Best cheap fridge freezers: high-scoring models for less

Need a new fridge freezer but worried about the cost? We're here to help. Our testing uncovers the best cheap fridge freezers that are great at the basics and less expensive than average.

Average fridge freezer prices are £818 for a freestanding model (the most common type), £885 for an integrated model and £1,270 for an American-style model.

But it's perfectly possible to get a good model for less than that, as our best cheap fridge freezer round up proves.

To see all our top-scoring models, check out our fridge freezer reviews.

Best cheap fridge freezers

To help you find the best cheap fridge freezer for your needs, we’ve rounded up some top-scorers.

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Cheap fridge freezers by price

• Fridge freezers under £250
• Fridge freezers under £350
• Fridge freezers under £500

Why you can trust our fridge freezer reviews

We don't scrimp when it comes to reviewing fridge freezers. To keep our reviews impartial, we pay for all the appliances we test – we don't accept free samples from PR companies or manufacturers.

We put each one through a series of challenging tests in our laboratory. The tests are designed to root our poor performers – fridge freezers that just aren't worth spending your money on. 

We routinely tweak our tests to ensure we stay on top of market trends and our reviews reflect the way that real people use their fridge freezers.

Our in-depth reviews make it easy to compare your choice of models side-by-side – so you get the best model for your money.

Head to best fridge freezers to help you decide what type of fridge freezer you need.

Can I buy a fridge freezer for under £150?

Yes you can, but not a good one. Rarely, you can buy a good fridge freezer for under £200. In general, you need to spend at least £350 to get a decent one. If you can up your budget to £500, you'll have reasonable pool of good models to choose from.

If your budget doesn't stretch to that,  you'll need to shop carefully: a third of models under £250 are Don't Buys. 

When all fridge freezers have the same basic job of chilling and freezing your food, it's reasonable to wonder where your money is going if you buy a pricier model. 

Buying a cheap fridge freezer means you'll most likely get a basic model without many fancy features. However, two features in particular are worth paying extra for:

• Frost-free freezers save you the hassle of manually defrosting your freezer every time ice builds up.
• Door alarms can save you from wasting energy or potentially losing a freezer full of food if you're prone to accidentally leaving the doors open. 

We scour the internet for the best fridge freezer deals each month.

Can I buy a cheap American fridge freezer?

Not really. American-style fridge freezers tend to cost more than conventional fridge freezers.

Prices start at around £600 and go up to more than £3,200. The average cost for an American fridge freezer is over £1,250. 

To find the best American fridge freezer for your budget, visit our fridge freezer reviews and use the 'American' and 'Price (low to high) (Best Buy only)' filters.

Our head straight to our round-up of the best American fridge freezers to see models that aced our tests.

Where should I shop for a cheap fridge freezer?

Some of the best discounts we've seen are offered on older ranges when they start to sell through, usually around springtime.

Don't forget to factor in the cost of disposing of your fridge freezer, if you need to, and delivery costs. 

Buy a model that lasts. Find out which fridge freezer brand is the most reliable.

Will a cheap fridge freezer cost more to run than a more expensive one?

In some cases, yes. But there's no point buying a cheaper fridge freezer if all your savings are going to be swallowed up in running costs. 

Finding the best model for you means balancing size, up-front cost, running costs and performance. For example...

• If you've a large family to feed, or regularly food in bulk, a small, cheap-to-run fridge freezer might not be a wise decision in the long run as you'll frequently run out of space.
• If you choose a model that's cheap and doesn't use much energy for its size, your upfront costs and running costs will be low, but you could find yourself throwing away more food than if you bought a better model.

You can use our fridge freezer running costs tool to find out how much each fridge freezer we've tested costs to run under typical conditions. Your personal usage may be a bit more or less depending on on how your use it, but it should give you a general idea.

Some of the cheapest models we've tested use a lot of energy for their size, and some of the most energy-efficient models we've tested are expensive. 

If you're looking for a balance of size, purchase price and running costs, and solid performance, one of our Great Value fridge freezers could be a good choice. These aren't necessarily Best Buys, or the absolute best on test (though some are). But they marry good cooling and chilling with a cheaper-than-average upfront cost and good energy efficiency (lower than average running costs for a model of its size). 

Read more about Great Value fridge freezers in how we test fridge freezers.

Should I buy an ex-display fridge freezer?

Ex-display fridge freezers are sold by retailers such as The Appliance Depot, Appliances Direct, Appliance Superstore, Currys and Marks Electrical . 

Ex-display fridge freezers might have minor marks or scratches, but you may not mind that too much in view of the money saved. Remember to give it a good clean before putting your food into it.

Also, before you buy, make sure that you understand whether or not your fridge freezer comes with a manufacturer guarantee or warranty. 

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