To make our recommendations, we’ve drawn on years of research, including two of our reader surveys focused on refrigerators. Here are the factors we prioritized most:
Owner satisfaction: Our picks focus on the brands and models that in our research earned the highest ratings for long-term satisfaction — and even delight. Our 2023 user survey showed that 75.5% of those who owned LG refrigerators were satisfied with their appliances, and that 71.1% of GE owners were satisfied. (No other brand broke out of the 60% percentile.)
Overall, most fridges, regardless of brand or style, perform reliably: Our 2021 and 2023 surveys showed that while any refrigerator could fail, major problems — like compressor failures and other cooling issues — are rare.
Layout: The interior storage is similar in most 36-inch, standard-depth French-door fridges. They all have two side-by-side plastic crisper drawers; a larger, shorter pull-out drawer; and two adjustable glass fridge shelves on either side. Doors usually have adjustable pockets, some of which accommodate the largest containers of milk or juice. Freezers typically have two layers of sliding drawers and adjustable separators. Anything beyond this is a plus. We also took note of small, singular details (a sliding shelf, for example) that owners love.
A door-in-door feature: Some French-door refrigerators have an exterior panel on one door that pops open to reveal a compartment (typically for beverages or snacks) you can access without having to open the main fridge. Theoretically, a door-in-door compartment may make a fridge more efficient (since you’ll likely open the main door less often). And people find it convenient: In our research and survey, owners of fridges with a door-in-door feature reported using it more frequently than they had expected. Similarly, some French-door fridges (like our best-for pick) have a four-door style; part of the fridge space is converted into a separate, temperature-controlled drawer that can hold high-demand items (such as snacks and drinks) or items that benefit from being stored at a slightly different temperature than that of the fridge (such as wine). The low drawer is often easier for many people, especially kids, to open and access.
An even newer style of four-door fridge — sometimes called a quad or a true four-door — is a hybrid of side-by-side and French-door styles. These fridges have two half-width freezers on the bottom, and one of those usually has a broader range of temperature control. We’re just beginning to research these.
Capacity: Measured in cubic feet, capacity is the amount of fillable space in your fridge and freezer. Our 2021 owner surveys showed that bigger fridges tend to make people happier than smaller ones, but that happiness levels off above 20 cubic feet. The average basic top-freezer refrigerator has around 20 cubic feet of capacity. We focused on French-door fridges with at least 25 cubic feet of capacity, which our research shows is ample enough for most households. We prioritized models that could offer more than that in an elegant way.
Ice makers and dispensers: Despite their ubiquity and convenience, ice makers and dispensers are still a primary “point of failure” in a fridge, said Dan Conrad, an appliance reliability and testing expert at the commercial refrigeration company Hussmann. They’re likely to need repairs or costly parts, work poorly, or stop functioning altogether. And they require a water-line connection.
We prioritized models with water dispensers located inside the fridge and ice makers in the freezer, rather than through-the-door dispensers for both water and ice. If they do fail or break, they’re hidden, and you won’t end up with unusable real estate in one of your doors. But we also recommend several models with through-the-door dispensers.
Noise: A clear trend in our 2021 and 2023 owner surveys is that many fridges are noisy — and it bugs people. We paid attention to refrigerator models that our survey respondents and other reviewers noted for their quietness.
Energy efficiency and environmental friendliness: We focused on fridges that are Energy Star–certified. These models usually have insulation designed to keep more cold air inside the fridge, as well as more sophisticated (and more expensive) components that are designed to work more efficiently. A variable-speed or inverter compressor is one of the most important of these. Compressors power the flow of refrigerant through the refrigerator and freezer. Traditional versions essentially have just one high speed. Inverter compressors can change their speed based on how much cooling your fridge actually needs, whether it’s a little (when you open the fridge to grab a drink) or a lot (when you load it up with still-warm leftovers).
Nearly all new refrigerators use climate-friendly R600a refrigerant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If the refrigerant leaks, it will have no effect on the ozone layer and a negligible effect on global warming.
(In the future, Energy Star and efficiency standards may end. At this writing, the Trump administration had moved to eliminate or roll back many requirements. However, most experts agree that any potential loosening of regulations will take a significant amount of time to change how appliances are designed.)
Smart-home technology and Wi-Fi connectivity: We prefer fridges with smart features (only our runner-up pick isn’t connected). Fridges are an ideal appliance to monitor remotely via a smartphone or tablet because they must operate continuously. With many fridges, you can get remote alerts if they fail or if a door is ajar (a common problem with French-door models); you can change temperature or ice-maker settings; you can get diagnostics, to help service technicians diagnose issues remotely; and you can even pair with some types of home-energy efficiency systems.
