We tested fridges at their coldest setting for at least four days in a 110° F chamber to find the best performers
The best garage fridges are simple to use, energy-efficient, and built to withstand extreme temperatures.
By Daniel Wroclawski
Garage and basement refrigerators are perfect for storing Costco hauls or stocking up on drinks for parties and family gatherings.
Many people will put an old fridge in their garage when they buy a new one for the kitchen, but that’s not the best strategy. Manufacturers design certain fridges specifically to be “garage ready,” meaning they’re capable of handling wide temperature ranges. Most garage-ready fridges can handle temperatures as low as 38° F and as high as 110° F.
Another reason to buy a new fridge for the garage is that these models are usually much more energy-efficient than older fridges, helping to keep your electric bills in check.
“When you’re shopping, look out for the garage-ready spec and the Energy Star rating,” says Breann Chai, CR’s test engineer for refrigerators. “These can indicate which refrigerators will perform better in a garage environment.”
CR doesn’t break out garage-ready fridges as a separate category in our refrigerator ratings, but we do subject every fridge (and freezer) that enters our labs to a “hot garage” test. We set fridges to their coldest settings and place them in a 110° F test chamber for at least four days.
Top-freezer refrigerators are an economical choice for your garage. When picking a garage fridge, your best bet is a top-freezer. They’re budget-friendly compared with other configurations, in part because they’re often available without features that don’t matter in a garage, such as an icemaker, water dispenser, and stainless steel finish. Our survey data shows that top-freezers are generally more reliable than other fridge styles.
Below, we reveal the best top-freezers from our ratings that also perform well in our hot garage test. We also note their total usable storage capacity. For more information on common fridge features and configurations, see our refrigerator buying guide. And to see how refrigerators from different brands perform, check out our guides to the best refrigerator brands and most reliable refrigerator brands.
Best Garage Fridges
Only a few of our Top Picks are actually listed as garage-ready by their manufacturers. Regular fridges can perform well in high temperatures.
Samsung RT70F18LRSR
Usable storage capacity: 14.9 cubic feet
The 28-inch-wide Samsung RT70F18LRSR is one of the highest-performing top-freezers in our ratings, and it happens to be one of Samsung’s garage-ready models. It receives excellent scores for thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, as well as a very good score for its low noise output. But it receives a subpar score for ease of use and a poor score for crisper drawer performance. This Energy Star certified fridge features a stainless steel finish, an optional icemaker (sold separately), digital temperature controls, and WiFi connectivity to control it from your smartphone. In our latest member surveys, Samsung top-freezers receive an excellent score for predicted reliability and a midlevel score for owner satisfaction.
LG LRTLS2403S
Usable storage capacity: 17.7 cubic feet
The 33-inch-wide garage-ready LG LRTLS2403S has an outstanding energy-efficiency rating and very good scores for thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, and noise output. It receives decent performance scores for its crisper drawers and icemaker. But it falls short in our ease-of-use test. This Energy Star certified refrigerator comes with a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, and an optional icemaker (sold separately). In our latest member surveys, LG top-freezers receive an excellent score for predicted reliability and a midlevel score for owner satisfaction.
Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ
Usable storage capacity: 10.5 cubic feet
The budget-friendly 24-inch-wide Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ performs remarkably well in most of our tests, including those for temperature uniformity, noise output, and energy efficiency. It receives a decent score for thermostat performance but poor scores for ease of use and crisper drawer performance. In terms of features, it only comes with gallon storage bins and digital temperature controls. In our latest member surveys, Whirlpool top-freezers receive an excellent rating for predicted reliability but a poor rating for owner satisfaction. Whirlpool doesn’t say this fridge is garage-ready, but it performs well in our 110° F stress test. This fridge is also available in white (WRT112CZJW) and black (WRT112CZJB) finishes for a slightly lower price.
LG LT11C2000V
Usable storage capacity: 9.5 cubic feet
The 24-inch-wide LG LT11C2000V is a terrific top-freezer, receiving very good scores in all our tests except for ease of use and crisper drawer performance, where it receives poor scores. LG doesn’t say this fridge is garage-ready, but it performs well in our 110° F stress test. This Energy Star certified LG has a stainless steel finish but doesn’t offer any noteworthy features other than gallon-jug storage on the fridge door. LG top-freezers receive an excellent score for predicted reliability and a decent score for owner satisfaction in our latest member surveys.
Hotpoint HPS16BTNRWW
Usable storage capacity: 12.6 cubic feet
The 28-inch-wide garage-ready Hotpoint HPS16BTNRWW top-freezer refrigerator delivers solid performance in our tests, earning an excellent rating for temperature uniformity and very good ratings for thermostat performance, energy efficiency, and crisper performance. It also receives a decent rating for its noise output, but poor ratings for ease of use and icemaker performance. Its feature set is sparse, and it lacks separate freezer controls, but the icemaker is available as an optional add-on.
Whirlpool WRT313CZLZ
Usable storage capacity: 9.3 cubic feet
The 24-inch-wide Whirlpool WRT313CZLZ isn’t listed as a garage-ready fridge by Whirlpool, but it performs well in our high-temperature stress test. It also receives an excellent rating for temperature uniformity, a very good rating for thermostat performance, and decent ratings for energy efficiency and noise output. But it receives a subpar rating for icemaker performance and poor ratings for ease of use and crisper performance. This fridge features a stainless steel finish, an optional icemaker (sold separately), uniquely adjustable shelves that you can raise and lower without removing food, and digital temperature controls. In our latest member surveys, Whirlpool top-freezers receive an excellent rating for predicted reliability, but a poor rating for owner satisfaction.
How CR Tests Refrigerators
We rate refrigerators based on their thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, noise output, ease of use, energy efficiency, crisper performance, and icemaker performance (for models that have that feature).
Every refrigerator we test is wired with 15 temperature sensors. We then monitor those thermocouples for more than a month in one of three temperature-controlled chambers, collecting more than 5.4 million temperature readings for each fridge. The results tell us how well a refrigerator maintains a set temperature and how temperature varies in different areas of a fridge, so we can determine which models will keep your food fresh longer.
Our testers measure the noise when the compressor starts up and the steady hum while the fridge is running. For ease of use, we examine the fridge’s layout, controls, and lighting.
Our process includes tests for icemaker performance based on how much ice a fridge produces per day and how much it can hold in its reservoirs. We evaluate crisper performance to judge how well the crisper drawers retain moisture to keep your food fresh for longer periods of time.
We also factor in survey data from thousands of CR members to judge brand reliability and satisfaction. All of that data and more is used for CR’s refrigerator ratings and each model’s Overall Score.
Get more information on CR’s refrigerator tests.
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