Best Garage Ready Refrigerators of 2026, Lab-Tested by Our Experts
We tested fridges at their coldest setting for at least four days in a 110° F chamber to find the best performers
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Garage and basement refrigerators are perfect for storing Costco hauls or stocking up on drinks for parties and family gatherings.
Many people will put an old fridge in their garage when they buy a new one for the kitchen, but that’s not the best strategy. Manufacturers design certain fridges specifically to be “garage ready,” meaning they’re capable of handling wide temperature ranges. Most garage-ready fridges can handle temperatures as low as 38° F and as high as 110° F.
Another reason to buy a new fridge for the garage is that these models are usually much more energy-efficient than older fridges, helping to keep your electric bills in check.
Best Garage Fridges
Only a few of our Top Picks are actually listed as garage-ready by their manufacturers. Regular fridges can perform well in high temperatures.
How CR Tests Refrigerators
We rate refrigerators based on their thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, noise output, ease of use, energy efficiency, crisper performance, and icemaker performance (for models that have that feature).
Every refrigerator we test is wired with 15 temperature sensors. We then monitor those thermocouples for more than a month in one of three temperature-controlled chambers, collecting more than 5.4 million temperature readings for each fridge. The results tell us how well a refrigerator maintains a set temperature and how temperature varies in different areas of a fridge, so we can determine which models will keep your food fresh longer.
Our testers measure the noise when the compressor starts up and the steady hum while the fridge is running. For ease of use, we examine the fridge’s layout, controls, and lighting.
Our process includes tests for icemaker performance based on how much ice a fridge produces per day and how much it can hold in its reservoirs. We evaluate crisper performance to judge how well the crisper drawers retain moisture to keep your food fresh for longer periods of time.
We also factor in survey data from thousands of CR members to judge brand reliability and satisfaction. All of that data and more is used for CR’s refrigerator ratings and each model’s Overall Score.
Get more information on CR’s refrigerator tests.
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