A best-selling freestanding freezer costs £41.06 to £65.80 a year to run at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. We read the energy label for each of the 20 most popular models on AO. All 20 are E rated, so the letter will not help you choose; the size and the shape of the freezer will.
Small freezers barely save anything. The 61-litre Fridgemaster MUZ4860E costs £41.06 a year, while the 297-litre Fridgemaster MCF297E chest freezer costs £60.80 for almost five times the space. Per 100 litres, the big chest freezers cost about £20 a year and the small under-counter models £46 to £67.
What we found, 9 November 2026
- Running costs: £41.06 to £65.80 a year, or 11.25p to 18.03p a day.
- All 20 are E rated. Of 125 freestanding freezers on AO, 105 are E, 16 D and 4 C. None is better than C.
- Cheapest per litre: large chest freezers at £20.08 to £20.47 per 100 litres a year. Dearest: the 61-litre narrow under-counter model at £67.31.
- A 297-litre chest freezer uses 19 kWh a year less than a 286-litre frost-free upright and costs £243 less to buy.
- Six of the 20 AO spec tables give no annual energy figure. Two give a capacity that disagrees with the label.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 9 November 2026 · next check 1 January 2027 · how we picked
All 20, cheapest per litre first
| # | Model | Type | AO price | Capacity | kWh a year | Cost a year | Per 100 L a year | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell Hobbs RH300CF201B | Chest | £299 | 308 L | 235 | £61.85 | £20.08 | 16.95p |
| 2 | Fridgemaster MCF297E | Chest | £269 | 297 L | 231 | £60.80 | £20.47 | 16.66p |
| 3 | Hisense FC386D4AWLE | Chest | £259 | 297 L | 231 | £60.80 | £20.47 | 16.66p |
| 4 | Beko FNP4686W | Upright, frost free | £512 | 286 L | 250 | £65.80 | £23.01 | 18.03p |
| 5 | Midea MDRU385MTE46 | Upright, frost free | £429 | 272 L | 245 | £64.48 | £23.71 | 17.67p |
| 6 | Beko FFP4671W | Upright, frost free | £449 | 256 L | 240 | £63.17 | £24.68 | 17.31p |
| 7 | Fridgemaster MCF200E | Chest | £169 | 198 L | 200 | £52.64 | £26.59 | 14.42p |
| 8 | Candy CNUQ2L513EWK | Upright | £249 | 169 L | 191 | £50.27 | £29.75 | 13.77p |
| 9 | Fridgemaster MTZ55153E | Upright | £249 | 165 L | 188 | £49.48 | £29.99 | 13.56p |
| 10 | Beko FNE4545W | Upright, frost free | £399 | 177 L | 211 | £55.54 | £31.38 | 15.22p |
| 11 | Fridgemaster MCF145E | Chest | £139 | 141 L | 182 | £47.90 | £33.97 | 13.12p |
| 12 | Fridgemaster MCF100EB | Chest | £129 | 97 L | 168 | £44.22 | £45.59 | 12.11p |
| 13 | Fridgemaster MCF95E1 | Chest | £99 | 95 L | 167 | £43.95 | £46.27 | 12.04p |
| 14 | Beko UFS4584W | Under counter | £219 | 95 L | 168 | £44.22 | £46.54 | 12.11p |
| 15 | Russell Hobbs RH85UCFZ552E1B | Under counter | £199 | 91 L | 166 | £43.69 | £48.01 | 11.97p |
| 16 | Hoover HONUQ2L58EWK | Under counter | £209 | 90 L | 166 | £43.69 | £48.55 | 11.97p |
| 17 | Beko UFF4584W | Under counter, frost free | £249 | 86 L | 163 | £42.90 | £49.89 | 11.75p |
| 18 | Hisense FV105D4BW21 | Under counter | £189 | 85 L | 164 | £43.16 | £50.78 | 11.83p |
| 19 | Bosch Series 2 GTV15NWEBG | Under counter | £299 | 83 L | 164 | £43.16 | £52.01 | 11.83p |
| 20 | Fridgemaster MUZ4860E | Under counter, narrow | £139 | 61 L | 156 | £41.06 | £67.31 | 11.25p |
Half the space, nearly the same bill
Under-counter freezers make up seven of the 20 best-sellers, and they are the most expensive to run for the space they give you. The seven here hold 61 to 95 litres and use 156 to 168 kWh a year. The 198-litre Fridgemaster MCF200E chest freezer uses 200 kWh, so twice the space costs £8 to £12 a year more.
The label explains why. A freezer's energy class is set against the energy a reference appliance of the same size would use, and that reference does not shrink in step with the volume. A small freezer can be E rated while using nearly as much as a large one. If you need the space, buy one bigger freezer rather than two small ones.
Chest or upright
Among the large models, chest freezers win on running cost and on price. The Fridgemaster MCF297E (297 litres, £269) uses 231 kWh a year. The Beko FNP4686W frost-free upright (286 litres, £512) uses 250 kWh, which is £5.00 a year more. What the upright buys is easier access and no manual defrosting; whether that is worth £243 is your call, but it will not pay for itself in electricity.
Gaps in the listings
- No annual energy figure in AO's spec table for six of the 20: the Fridgemaster MCF145E and MCF200E, the Beko FNE4545W and UFS4584W, the Hoover HONUQ2L58EWK and the Hisense FV105D4BW21. The figure is on the energy label image on each page.
- Fridgemaster MTZ55153E: the label gives 165 litres; AO's spec table gives 153.
- Russell Hobbs RH300CF201B: the label gives 308 litres; AO's spec table gives 300.
We used the label in every case.
Where you put it matters
Label figures come from a standard test at a set room temperature. A freezer in a warm kitchen next to the oven will use more; one in a cool utility room may use less. If you are putting one in a garage or outbuilding, check the climate class and minimum room temperature first: some of these models are only rated down to 10°C or 16°C, and a freezer below its rated range may not keep food frozen.
Which to choose
- For the lowest running cost per litre, a large chest freezer: the Russell Hobbs RH300CF201B, Fridgemaster MCF297E or Hisense FC386D4AWLE.
- If you want an upright with frost free, the Midea MDRU385MTE46 (272 litres, £429) costs less to buy than the Beko FNP4686W and has a two-year warranty.
- If you only have space under the counter, the running costs are close: £41 to £44 a year across the seven.
- Keep the freezer at around -18°C, the temperature the Food Standards Agency recommends.
How we worked it out
| Item | What we did |
|---|---|
| Which models | AO's freestanding freezer range (chest, upright and under counter), sorted by "Most Popular", 60 per page. We took the first 20 distinct models and skipped colour variants of a model already counted. |
| Energy and capacity | Read from the UK or EU energy label image on each AO product page. |
| Electricity rate | 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, direct debit, Great Britain average. Standing charge excluded. |
| Prices and warranties | AO's non-member prices and standard warranties on 9 November 2026. Black Friday prices change daily. |
| Rounding | Pence rounded once, at the end of each sum. |
What this audit could not check
- We have not used or measured any of these freezers. Every figure is from an energy label.
- What each uses in your home. Room temperature, how full it is and how often it is opened all change real use.
- Reliability or how well each holds temperature in a power cut.
Common questions
How much does a freezer cost to run in the UK?
The 20 best-selling freestanding freezers on AO cost £41.06 to £65.80 a year at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh, using each one's energy label. That is 11.25p to 18.03p a day.
Is a chest freezer cheaper to run than an upright?
Per litre, yes, among these best-sellers. The three large chest freezers cost £20.08 to £20.47 a year per 100 litres; the three large frost-free uprights £23.01 to £24.68. A 297-litre Fridgemaster chest freezer uses 231 kWh a year against 250 kWh for a 286-litre Beko frost-free upright.
Does a small freezer use much less electricity?
Less than you might expect. A 61-litre under-counter Fridgemaster uses 156 kWh a year; a 297-litre chest freezer uses 231. The big one holds almost five times as much for 48% more electricity.
What energy rating are most freezers?
E. All 20 best-sellers are E rated, and of the 125 freestanding freezers on AO on 9 November 2026, 105 were E, 16 D and 4 C. None was rated better than C.
What temperature should a freezer be?
Around -18°C, according to the Food Standards Agency.
Compare more
This audit is one of five. The energy label audit puts all 100 best-sellers side by side and shows where the letter on the label stops matching the bill.
- Fridge freezer running costs UK: 20 best-sellers, £48 to £68 a year
- Washing machine running costs UK
- Dishwasher running costs UK
- UK Running Cost Index
Sources
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026
- AO, freestanding freezers sorted by Most Popular, the 20 product pages in the table and the energy label shown on each
- Food Standards Agency, how to chill, freeze and defrost food safely (freezer around -18°C)
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