Refrigerators

We've Lab-Tested Hundreds of Refrigerators. These Are the 12 Best Fridges of 2025.

See top performers in every style—including French-door fridges, built-in models, and mini-fridges—from such brands as Dacor, GE, LG, Samsung, and Sub-Zero

By Daniel Wroclawski

Updated January 1, 2025

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LG LRFXC2416S Refrigerator open showing food inside — There’s a refrigerator configuration to suit every household. French-door models like this one are extremely popular.

The refrigerator lab at Consumer Reports is always busy. Our testers are constantly evaluating new models and adding them to our refrigerator ratings, which have more than 250 models across all configurations: bottom-freezers, built-ins, French-doors, mini fridges, side-by-sides, and top-freezers.

The lines between categories, though, are blurring. Today’s refrigerators have more doors, and features that were once exclusive have trickled down to more budget-friendly styles, such as top-freezers and side-by-sides.

In this article

Best Refrigerators: French-Doors Side-by-Sides Top-Freezers Bottom-Freezers Built-Ins Mini Fridges
How CR Tests Refrigerators

“We’ve even seen models that give you the capability to convert some compartments from freezer to fridge and vice versa,” says Breann Chai, who oversees CR’s refrigerator testing.

Should You Repair or Replace Your Broken Refrigerator?

CR’s interactive tool leverages product costs, depreciation rates, and survey data to help you make the right choice.

Best French-Door Refrigerators

Want to see even more highly rated French-doors? See our guide to the best French-door fridges from our tests.

Best Side-by-Side Refrigerators

Want to see more side-by-sides? Head over to our expanded report on the best side-by-side refrigerators from our tests.

Best Top-Freezer Refrigerators

If you need a simpler or even smaller top-freezer, consult our list of the best top-freezer refrigerators from our tests.

Best Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators

For more brands and sizes, see the best bottom-freezer refrigerators from our ratings.

Best Built-In Refrigerators

If you have less space to play with or you prefer another brand, check out our deeper dive into the best built-in refrigerators.

Best Mini Fridges

Want to see more mini fridges? Here’s our guide to the best mini fridges you can buy.

How CR Tests Refrigerators

During testing, we outfit each refrigerator with thermocouples in a climate-controlled chamber and monitor it for more than a month, collecting more than 5.4 million temperature readings that identify warm and cold spots, to determine which models will keep your food fresh longest. We also factor in survey data from thousands of CR members to judge brand reliability and satisfaction. All of that—and then some—informs CR’s refrigerator ratings and each model’s Overall Score. Below, you can take a peek into our refrigerator labs to see how we evaluate these essential appliances.

Get more information on CR’s refrigerator tests.

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We collect more than 5.4 million temperature readings for each fridge in our temperature-controlled chambers. To test the freezers, we use frozen spinach to see how well they keep the packages frozen. See ratings + reviews at cr.org/home #refrigerator #appliancesareeverything #kitchentok
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Daniel Wroclawski

Dan Wroclawski is a home and appliances writer at Consumer Reports, covering products ranging from refrigerators and coffee makers to cutting-edge smart home devices. Before joining CR in 2017, he was an editor at USA Today’s Reviewed, and launched the site’s smart home section. In his spare time, you can find him tinkering with one of the over 70 connected devices in his house. Follow Dan on Facebook and Twitter @danwroc.