UPDATED: March 2021NEWS

Small Chest Freezers

Perhaps you have a limited budget but still need freezer capacity, or maybe space is a bit tight and you need a narrow freezer. You might even have a main freezer in the garage but are looking for a small unit for inside the home.

Whatever your reason, there is plenty of choice around so we've taken a close look at some of the best small chest freezers for sale, and rounded up our best buys for 2021.

We have limited our search for freezers that have less than 150 litres of storage which means they are typically 50-70cm wide, and therefore much easier to slot into a tight space.

Specification Summary

Here is our handy guide to the compact chest freezers in this review, ordered by capacity smallest first (prices are correct at time of review, check product page for latest)

	IceKing CF61W	Essentials C95CFW20	LEC 100LW	Logik L142CFW20
Rating	Slimmest freezer around	Best budget small freezer	The high spec. option	Small to medium bargain
Capacity	51 litres	95 litres	99 litres	142 litres
Width	35.5cm	54.5cm	56.3cm	62.5cm
Garage Use?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Energy Use (yr)	146 kWh	168 kWh	168 kWh	192 kWh
Price	£159	£130	£184	£130

Average price at publication time

What to Look For In A Small Chest Freezer

Given their lower price point, you can't always expect luxuries like interior lights or lockable lids, but there are some must-haves (and these tips are good for all chest freezers):

Works in the Garage
Probably the most important point. Even a small chest freezer can be bulky and few of us have the luxury of space these days so chest freezers are often banished to the garage or shed. Can a chest freezer work outside?
Counterbalanced Lid
a lid that is counterbalanced simply means that it won't slam shut on you when open - useful when you have your hands full with bags of food
Front Drain Port
When you inevitably need to defrost (no chest freezers are frost free) a water drain port at the front can save a lot of hassle

1. IceKing CF61W

IN A SENTENCE...
One of the narrowest chest freezers on the market at 36cm wide - will slot in anywhere!

This is just about the slimmest chest freezer on the market and can fit into some challenging spaces - it is about 20cm shorter than the next model up.

At just over a foot wide it is perfect for hallways or utility rooms, or even a studio flat or caravan where you perhaps thought a chest freezer would be out of the question.

It does have a counterbalanced lid and one wire basket is provided, though it does take up most of the width. You'll need to remove it to get to deeper items.

Like all IceKing freezers, it has their Freezer Safe Technology which means it can be used in temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius making it an option for garages and outbuildings.

You do pay extra for this mini-marvel though - it's typically about £30 more than a 95 litre freezer, the next size up, but as we have already mentioned they are considerably wider.

BEST FOR: single person or occasional use in kitchenettes, caravans, studio apartments

Product Page

2. Essentials C95CFW20

IN A SENTENCE...
Good user feedback and quiet running - works in the garage too

One of the cheapest chest freezers on the market, this own brand unit from Currys makes a great 'overflow' freezer if you need a bit of extra space or if your deep freeze requirements aren't that great.

At this price level you don't get much in the way of extras, but there is a counterbalanced lid and one removable basket is supplied. It's great for the garage too and can work in temperatures down to -15 degrees Celsius thanks to its Winter Security feature.

Despite their small size, some cheap small freezers can still be quite heavy on electricity, but happily this model's energy usage is average and will cost around £33 per year to run.

Good user feedback on this unit really makes it one to consider if you just need something small and cheap.

BEST FOR: single or two person household, or an overflow freezer for a larger family.

Product Page

3. LEC 100LW

IN A SENTENCE...
Very good spec includes an interior light - rare on a freezer this small

This updated version has a couple of extras not usually seen on small freezers, although you do pay extra for them.

For one thing, there is an interior light which is quite unusual in the sub £200 area, while a digital readout tells you the exact internal temperature.

In addition, there is a counterbalanced lid, and LEC has confirmed it is suitable to work in garages or outbuildings down to -15 degrees Celsius.

You could consider this the luxury model given it's high specification, although it does share the fiddly recessed side handle of the other models in this group.

BEST FOR: when you've got the budget but not the space.

Product Page

4. Logik L142CFW20

IN A SENTENCE...
A popular freezer that can store 7 bags of shopping and is safe to work in the garage

Logik appliances - a Currys own brand - are all about value for money, and what they lack in luxury touches they more than make up for it in areas that matter.

It can be kept in unheated garages and outbuildings even if the temperature should dip as low as -15 degrees Celsius - thanks to the Winter Guard feature.

There is a front-drain port and a counterbalanced lid, although the foodsafe time of 16 hours (in the event of a powercut) is lower than average.

User feedback is very good, with over 900 comments on Currys website and a total score of almost 5 out of 5!

BEST FOR: If you need a compact freezer with a bit more space that can just get on with the job and won't break the bank, this one does tick all the boxes. You won't find cheaper for the capacity.

NOTE: As of March 2021, Currys have a promotion on this freezer where it is the same price as a 95 litre one - 50% extra for free!

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