Top 10 cheap chest freezers and freezers

Tom Morgan

In this article

The best cheap freezers we've seen combine an affordable price with stellar freezing skills. Our expert guide reveals the best cheap freezers and chest freezers for keeping costs low.

Whether you're shopping for a tall, freestanding freezer or an under-counter model to match the style of your kitchen, check our reviews before taking the plunge. We've also got the details on black freezers that will add a touch of style to your kitchen.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which?.

Top five cheap freezers

79%

£298.99

Reviewed Feb 2017

This tall freezer is a bargain, not least because it’s one of very few freezers available that’s designed to work in a garage. It didn’t do poorly in any of our tough tests and we were really impressed by how little the temperature fluctuated inside when we changed the room temperature. It’s frost-free, too, so you’ll never need to defrost it by hand.

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79%

£329.99

Reviewed Feb 2017

This freezer is a proven Which? Best Buy. If you're shopping for a cheap, tall freezer, it's definitely worth a look. It freezes impressively fast and you can rely on the manufacturer's recommended setting to get it down to the perfect temperature. To add to the list of pros, this model is very efficient for its size.

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77%

£399.00

Reviewed Nov 2015

This tall freestanding freezer has a large usable volume of almost 186 litres – equal to around 9 supermarket bags. It doesn't take long at all to get your food down to a safe temperature, so you won't need to waste time fiddling with the thermostat. Add this freezer to your shortlist – it's one of the best tall freestanding freezers you can get for the price.

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67%

£220.00

Reviewed Aug 2013

A good freezer that's cheap to run. This model excels at freezing food fast, which helps to lock in nutrients. Even if your kitchen or garage heats up or cools down, this freezer keeps food perfectly frozen around the clock.

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64%

£189.00

Reviewed Aug 2013

This inexpensive under-counter freezer falls short of a Which? Best Buy title, but it's still a solid option. It can freeze a large load of fresh food in fluctuating room temperatures and features a freezing tray for fast freezing fresh vegetables.

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Top five cheap chest freezers

77%

£193.12

Reviewed May 2018

Small but powerful, this impressive chest freezer sailed through our tough tests. Its ability to maintain a stable internal temperature, whatever the conditions outside, is particularly impressive. It's well-priced and is energy efficient, too.

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75%

£289.99

Reviewed Aug 2016

This chest freezer does what you need it to do: it keeps food consistently frozen, until you're ready to defrost it. It's also cheap to run and keeps food shielded from the thawing effects of a power cut for ages.

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74%

£249.00

Reviewed Jul 2016

This high-scoring chest freezer will work in rooms that reach temperatures of -15°C. It's great at rapidly cooling to safe temperatures, also proving remarkably cheap to run for its size. You can also rely on the recommended thermostat setting to get this model cooling at the perfect temperature.

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73%

£179.99

Reviewed Jan 2021

Worth considering if you want a mid-sized chest freezer that doesn't cost a fortune, this model scored well in our lab. With 196 litres of space inside (equal to around 10 supermarket bags), it's energy efficient (running costs are low) and should keep your food perfectly preserved.

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70%

£309.00

Reviewed Jul 2016

If you're after a well-priced chest freezer with loads of storage space, then this is an excellent option. It can hold almost 16 shopping bags of food and will keep it all stably frozen regardless of the temperature outside. It's not quite the fastest freezer we've tested, but is perfect for pre-frozen food.

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Pricing, recommendations and test scores correct as of 16 November, 2020.

Not found the product for you? Browse all of our freezer reviews.

And here are three freezers to avoid

We rigorously test freezers in our lab to stop you from buying a Don't Buy. As our tests prove, spending big doesn't always guarantee a top-notch freezer.

Our selection of Don't Buy freezers are plagued by issues that make them a pain to use. We've seen freezers that are tricky to clean and take an age to reach cold temperatures. More importantly, our tests have uncovered freezers with potentially unsafe plastic backs that could increase the spread of fire.

Below, we've rounded up some of the worst freezers.

Freezers to avoid

40%

£169.99

Reviewed May 2019

Steer clear of this Don't Buy freezer. It may be cheap, but it's frustratingly slow at cooling food. To add to the list of gripes, the drawers are poorly designed and the temperature knob is difficult to adjust. We suggest you look elsewhere as you can still find decent options within this bracket.

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34%

£179.99

Reviewed Feb 2019

The thermostat on this freezer is accurate enough, but it takes far too long to freeze fresh items. We've labelled it a Don't Buy because it struggles so badly with its key task. Make sure you consult our full range of freezer reviews as we've tested freezers of a similar size that offer cheaper annual running costs.

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£450.00

Reviewed Feb 2017

This large chest freezer offers an impressive 310 litres of space, but it takes an exceptionally long time to freeze. The result is a frustrating chest freezer that also raises safety concerns due to its non flame-retardant plastic back.

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Large chest freezers

A large chest freezer is a great option for a bigger family, allowing you to shop for perishables less regularly. You might also want to consider a chest freezer if you need a spot to store bulkier meats.

Due to their size, chest freezers are often positioned in a garage or storage room rather than in the kitchen.

Large chest freezer_beko cf1100apw 486665

Here are a couple of large freezers costing under £250 to pass through the Which? test lab:

Russell Hobbs RHCF200 – A mid-sized chest freezer that has a storage basket suspended over the main freezer section.
Lec CF200LMk2 – A large chest freezer with electronic controls and a counterbalanced lid.

To see which chest freezers are Which? Best Buys, head over to our chest freezer reviews.

Small freezers

If you're shopping for a freezer that's not going to take up too much space at home, you might want to consider an under-counter freezer. These can slot in place seamlessly, but you'll have to lean down to reach your food.

Our selection of tested under-counter freezers have an average storage volume of 67 litres (equal to three to four supermarket bags) – they're well suited if you don't need a huge amount of space for your food.

We've tested plenty of cheap under-counter freezers under £200, with the full list including:

Beko UF584APW – An inexpensive under-counter freezer comprised of drawers for holding heavy tubs and a flap lid for smaller items.
Beko UFF584APW – A frost-free, under-counter freezer with 'FreezerGuard', which Beko says will ensure it works in rooms that reach temperatures of -15°C.
Beko FXF5033W – Another under-counter freezer from Beko. This one has around 64 litres of usable space.

For an overview of every under-counter freezer we've gone hands-on with, see our under-counter freezer reviews page.

Frost-free freezers

Frost-free freezers are designed to prevent the build-up of ice. To get the job done, these freezers will automatically defrost every so often.

But not all frost-free freezers are equal. While our top-scoring frost-free freezer holds steady temperatures effortlessly, our worst on test are slow to cool and annoyingly inefficient.

Here are three frost-free freezers under £300 to pass through the Which? test lab:

Beko FFG1545W – A tall, white, freestanding freezer from Beko that includes a fast-freeze mode.
Beko UFF584APW – A basic under-counter freezer with two drawers and a compartment with a flap lid at the top.
Beko FXF5033W – A slimline under-counter freezer that Beko claims will work in rooms that reach temperatures of -15°C.

Make sure you consult our expert freezer reviews before parting with your money. Explore our frost-free freezer reviews.

Black freezers

Depending on the style of your kitchen, you might be shopping for a black freezer to complement your layout.

We've tested black freezers big and small from big-name brands including Bosch, Gorenje and Samsung.

Black freezer_samsung rz32m7120bc 486663

Here are three on-test models you might be considering if you're shopping for a black freezer:

Samsung RZ32M7120BC – A tall, frost-free freezer that uses a fast-freeze setting to cool down fresh food.
Candy CMCH100BUK – A budget-priced chest freezer with a built-in warning light to alert you to high internal temperatures.
Bosch GSN36VB3PG – A tall, freestanding black freezer from Bosch that uses a frost-free design to save you from defrosting by hand.

To see which models are worth the money, see our full range of black freezer reviews.