A best-selling freestanding fridge freezer costs between £48.43 and £67.80 a year to run at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. We costed the 20 most popular models on AO from each one's annual energy figure. The gap between the cheapest and dearest to run is £19.37 a year, which comes to £193.70 over ten years at today's cap.
Getting those figures was harder than it should be. Five of the 20 AO listings leave the annual kWh out of their specification table, retailers give three different figures for one Beko, and the energy letter hides a wide spread: 18 of the 20 are E rated, and they use anywhere from 189 to 257.6 kWh a year.
What we found, 8 November 2026
- Running costs: £48.43 to £67.80 a year, or 13.3p to 18.6p a day, at 26.32p per kWh.
- Cheapest to run: Fridgemaster MC55251D, 184 kWh, £48.43 a year. Dearest: Beko CFG4501S, 257.6 kWh, £67.80.
- Cheapest per litre of space: Midea MDRB379FGD02, £18.13 per 100 litres a year.
- No best-seller is better than D. 18 are E and 2 are D.
- 5 of 20 AO listings show no kWh figure in the specification table. We took those from Beko, Fridgemaster's product sheet or another retailer.
- Retailers disagree: the Beko CFG4501 is 257.6 kWh on Beko's site, 261 at Hughes and 268 at Marks Electrical.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 8 November 2026 · next check 1 January 2027 · how we picked
All 20, cheapest to run first
| # | Model | AO price | Class | Total L | kWh a year | Cost a year | Per 100 L a year | kWh figure from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fridgemaster MC55251D | £279 | D | 256 | 184 | £48.43 | £18.92 | Product data sheet linked from AO; AO spec table blank |
| 2 | Midea MDRB379FGD02 | £279 | D | 273 | 188 | £49.48 | £18.13 | AO |
| 3 | Candy CCG1L314EWK | £189 | E | 157 | 189 | £49.74 | £31.68 | AO |
| 4 | Fridgemaster MC50165E | £179 | E | 175 | 195 | £51.32 | £29.33 | AO |
| 5 | Fridgemaster MC55265DEB | £299 | E | 268 | 210 | £55.27 | £20.62 | AO |
| 6 | Beko CNE4552W | £279 | E | 197 | 213 | £56.06 | £28.46 | AO |
| 7 | Candy CCT3L157EWK-1 | £249 | E | 252 | 218 | £57.38 | £22.77 | AO |
| 8 | Fridgemaster MC55240E | £249 | E | 252 | 218 | £57.38 | £22.77 | Marks Electrical; AO spec table blank |
| 9 | Hoover HOCT3L517EWK-1 | £299 | E | 252 | 218 | £57.38 | £22.77 | AO |
| 10 | Indesit INKS3251W4UK | £289 | E | 257 | 219 | £57.64 | £22.43 | AO |
| 11 | Beko CFG4552W | £331 | E | 220 | 220 | £57.90 | £26.32 | Beko UK; AO spec table blank |
| 12 | Hisense RB327N4BWE | £319 | E | 256 | 226 | £59.48 | £23.24 | AO |
| 13 | Beko CNE4581VW | £329 | E | 246 | 227 | £59.75 | £24.29 | AO |
| 14 | Russell Hobbs RH186FFFF60SS | £379 | E | 293 | 233 | £61.33 | £20.93 | AO |
| 15 | Beko CSE4581W | £289 | E | 287 | 240 | £63.17 | £22.01 | AO |
| 16 | Bosch KGN34NWEAG | £469 | E | 297 | 242 | £63.69 | £21.45 | AO |
| 17 | Hoover HONCQ3T518ENWK | £349 | E | 306 | 244 | £64.22 | £20.99 | AO |
| 18 | Beko CFG4582W | £325 | E | 270 | 244.5 | £64.35 | £23.83 | Beko UK; AO spec table blank |
| 19 | Haier HTR3518ENMXK | £379 | E | 303 | 245 | £64.48 | £21.28 | AO |
| 20 | Beko CFG4501S | £419 | E | 286 | 257.6 | £67.80 | £23.71 | Beko UK; AO spec table blank |
The letter tells you less than the number
The energy letter is a band, and a wide one. The two D-rated models use 184 and 188 kWh a year, but the E-rated Candy CCG1L314EWK uses 189, one kWh more than the Midea. Inside the E band the best-sellers run from 189 kWh to the Beko CFG4501S at 257.6 kWh, a difference of £18.06 a year.
Size explains part of it, because the label rates efficiency for the space you get. The Fridgemaster MC50165E is E rated and holds 175 litres; the D-rated Midea holds 273 litres and still uses 7 kWh a year less. Per 100 litres the Midea costs £18.13 a year to run and the MC50165E £29.33. If you need the space, a bigger, better-rated model can be cheaper to run than a small one.
One listing mixes two scales. AO shows the Bosch KGN34NWEAG as E rated and also as "Pre 2021 Energy Rating A++". Energy labels were rescaled in March 2021, so both can be true of the same appliance, but an A++ next to an E is easy to misread as an efficient fridge freezer. On the current scale it sits in the same band as 17 others here.
Five listings with the number missing
Annual energy use is the one figure you need to cost a fridge freezer, and it is printed on every energy label. AO's specification tables leave it out for five of the 20 best-sellers: the Beko CFG4582W, CFG4552W and CFG4501S, and the Fridgemaster MC55251D and MC55240E. For the Fridgemaster MC55251D the figure was there all along, in the product data sheet linked from the same AO page, which gives 184 kWh. For the others we used Beko's own UK product pages and, for the MC55240E, Marks Electrical's specification.
Retailers disagree on the same fridge freezer
- Beko CFG4501: 257.6 kWh on Beko's UK page, 261 kWh at Hughes and 268 kWh at Marks Electrical. At the cap that is £67.80, £68.70 or £70.54 a year. We used Beko's figure.
- Beko CFG4552W: 220 kWh on Beko's UK page and 184 kWh at Appliance World. The lower figure would make it look like the cheapest fridge freezer here to run. We used Beko's figure.
- Fridgemaster MC55240E: Marks Electrical's full specification gives 158 litres of fridge and 94 of freezer, while the comparison table on the same page gives 151 and 101. The total is 252 litres either way.
When a figure matters, the maker's product information sheet is the one to trust. It is the document the energy label is built from.
Cheapest to own over ten years
Adding the purchase price to ten years of electricity at today's cap changes the order, because the cheapest models to buy are also small. These are illustrations, not forecasts: the cap changes every quarter.
| Model | Total L | AO price | Ten years of electricity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candy CCG1L314EWK | 157 L | £189 | £497.45 | £686.45 |
| Fridgemaster MC50165E | 175 L | £179 | £513.24 | £692.24 |
| Fridgemaster MC55251D | 256 L | £279 | £484.29 | £763.29 |
| Midea MDRB379FGD02 | 273 L | £279 | £494.82 | £773.82 |
| Candy CCT3L157EWK-1 | 252 L | £249 | £573.78 | £822.78 |
| Fridgemaster MC55240E | 252 L | £249 | £573.78 | £822.78 |
The Candy CCG1L314EWK and Fridgemaster MC50165E win on total cost, but they hold 157 and 175 litres. Among the 256-litre and larger best-sellers, the Fridgemaster MC55251D (£763.29) and the Midea MDRB379FGD02 (£773.82) are cheapest to own, and the Midea comes with a two-year warranty against the Fridgemaster's one.
Which to choose
- If you need a family-size fridge freezer and running cost matters most, the Midea MDRB379FGD02 and Fridgemaster MC55251D lead on both annual cost and cost per litre.
- If you have a small household and a tight budget, the Candy CCG1L314EWK and Fridgemaster MC50165E are the cheapest to own, though they cost more to run for the space you get.
- Whatever you buy, read the kWh figure from the energy label or product information sheet rather than a retailer's table, and ignore any pre-2021 letter.
- Check your fridge is between 0 and 5°C with a thermometer, as the Food Standards Agency advises.
How we worked it out
| Item | What we did |
|---|---|
| Which models | AO's freestanding fridge freezer range, sorted by "Most Popular", 60 per page. We took the first 20 distinct models and skipped colour variants of a model already counted. |
| Electricity rate | 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, direct debit, Great Britain average. Standing charge excluded, because you pay it whatever fridge freezer you own. |
| Energy use | The annual kWh in each AO specification table. Where AO left it out: the Fridgemaster product data sheet linked from AO (MC55251D), Beko's UK product pages (CFG4582, CFG4552, CFG4501) and Marks Electrical (MC55240E). |
| Capacity | Total net capacity from AO, or the source used for kWh. |
| Prices and warranties | AO prices and standard warranties as listed on 8 November 2026. Several makers offer longer parts guarantees on registration, which we have not counted. |
| 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 fridge freezers. Every kWh figure is from a product sheet or a listing.
- What they use in your kitchen. Label figures come from a standard test, and a warm kitchen or frequent door opening changes real use.
- Which retailer figure is wrong where they disagree. We used the maker's, but we cannot see the test behind it.
- How long each lasts, which matters as much as the running cost over its life.
Common questions
How much does a fridge freezer cost to run in the UK?
For the 20 best-selling freestanding models on AO, between £48.43 and £67.80 a year at the October 2026 price cap of 26.32p per kWh. That is 13.3p to 18.6p a day, using each model's label figure.
Is a D-rated fridge freezer much cheaper to run than an E-rated one?
Not always. Of the 20 best-sellers, the two D-rated models use 184 and 188 kWh a year, but an E-rated Candy uses 189. The spread inside the E band alone runs from 189 to 257.6 kWh. Compare the kWh figure, not the letter.
Which fridge freezer is cheapest to run per litre of space?
The Midea MDRB379FGD02, at £18.13 per 100 litres a year, followed by the Fridgemaster MC55251D at £18.92. The small Candy CCG1L314EWK is cheap to run in total but costs £31.68 per 100 litres.
Where do I find a fridge freezer's annual energy use?
On the energy label and the product information sheet, as kWh per year. On AO, five of the 20 best-sellers left that line out of the specification table, so check the label or the maker's own page.
What temperature should my fridge be?
Between 0 and 5°C, according to the Food Standards Agency, which suggests checking with a fridge thermometer once a week. The freezer should be around -18°C.
Compare more
- UK Running Cost Index: what household appliances cost to run at the current cap
- Appliance running cost calculator
- Repair or replace calculator: washing machines, dryers, fridges and dishwashers
- Best mini fridges UK
Sources
- Ofgem, changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026
- AO, freestanding fridge freezers sorted by Most Popular, and the 20 product pages listed in the table
- Fridgemaster MC55251D product information sheet, linked from AO (class D, 184 kWh a year, 256 litres)
- Beko UK, CFG4582 (244.5 kWh a year)
- Beko UK, CFG4552 (220 kWh a year)
- Beko UK, CFG4501 (257.6 kWh a year)
- Marks Electrical, Fridgemaster MC55240E (218 kWh a year)
- Marks Electrical, Beko CFG4501W (268 kWh) and Hughes, Beko CFG4501W (261 kWh)
- Appliance World, Beko CFG4552W (184 kWh)
- Food Standards Agency, how to chill, freeze and defrost food safely
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