Your cool guide to buying a fridge

At a glance

• What to consider

• What styles are available

• Smart features

• Energy efficiency

• Aesthetics

A new fridge is a big purchase, so it’s one that you’ll want to get right. It’s something you’ll only replace every decade or so, and everything from the way the doors open to what smart features it has will affect your flow around the kitchen.

Here’s everything you need to consider, from the really basic stuff to new things you may not know fridges could even do.

Size

The very first thing you’ll need to do is measure the space where you plan to put the fridge – there’s no point getting too attached to a double-door monster if it’s too big for your kitchen. The height, width, and depth of each fridge is handily listed on the JB Hi-Fi website and in-store, so keep your minimums in mind when browsing.

But remember that the size of the fridge itself isn’t the whole story – you also need to leave a gap behind to allow air to circulate, so the refrigerator can do its job efficiently. And, of course, don’t forget to leave enough room in front for the doors to swing open.

That’s just the outside: the size of the interior matters too. This will usually be measured in litres, and obviously the more people you’re feeding the bigger you’ll want. The arrangement of shelves, drawers and compartments might be something else to think about, with many fridges giving the option to shuffle those around.

Styles

There are more styles of refrigerators than you might think, which suit different household sizes and other needs. The one you probably think of first is the classic top mount – a fridge with a freezer above it.

The bottom mount does the opposite by - you guessed it - putting the freezer underneath the fridge part. Many models also give the option of reversible doors, so that they can be put on to swing open to the left or right, depending on where in the kitchen you put the fridge.

Both top and bottom mounts do pretty much the same thing, but it’s a matter of preference. A bottom mount might be more comfortable if you want to have the more-often-used fridge section right at eyeline. Or, a top mount might be better if you’d rather the freezer be out of reach of the kids.

If you need a bigger or fancier fridge, you might want to look into a side-by-side. As the name suggests, this has two big compartments that run the whole height of the appliance, with the fridge section on one side and the freezer on the other.

And finally, there are French door fridges. This style has double doors that open from the centre, so you get one big open space – perfect for a party’s worth of platters, or storing a week’s groceries for a big household. The freezer compartment at the bottom can take the form of a drawer or two, or even have its own set of French doors.

With side-by-sides and French door fridges you get a bigger capacity, and often more advanced features like water and ice dispensers or built-in displays.

Water and ice dispensers

There’s nothing as refreshing as a glass of chilled ice water on a hot day, and many fridges sport a water and/or ice dispenser built right into the door. That can save you from keeping a jug of water in the fridge itself.

There are two main types of dispensers, depending on your budget and needs. Some models can be plumbed directly from your home’s water supply into the fridge, which is more convenient, but does require a visit from a plumber to do the initial setup. A more simple and budget-friendly option uses a tank that you manually refill as needed.

Some higher end models even dispense different types of ice, like cubed, crushed, or more specialty shapes, for different types of drinks.

Temperature control

Most fridges give you some control over the temperature, but some more than others. Different zones or compartments can be set to different temperatures, while some models will sense and automatically adjust temperature, humidity, air flow, and other factors. If you want drinks chilled quickly, some fridges can release a brief icy blast on demand.

Smart features

The family fridge has long been the place to hang photos, kids’ drawings, notes, reminders, calendars, and other important stuff. Some fridges bring all that into the 21st century, with digital displays that can show the time, weather, appointments, members send messages and share photos with each other from their own devices.

These screens can also be used to bring up instructional cooking videos on YouTube, or to listen to a podcast while cleaning.

Another impressive feature is LG's InstaView – knock twice on an opaque glass panel on the front and the light inside will flick on, letting you see the contents of the fridge without opening the door!

Some fridges have interior cameras that let you check what’s in there from anywhere. Can’t remember if you’re out of milk? Pull up the app on your phone and view a live feed of the inside of your fridge, even while standing in the supermarket dairy aisle.

Others use AI to keep track of what’s in the fridge as you stock it or take items out, keeping tabs on expiry dates, automatically adding things to your shopping list as supplies run low, or even suggesting recipes based on what you have right now.

Energy efficiency

Because their job takes a lot of energy and they’re running 24/7, fridges and freezers can be some of the biggest guzzlers of electricity in your home. As such, energy efficiency is a key factor that many people might overlook, but it could save you heaps on your power bills. Keep an eye out for the Energy Rating label on any new fridge (or other appliances, for that matter) – the more stars, the better.

Aesthetics

Looks aren’t everything of course, but for appliances as big as fridges, you’ll want it to be at least a little stylish. Most fridges have muted tones – white is coming back into vogue, and you’ll see a lot of black or metallic finishes too – but sometimes there’s the option for a splash of colour. If you really want to be bold, you might find a retro, mid-century-inspired design appealing.