How we test freezers

Our test assesses how well freezers manage temperature on a daily basis as well as how well their insulation prevents them warming up too quickly when the power is cut and how quickly they cool back down when the power's back on.

Choosing which models to test

As much as we’d love to, we can’t test every freezer on the market. Testing is expensive and time consuming, and we have a limited budget.

Instead, we regularly survey the market, and discuss with manufacturers which models will be deleted, which are staying current and what new models will be released in the near future. We then choose a representative selection of freezers for testing, including both cheaper and more expensive ones, chest and upright models, as well as any models with new or interesting features.

If you don’t see the model you’re considering purchasing in our test results, then try and identify a similar model by the same manufacturer, and pay attention to our brand reliability and satisfaction results – if you choose a brand that scores highly, you’ll likely end up with a good model that will also last you a long time.

Lifetime score

Our overall score combines test performance (how well the appliance works) with predicted reliability (how likely models from the brand are to remain free of faults) and brand satisfaction (how likely owners of the brand are to be very satisfied).

Test performance

Temperature control

We base our temperature performance assessment on:

• how well a freezer deals with a warm load being added

• how a freezer copes with changes in ambient temperature

• freezer temperatures throughout its daily operation and whether they’re uniform

• whether the default temperature settings are appropriate for safe temperature control.

Food safety

We focus on functionality that can affect the safety of your food in the freezer, such as the appliance’s ability to manage temperature fluctuations, its ability to keep temperatures stable throughout and how well it deals with seasonal temperature changes such as heat in summer and cold in winter.

Warm-up

This is how long it takes the freezer to warm up if power is cut. The freezer is switched off in a temperature-controlled room at 32°C. We time how long it takes for the freezer to warm from -15°C to -5°C.

Cool-down

We measure how long it takes to cool the air in an empty freezer from when it’s switched on until it reaches -13°C in a warm (42°C) temperature-controlled room. Cool-down times will be longer and more variable with food in the freezer.

Predicted reliability

It’s reasonable to expect a new appliance to remain fault-free for at least the first 5 years. Our predicted reliability won’t tell you whether the freezer in your garage will start to leak tomorrow, but it does show which brands make models that are less likely to fail.

Brand satisfaction

Satisfaction is important – no appliance should be a source of buyer regret. Appliances with very satisfied owners are more likely to get cleaned regularly and be maintained well. Their owners are also more likely to get any faults repaired, rather than looking for a quick replacement.