First, choose a usable capacity that suits your shopping habits and the space available. Don’t plan to fill the shelves so much that air can no longer circulate. A fridge with one door is mainly for keeping food chilled; a fridge-freezer also gives you a separate compartment for frozen food, but be sure to check the capacity of each section individually. For foods that spoil easily, Anses recommends a temperature of 0 °C to +4 °C at the coldest point. Finally, compare the kWh/year figures for appliances with similar layouts and capacities.
If you regularly store meat, raw fish or home-cooked dishes containing animal products, you need to know where the coldest area is and be able to check its temperature. Anses also recommends storing food in a way that allows cold air to circulate.
A large shop needs enough room to put food away without piling it up. The capacity set aside for chilled food matters just as much as the total capacity, especially if you’re considering a fridge-freezer to store frozen food as well.
Your fridge runs continuously, as ADEME points out. If energy use is an important factor in your choice, check the kWh/year figure on the label and consider the usable capacity and features you actually need.
Consider this if: you mainly buy fresh food and don’t need a proper freezer compartment, or you already have a separate freezer.
Bear in mind: a small freezer compartment may not meet your regular freezing needs, so check the layout of the specific model.
Consider this if: frozen food is part of your regular shop and you’d like a separate compartment for it.
Bear in mind: some of the total capacity is taken up by the freezer, so a large advertised capacity doesn’t necessarily mean there’s enough room for fresh food.
| Criteria | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Coldest area | Check where it is in the manual and how to measure its temperature. Anses recommends keeping this area between 0 °C and +4 °C for foods that need careful storage. | If I store raw meat or fish, I want to be able to find and check the area where they should go; around 42% of consumers would make this their top priority. |
| Capacity and storage | Compare the usable litres set aside for chilled food, the shelf layout and the appliance’s dimensions. For a fridge-freezer, check the freezer capacity separately. | After a big shop, I need enough room to put food away without blocking the cold air; around 33% of consumers would put this capacity first. |
| Energy use | Check the kWh/year figure on the label and compare appliances with a similar type, usable capacity and features, rather than looking at the energy rating alone. | For an appliance that runs continuously, I want to avoid paying for capacity or features I don’t need; around 25% of consumers would put energy use at the top of their list. |
Some of that capacity is taken up by the freezer. If your shop is mostly fresh food, you may run short of room in the fridge compartment and end up cramming everything in.
Compare the usable capacity of each compartment separately and consider it in light of how often you shop.
Anses recommends not overfilling your fridge, so that cold air can circulate. Frequent door openings and a full fridge also make it more important to keep an eye on the temperature.
Leave gaps for air to circulate between food, put items that need careful storage in the coldest area, and check the temperature after putting away a large shop.
The label also shows annual energy use and capacity. ADEME notes that the size of an appliance and its extra features can affect how much energy it uses when it runs continuously.
Compare the kWh/year figure with the capacity you need, looking at models with a similar layout.
Fresh-food compartments, alarms and air-circulation systems mentioned by Bosch, Liebherr or Whirlpool vary between models. A manufacturer’s description doesn’t mean another appliance will have the same features.
Check the features and how they work in the product details and manual for the model you’re considering.
Worth considering for fridges with one door and fridge-freezers, whose storage and air-circulation features vary by model.
Worth considering for fridge-freezers that, depending on the model, offer dedicated fruit and vegetable compartments and features such as EasyFresh or NoFrost.
Worth considering if you’d like to explore models with a system that monitors temperature after the door has been opened or after you’ve put your shopping away.
Anses recommends a temperature of 0 °C to +4 °C at the coldest point in the fridge. This is where you should store raw meat and fish, as well as sensitive home-cooked dishes containing animal products.
No. Check the temperature at the coldest point, not just the figure on the display. Anses says you can use a thermometer to do this. You should also avoid overfilling the shelves or putting hot food in the fridge.
Start with the number of people in your household and how often you shop, then distinguish between the capacity for chilled food and the freezer capacity. Que Choisir suggests allowing 100 to 150 litres for one person, then 50 litres for each additional person. Adjust this to suit the space taken up by your food and containers.
Focus on the annual energy use in kWh and the capacity, comparing fridges of a similar type and size. For the household appliances covered, the European Commission says the label also shows an A to G rating and noise information.