The best mini fridges for keeping your drinks cool this summer

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If you’re tight on space inside your kitchen fridge, buying an additional mini fridge for your garage or dining room is a practical solution for storing large items such as drinks and long-life groceries.

Mini fridges are also a pragmatic purchase for rooms in shared students halls, storing packed lunches in office kitchens, or keeping cold drinks at arm’s reach in home offices.

To help you find the best mini fridge for your space, The Recommended scoured the internet to find a selection of the best to buy online. We’ve also researched how much it costs to run an additional fridge in your home, as well as how to choose the most efficient appliances.

Jump to the best mini fridges:

The best mini fridges

Best small mini fridge: AstroAI Mini Fridge

Compact and portable design

Ideal for using as a counter-top drinks fridge, this small 9-litre mini fridge can store up to 12 330ml cans and is fitted with a handy removable shelf for storing larger chilled items.

Capable of cooling up to 18°C below ambient temperature, as well as keeping your items warm up to 66°C, this mini fridge is ideal for use all year round. The design of this mini fridge is compact and modern, and comes in a choice of three colours: black, white and blue. It also has a semiconductor refrigeration chip, claims to be freon-free and environmentally friendly, and is designed to operate quietly.

Best overall mini fridge: Russell Hobbs RHTTLF1B Table Top Fridge

Space-saving design

A great all-rounder, this mini fridge from Russel Hobbs can hold up to 43 litres of items and comes fitted with an ice box, bottle rack, two removable wire shelves and an adjustable thermostat.

A great additional feature of this mini fridge is its reversible door, which is handy if you need to switch which side the door opens to suit your space. This mini fridge is also available in a 66-litre model and comes in three colours: white, silver and black.

Best portable mini fridge: AstroAI Mini Fridge 4 Litre

Compatible with cars

This ultra-portable 4-litre mini fridge can hold up to six 330ml cans and comes fitted with a 12V cigarette lighter outlet for use inside vehicles.

This mini fridge can cool items up to 18°C below ambient temperature and can keep items warm up to 66°C. It has a removable shelf for storing larger items and weighs 2.01kg. It also features a handle on the top of the unit for portability.

Best home office mini fridge: Subcold Classic4 Mini Fridge - Cooler & Warmer

For personal use

Great for storing chilled drinks and snacks at an arm's reach during the working week, this 4-litre mini fridge is an ideal addition to your desktop.

This mini fridge is designed to keep chilled items cool up to 18°C below the ambient temperature and can keep hot items warm up to 45-65°C. It has an AC mains plug for indoor use, a USB power lead for using inside vehicles, and can also connect to a 2AMP power bank for use at campsites and picnics.

Best for travelling abroad: SENSIOHOME 10L Mini Fridge Cooler & Warmer

Great variety of power options

5. SENSIOHOME 10L Mini Fridge Cooler & Warmer

Whether you’re setting off on a long road trip abroad or a camping holiday at home, this versatile mini fridge comes with a UK and European power lead, as well as a lighter socket for vehicle use.

This mini fridge is designed to keep items cool up to 20°C below ambient temperatures or heat up to 65°C and has a 10-litre capacity, which is enough to store up to 12 330ml cans. This appliance weighs 4kg and comes fitted with a handle for carrying.

Best high-capacity mini fridge: Inventor Mini Fridge

Sleek and minimal design

Available in three models with storage capacities up to 98 litres, this mini fridge is ideal for small offices, student rooms in university halls, and garages.

This mini fridge has an 88-litre main fridge compartment and a 10-litre chill box freezer section. The top of this appliance is removable for storing under work surfaces, and the door is reversible, which is useful if you need to adapt the fridge to suit your space. There are also three door bottle racks, an adjustable glass shelf and a drawer for fruits and veg. It also boasts an adjustable mechanical thermostat for setting your preferred temperature and internal light for nighttime.

Best lockable mini fridge: Subcold Eco100 LED Under-Counter Fridge

For keeping your items safe

7. Subcold Eco100 LED Under-Counter Black Fridge

Whether you want to keep your lunch safe or medicine away from children, this lockable mini fridge is fitted with a key lock to prevent unauthorised access.

This low power consumption mini fridge has an energy consumption of 104kWh per year and can store up to 74 litres. It has a temperature range of 0°C to 10°C and is fitted with an adjustable thermostat for adjusting the temperature inside. It also features a chiller box designed to keep frozen goods up to -6°C, a vegetable box, a reversible door and three customisable and removable shelves.

Best for cosmetics: AstroAI Skincare Fridge for Bedroom

Digital temperature control

With an adjustable LED temperature control panel, this small and lightweight mini fridge is perfect for keeping cosmetics chilled in bedrooms.

This mini fridge has a 6-litre capacity, which is enough to store up to eight 330ml cans. It has a temperature range of 20℃ below ambient temperature or up to 60℃ and has an intuitive control panel for setting the temperature to suit different cosmetic products. It also features quiet technology, which is designed to reduce sound and operate at a minimum of 25dB.

Best mini fridge for vehicles: BODEGA 35L Car Fridge Freezer Portable Car Refrigerator

Large capacity

With a temperature range of -20°C to 20°C and the ability to store up to 35 litres of items, this portable dual zone car fridge freezer is perfect for camping, trucks and RVs.

This portable fridge freezer comes with a 12V cable for using inside cars, a 24V cable for lorries, a solar panel socket for using at campsites, and a wall socket for home use. It features dual temperature control settings for storing food and drink at two different temperatures. Wheels and a retractable handle aid its portability, and an integrated cutting board and bottle opener are thoughtful additional features when used outside the home.

How much electricity does a mini fridge use?

With mini fridges potentially running 24/7 in your home or office, a common question when purchasing one is how much electricity it will use. Luckily, it’s fairly straightforward to find out the electricity usage as it will be included on the data plate on the back of the appliance. If you can’t find this information, visit Label 2020, an EU energy label initiative and database, to search for your appliance there.

How much does it cost to run a mini fridge?

So you’ve figured out how much electricity your mini fridge uses, but how much extra is that likely to cost you?

According to Ofgem, an independent National Regulatory Authority in the UK, the current average cost of electricity for households currently stands at £0.28 per kWh used (as of July 2022). This is in addition to the daily standing charge of £0.45, a daily fixed amount that households must pay to their energy provider irrespective of how much energy is used.

To calculate how much an appliance in your home will therefore cost, follow the following instructions:

Multiply the appliance’s wattage (supplied by the manufacturer) by the number of hours you plan to use it per day. This will leave you with the number of watt-hours consumed each day.
Divide that number by 1000 to find out the appliance’s kilowatt hours (kWh), which is how electricity usage is measured on your electricity bill.
Multiply the kWh by 30 to find out the kWh per month.
Finally, multiply the kWh per month by how much you pay per kWh to find out how much it will likely cost you each month. This will be on your electricity bill, but if you can’t find it, use the UK average mentioned above (£0.28 per kWh).

So, for example, if a mini fridge has a wattage of 100, multiplied by 24 hours will mean the appliance consumes 2,400 watts each day. Divided by 1000, the appliance’s kWh would be 24. Multiplying that number by 30 (days) will give you a kWh per month of 816. Multiply this by £0.28, and the average monthly cost of running the mini fridge all day would be roughly £2.28.

You can also calculate this by visiting Label 2020 and use their calculator to work out your appliance’s efficiency and estimated running cost.

If you would like to read more expert-recommended round-ups, check out our Summer Essentials page, where you’ll find more recommendations, including the best fans to help you beat the heat, the best sun creams to protect your skin, and the best carry-on luggage.

Luke ChamberlainStaff Writer

Luke Chamberlain is a Staff Writer for The Recommended, and interviews some of the world’s most knowledgeable product experts to help readers make smarter decision about the products they buy online.