We all know how important it is to keep our food cold. The garage is often seen as the perfect place to store it, especially if you have an unheated garage.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find a fridge that meets all your needs. What do you want to store? Can the refrigerator handle the heat? How often can you move it? How large is too large?
Read on to find out our top pick for the best garage refrigerator.
The Contenders
We chose our review refrigerators based on what people really want from a garage fridge. We considered many factors based on things like physical size, temperature range, shelf space and a few other factors.
COMPARISON CHART
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
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1. Frigidaire Retro Bar Fridge Refrigerator
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2. BLACK DECKER BCRK25B Compact Refrigerato
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3. Midea Compact Refrigerator
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4. Danby Compact Refrigerator
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5. RCA Mini Fridge
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1. Frigidaire Retro Bar Fridge Refrigerator
Specification
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18.5 x 21.5 x 32.5 inches |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Weight | 50.35 pounds |
Features
- Cabinet Mounted Bottle Opener
- Dedicated Freezer to Make Ice
- CFC Free
- 2L Bottle Storage In Door
You might not think a fridge can be stylish and functional all in one unit. The Frigidaire Retro Bar Fridge Refrigerator might change your mind.
It’s a 55-inch fridge that looks like a vintage bar. It’s no slouch when it comes to how it keeps your drinks cold. It has two glass shelves and two clear door bins, as well as a full-width sliding shelf for extra room.
WHAT WE LIKE
- This garage refrigerator has an adjustable thermostat which saves energy.
- It is also CFC free, helping it to be environmentally friendly.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
- We do wish it came with an inner light.
- No automatic defrosting
2. BLACK and DECKER BCRK25B Compact Refrigerator
Specification
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18.5 x 17.52 x 26.61 inches |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Weight | 44.5 pounds |
Features
- Enough Storage for five 12 oz. cans
- Full-width Freezer Compartment and Room to Make Ice
- Reversible Door & Space Saving Design
- Compliant to DOE 2014 Standards & R600a Refrigerant
Black and Decker’s BCRK25B refrigerator offers a compact design that doesn’t sacrifice any space for your necessities. It holds up to 12 12-ounce cans, and is a great way to keep drinks and other perishables cool right in your garage.
It certainly eliminates the need to make trips to your kitchen.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Does exactly what it says it’ll do, which is keep your items chilled
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
- The BCRK25B Compact Refrigerator is the kind of refrigerator you’d expect to find in your dorm room or micro studio apartment. It looks a bit plain.
- It’s not the most versatile option for your garage. But if you just need something to keep the beer cold, it’ll do the job.
3. Midea Compact Refrigerator
Specification
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 18.5 x 19.37 x 32.95 inches |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Weight | 52.2 pounds |
Features
- Reversible Doors
- Separate Crisper for Fruits/Vegetables
- Adjustable Legs
- Larger than a mini-fridge
This compact refrigerator from Midea is small in size but large in convenience. Featuring a three-liter capacity, this fridge holds enough food and drinks to supply a small family for a day.
The door features two shelves that are perfect for holding bottles, cans and juice boxes. The fridge also has a freezer compartment, which can be used to store frozen meats or other items.
WHAT WE LIKE
- The new Midea Compact Refrigerator keeps food cold for up to three days. It also comes with a variety of helpful features that you won’t find in most other fridges.
- For example: a dual evaporator and anti-mold technology that prevents food from spoiling.
- An LCD display that allows you to adjust the fridge’s internal environment to suit your needs.
- And an auto-drain that makes it easy to clean up any condensation.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
- Some buyers have mentioned that the temperature can be inconsistent.
- The unit can be loud at times.
4. Danby Compact Refrigerator
Specification
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 21.3 x 20.75 x 33.07 inches |
| Voltage | 115 Volts |
| Weight | 59.3 pounds |
Features
- Enough Storage for five 12 oz. cans
- Full-width Freezer Compartment and Room to Make Ice
- Reversible Door & Space Saving Design
- Compliant to DOE 2014 Standards & R600a Refrigerant
- Reversible Door & Space Saving Design
Rationing fridge space when living at college or if you have limited storage space in an apartment is a pain. Fortunately, it’s a problem that can be easily solved by choosing this Danby Compact Refrigerator.
WHAT WE LIKE
- With its 4.4 cubic foot capacity, you can store all of your favorite beverages and snacks. It’s actually large enough to store two six packs of Coke.
- It features a full-width freezer compartment.
- You can use it to store frozen pizzas, ice cream, or even a pint of ice cream. Reviewers also love the adjustable shelves and the easy pull power cord that helps you plug in the fridge.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
- Doesn’t get all that cold sometimes.
5. RCA Mini Fridge
Specification
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 17.5 x 18.75 x 32.75 inches |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Weight | 44.09 pounds |
Features
- Enough Storage for five 12 oz. cans
- Full-width Freezer Compartment and Room to Make Ice
- Reversible Door & Space Saving Design
- Compliant to DOE 2014 Standards & R600a Refrigerant
- Reversible Door & Space Saving Design
The RCA Mini Fridge is a great option for small households, offices, dorm rooms, and anywhere else smaller spaces are needed. It’s also a great option for situations where space is limited for a larger fridge.
WHAT WE LIKE
- As far as the overall look of the fridge, it’s very attractive and compact. It will definitely fit in practically any location that you put it.
- It also comes in a variety of colors, so that it will work well with the color scheme of your kitchen or office.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
- Not returnable if there’s a problem.
- Some buyers mention that their units have come with numerous dents.
Do Refrigerators Work in the Garage?
Sure, a good refrigerator can keep your lettuce crisp and your milk cold, but when it comes to refrigeration for cars and motorcycles, not all refrigerators are created equal.
If you’re thinking about putting a refrigerator in your garage, you need to look at three main things:
- How much a cubic foot of the space cooling capacity
- The noise level
- The size
Can You Keep a Refrigerator in a Hot Garage?
If you have a hot garage, then it’s not a good place for a regular refrigerator, which needs to be kept at a cooler temperature. The garage may get too hot and humid on its own though, so a separate dehumidifier is recommended.
The garage refrigerator is designed for your garage. It’s a cool way to keep your beer and soda cold and out of the way of children and pets.
It can also provide an energy saving way to keep your drinks cold during parties or barbecues. Since it is designed to be moved around or you can keep it in one spot and not worry about it.
It normally has casters so it can be rolled outside for a cookout. This is a great way to keep food or drinks cold when hosting a party.
Pros and Cons of a Garage Refrigerator
If you don’t have enough kitchen realestate for a standard-sized refrigerator, you might be tempted to get one that takes up less room. While they’re a good alternative to regular refrigerators, there are some things to be aware of before you consider buying one.
Pros
Entertaining
- Throw some casters on if your fridge doesn’t have any and roll it out for parties
More Storage Space
- If you have a large family, a garage refrigerator can make an excellent extension to your home fridge.
Keeps Messy Items Away From the House Refrigerator
- We all know that some foods like fish and other seafood can leave a home refrigerator smelling nasty. A garage refrigerator can instantly take care of that problem, leaving your home fridge smelling fresh.
Cons
Not All Garage Refrigerators Are Mad With the Same Standards
- Although garage refrigerators are built for garage use, you have to check to make sure they can take it. Depending on where you live, temperatures can vary wildly.
Cannot Really Replace a Main Refrigerator
- Most garage refrigerators are much smaller than a normal home fridge. This is so they can survive various temperature changes and still operate normally.
- Due to their smaller size, you can’t fit as much into a garage fridge as you could a home version. This is especially true if you need to keep a lot of items frozen.
Limited Placement Options
- Garages are not known to have huge amounts of electrical plug sockets. This may limit where you can plug in your fridge. Sure, you can use extension cord, but then you’ll need to worry about where to place it.
The King of The Garage Refrigerators Is…
We hope you’ve enjoyed this review. In the world of garage fridges, all of our contenders work very well for what they are designed to do. Of course, there can only be one winner.
The Frigidaire Retro Bar Fridge Refrigerator easily takes the crown for this review. It has everything you need in a garage fridge:
- At 3.2 cubic feet, it has plenty of room for your favorite beverages and more
- It has that funky retro look that’s hard to resist
- It’s also extremely energy efficient
The bottom line: The Frigidaire Retro Bar Fridge Refrigerator is the garage refrigerator to get, period. You should definitely consider purchasing one.
