A fridge-freezer is exactly what the name says: a refrigerator with a freezer built into it, the two compartments opening independently of one another. The alternative — a fridge with nothing more than an ice box inside the cooling section — gives you far less freezing space and is less energy efficient into the bargain. Most combinations pair a large fridge with a smaller freezer, though some tip the balance the other way, and they save space because there is no separate freezer to buy or house.
Three machines are covered below, from a compact value option to a tall freestanding model and a built-in. One point to be clear about first: the figures here are the manufacturers' own declared data. They come from product data sheets rather than from anyone's measurements, which makes them directly comparable with each other but not a substitute for a hands-on verdict.
Best Freestanding: LG GBB92MBB3P
The strongest of the freestanding machines here, and a genuinely large one for its footprint: 381 litres of nominal capacity in a cabinet just under 60 cm wide. That splits into 233 litres of fridge, 107 litres across three freezer compartments and a 41-litre cold-storage drawer.
Efficiency is the headline. It is rated class A and declared to beat the class A threshold by a further 20 per cent, with a stated consumption of 88 kWh a year in normal use — the lowest figure in this group by a wide margin. It is also the quietest, at a declared 29 dB(A).
Inside there is LED lighting, a large bottle shelf and a display. Circulated-air cooling spreads the cold more evenly and reduces heat building up in pockets. The vegetable drawer is branded a "Fresh Converter" and offers clearly marked modes for meat, fish or vegetables, and beside it sits a "Fresh Balancer" that can be fine-tuned for fruit or vegetables.
One thing to know before you go looking: LG's own UK product page for this model is marked discontinued, so if you want this exact machine it is worth checking what has replaced it in the range. Search Amazon UK · Amazon US
The Value Pick: Bosch KGN36VICT
The sensible-money option, with a fair purchase price and running costs that stay predictable. Efficiency is where it gives ground: the energy label reads class C, with an average annual consumption of 159 kWh. That is still reasonable, but it plainly does not belong among the low-consumption machines.
It is the more compact of the group, offering 166 litres of usable fridge space and 70 litres in the freezer. Equipment covers the useful basics — interior lighting, a practical door alarm, and a warning display that reliably flags a problem if something goes wrong. At 35 dB(A) it runs pleasantly quietly. Search Amazon UK · Amazon US
Best Built-In: Miele KFN 7734 C
The integrated option, and the one to look at if the machine has to disappear into a kitchen run. Total capacity is 253 litres — sensibly judged rather than enormous — of which 183 litres is fridge and 70 litres is freezer, split across three drawers. The energy label reads class C.
The feature highlights are LED lighting, a NoFrost freezer section and circulated-air cooling, which means less warmth trapped between stacked packets and storage boxes. The vegetable drawer has a humidity control for different kinds of fruit and vegetables. Declared noise is 33 dB(A) — quiet, though not exceptionally so. Search Amazon UK · Amazon US
Which Type Suits Your Kitchen?
Built-in. An integrated machine comes without a finished outer casing and is fixed permanently into the kitchen run, and it is worth having it installed properly. Once fitted it is space-saving and looks the part. The trade-off is that built-in machines often do not work as efficiently as freestanding ones.
Freestanding. Quick to position and easy to move later, with the widest choice of sizes and the easiest access for maintenance. It will not blend into the kitchen the way a built-in does.
Side-by-side, sometimes called the American fridge. The signature is the pair of doors sitting next to each other. These are notably large and roomy machines, and they take up a correspondingly large amount of kitchen. The doors often carry extras — an ice and crushed-ice dispenser, or a water dispenser. If that appeals, check the plumbing first: these machines frequently need connecting to a water supply, though some now use a refillable tank instead.
What to Check Before You Buy
Size. Machines run from under 1.5 metres to more than 2 metres tall. Compact ones are cheaper, but anything under about 1.5 metres often disappoints, so if you have the space the larger machine is usually the better buy. Measure the gap first, including how the doors will swing.
Equipment. This covers the freezer compartment or section, purpose-designed drawers for meat, vegetables or fruit, and whether the machine offers LowFrost or NoFrost.
Door direction. Which way should the doors open? Depending on where the machine stands, this is not a detail — and on some models the hinge side can be swapped, which is a clear plus.
Anti-tip protection. Small accidents happen mostly when the door is opened. Anti-tip protection stops bottles stored in the door from toppling over, and in the worst case breaking, as the door swings.
Cleaning. Check that covers and fittings can be removed. That is what lets you get into the crevices and corners properly.
Reading the Energy Label
The old A+, A++ and A+++ tiers are gone, and the scale now runs from A to G. Class A is reserved for genuinely frugal machines and is rare among fridge-freezers, so do not treat its absence as a red flag. Many of the strongest machines sit in class B. Classes C and D are the normal standard and a perfectly good choice. It is at E to G that the running costs start to matter enough to be careful about.
That is worth holding in mind against the three machines above: one is class A and beats the threshold by a further fifth, while the other two sit at C — the standard, not a failing, but the difference shows up on the meter over a decade.
Frost, Defrosting and Upkeep
Without a NoFrost function, the freezer section needs defrosting at least once a year. Skip it and thick crusts of ice build up on the heat exchangers, which interferes with how well the machine works and pushes its consumption — and so its running costs — up. The alternative is to buy a machine with NoFrost or an automatic defrost function, which heads off icing on its own.
The fridge section simply wants keeping clean inside, which is easier on a machine whose fittings come out.
One More Thing Worth Knowing
Some machines include a generously sized cold-storage compartment, the drawer held at just above zero degrees. Perishable food keeps particularly well there, and it is the feature most likely to be missed by someone comparing machines on capacity and energy class alone. The LG above devotes 41 litres to exactly that.
