Keep your fridge-freezer if its freezer compartment has enough room for your shopping and prepared meals. If it regularly runs out of space, a separate freezer lets you keep your existing fridge: an upright makes it easier to organise portions, while a chest freezer offers open space for larger packs. Before adding an appliance, check that you have room for it and that its climate class is suitable for the room.
If you store lots of portions and reach for them often, the drawers in an upright freezer can make them easier to organise. Check how many there are and how accessible they are on the model you’re considering.
If larger packs take up most of your freezer space, consider the capacity of a separate freezer. A chest freezer offers open space, but you’ll also need to set aside enough floor space for it, as Which? points out.
For a cellar, garage or utility room, check the room’s temperatures and dimensions. Then compare them with the operating temperature range and dimensions of the model you choose.
First decide whether you need more space for fresh food, frozen food or both. Which?’s guides then distinguish between formats based on your shopping habits, the capacity you need and how easily you can access your food.
| Criteria | What to check | Think about your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Freezer capacity | Compare the usable capacities of the fridge and freezer separately. If you often freeze large quantities at once, also compare the freezing capacity in kg/24 h. | Does my fridge-freezer have enough freezer space between shops, or do my portions and bulk buys regularly fill it up? If I only need more room for frozen food, I could consider a separate appliance. |
| Access to food | Look at the drawers and flaps in an upright, or the depth and baskets of a chest freezer. Check how easy it is to reach food stored at the bottom. | I often take out individual portions, so being able to organise and find them matters more to me than having one large open space. For larger packs, I might prefer the flexibility of a chest freezer. |
| Location | Check the width, height, depth and clearance needed to open the appliance. In an unheated room, compare its minimum and maximum temperatures with the operating range specified for the model. | I want to put the appliance in a garage or cellar. It needs to work at the temperatures the room actually reaches, without blocking access or the door from opening. |
| Energy use | Check the energy rating and annual consumption in kWh in the model’s specifications. If you add a freezer to your existing fridge, take both appliances into account. | If I keep my fridge and add a freezer, I want to consider the second appliance’s energy use alongside the capacity I need. |
| Power cuts | Compare the stated storage time in hours for models that provide it, and check what the measurement refers to. Also look for any alarms listed in the specifications. | I’m concerned about an appliance being far from the kitchen or a power cut, so I want to know the stated storage time for the specific model rather than assume it’s the same for every freezer. |
According to Which?, the open space in a chest freezer makes it flexible to organise. However, you’ll need to plan how to reach food at the bottom, especially if you take out portions every day.
Compare access to the drawers in an upright with the depth of the chest freezer you’re considering. If you choose a chest freezer, keep frequently used items in the baskets and near the top.
The climate class defines a range of ambient temperatures. If a room falls outside the range specified for an appliance, it may not work as expected.
Check the minimum and maximum temperatures where you plan to install it, then check the climate class and any low-temperature operating guidance for the exact model number.
You can’t compare two appliances of different formats and capacities on their energy rating alone. Adding a freezer also means running an extra appliance.
Compare the stated annual consumption, usable capacity and format that meets your needs, rather than focusing on a single figure.
The stated storage time during a power cut depends on the model and how it is measured. You can’t work it out from whether it’s an upright or chest freezer, or from its capacity alone.
If this matters to you, look for the figure in hours and how it’s defined in the specifications for the model you’re considering.
These brand examples illustrate formats worth comparing; their features don’t automatically apply to every model in each range.
Worth considering for an upright freezer if compartmentalised storage is a priority.
Worth considering among chest freezers if you want open space for larger packs.
Worth considering for a fridge-freezer if you want fresh and frozen food in one appliance.
These two fridge-freezers combine refrigeration and freezing in one appliance. Compare them if you want to keep this set-up. If your main need is more space for frozen food, also consider a separate freezer.
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This fridge-freezer is worth comparing if you want to keep fresh and frozen food in one appliance. Check the freezer compartment’s capacity, the dimensions and the model’s ambient temperature range against your habits and where you plan to install it.
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This fridge-freezer is worth considering if you shop regularly and want to store fresh and frozen food in one appliance. Its product description lists it as 54 cm wide and 176 cm tall; before choosing, also check its depth, the clearance needed to open it and the freezer capacity.
Consider one if the freezer compartment regularly runs out of space for your prepared meals or less frequent bulk shops, while the fridge still meets your fresh food needs. Check that you have a suitable place for a second appliance, taking its dimensions and operating temperature range into account.
An upright makes it easier to organise and access portions regularly, thanks to its compartments. According to Which?, a chest freezer offers more flexible open space for larger packs; just check that you’ll be able to reach food at the bottom easily.
Yes, if the temperatures the room actually reaches are compatible with the specifications for the model you choose. Bosch Électroménager France gives a range of 10 to 43 °C for climate class SN-T; however, don’t assume that an appliance in this class is suitable for a room that drops below 10 °C. Check the specifications for the exact model.
It’s a period of time that should be read alongside the stated test conditions for the appliance; it doesn’t guarantee the same result in every situation. In a separate test method, Which? measures how long it takes for a freezer’s temperature to rise from −17 °C to −9 °C without power. So compare models individually and check how each figure is defined.