10 things to consider when buying a refrigerator

Buying a refrigerator means making a choice you’ll have to live with every day. It’s a big decision. Since there are so many styles and types of refrigerators, you have a lot of options to choose from.

Whether you can afford to spend under $600 for a basic model, or over $3,000 for a door-in-door fridge with a ton of options, there’s a refrigerator out there calling your name. You just have to do some research before you click that "buy" button.

Checklist: How to buy a refrigerator

This sequence will probably help you most, but go in any order, as long as you cover these points: 1. Measure, measure, measure 2. Decide on a style 3. Set a budget 4. Determine how much food storage you need 5. Choose a finish 6. Find the features you want 7. Visit stores and sites, and start a list 8. Read reviews 9. Select delivery and installation options 10. Plan for disposal of the old fridge

1. Measure, measure, measure

When it comes to investing in a new fridge, you need to measure everything. First, start with where the fridge will live. Make sure the door won't hit an island or a wall. And be sure to leave some extra room—at least an inch all around for ventilation.

Then look at the path the fridge will enter to get into your kitchen. Fridges don't magically appear! Many deliveries end in tears and frustration because the hallway door is too narrow or the stairs are too windy. It may seem like overkill, but if you're living in a particularly tight space, you can piece together a cardboard approximation of the fridge and test drive it from your porch to your kitchen.

2. Style

Most refrigerators fall into these main categories:

• Top freezer: Your grandmother might have had one like this. The freezer is situated above the refrigerator compartment. Though they may look old school, these types of fridges can be very efficient. Generally top freezers are the most affordable type. See our Best Top-freezer refrigerators. We like the Haier HA10TG21SS and Insignia NS-RTM18WH7.

• Bottom freezer: Bottom freezers are a cheaper alternative to French door models, with some of the same advantages. Check out the Hisense HRB171N6ASE.

• Side-by-side: Just like the name says, side-by-sides models have the refrigerator and the freezer right next to one another, keeping most of your food at eye level. If you like lots of room to keep frozen foods like large frozen pizzas, pans of lasagna, similar wide foods, be sure the freezer compartment has room. Many of them don’t, and this can be a make-or-break issue for bakers trying to fit a baking sheet in the freezer. If you prefer the side-by-side look, we recommend the LG LSXS26366S and Haier HRF15N3AGS

• French-door: The most stylish look for refrigerators now, French-doors are bottom freezer models that have two refrigerator doors, and a freezer drawer on the bottom. Typically French doors are the most expensive. There are a few common variants on the three-door French door look, including the four-door version that has an additional pull-drawer, and a quad-door version.

We'd recommend the Frigidaire FG4H2272UF and Bosch B36CD50SNS.

And then there's width and depth to consider. Dishwashers are all the same width. Washers and dryers come in just two widths. Fridges are all over the place. All the fridge styles listed above come in multiple widths. So once again: measure, measure, measure.

• Column: Columns are a relatively new player in the fridge scene, and they've been trending this year as people have more time at home to focus on kitchen renovations. They can be built into a wall or your surrounding cabinets, allowing you to customize your kitchen layout exactly how you want it. Columns also have the advantage of versatile interiors. For instance, they can be great for storing wine, allowing for precise temperature and humidity control. They're more expensive than other fridge types on this list.

• Counter depth: Each of these is also available in counter depth, which is shallower than a standard fridge. The upside? You get a fridge that fits the space, with a more built-in look. The downside? You pay more and get less storage. See our Best Counter-depth Refrigerators, which include the Frigidaire Gallery FG4H2272UF and Samsung RF23J9011SR.

3. Budget

When buying refrigerators, one of the first concerns is price. In our testing at Reviewed, we’ve found excellent refrigerators at a variety of price points. Before you start shopping to buy a fridge, determine how much you’re able to spend. A basic, quality top freezer can cost under $600, while French-door fridges start closer to $1,000 or $1,500 and go up from there.

4. Storage

The size of your kitchen and your family’s eating habits will determine how many cubic-feet of storage your refrigerator needs (and how much freezer space). While the footprint of the fridge (i.e. the exterior width and depth) may be restricted due to your kitchen design, there are fridges that make great use of space and those that don't. In-door ice dispensers, for example, are convenient, but they do take up room that might otherwise hold more groceries.

Some fridges also have flex-shelves and customizable shelves. Be sure to consider how you can customize the shelves. You never know when you'll have to fit a sheet cake, a deli platter, and four bottles of wine.

5. Finish

Since you’re going to be looking at your refrigerator every day, choose a finish that looks great in your kitchen.

• Stainless: The clean, metallic look of a stainless steel refrigerator is timeless. Many of today’s stainless refrigerators are smudgeproof, so you won’t spend hours polishing off fingerprints.

• Black stainless steel: The up-and-coming finish, each brand has its own take on it, making it hard to mix brands. Black stainless resists fingerprints, making it easier to maintain. Although magnets will stick to most black stainless finishes, they can scratch easily, so think twice about using them.

• Plain black or white: Select one of these classic finishes if you need to match the rest of your appliances. A fridge in black or white usually costs less than one in stainless or black stainless steel.

• Other colors: Bisque and almond continue to survive on the fringes, but have no real popularity. There are also bold color choices from the design-centric company Smeg.

6. Special features

Bells and whistles might not be important to you, but if you want ice and water dispensers, gallon-size bins in the doors, adjustable shelves, and a door alarm (oh, yes), ensure that the models you’re considering have them. Nowadays, you can pick from fridges with craft ice makers, smart features, door-in-door designs, air filters to keep produce fresh, and more. Below are some helpful features worth considering when selecting your new fridge.

• Flex drawers: These temperature-controlled drawers are a popular new feature found on French-doors. You can use flex drawers to keep items at a set temperature that is either too warm or too cold to apply to your whole fridge.

• Dual evaporators: While standard fridges use a single evaporator that cools both the freezer and refrigerator, dual evaporators use separate evaporators for each. This feature can help maintain better air quality throughout your fridge, which may help your fresh veggies last longer and help keep your fridge odor-free.

• Air filters: As many fruits ripen, they release ethylene gas, which cause other fresh foods like fruits and vegetables to rot prematurely—that's why many fridges feature crisper drawers to separate your fruits and veggies and keep produce fresher for longer. Newer Bosch fridges, for instance, are aiming to solve this problem by integrating an ethylene gas filter into their fridges.

• Smart home platforms: Many brands have outfitted their fridges with smart home platforms, each with a unique focus and suite of features. LG, for example, is focused on data analytics. It collects your usage data and uses that to help you get even more out of the devices you own. Samsung is about home-wide interconnectedness, outfitting their fridges with a touchscreen you can use to check on your smart doorbell's video feed, order new groceries based on an automated inventory, or suggest recipes based on what you actually have in stock. Bosch's smart platform is all about automation, leveraging the popular task-batching software IFTTT to help users create complex series of actions that will execute automatically via a customized voice command.

7. Touch and feel

Your fridge is usually the most touched appliance in your home. Although they may look sleek when clean, stainless appliances can be prone to fingerprints, leading many brands to release appliance lines with smudge-proof finishes, such as black stainless steel.

If you close you eyes, you can probably recreate exactly what it feels like to open the door and make a grab for the milk. So how your new fridge feels is important as it looks. For instance, you may be interested in refrigerators with recessed handles, which can also provide a more modern look. Even if you're buying online, it's worthwhile to stop by a brick-and-mortar store for some hands-on time.

The exception here is secondary fridges that are headed for the basement or garage. Just go with whatever's affordable and has decent reviews. Speaking of reviews. …

8. Read the reviews

Check our site and others to see what experts and owners say. Not all refrigerators do a great job maintaining the appropriate temperatures to keep food safe.

User reviews, taken as a whole, can help uncover trends in quality and reliability. And don't forget personal recommendations from friends and family—often the most useful and personalized reviews of all.

9. Choose delivery options carefully

Delivery day can go smoothly or it can end in disaster. (See rule #1.) Appliance damage is most likely to occur not at the factory, but in the last fifty feet to your house. Once the truck arrives, all the protective cardboard and foam is ripped away.

Investigate the options. Some retailers include delivery and installation with the price you pay for the refrigerator, but don’t assume that’s always the case. Also, ask how your fridge is going to be delivered. If the delivery service uses a two-wheeler, protect your floors, stairs, and door moldings, or they may get damaged.

Make a careful inspection of the fridge before you give your signature. Examine the walls and floor of your house. Any scratches, dents, or holes? Once they leave it can be much harder to plea your case.

Finally, be patient. Since the pandemic, supply chain delays continue to occasionally impact the availability of certain appliances, and sometimes consumers have to wait weeks or months after purchase for delivery. If you can't wait, you'll need to look for a refrigerator that is in stock right now.

10. Make disposal plans for the old fridge

You may have to pay extra to get your old refrigerator hauled away. Most retailers will haul it away from a nominal charge, but be sure to find out ahead of time. Otherwise you could end up having to take care of it yourself, and refrigerators are heavy.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.