Every freezer gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Freezers are grouped by size, compact, mid-size and large, and each group has its own price and energy scales.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per cubic foot | 30% |
| Efficiency | rated energy use per cubic foot | 20% |
| Garage | coldest room it's rated to run in | 10% |
| Warranty | full warranty and compressor warranty | 15% |
| Features | frost-free defrost, alarm, lock, reversible door, convertible and storage | 25% |
Where the numbers come from
Capacity, room temperature range, warranty and features come from the maker’s product page, spec sheet or manual, or the maker’s own copy on its Amazon listing. Rated energy use comes from the ENERGY STAR product finder, the yellow Energy Guide label or the maker’s spec sheet. Prices are checked at Amazon, and the price used is the one at the store the page links to.
The factors
Value is the current price divided by the capacity in cubic feet, on a log scale for each size, so going from $120 to $60 per cubic foot counts as much as going from $60 to $30.
| Size | Scores 0 | Full marks |
|---|---|---|
| Compact (under 6 cu ft) | $170 per cu ft | $60 per cu ft |
| Mid-size (6 to 12 cu ft) | $120 per cu ft | $45 per cu ft |
| Large (12 cu ft and up) | $95 per cu ft | $32 per cu ft |
Efficiency is the rated annual energy use divided by the capacity. Small freezers have more surface for their volume and always use more per cubic foot, so each size has its own scale.
| Size | Scores 0 | Full marks |
|---|---|---|
| Compact | 110 kWh a year per cu ft | 70 kWh a year per cu ft |
| Mid-size | 55 kWh a year per cu ft | 28 kWh a year per cu ft |
| Large | 32 kWh a year per cu ft | 20 kWh a year per cu ft |
Garage is the coldest room the maker rates the freezer to run in: 55 °F scores zero and 0 °F full marks. A freezer the maker calls garage ready without giving a range gets 80%, and one the maker says is for temperature-controlled rooms only gets 20%. The score is 10% of the total, because most uprights live in a kitchen or pantry.
Warranty is half the full parts and labor warranty, 1 year (zero) to 3 years (full), and half the warranty on the compressor, 1 year (zero) to 10 years (full). When no separate compressor warranty is given, the full warranty stands in for it.
Features are frost-free defrost (25%), a door or temperature alarm (20%), a key lock (10%), a reversible door (10%), converting to fridge temperatures (15%) and storage (20%, shelves plus drawers, baskets and door bins, full marks at six). A feature the maker doesn’t mention either way gets half its share.
What isn’t scored
Noise, dimensions, weight and looks are listed but not scored. Fit matters most: measure the space and the doorways on the way in, and check that the room stays within the freezer’s rated temperature range. An upright uses more energy per cubic foot than a chest freezer, and the scales here are separate from chest freezers, so scores aren’t comparable across the two. Independent tests are listed where they exist, but there are too few to score.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero, the same as the shortest warranty on the scale, and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.