The Best Fridge Freezer Buying Guide 2023

A fridge is often the focal point of the kitchen and in the space of ‘all things food’, it is arguably one of the most important electrical appliances in the room. From ensuring your food is kept fresh and safe to eat, to keeping your favourite drinks cool, it’s certainly an item that needs some pre-purchase research and consideration.

Let us simplify this process for you by helping to identify the fridge for you. This guide explains everything you need to know to ensure you select the best model for you.

Larder Fridges

Larder fridges are designed to provide a large amount of storage space for fresh food items, such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and other perishable items.

Fridges with freezer compartments

Fridges with a small freezer or ice box are intended for people who only need to freeze a small amount of food at a time, such as ice cream, or to store ice for drinks.

Freezers

A freezer is used to freeze and store food and other perishable items at temperatures below the freezing point in order to keep them fresh for longer periods of time.

Shop freezers

Fridge Freezers

A fridge freezer is a single appliance that combines a refrigerator and a freezer compartment. It is intended to provide a convenient way to store both perishable and frozen food items in a single appliance.

Freestanding

A freestanding refrigerator is a self-contained unit that can be placed anywhere in the kitchen as long as there is an electrical outlet and enough space. These refrigerators are typically taller and wider, and they are available in a wide range of sizes and styles, including top-freezer, bottom-freezer, and side-by-side models. They are designed to be easily moved and replaced or upgraded without requiring extensive installation work.

Shop freestanding refrigeration

Integrated

An integrated refrigerator, also known as a built-in refrigerator, is one that is designed to be installed into your kitchen cabinetry. These refrigerators are typically smaller than freestanding models and come in a variety of configurations, including under-counter, column, and drawer models. They are designed to blend in with the kitchen decor and provide a streamlined appearance.

Shop integrated refrigeration

The decision of whether to go freestanding or integrated depends entirely on your available space and kitchen style. Many modern kitchens use integrated solutions as this maximises every available bit of space and conceals appliances behind built-in furniture. When considering integrated, there are many options, including under-counter separates, combined fridge freezer units and even individual tall fridges and freezers. For example, models such as the UKFS18EV2HB and UKFF18EN2HB are designed to be fitted into a tall housing unit and can be positioned side by side in order to create a large refrigeration space that maximizes food storage capabilities.

Fridge or freezer? This is a fundamental question, as it will impact your choice of appliance considerably. You need to think about whether you want just a fridge or both a fridge and a freezer. If both, are they one appliance or two stand-alone units? Could an icebox suffice for your freezer needs or do you require a 50/50 split? Smeg offers fridges and freezers individually or in a combination of splits, giving flexibility dependent on your situation.

70/30

If you keep a lot of fresh food, this is an excellent option. This split features a huge refrigerator section on top and a smaller freezer compartment on the bottom.

60/40

A good option for those who keep a lot of fresh food but don't want to compromise on a much smaller freezer area. This split allows for a slighlty larger fridge vs freezer.

50/50

This choice gives you an equal split of fridge and freezer, giving you the best of both worlds.

AMERICAN STYLE FRIDGE FREEZERS

An American side-by-side refrigerator will offer plenty of storage capacity, efficient organisation, and a sleek design, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a new refrigerator.

To enhance flexibility even further our four-door fridge freezers have a convertible compartment which can be a fridge or become a freezer dependent on which groceries you’ve bought that week!

4 door

Shop all 4 door fridge freezers

2 door/2 drawer

Shop all 2 door 2 drawer fridge freezers

RETRO REFRIGERATION

If you want a fridge that will add a touch of vibrancy and personality to the room, then one of our iconic 50’s retro range might be best for you. From the petite FAB5 mini bar to the spacious FAB50 fridge freezer the range includes seven sizes and comes in a multitude of colours with other special editions released across the years.

Read our retro fridge buyers guide

Scroll

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL?

Smeg appliances are revered for innovative design, something we’ve bought to some of our collaborations with iconic brands. Inspired by the universally known Fiat 500 hatchback, the Smeg500 is one example of this and a real labour of love. The unique cooler is made from original Fiat 500 parts with working lights and switches for the extra wow factor. Available in a variety of bright colourways, the Smeg500 is a memorable addition to any bar, restaurant or the home of Italian retro lovers. Alternatively, for the fashion followers in the world, our recent collaboration with Dolce and Gabbana has taken the iconic 50’s style fridge and given it a very stylish new dress. Each fridge is one-of-a-kind and features images hand painted by Sicilian artists. Here the fridge is more than something to cool your food and drink – it becomes a piece of art, an Italian masterpiece.

Fruit & vegetable drawer

This drawer is ideal for storing your fruit and vegetables, keeping them fresher and crisper for longer.

Life plus drawer

These controlled temperature zones (-2°C +3°C) are designed for better and longer preservation of perishable food such as fish, cheese and meat.

No Frost

A No frost system in the freezer means no manual defrosting is needed, the refrigerator will do it for you.

Ice maker

An ice maker in the freezer compartment will ensure you have enough ice for entertaining in style.

Fast freezer

Ideal to use after returning from the shops with frozen items like ice cream that need quick freezing.

Holiday

This power-saving mode allows you to disable the refrigerator but keep the freezer working, so energy isn’t wasted whilst you're away from home for a long period of time.

Auto defrost

Fridges with Auto defrost stop icy build-ups in your fridge.

Active ION system

An Active Ion system neutralises bacteria and other impurities responsible for unpleasant food odour keeping your fridge in top condition.

CHOOSE THE BEST ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATING

In recent years, the energy rating scales have been re structured to allow for more energy related improvements to be made within the industry. This reclassification means that fridges and freezers that were previously A+++ rated (the highest rating) are now re-classified as D rated. D rated models on the new scale are still just as energy efficient as before, so these are an excellent choice for your home.

Some more examples are models previously A++ have been rescaled to E rated and models previously A+ have been rescaled to F rated and so on..

Read the article

Need help?

Did you know that Smeg has a dedicated support website which is full of useful information about our products, including everything from how to check your fridge temperature to how to register your warranty?

Read our FAQ's

Found this helpful? View our other buyers’ guides

View buying guides

How to choose the best fridge freezer for your kitchen

Types of fridges & freezers