Best American fridge freezers 2025: tested by Which? experts

If you're looking for a show-stopping appliance for your kitchen, take a look at the best American fridge freezers from our independent testing and read our expert buying advice.

American fridge freezers look impressive and promise the end to overflowing fridges or crammed-to-bursting freezers. They're expensive, though, so don't waste your money on a poor one. 

Head straight to our American fridge freezer reviews.

Best American fridge freezers for 2025

Currently, there are no Best Buy American fridge freezers as none have achieved the 72% threshold in our tests. 

That's because our latest test programme puts extra emphasis on energy efficiency, and the size of these appliances means they are rarely as energy efficient as regular freestanding fridge freezers. 

If you want one of the absolute best fridge freezers, opt for a freestanding or integrated model. If you're prepared to sacrifice a little performance for style, here are the best American fridge freezers. 

Only logged in Which? members can see our recommendations. If you're already a member, log in to see the American fridge freezers we recommend. 

If you're not a member, join Which? to unlock the table and get instant access to all our product reviews.

See our guide to the best fridge freezers for the pros and cons of the different types.

American fridge freezers by price

• American fridge freezers under £900
• American fridge freezers under £1,200
• American fridge freezers under £1,500
• American fridge freezers under £1,800

Why you can trust our American fridge freezer reviews

We don't take any free samples: we buy all our fridge freezers from a store, just as you would. 

We run all our fridge freezers through a raft of tests so we can tell you what they're really like to use, how well they'll cool and freeze your food, and how much energy they'll use.

Find out more about how we test fridge freezers. 

Where to buy an American fridge freezer

• Amazon stocks a number of American fridge freezers from brands including Fridgemaster, Haier and Samsung. There's no extra cost for scheduled delivery for large items for Prime and non-Prime members. With scheduled delivery for large items, you can schedule a day-long slot for delivery up to 14 days in advance.
• AO.com sells American fridge freezers from a wide range of brands, with the option to pay in instalments. AO members get discounts. There is an option to pay for unpacking, door reversal and recycling. 
• Boots Kitchen Appliances, a Boots-branded version of AO, also has a wide range of fridge freezers. You can earn Advantage points if you're a Boots Advantage cardholder. 
• Currys also has a wide offering, and you have the option of paying in instalments. It offers installation, door reversal and recycling of your old appliance at extra cost. 
• Very largely stocks models from Haier, Hisense and Samsung, but other brands are available. Prices range from under £500 to more than £2,000. Optional recycling of your old appliance can be added for £24.99.

Read more about the best stores for tech and home appliances.

What is an American fridge freezer?

American fridge freezers (also known as side-by-side or American-style models) are wider than freestanding or integrated fridge freezers and always have at least one set of side-by-side doors.

American fridge freezers come in different configurations. Most commonly, the fridge sits next to the freezer. Sometimes the fridge will sit on top of the freezer, and each will have its own set of side-by-side doors. Sometimes the fridge has two side-by-side doors, and the freezer underneath has one or two large external drawers. 

American fridge freezers are wider and deeper than conventional models, so they take up more space in your kitchen, but they also give you far more space to store fresh and frozen food. 

Discover which fridge freezer brand is the most reliable.

How to buy the best American fridge freezer

If you're unsure as to whether an American-style fridge freezer is right for your household, these questions should help you decide.

• Will you use all that space? American fridge freezers offer more storage space for fresh and frozen food than regular fridge freezers and have lots of fridge shelves and racks for storing items of all shapes and sizes. But if you're a small or single-person household and don't tend to do big, bulky shops, you probably don't need one.
• Will it fit through your kitchen door? You should carefully measure the space in your kitchen before buying a new fridge freezer, and this is especially true when you splash out on a larger model. Read more details on sizes and installation below.
• For models with plumbed-in water dispensers, do you have a nearby water supply to plug it into? If you opt for one with a plumbed-in water dispenser, you won't need to refill it by hand, but you will need a water source nearby. This can limit where the fridge freezer will be placed in your kitchen. It will also need to be plumbed in by a professional plumber. 
• Can you afford it? American-style fridge freezers cost from around £400, but some can cost more than £3,200. Also, remember to factor in the extra running costs.

Find out more about your right to a return – what's a 'cooling-off' period?

How to install an American fridge freezer

The standard width of an American fridge freezer is 90cm, but some can be more than 100cm wide. Slimmer models are available, but even these are usually around 70cm wide, which is 10cm wider than a standard freestanding model. 

They're also deeper than most fridge freezers. The deepest model we've tested is 76cm deep, while the average depth of models we've tested is 64cm. The standard depth for kitchen units is 60cm, so you might find that an American fridge freezer sticks out significantly, which could be inconvenient if your kitchen is narrow or you need to place your fridge freezer near a doorway or kitchen table.

Some can be too big for front and internal doorways, and getting one delivered to a top-floor flat could be problematic. Some American fridge freezers we've tested are 200cm high, so this is worth considering if your property has low ceilings.

Our kitchen planning and layout ideas will help you nail your kitchen design.

Best American fridge freezer features to look for

• Attractive appearance Many people consider American-style fridge freezers more stylish, perhaps because we see them inside celebrities' homes on TV, or maybe because they look more imposing in a kitchen. You can buy freestanding models in brushed, gloss effect or stainless steel finishes too, as well as retro-looking freestanding models. 
• Convertible zones. These allow you to convert part of the freezer into extra fridge space, which could be handy at times when you need to store extra food, such as at Christmas.
• Digital display From setting the thermostat to programming functions such as fast freeze, a digital display can make fridge freezers easier to set up and use. It's not restricted to American fridge freezers, but most of them have this. 
• Independent cooling systems Some American fridge freezers have separate fridge and freezing cooling circuits. This helps keep moisture in the fridge, minimising food dehydration, which is good for preserving food with a high water content, such as salad.
• Separate thermostats These allow you to set accurate fridge and freezer temperatures.
• Water dispenser and ice maker Check before buying whether this needs to be plumbed into the mains supply, as this affects where you can put the fridge freezer in your kitchen and can make installation expensive. Also check the cost of replacement filters: these often need replacing every six months or so. Some models have removable water jugs that you top up from the tap – but you’ll only get two to three litres of water before you’ll need to refill the jug. 

Read how to deep-clean your fridge for advice on cleaning a fridge water dispenser.

Is it worth buying an American fridge freezer?

The answer depends on your household size and how many bags of shopping you get through. But how much storage do you really need?

Argos, Euronics and Smeg all agree that capacity for 5 to 10 full bags of shopping is suitable for one to two people, 10 to 15 bags of shopping is best for three to four people and over 15 bags is recommended for households of five to six people. You'll need to decide if your household needs more or less than these, but they're a useful guide. You'll want to take the ratio of fresh and frozen food into account, too.

Fridge freezers work best when they are 75-80% full, so it's not a good idea to buy a much larger model than you need.

You don't have to buy an American fridge freezer to maximise storage space. The following Which? data shows that, although freestanding models aren't quite as large as American fridge freezers, some still hold a large number of shopping bags worth of food. These larger fridge freezers aren't as common as American models, so if you decide you need the space, shopping for an American-style fridge freezer will give you more options.

Get a great deal on a fridge freezer: see our best cheap fridge freezers.

Can you buy an energy efficient American fridge freezer?

You can certainly buy energy efficient American fridge freezers that use energy wisely in relation to their size. 

You'll note our emphasis on 'relative to size'. An energy efficient American fridge freezer will cost more to run than an energy efficient freestanding model. 

We've calculated that the average American-style fridge freezer costs 43% more to run, at £114.36 per year, than the average freestanding fridge freezer, which costs £79.79 per year (prices based on a unit price of 25.73p per kWh, as of 1 July 2025). So, before splashing out, consider whether you really need one.

Find out how much specific American fridge freezer models cost using our free fridge freezer running costs tool.