Best chest freezers for 2026: top picks from our independent tests

Discover everything you need to know to buy a chest freezer with our expert advice and Best Buy recommendations. 

If you often run out of freezer space, you might find a chest freezer useful. Our advice will tell you what features to look out for and how much you can expect to pay.

See all our Best Buy freezers by reading our freezer reviews.  

Best chest freezers for 2026

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Want to see more top models? Head to our best freezers page.

Why you can trust our chest freezer reviews

We buy every freezer we test, just as an ordinary shopper would. We don't accept freebies from brands, so we are free to remain 100% impartial.

Our experts subject each freezer to a raft of rigorous lab tests that reflect the way you use your freezer in real life.

We're not dazzled by marketing nor by manufacturer claims, which are often based on tests performed in ideal conditions. 

This tough testing reveals:

• How well a freezer freezes fresh produce
• How energy efficient it is, and how much it'll cost you to run across the year
• How well it will protect your food if there's a power cut
• How much food you'll realistically be able to store in it.
• How easy it'll be to use

Find out more about the lengths we go to in how we test freezers.

Where to buy a chest freezer

Here are some of the sellers that have a wide range of chest freezers in stock. 

• AO has chest freezers from Beko, Fridgemaster and Russell Hobbs, among other brands, from just under £130 at time of writing. There's the option to spread the cost across instalments if needed. 
• Argos chest freezers stocks mainly Bush, Beko and Indesit. You can filter by Clearance for extra savings, but be sure to check our reviews before buying in case these are poor performers. 
• Currys sells chest freezers from Beko, Haier, Logik, Russell Hobbs and other brands, starting at just over £100. You can pay in instalments if you need to. Currys also frequently has multibuy offers if you wish to buy several home appliances at the same time. 
• Marks Electrical offers a range of chest freezers too, with Haier, Hisense and Hotpoint among available brands. You may be eligible for a discount if you need several home appliances at the same time.

Which freezer brand is the most reliable? Our guide reveals the most common freezer faults and the brands most prone to playing up.

Should I buy a chest freezer or an upright freezer?

Answering a few simple questions should help you to decide which would suit you best:

• What do you want to freeze? Chest freezers are a great choice if you need to freeze bulky items such as large joints of meat or if you tend to buy in bulk. Smaller items tend to get lost in cavernous chest freezers, so they're better stored in an upright or fridge freezer.
• Do you have the room for a chest freezer? Most chest freezers are quite large and won't fit in many kitchens or utility rooms. You might opt to have one in your garage, but make sure you check the climate class. More on that, below. 
• Do you have the patience to defrost it regularly? Unlike upright freezers, chest freezers don't tend to be frost-free, so you'll need to go through the arduous task of defrosting it manually when ice starts to build up. Head to our guide on how to defrost your freezer for our tips. 
• Do you have difficulty bending over? Items at the bottom of a chest freezer can be tricky to reach, so an upright freezer might be a better option if you have trouble reaching down. The controls are also sometimes on the bottom corner at the front of the freezer.

Is there a difference between a deep freezer and a chest freezer?

People tend to use these terms interchangeably to mean the same thing: a chest-like freezer with a lid that opens from above.

They tend to be used in addition to an upright or fridge freezer, for ‘overflow’ or for bulk storage of frozen food.

Many chest freezers aren't frost free. Here's how to defrost a freezer in 7 easy steps.

Best chest freezer features to look for

Chest freezers don’t have many features. The biggest difference between them and other freezer types is that most need to be defrosted manually, as frost-free models are few and far between.

These are the main chest freezer features to think about:

• Counterbalanced lid. This will stay fixed in an open position once you’ve lifted it, leaving you with both hands-free to add food or rummage around to find the item you’re looking for. Without this, you’ll have to prop the lid up with one hand while you reach inside with the other.
• Fast-freeze. Some chest freezers have a fast-freeze function, which gives an extra burst of cooling power. This can come in handy if any pre-frozen food you've bought from the supermarket has warmed up on the drive home.
• High-temperature warning. These are either alarms or lights that activate if the temperature in the freezer starts to rise. This should give you plenty of time to investigate the problem so that you don't have to discard the entire contents of your freezer.
• Lock. Being able to lock the lid of your chest freezer is a valuable safety feature if young children are around.
• Storage baskets. Most models have these suspended over the main compartment and are really useful for keeping smaller items where you can find them easily. They’re also ideal for storing open packets of peas and chips upright, preventing them from spilling over into the main chest freezer section.

For more on storing your food correctly, see What temperature should a freezer be?

Do chest freezers use a lot of electricity?

What's the best chest freezer to keep in a garage?

Most freezers aren’t designed to work in rooms that get colder than 10°C, so there's a risk that your freezer might not work properly there, and it could invalidate the warranty. 

Some brands claim that some of their freezers are suitable for use in temperatures as low as -15°C, but it's worth checking for the specific model you're considering.

Head to our guide to the best freezers and chest freezers for garages for more advice on freezer climate class.

How to organise a chest freezer

Chest freezers usually come with a couple of suspended baskets to prevent smaller items such as herbs or tomato paste from getting lost. But these aren’t usually enough to keep everything organised properly.

Arrange your frozen food by type to save you constantly rummaging. Group together fruit and veg, bread and baked goods, meat and fish, homemade or premade soups, sauces and stews, and treats such as ice cream.

Invest in a few stackable baskets so you can keep food types together, stored vertically. This also makes it easier to lift food out when you need something at the bottom.

Tips to keep your freezer tidy and your food safe

• Keep heavier, denser items such as frozen turkey or joints of meat at the bottom where they’ll stay the coldest and won’t crush lighter items.
• Put food close to its use-by date on top of your baskets so it’s easy to spot.
• If you’re very short on space, consider removing prepared food from its boxes. Be sure to label it with a marker pen and cut out and tape cooking instructions to it with sticky tape.

How much should I spend on a chest freezer?

The price you pay will depend on the size and brand you buy. In general, the larger the freezer, the higher the price (when compared with models from the same brand).

Small chest freezers 

You can get a small 50cm width-or-less chest freezer for £130-£170.

Large chest freezers

At the other end of the scale, a chest freezer that's more than 120cm wide can cost anything from £270 to more than £550. 

Looking for a model with low running costs too? See our guide to the best energy-efficient freezers, which includes our top chest freezer models.