For a big shop and batches of prepared meals, choose a chest freezer if you need plenty of capacity and have enough room for it. An upright freezer is a better choice if you often need to find portions sorted into categories. In either case, check the usable capacity, how easy it is to reach the food and whether the model is suitable for the room temperature; a table-top or under-counter model is better suited to occasional extra storage.
If your shopping and home-cooked batches take up more room than your fridge-freezer can offer, compare chest and upright models based on how much you need to store and how often you look for a particular item.
You may have enough floor space for a chest freezer, but the room temperature must stay within the range specified for the model. An unheated room does not mean that every freezer is suitable.
If you regularly need to find meals, portions and bags of food, an upright freezer’s drawers make it easier to keep things separate than a chest freezer’s main compartment. However, Que Choisir notes that some chest freezers can have a greater capacity than the largest upright models.
Start with what you need to store and the space available, then compare formats based on how easy it is to reach the food. If you’re replacing your fridge too, compare the freezer compartment capacity of a fridge-freezer, not just its total capacity.
| Criterion | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity | Compare the usable capacity in litres with your usual stock and the amount you need to store at peak times. If you often add a lot of fresh food at once, check the freezing capacity in kg/24 h too. | To stop a big shop and batches of prepared meals from overflowing your freezer, you first need enough room for the quantities you plan to store; around 31% of consumers put capacity first. |
| Room size and temperature | Measure the appliance, the route into the room and the space needed to open its door or lid. Check that the room temperature falls within the range specified for the model. | In a cellar or garage, having space for the appliance is not enough if the room gets too cold or too warm for it. This compatibility is the main concern for around 25% of consumers. |
| Access and organisation | Check the drawers or baskets and make sure you can reach food at the bottom of a chest freezer. | If you regularly need to find portioned meals and bags of food, easy-to-navigate storage matters more than the size of the compartment alone; around 25% of consumers put accessibility first. |
| Power cuts and ongoing use | Compare the stated storage time in hours and, for appliances with similar functions and capacities, the annual energy consumption in kWh shown on the label. | If power cuts are a concern, or the running costs of an appliance that stays on all the time are an important factor, these criteria come first for around 19% of consumers. |
According to Que Choisir, chest freezers often take up a lot of width; a deep compartment can also make it harder to reach food at the bottom.
Measure the available floor space, the delivery route and the height needed to open the lid. Check the baskets and plan the storage so you can find what you need.
The permitted ambient temperature range varies from one freezer to another. A model advertised as suitable for very cold rooms does not mean that other models from the same brand are too.
Check the room’s minimum and maximum temperatures, then look at the climate class or low-temperature suitability stated for the exact model you’re considering.
Freezers with different capacities will not necessarily meet the same needs. The European Commission says that, since March 2021, the energy label for refrigerating appliances has used a scale from A to G.
Compare appliances with similar functions and capacities, and check their annual energy consumption in kWh, capacity and noise level on the label too.
Storage time indicates how long the freezer stays cold under specified test conditions; it does not tell you the condition of every food item after a power cut. Que Choisir’s testing protocol, for example, measures the time taken for the temperature to rise from −17 °C to −9 °C.
Compare the figures for the models you’re considering, keep the door closed during a power cut and follow food safety advice for defrosted food.
Worth considering if you’re looking for a freestanding upright freezer with organised compartments.
Compare models in different sizes depending on whether you need a chest freezer or a smaller extra appliance.
A large-capacity upright freezer to consider if drawer storage is important to you.
Chest freezers to consider if you plan to install your appliance in an unheated room.
These models include an upright freezer for organising food and two chest freezers with different capacities. The 99 l chest freezer is better suited to occasional extra storage than to regular, very large shops.
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Worth considering if you’d rather organise groceries and prepared meals in an upright freezer than a single compartment. The product title lists three drawers, No Frost protection and an energy rating of C. Measure the space and check the storage time in the event of a power cut, as well as the ambient temperature range for the model on sale.
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This chest freezer could suit you if you need extra storage, its capacity meets your needs and you have enough room to open the lid. The product title mentions a storage basket, a counterbalanced lid and an energy rating of E. Check how easy it is to reach food at the bottom, the storage time in the event of a power cut and the permitted ambient temperature.
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This capacity is better suited to extra storage than to being the main appliance for repeated big shops. The product title mentions a removable basket, an adjustable thermostat and an energy rating of E. Before choosing where to put it, check the clearance needed to open the lid and the model’s ambient temperature range.
Yes, as long as the model’s operating range covers the room’s actual temperatures. Bosch, for example, gives a range of 10 to 32 °C for climate class SN; Liebherr says its CFd 2505 chest freezer’s FrostProtect feature works down to −15 °C. Check the exact model before putting it in a cold room.
Check the A to G rating, annual energy consumption in kWh, storage capacity and noise level. When comparing two appliances, first make sure they have a similar purpose and capacity; the Ministry of the Economy notes that the label brings these details together to help you choose.
It indicates how long the freezer can stay cold without power, based on the exact model and its test conditions. In its testing protocol, Que Choisir measures the time taken for the temperature to rise from −17 °C to −9 °C. This figure alone cannot guarantee the condition of every food item after a power cut.
It’s better suited to occasional extra storage if you regularly buy large quantities. For comparison, Liebherr lists a capacity of 107 l for its table-top FTdi604; check the capacity of the model you’re considering against your shopping needs, and make sure its dimensions and ventilation requirements suit the space.