The best refrigerators for your garage, according to Consumer Reports

Many homeowners keep a spare refrigerator in the garage for overflow groceries, drinks, and bulk purchases. Most standard refrigerators aren't built for the wide temperature swings a garage experiences, so a unit that works fine indoors can struggle or fail when summer heat pushes past 90°F. Refrigerator manufacturers respond to this need with garage-ready designations and designs that account for high ambient temperatures. But not every fridge that earns the label performs equally well.

Consumer Reports subjected every model on this list to a 110°F hot-garage stress test, rating each on thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, energy efficiency, noise output, ease of use, and crisper performance to identify the models worth buying.

Credit: Samsung

At $700, this 28-inch-wide Samsung is one of the highest-scoring top-freezers in Consumer Reports' ratings, and Samsung designates it as a garage-ready model. Thermostat performance and temperature uniformity are both excellent, with the thermostat reaching the set temperature accurately and temperatures holding steady even as the room heats up. Consumer Reports also notes excellent energy efficiency at roughly $83 a year to operate, plus a very good score for noise. CR flags a subpar ease-of-use score and poor crisper performance, so produce stored here will dry out quickly.

Credit: LG

With a $989 price tag, the 33-inch-wide LG LRTLS2403S is the largest model on this list and a manufacturer-designated garage-ready unit. Consumer Reports rates its energy efficiency as outstanding and awards very good scores for thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, and noise output, with annual operating costs around $76. The unit includes a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, and an optional icemaker, though CR notes the freezer control is located behind stored food, which makes adjustments awkward. In CR's member surveys, LG top-freezers earn an excellent score for predicted reliability.

Credit: Whirlpool

The $629 Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ is the most affordable model on this list and carries no garage-ready designation from Whirlpool, yet it passes Consumer Reports' 110°F stress test. CR rates temperature uniformity as excellent and energy efficiency as very good, with annual operating costs around $63. Consumer Reports notes the thermostat earns only a decent score, with some variation possible under changing room conditions, and both ease of use and crisper performance score poorly. Whirlpool top-freezers earn an excellent predicted-reliability rating in CR's member surveys, though owner satisfaction scores are poor.

Credit: LG

With a 24-inch width, the $649 LG LT11C2000V is the most compact model on this list. Consumer Reports calls it a terrific top-freezer, awarding very good scores for thermostat performance, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, with annual operating costs around $43. The feature set is minimal, with only stainless steel finish and gallon-jug door storage and no icemaker available. CR notes poor scores for ease of use and crisper performance, and LG top-freezers earn an excellent predicted-reliability score in CR's surveys.

Credit: Hotpoint

Consumer Reports tested the $775 Hotpoint HPS16BTNRWW at nine cubic feet of refrigerator storage and 3.6 cubic feet of freezer capacity. CR awards excellent temperature uniformity and very good ratings for thermostat performance, energy efficiency, and crisper performance, with annual operating costs around $70. Consumer Reports identifies poor icemaker performance and no separate freezer control as notable weaknesses. The icemaker is available as an optional add-on for buyers who want it later.

Credit: Whirlpool

Whirlpool doesn't designate the $698 WRT313CZLZ as garage-ready, but it passes Consumer Reports' high-temperature stress test. CR rates temperature uniformity as excellent and awards very good marks for thermostat performance, with annual energy costs around $65. Consumer Reports notes subpar icemaker performance and poor scores for ease of use and crisper performance, and the freezer control is located behind stored food. Uniquely adjustable shelves that raise and lower without removing food are not available on most budget top-freezers.