Which refrigerator gives the most space for its footprint?
We hold federal certification data for 9,326 refrigerators. We hold measured width and depth for 4,561 of them, so measure your opening first and read only the class that fits. Each size and configuration class is ranked separately, on usable capacity per inch of width, then total capacity — comparing a compact unit to a full-size one would flatter the small one and tell you nothing. The median costs $69.48 a year to run, and running cost is shown for every model. We do not sort on it: within a class it separates refrigerators by too little to be a ranking. We publish no star ratings and no opinion scores, so this is not a list of "best" refrigerators.
Before you buy anything
Across the 19 refrigerators where we can run the full comparison, swapping a working one for a typical current model saves a median of about $3.39 a year. The efficiency floor has barely moved in years, so buying a new one to save energy is not an argument that survives contact with the numbers. Buy because you need a different machine, not because it is greener.
If yours has just broken, work out whether it is worth fixing first — what fails on a refrigerator and what the part costs. Most of what goes wrong is cheap.
Cheapest refrigerators to run, certified
Ranked on each machine's own DOE or ENERGY STAR test result at the US average electricity rate, not a manufacturer claim. Only models the registry still lists as current are ranked, and a price is only shown where the listing is in stock today.
We earn a commission on Amazon purchases made through these links. It never changes the ranking — the table below is ordered on certified data, not on what we can sell.
| Model | Per year | kWh | Configuration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact · Under 5.1 Cu Ft — 1,388 models certified | ||||
| Kegco MDK-199B-** ENERGY STAR | $50.84 | 270 | compact · 4.9 cu ft | |
| Kegco MDK-199SS-** ENERGY STAR | $50.84 | 270 | compact · 4.9 cu ft | |
| TCL TRM47D5AW ENERGY STAR | $60.44 | 321 | compact · 4.7 cu ft | $339.00 2026-07-19 |
| Bottom-Freezer · 18.2 Cu Ft And Up — 985 models certified | ||||
| LG LF32S6000* ENERGY STAR | $112.98 | 600 | bottom-freezer · 31.7 cu ft | |
| LG LRFLS3206* ENERGY STAR | $128.42 | 682 | bottom-freezer · 31.7 cu ft | $1758.00 2026-07-19 |
| LG LRFLS3216* ENERGY STAR | $128.42 | 682 | bottom-freezer · 31.7 cu ft | $1849.13 2026-07-19 |
| Bottom-Freezer · 5.1-18.2 Cu Ft — 551 models certified | ||||
| Liebherr SC7751 ENERGY STAR | $66.66 | 354 | bottom-freezer · 16.9 cu ft | |
| Liebherr SCB7760IM ENERGY STAR | $83.79 | 445 | bottom-freezer · 16.8 cu ft | |
| Fisher & Paykel RS3084W*E* Ice & Water ENERGY STAR | $72.12 | 383 | bottom-freezer · 16.1 cu ft | |
| Top-Freezer · 5.1-18.2 Cu Ft — 493 models certified | ||||
| Frigidaire FFHT1820V* ENERGY STAR | $69.29 | 368 | top-freezer · 18.0 cu ft | |
| Midea MRT16D2B** ENERGY STAR | $65.34 | 347 | top-freezer · 16.0 cu ft | |
| LG LT18S1100* ENERGY STAR | $64.78 | 344 | top-freezer · 17.5 cu ft | |
Swipe the table sideways for the price →
Cheapest to run of the ones we can price today
A smaller list, and a different one: these are the models we can currently match to a live listing. It is a subset of availability, not a better ranking — the table above is not sorted to favour anything we earn from.
| Model | Per year | Configuration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zline RWDO-GS-24 | $24.29 | compact · 4.8 cu ft | $2719.99 2026-07-19 |
| Landmark L3015UI1WSG-LH | $26.55 | compact · 2.9 cu ft | $1760.28 2026-07-19 |
| Avallon AWC152DPRGLH | $26.93 | compact · 3.1 cu ft | $1619.00 2026-07-19 |
| Avallon AWC152SPRGLH | $27.12 | compact · 3.4 cu ft | $1469.00 2026-07-19 |
| Fisher & Paykel RS2474S3**# | $28.62 | all-refrigerator · 10.8 cu ft | $2199.00 2026-07-19 |
| Landmark L3024UI2WSG-LH | $28.81 | compact · 4.8 cu ft | $3599.99 2026-07-19 |
| Zephyr PRW24C02CG | $29.37 | compact · 5.2 cu ft | $1899.00 2026-07-19 |
| Avallon AWC242FDPRG | $29.37 | compact · 5.2 cu ft | $1899.00 2026-07-19 |
Swipe the table sideways for the price →
We can price 291 of these refrigerators against a live listing that is currently in stock; the rest we hold certification data for but cannot currently link to a seller. Prices shown were retrieved on the date beside them and change without notice.
Tools for what you actually need
Enter the model that died. We match on configuration and size, and show what the replacement would save you a year — often nothing, which is worth knowing before you spend.
Certified consumption at your own state's electricity rate, not the national average on the yellow sticker.
Documented failures, the part that fits, and whether the repair is cheaper than the energy a new one would save.