Best fridges in 2026

A fridge runs 24 hours a day, every day, so choosing the right one can save you money, keep your food fresher and make life easier for years to come.

Our expert test results takes the guesswork out of buying. We assess how well fridges maintain stable temperatures, how energy efficient they are and how easy they are to use. We also factor in reliability and repairability data, so you know which brands are likely to go the distance.

Our buying guide can help you choose the right size and style for your home. Find out how much fridge space your household actually needs, whether a French-door, top-mount, or bottom-mount fridge is best and whether ice and water dispensers are worth the extra cost.

Read on for our top fridge picks, including the best performers, the best-value models and the fridges we'd happily have in our own kitchens.

Deals of the week

Sales season has started, but not every deal is a bargain. In the lead up to Black Friday, we’re tracking the sales on products we test to help you spot the bona fide bargains, based on both price and performance.

Deals are based on the lowest current advertised price of our tested products. Sale prices are subject to change and to retailers’ terms and conditions.

Love Fisher & Paykel? This extra-large F&P is way cheaper than usual at two separate stores.

Following a price drop of about 25% in the Labour Day sales, this standalone fridge with very good temperature performance has stayed at sale price for another weekend.

Best fridges and fridge-freezers in 2026

Best cheap fridge-freezer

Best small bottom-mount fridge-freezer

Best large bottom-mount fridge-freezer

Best cheap French door fridge-freezer

Best extra-large French-door fridge-freezer

Best side-by-side fridge-freezer

Best fridge (with no freezer)

Best mini fridge

Which fridge brands are best?

We asked thousands of Consumer members about their experience with products they've used to find out which brands are most reliable and satisfying to own. The results are available to members and Digital Pass holders.

Get access

How Consumer NZ tests fridges

We test fridges in our lab to find out how well they keep food fresh and safe to eat. Our testing measures temperature stability, temperature evenness, how well a fridge copes with changing room temperatures, and how efficiently it cools down warm food placed inside.

We also assess how suitable each fridge is for New Zealand conditions using the manufacturer's recommended settings and measure how much energy it uses during testing.

These results are combined with predicted reliability and brand satisfaction scores from our member surveys to help identify the fridges that perform well, keep temperatures consistently safe and are more likely to provide years of trouble-free service.

Find out more about our testing.