Best mini fridge: The best cold food storage options for portability and space
Need extra fridge space for your home or office? Our guide to the best options will help you make your decision
Are you always struggling to fit excess groceries into your kitchen fridge? Maybe you’re a student who needs to keep your food out of that particularly grabby housemate’s hands. Whatever your reasons, a mini fridge can be a lifesaver if you’re looking for some extra cooling space, keep lunches and snacks cold in the office or even have a place to store drinks when friends and family come to visit.
But with so many products out there to choose from, finding the best option for your specific needs can be tricky. How much do you want to spend? Are there extra features that you need?
Our guide to the best purchases – whether you’re a student, sharer, homeowner or boss searching for the perfect mini fridge – can help you decide.
Best mini fridge: At a glance
How to buy the best mini fridge for you
How much should I spend?
The price of mini fridges can vary wildly, but generally speaking, you’re paying for space. While a tiny 14-15l fridge – big enough for a few beers but nothing more – will be perfectly adequate for some, others will understandably need more room. A decent mini fridge can be purchased for less than £150, but there are also cheaper options that do the job just fine.
If you’re simply looking for somewhere to store beers and soft drinks, there are a ton of options for less than £80 online, but something large and spacious enough for food storage can set you back over £100. There are also luxury options that cost much more.
When it comes down to overall cost, you may also need to take energy consumption into account when buying your mini fridge. The higher the efficiency, the more money you save in the long run – important if you plan to keep it plugged in all the time, and obviously better for the planet.
What features do I need?
With size comes room for extra features, which will either be superfluous or a dealbreaker depending on the planned use for your new mini fridge. For example, if you’re hoping to use it as a stand-in for a larger fridge/freezer, temporarily or on a permanent basis, it may be a good idea to purchase a product with door storage. If nothing else, this allows drinks or milk to be kept separate, upright and easy to get to.
Another big feature is the optional freezer box, which is included in many larger mini fridges and can be used for small things such as ice cubes or the odd emergency Cornetto during the summer months. You won’t be able to fit much more in there, but freezer space is a commodity that can prove essential for some customers.
Of course, if you’re looking for a mini fridge that can travel with you, smaller is better. While you have to keep an eye out for models that require power leads to be bought separately, a travel fridge for the car is ideal for camping trips or long drives.
The best mini fridges to buy from £30
1. iceQ 70l Compact Counter Top Table Mini Drinks Fridge: Best for storage space
Price: £160 | Buy now from Minifridge
With its ample 70l capacity, this mini fridge from iceQ offers plenty of space for a reasonable price. Door storage is a big plus here, and at 63cm the fridge is more than tall enough for you to store wine or milk in this compartment along with anything else you wish. It’s also no deeper than it needs to be, which means that the rest of the fridge space can be fully utilised.
Two removable shelves allow for greater customisability, depending on what you wish to store, and the small icebox is a fantastic bonus. It also offers anti-bacterial protection, keeping your perishables safe, and has an A* energy rating.
Key specs – Size: 43.5 x 47 x 63cm; Capacity: 70l; Energy efficiency: A+; Weight: 25kg
2. Montpellier Retro Undercounter Fridge Freezer: Best if you want a freezer
Price: £200 | Buy now from Currys
If what you want is a full-size fridge freezer but there’s no space available, the Montpellier under-counter version will provide the same services but in a smaller package. It has an 88l capacity – 62l fridge, 26l freezer – as well as door storage that’s designed to hold a whole multipack of canned drinks vertically, a salad crisper drawer and two internal shelves, so it can adapt to what you need to store. It only produces around 39dB of noise, and it’ll keep your food cool for seven hours if the power fails. Plus, it’s available in four colours to coordinate with your kitchen – red, cream, black and blue – and has a sleek retro design.
Key specs – Size: 47.9 x 49.5 x 85.5cm; Capacity: 88l; Energy efficiency: F
3. ChillQuiet Silent Mini Fridge 24l: Best for bedroom storage
Price: £170 | Buy now from Drinkstuff
Mini fridges are perfect for those living in a dorm or studio, but noise levels are a concern for environments in which you also want to get some sleep. While a lot of rivals run at around 43dB, the ChillQuiet Mini Fridge is silent, meaning it can be placed in a bedroom without the worry of it waking you in the middle of the night.
Although it’s recommended you don’t use the fridge to store perishables, it’s brilliant for keeping drinks and some snacks in during the summer months or in environments where you want to keep a private stash. It can even be locked – perfect for keeping your favourite foods away from hungry housemates.
Key specs – Size: 44 x 46 x 51cm; Capacity: 24l; Energy efficiency: A; Weight: 10.2kg
4. Subcold Super50 LED Mini Fridge: Best for bars
Price: £160 | Buy now from Amazon
If your mini fridge isn’t strictly for food and drink overspill or for keeping cans and bottles in your bedroom/living room, perhaps you want something more in the style of what’s found behind a bar. The Subcold Super50 is perfect if you want to display the contents of your fridge, and the LED light illuminates the drinks inside for an even clearer view. Two removable wire shelves help make the most of the general internal space and you can even keep it locked so nothing goes missing when you’re not looking.
Key specs – Size: 44 x 50 x 52.5cm; Capacity: 50l; Energy efficiency: A+; Weight: 17.1kg
5. Smeg FAB5L Freestanding Mini Fridge: Best for luxury style
Price: £669 | Buy now from AO
If you truly want your mini fridge to feel like a luxurious extra in the home, then you can’t go wrong with the 1950s-style Smeg fridge, which is gorgeous to look at and contains more internal space than the sleek exterior suggests. The only drawbacks are the price, which sits at just below £700, and its low energy efficiency. The fridge runs silently, however, meaning you can keep it anywhere without being disturbed, and you get extra door storage for wines and tall bottles. Get it in classic black or cream, or go snazzy with bright red.
Key specs – Size: 40.4 x 50 x 73.4cm; Capacity: 31l; Energy efficiency: D; Weight: 17.5kg
6. Cookology Table Top Mini Fridge: Best for general storage
Price: £85 | Buy now from Amazon
If you’re looking for some extra spill-over fridge space in a shared living area or an office, look no further than the Cookology Table Top Mini Fridge. The fridge has a tiny bit of freezer room in the form of an icebox, which is only really big enough for an ice tray and the storage space has been economically used elsewhere.
Key specs – Size: 46.5 x 50.3 x 52cm; Capacity: 46l; Energy efficiency: A+; Weight: 16.4kg
7. Husky EL193 Union Flag Mini Fridge: Best as more than just a drinks cooler
Price: £150 | Buy now from Amazon
Mini fridges can be plain, given that their intended home is the kitchen, while drinks coolers tend to offer a bit more fun. Husky’s mini fridge is the best of both worlds – colourful, yet it functions as a ‘true fridge’ with temperatures low enough (0-10C) to keep your pint of milk or leftovers cold, preventing bacteria from taking hold.
For those who’ll mostly use it for drinks, it’s a dream, fitting in 40 x 440ml drink cans or 12 bottles of wine, with an adjustable thermostat so they’ll be chilled but not frosty. For those who plan to mostly store food, there’s plenty of door storage, one full-depth shelf and one half-depth shelf and the sort of solid build quality you’d expect from a full-sized fridge.
Key specs – Size: 43 x 47 x 51cm; Capacity: 43l; Energy efficiency: F Weight: 16kg
