9 Best Under Counter Fridges UK 2024 – An Expert Buyer’s Guide

Do you have a small kitchen and need a small under-counter fridge to match? I’ve certainly found myself in similar situations having lived in small flats over the years.

Maybe it’s just you in the house and you don’t need a massive refrigerator? Hey, even just rearranging your kitchen to store all your chilled goods under the kitchen worktop can yield massive improvements to your kitchen layout.

Not only is an under-counter fridge space-saving but it can also help to give your kitchen a more sleek look.

It is hard work sifting through so many different kitchen appliances to find the perfect new fridge.

I’ve rated some of the best under counter fridges currently available in the UK. In addition to covering their key features, I’ve also listed their pros and cons as well as the cost to run for each model, so you’ll be able to make a fully informed decision.

If you want to go directly to the product page for any of the top 5 fridges, then simply click the link in the table below.

Let’s start by looking at my top choice – the Hotpoint RLA36G.1 Fridge.

Top 5 Best Under Counter Fridges

• Top Choice – Hotpoint ‎H55RM Undercounter Fridge
• Runner Up – Candy CHTL552BK Fridge
• Best Integrated – Hisense RUL178D4AW1 Built-in Larder fridge
• Best With Icebox – Fridgemaster MUR4892M Fridge with Ice Box
• Best Budget – Curry’s ESSENTIALS CUL55W20 Undercounter Fridge

1. Top Choice – Hotpoint ‎H55RM Undercounter Fridge

My top choice is the Hotpoint RLA36G.1 Fridge in Graphite. It combines some very nice features with a good capacity and sleek looks.

It has a capacity of 149 litres, which gives you enough space for 8 bags of shopping. It’s an auto defrost model too, which means you don’t need to worry about ice building up inside it.

The salad crisper drawer is great for keeping your fruit and veg separate from the rest of your food shopping and this fridge has an energy rating of A+, making it good for the environment and very affordable to run over the course of a year.

The internal shelving is entirely made of glass. Glass shelves allow more flexibility in where you store your fresh food and make for nice easy wipe-clean surfaces.

2. Runner Up – Candy CHTL552WK Fridge

The Candy CHTL552BK Fridge is a distinctive-looking model that has most of the features you’d want from an under counter fridge and a generous amount of storage.

The 125-litre capacity allows you to store roughly 6 bags of shopping. The auto defrost feature means you won’t have to worry about manually defrosting this fridge, making it very low maintenance.

The reversible doors mean you’re not limited on where to place it in your kitchen and the salad drawer is great for keeping your fruit and veg well organised.

The black colour won’t suit every kitchen but overall this is an excellent under counter fridge that’s well worth considering.

3. Best Integrated – Hisense RUL178D4AWE Built in Larder fridge

Price at Amazon.co.uk

The Hisense Integrated Under Counter Fridge would make a good choice if you’re looking for a model that will fit in perfectly with the look of your kitchen while having some excellent features to boot.

It has a 138-litre capacity, giving you space for around 7 bags of food shopping. It has an auto-defrost feature, so you won’t need to worry about excess ice building up inside it. The salad crisper drawer is great for keeping your fruit and veg organised too.

In addition to being an integrated model, it also has a reversible door. This means you can choose exactly where to put and you don’t need to worry about it getting in the way of your other appliances when you open it.

You get a generous 2-year manufacturer warranty included with this fridge and have the option of having it professionally connected as well as your old fridge removed and recycled.

4. Best With Icebox – Fridgemaster MUR4892M Fridge with Ice Box

The Fridgemaster Fridge with Ice Box is another model that’s well worth considering, particularly if you’re looking for something that’s compact and won’t stand out too much in your kitchen.

It has a 91 litre capacity, which gives you enough space for 5 bags of food shopping, so it’s definitely on the smaller side. However, this comes with the advantage of it being compact at just 48cm in width, making it great for smaller kitchens.

The salad crisper drawer is great for keeping your fruit and veg organised and the auto defrost function makes it very convenient to use. The reversible door is another very handy feature that allows you to place this in your ideal spot without worrying about the door clashing with your other appliances.

5. Best Budget – Curry’s ESSENTIALS CUL55W20 Undercounter Fridge

Cheap and cheerful, that’s the order of business for the Curry’s Essential range, you don’t pay a lot and you get a simple well-designed appliance that works well. That’s exactly what this under counter fridge is.

You have a reversible door so you can get it to properly fit your kitchen and the inner shelves are adjustable so you can configure it just how you like it.

There’s not a whole lot to say about this one, it just does what it says on the tin, not too expensive to run, adjustable door, salad drawers, and it even keeps your food cold. Everything you could want.

Finally you get a 1-year guarantee that will keep this baby running with peace of mind. But it will certainly serve you for years to come.

Under Counter Fridge Buying Guide

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is an incredibly important thing to consider when buying any type of electrical appliance, including an under counter fridge.

The great thing about an under counter fridge is that due to their small size, they are generally much cheaper to run than a full fridge freezer, with most models having an A+ energy rating.

Integrated vs Free Standing

Freestanding fridges are able to be placed wherever you want, providing there is enough space to accommodate them. They don’t have any covering on the front, so it’s important to pick a colour and style that you think will match the rest of the decor in your kitchen.

An integrated, or built-in, under counter fridge will be covered by a cupboard door that matches the decor in your kitchen. A lot of people prefer integrated fridges for this reason. However, the downsides are that they do tend to be more expensive and you’ll need to ensure you have proper ventilation space and the right type of housing.

Dimensions

Dimensions are another vitally important thing to consider when buying an under counter fridge. Typically they are around 50-60cm wide and 80-85cm in height. Depth is another important thing to consider too, especially if you’re interested in an integrated model and you don’t want it jutting out.

Capacity

Although you’re never going to get the type of storage space you’d get from a full fridge freezer, you can still make the most of the space that an under counter fridge provides.

Models can vary quite a bit when it comes to capacity and generally, it’s better to get the largest size your space will accommodate so you don’t have to worry about it getting full too quickly.

A mini fridge can easily seem like a great idea at first, but if you’re likely to need to store a lot of fresh food, you will thank yourself later for opting for the largest fridge your space can accommodate.

Features

Under counter fridges tend to be quite simple when it comes to features but it’s still worth taking them into consideration when choosing one for your kitchen. While they might not have an ice cube or water dispenser, some features to look out for include –

• A freezer compartment
• Dairy compartment
• Salad drawer
• Manual thermostat
• Reversible doors

F.A.Qs

Are all under counter fridges the same size?

Under counter fridges tend to be similar in size but they can still vary in their dimensions quite a bit, so be sure to accurately measure the space you have available before making a decision.

What’s the difference between a fridge and a larder fridge?

A larder fridge is essentially a fridge without an ice box.

Although a lot of people want the convenience that an icebox brings, the advantage of a larger fridge is that it means you have more space for chilled food and they’re more energy efficient too.

Other Under Counter Fridges Reviewed

Indesit I55VM1110WUK Fridge with Ice Box

Next up is the Indesit Fridge with Ice Box. Let’s take a look at some of its key features.

It has a capacity of 121 litres, which is enough to store a weekly shop for a smaller household. The salad crisper drawer lets you keep your fruit and veg organised well and the freezer compartment allows you to store things like ice cream and frozen food too.

The reversible door is another handy feature of this model and means you can place it where you want without the fear of the door clashing with any of your other appliances.

Although this fridge has an A+ energy rating, it is quite expensive to run compared to most other under counter fridges (£28.03 per year), so this is worth bearing in mind.

You get a 1 year manufacturer guarantee in addition to AO’s 100 day returns. Professional connection and removal of your old fridge are available for an additional fee.

Hoover HVTL542WHK Fridge

The Hoover HVTL542WHK Fridge is up next. Let’s look at some of its key features.

It has a capacity of 125 litres, which is enough to store 6 bags of food shopping. The auto defrost also means you’ll never need to defrost this manually, which is always handy.

The reversible door means you can fit it in the exact spot you want and don’t have to worry about it getting in the way of other appliances when it’s opened. It has an A+ energy rating, making it very kind to the environment and cheap to run too.

You get a 1-year manufacturer warranty and have the option to have it professionally connected if you prefer. You also have the option to have your old fridge removed and recycled for an additional cost.

Russell Hobbs RHTTLF1SS Fridge – Stainless Steel

Lastly, is the Russell Hobbs RHTTLF1SS Fridge. It has a capacity of 43 litres, which gives you space for 2 bags of shopping. Admittedly, this is very small compared to most of the other fridges I’ve looked at, so this would be suitable either as a drinks fridge or to store small amounts of fruit and veg.

It has a reversible door, so you can decide which side you want it to open on. This is very handy for smaller kitchens where there is limited space available. There’s also a removable shelf, allowing you to keep your shopping better organised.

Because of its small size and A+ energy rating, this fridge is very cheap to run, costing just £16.17 over the course of a year.

It comes with a 1 year manufacturer guarantee in addition to AO’s 100 days return policy. You also have the option to have it professionally connected as well as your old fridge removing and recycling.

Beko UL584APW Fridge

The Beko UL584APW Fridge is my runner-up. Let’s take a look at some of its key features.

It has a capacity of 130 litres (7 bags of shopping), so while it’s not as big as the Hotpoint fridge, it still gives you a good amount of space for a fridge of this type. It also has a reversible door, which is great if you’re limited in space and don’t want to worry about it clashing with your other appliances.

Auto defrost means you won’t need to manually defrost it and there is a drawer for fruit and veg, so you’re able to keep it away from the rest of your shopping. With a width of 54.5cm and a height of 84cm, it’s on the smaller side, making it an ideal choice for smaller kitchens with limited space.

Some reviewers did find the noise levels of this fridge to be an annoyance, so that’s worth bearing in mind. However, if you don’t mind this, then this is an excellent fridge overall that’s very affordable and cheap to run.

Electra LF60WUC1 Under Counter Fridge

The Electra Under Counter Fridge is my best budget pick and would make a great choice thanks to its useful features, good capacity and attractive design.

You get 134 litres of storage capacity with this fridge, enough space for 7 bags of food shopping. There is a dedicated drawer for keeping your fruit and vegetables fresh and the reversible door means you’re not limited on where to place it in your kitchen.

The auto defrost does a great job of keeping cool air circulated inside the fridge to prevent ice build-up and removing the need for manual defrosting. The A+ energy rating means this fridge is not only affordable initially, but also very cheap to run too.

Overall, this is an excellent fridge and would be ideal if you’re looking for something that gets the job done well without breaking the bank.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you’re now better informed when it comes to the different features to look for when choosing the best fridge for you.

There are of course other brands like Bosch, Samsung, AEG, Miele, and Zanussi, but I think the choices here are some of the best under counter fridges available.

Most undercounter refrigerators are cheap to run and are similar in size but you should think about how much food you’re likely to have in your house at any given time and choose a model that has the right storage capacity and features.

KENWOOD KIL60W21 Integrated Undercounter Fridge

The Kenwood is an ideal choice for an under counter integrated fridge, it’s got great capacity at 138 litres which is enough for 7 bags of shopping (at a squeeze) and it’s not too expensive to run.

It’s also got a nifty supercool function which rapidly lowers the temperature after you fill it up with shopping, this is great as it helps food stay fresher for longer and helps avoid any nasty bugs that might be involved with your food.

Also, you get the handy door alarm which lets you know if the door isn’t closed properly, which if you’re like me will go off more than you care to admit.

A perfect choice if you need something integrated and it’s got a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty for extra peace of mind.

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