opening.

The yearly figure is measured with empty compartments and closed doors at room temperatures of 16 °C and 32 °C and combined into one value. The pre-2021 label tested at 25 °C, which is one reason old and new kWh figures are not directly comparable. Real use rises when warm food goes in, when the door is opened often and when the appliance stands next to an oven, a dishwasher or a radiator, or in direct sun.

Climate class: the figure people forget

Every model declares the room temperatures it is designed for. The climate class is on the spec sheet and on our model pages:

A freezer for an unheated garage or utility room needs a class that covers the winter temperature there. Below about 16 °C a fridge-freezer with a single compressor may not run often enough to keep the freezer cold; some models have a winter setting for this.

Built-in or freestanding?

Choose built-in only if your kitchen design needs it, and then compare built-in models with each other.

An integrated fridge sits behind a furniture door with less room to shed heat, and the EU formula gives built-in appliances a small allowance in the reference consumption for that. The same class can therefore mean a few percent more kWh than on a freestanding model. Built-in models are also tied to the niche: measure height, width and depth of the cabinet, and check the ventilation gaps the installation instructions ask for, because a blocked air path costs energy every day.

Our rankings show the installation type of every model.

How quiet should a fridge be?

In an open-plan kitchen or a studio flat, look for noise class A or B; in a closed kitchen, the noise figure matters much less than the kWh.

The label shows airborne noise in dB(A) and a class from A to D: A is below 30 dB, B from 30 to 35, C from 36 to 41 and D 42 dB and above. These are sound power values, useful for comparing models rather than predicting what you hear at the sofa. As a rough guide, 10 dB more sounds about twice as loud. Our ranking of the quietest fridges and freezers sorts by the declared figure within each size.

When does replacing a working fridge pay off?

When the yearly saving, multiplied by the years the new appliance will run, clearly exceeds its price; with an old fridge that can happen, but only a measurement tells you.

1. Measure the old appliance with a plug-in energy meter for at least a week and scale up to a year; its old label value came from a different test and ignores wear.
2. Take the yearly kWh of the candidate from its label or our model page.
3. Multiply the difference by your electricity price. Prices by country shows the current Eurostat figure for yours.
4. Compare the saving over the years you expect to keep the new appliance with its purchase price, using the total cost of ownership calculator.

Where you live changes the answer: the same fridge costs very different amounts to run across the EU.

A worn door seal makes an old fridge run longer. If the rest still works, a new gasket may be the cheaper fix.

What can be repaired, and for how long?

For fridges sold in the EU since March 2021, key spare parts must remain available for at least seven years after the model leaves the market, and door gaskets for ten.

Under ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2019/2019, professional repairers can obtain thermostats, temperature sensors, circuit boards and light sources for seven years. Door handles, hinges, trays and baskets are available to you as well, also for seven years, and door gaskets for ten. Parts must arrive within 15 working days of the order, and must be replaceable with common tools.

On top of that, EU countries must apply the right-to-repair directive (EU) 2024/1799 from 31 July 2026: for appliances covered by these spare-part rules, the manufacturer has to repair on request, free or at a reasonable price, also after the legal guarantee has run out. The minimum spare-part period and the manufacturer’s own guarantee are listed on every model page.

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