How to buy the best freezer

Whether you're looking for a tall, small or chest freezer, looks can be deceiving. 

Freezers that look identical from the outside contain very different amounts of usable storage space and features, and our tests have also revealed differences in how well they keep food safely frozen.

Keep reading to help you pick the perfect freezer for your home. 

Or, head to our round up of the best freezers to find out which models topped our tough tests.

Video: how to buy the best freezer

Watch to find out about why you don't always get as much space as advertised inside a freezer and why the energy label doesn't tell you the full story. 

Upright tall, under counter or chest freezer?

Find out the key dimensions of these different types of freezer and how much you'll expect to pay for each. 

Upright, tall freezers

These stand at between shoulder and head height, and offer a huge amount of storage space for frozen food. However, they take up a fair amount of space and can look bulky, particularly in small kitchens. 

Tall models fit the following criteria:

• Most are 50-60cm wide and 60-65cm deep 
• Heights vary from 130cm to more than 185cm. If you choose a really tall one, check that you can easily retrieve items in the top drawer or compartment
• Prices start at around £230 for a basic model from brands such as Beko, Fridgemaster and Indesit
• Prices range to more than £1,000 for a large, frost-free Miele or Siemens with a stainless-steel finish 
• The taller the freezer, the higher the price tag when comparing models from the same brand
• Mid-height models – around 175-185cm – from brands such as Beko, Hotpoint, Indesit and Zanussi will cost £300-400. A similar Bosch or Samsung will set you back £500-600 
• Expect to pay £750 or more if you want a Miele or Siemens.

See which tall freezers make our shortlist of the best freezers.

Under-counter freezers

These fit under your kitchen worktop, so they’re ideal if you're short on space. 

• Models are 90cm high or less to fit under the average kitchen counter – but check there’s enough clearance under yours before you buy.
• Most are 60cm wide and 50-60cm deep. It’s possible to buy slim models which are less than 55cm wide and 50cm deep – these are useful if you don't have a lot of room and you don’t want your freezer to protrude on to your kitchen floor.
• The price you pay will largely depend on the brand you choose. You can pick up a cheap manual-defrost freezer from brands such as Beko, Hotpoint, Indesit, Lec and Zanussi for less than £150. While their frost-free models start at around £230.

Chest freezers

With lids rather than a door, chest freezers are good for storing big and bulky items – such as large joints of meat. Plus, the lack of drawers mean that you can fit more in. On the downside, chest freezers take up a lot of room and it can be hard to find what you’re looking for inside.

• Read more in How to buy the best chest freezer.
• Check out our shortlist of the Top five best chest freezers.
• On a budget? Read our list of the best cheap chest freezers.

Freestanding or integrated freezer?

Freestanding freezers are the most popular and cheapest type to buy. There are lots of models to choose from, you can put them anywhere within reach of a plug socket and you can take your freezer with you when you move home.

Integrated freezers are hidden from sight behind kitchen cupboard doors, meaning you can avoid having appliances on view.

Freezer for garage or house?

Some manufacturers, such as Beko, Fridgemaster and Hotpoint, guarantee many of its freezers will work in unheated rooms such as a garage or shed. Bosch, on the other hand, advises that its freezers aren’t kept in room temperatures that fall below 5°C – which a garage inevitably will during a cold winter.

If you want a freezer for your garage, check with the manufacturer whether the model you have your eye on is suitable. It’s also a good idea to check whether they’ll honour the warranty if you do keep it in an outbuilding.

What size freezer should you buy?

This will depend on the size of your household and kitchen. Whichever model you're buying, check the dimensions carefully. Including whether you should factor in extra space at the sides, back and/or top for air to circulate.

How much storage space will you need?

If you're planning on freezing a lot of food you're going to need a freezer with lots of storage space inside. However, you can't rely on advertised freezer capacities, as manufacturers typically remove all of the shelves, drawers and door racks when measuring. 

We leave everything inside and measure the space you can actually use for storing food. We find big differences between claimed and actual capacities - some freezers have as much as 29% less space than advertised.

Our usable storage volumes give a realistic idea of how much food you can store inside one model when compared with another. You can find these measurements on the 'tech specs' tab of each of our freezer reviews.

How to dispose of or recycle an old freezer

Finding a way to dispose of a freezer is no mean feat, especially if you want to get rid of it in a responsible and environmentally conscious way.

Like other large household items, such as mattresses, disposing of a freezer requires a bit more care and attention. The insulation and refrigerant contained inside are classed as hazardous waste, not to mention the risk of harmful gases leaking from the appliance if it's not disposed of safely.

Read how to dispose of or recycle a fridge freezer for advice on responsibly getting rid of an old appliance.

Freezer energy label changes

From 1 March 2021 a new energy label comes into force, which replaces the confusing A+, A++ and A+++ ratings and resets the scale back to A to G. This is designed to reinvigorate the sustainability race for manufacturers by completely emptying the top A-rating to leave room for improvement. At first it will affect washing machines, washer-dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, lighting and TVs, with other appliances including tumble dryers and ovens remaining the same for now.

The new label for refrigeration (above) states the capacity of chilled and/or frozen compartments in litres and there is also a new measure for noise emissions.

The new ratings will go from A to G and is a clearer reflection of how efficient your appliance is by modern standards. Each label features a QR-code for more product information which links to the product on the manufacturer’s website. Energy consumption is presented either as kWh per year, kWh per 1,000 hours or kWh per 100 cycles, depending on the product group. This is a change from the old label, which was often based on an estimated usage over a year.

When buying a new freezer, you may spot that it comes with both the old label and the new label. This is because some retailers may have stock of products displaying both labels while the switch over happens.

Freezer features to look out for

Use our tool to find out about the key features to consider before buying a freezer.

The main features to look out for are:

• Frost-free This prevents ice from forming, so you’ll never have to defrost your freezer
• Fast freeze Gives a boost of cooling power for freezing a large load of fresh food quickly. The faster food freezes, the fresher it will be when you defrost it
• High temperature warning alarm Lets you know if the freezer temperature starts to rise, so you can investigate and hopefully fix any problem before the food in your freezer starts to thaw
• Open-door alarm Lets you know if you inadvertently leave the door ajar.

What type of back does the freezer have?

All freezers need insulation to keep cool. This insulation is flammable, so it's essential that it's sufficiently protected in the event of a fire. The backing that protects this insulation is currently made from either plastic, metal or aluminium laminate, depending on the make and model of freezer you buy.

We continually monitor and vary the assessments that underpin our reviews to take account of changing standards and areas of concern.

Our tests have revealed that plastic backing can be highly flammable.

We are therefore not recommending any refrigeration appliances that have flammable plastic backing. All fridges with this type of backing have been made Which? Don't Buys, regardless of how else they have performed in our chilling and freezing tests.

Our freezer reviews will tell you what type of backing each model has.

If you already own an appliance with a flammable plastic back, it's worth knowing that the likelihood of a refrigerator fire is very low, and the material used in the backing can allow an existing fire to spread – but it isn't the cause of the fire itself. Read more on freezer safety.