The 6 Best Refrigerators in India: Reviews, Price Comparison & Buying Guide
Is not the fridge the most commonly used gadget in most Indian Households? And why not, for its sheer utility and the value it brings.
The search for the “Best Fridge in India” is not an easy one considering that on average a user switches to a new Refrigerator in 10 to 12 years.
This one is indeed a long term purchase so you have to get it right and we envisage to help you make that choice. Please excuse us for using the words Fridge and Refrigerator interchangeably, that is how we commonly reference it in India.
The fridge can increase the shelf life of the products stored in it from a few days to months if it’s kept in the Freezer.
Whether it is Dairy Products, Vegetables, the previous night’s surplus food or your favourite dessert, You know it’s safe when you head to get it from the refrigerator.
The refrigerator is one Cool device, and you can count on your fridge to stay Chill. 🙂
Our Top Picks for "The Best Refrigerators"
Best Refrigerator – Overall – Samsung 324 L Frost Free Double Door Convertible Refrigerator
Best Double door Refrigerator –Value pick – Whirlpool 265 L 3 Star Inverter Frost-Free Double Door Refrigerator
Best Side by side Refrigerator – Winner – LG 668 L Frost Free Side-by-Side Refrigerator
Best Side by side Refrigerator – Value Pick – Haier 565 L Inverter Frost-Free Side-By-Side Refrigerator
Best Single Door Refrigerator – LG 190 L 4 Star Inverter Direct-Cool Single Door Refrigerator
Best Single Door Refrigerator – Value Pick – Whirlpool 190 L 3 Star Direct-Cool Single Door Refrigerator
What to expect from this Read?
When we say Best, we mean the best, the best in each category and will not throw 10 different choices to confuse you. We reviewed 56 different Refrigerators to narrow it to this list of the 6 Best Refrigerators in India. We have 1 in each category as per the Fridge door.
Our choice is based on the product offering the most features as well as a needle eye on the budget that gives the best value for money. We also encourage you to have a glance at our Buying Guide to know the basis of our recommendations.
We trust you will make an educated decision based on our recommendations. Enjoy the read and if there’s any help you need, do drop us a line!
Best Refrigerators or Fridge in India Reviews
Our Top Picks - "The Best Refrigerators"
Best Refrigerator – Overall
Our choice for the best fridge is the Samsung 324 L Frost Free Double Door 3 Star (2020) Convertible Refrigerator. This double door fridge segment is a popular choice in India.
The storage capacity ranges from 324 to 465 Litres, Not only perfect for families with 3 to 5 members but also ideal for bachelors and couples. Confused? Let us tell you how.
The average user picks up one fridge in a decade. We found this device to be feature-rich and ensure that it would serve you for a decade and even longer.
We want to emphasise on the 5 in 1 convertible mode coupled with the twin plus cooling feature makes this fridge the ideal future proof choice.
This gives you the added flexibility to customise your fridge space management as per your requirements.
The 5 available modes are
Normal Mode – Also, the default mode and should be good enough for everyday use.
Seasonal Mode – This mode allows you to turn off the freezer while keeping the Fridge section operational. Wow! This spells power efficiency.
Extra Fridge Mode – You possibly bought in those extra shopping bags, or maybe you have some guests at your place. This mode gives you the flexibility of converting the freezer into a fridge. Yes! That’s right, this bit of real estate could be the need of the hour when you want to store more than the usual.
Vacation Mode – Going for a vacation, you may want to turn on the Vacation mode which keeps the freezer on and turns of the Fridge section.
Home Alone Mode – You could turn off the fridge section and use the smaller Freezer section as a mini-fridge.
All these modes ensure that you have complete control to make the fridge work as per your needs. The choice is yours!
For this note, we have reviewed the Inox 324 L variant. May we add that this comes in 11 different colour shades that should easily fit into your existing theme or décor.
The storage capacity ranges from 324L, 345L, 394L, 415L to 465L. The good news is that whatever be the storage capacity, the other features of the refrigerator remains the same.
The refrigerator has a digital inverter compressor which is crucial for less power consumption and works silently. This automatic smart inverter feature ensures that the fridge runs even while there is a power cut.
Given the operating voltage range from 100V to 300V, there shouldn’t be an external stabiliser needed. The built-in Deodoriser helps remove strong odours by passing air through the activated carbon filters.
Power cooling and Power Freeze are just a click away. Power cool quickly chills food and drinks while Power freeze is good for firming frozen food and making ice quickly.
“Making Ice and quickly”, now hasn’t that been a problem before? If it invokes that Déjà vu feeling……..We can vouch that it would be history when you own this utilitarian device.
The Door alarm will buzz if you do not close the fridge properly, now this seems to be inspired by your car. But isn’t this a much-needed safety feature and yet so necessary.
The side doors have big bottle guards where you could easily place not only big bottled beverages but also large-sized containers/tetra packs of milk or other drinks.
The familiar toughened glass shelves of Samsung refrigerators can handle weight up to 175 Kgs
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✅ 5 in 1 mode – Normal | Seasonal | Extra Fridge | Vacation |Home Alone Mode
✅ 324 to 464 Litre choice of storage capacity range.
✅ Twin cooling plus
✅ Power Cooling and Power Freeze
✅ Frost Free
✅ Digital Inverter
✅ Stabilizer Free Operation
✅ Inbuilt Deodoriser
✅ Movable Icemaker
✅ Big Bottle Guard
✅ Toughened Glass Shelves
✅ Door Alarm
✅ Warranty 10 years
What needs to be improved
There is only one shelf for big drink bottles, would have loved to see another shelf thrown in for bigger bottles.
Best Double door Refrigerator –Value pick
This Double door refrigerator has a 265 Litre storage capacity and has a 3-star energy rating. The fridge is ideal for small families and boasts of the 5 in 1 mode.
The 5 in 1 mode gives the user the flexibility to customise the fridge operations as per requirement. While this is energy-saving, it is a convenient feature to derive the best efficiency from the fridge.
The various 5 in 1 mode offerings are All season, Chef, Dessert Mode, Party and Deep freeze Mode.
The refrigerator has the inverter compressor, which is crucial for less power consumption and works silently.
This automatic smart inverter feature ensures that the fridge runs even while there is a power cut and connects to the home inverter automatically.
Given the operating voltage range from 160V to 300V, there shouldn’t be an external stabiliser needed. In the unusual event that the Voltage from the power grid goes up abnormally, it will automatically cut-off the power to prevent damage.
The Adaptive intelligence (AI) feature senses,
A) the load in the fridge
B) The prevailing external ambient conditions
C) The usage pattern of the user and adjusts the cooling requirements accordingly.
The combination of Zeolite and microblock technology ensures that the food remains fresher for a longer duration.
The well-designed air tower and well-placed vents ensure that uniform cooling is provided to all parts of the refrigerator.
The fridge also has the Freshonizer and moisture lock crisper, which is particularly essential for storing vegetables and keep them fresh.
Active Deo technology ensures that the fridge environment is odour free. The easy-slide shelf ensures that you can easily find and reach the items stacked towards the back of the shelf
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✅ 265 L storage capacity
✅ 5 in 1 mode – All season | Chef | Dessert Mode | Party |Deep freeze Mode
✅ Adaptive Intelligence
✅ Frost free
✅ Intellisense Inverter
✅ Smart connect to home inverter
✅ Stabilizer Free Operation 160 – 300V
✅ Active Deo
✅ Freshonizer
What needs to be improved
🚫 The desired convertible mode option of converting the Freezer to a Fridge is not available.
Best Side by side Refrigerator - Winner
Maybe it is the Research and Development (R&D) team at LG or just having that ear for the voice of the customer. LG has the unique ability to offer desirable premium features to the customer. They haven’t let us down a tad bit here too.
This is a 668L Frost free side-by-side refrigerator, and we must say that the shiny steel finish is eye-catchy and classy. This is a frost-free refrigerator with the Inverter compressor. The linear inverter compressor is synonymous to smooth and quiet operations while being energy efficient at the same time. Goes without saying that this type of compressor is a bare minimum for premium offerings.
Given its rarity in the Indian kitchen, this refrigerator has the knack of being the eye candy when you invite guests over. You could play the good host and boast about the features that the side by side refrigerator brings to your kitchen.
The storage capacity of 668L should be good enough for most large families 4+ members. However, even a family of 3 could pick this from an aspirational point of view.
There’s that familiar saying that “No Fridge is big enough” after all. The kind of real estate space that the refrigerator offers means that you could better organize and store everything you need with ease. The Hygiene fresh+ technology keeps away bacteria and makes your fridge odour free.
LG smart thinQ feature allows you to control fridge settings via the mobile app, and you could even do this if you are at work or outside your home.
The smart diagnosis feature deserves special mention and can be easily accessed by calling LG customer service and placing the phone on the fridge. The appliance then communicates with the computer that quickly diagnoses the problem and provides a solution.
Multiple cooling air vents ensure adequate circulation of the cold air throughout the refrigerator. LG’s Fresh Balancer, excellent moisture handling and the Multi digital sensors monitor internal and external temperatures ensuring that food stays fresh for extended periods.
The water and ice dispenser means that you don’t have to open your fridge to quench your thirst. Besides the comfort factor, this is also energy efficient, avoiding excessive door opening.
Another outstanding and thoughtful feature is the full wine rack. Yay! The user friendly and the elegant wine rack can store upto 4 bottles at an optimal temperature of around 4°C.
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✅ 668L storage capacity
✅ LG thinQ
✅ LG smart diagnosis
✅ Hygiene Fresh+
✅ Frost Free
✅ Water and ice dispenser
✅ Multi Digital sensors
✅ Full Wine rack
✅ Fresh balancer
What needs to be improved
🚫 Nothing noteworthy. Psst….does this have anything to do with the wine rack on offer : ) or is it Nothing to Whine because of the Wine rack. Jokes apart, nothing to complain really.
Best Side by side Refrigerator - Value Pick
If you are looking for a side by side refrigerator at a budget, then we recommend the Haier 565 L Inverter Frost-Free Side-By-Side Refrigerator. The storage capacity of 565L should be sufficient for a large family of 4 to 6 members.
The storage is divided so forth, 2/3rd of fridge space and the remaining 1/3rd of the fridge is the freezer. The shelves and drawers are made of toughened glass. Also, there is a storage section on the doors.
The fridge is a part of the slim series, which means that if space is a challenge and you still want to own a side by side refrigerator, the Haier 565 is your best bet. The slim design will only enhance your kitchen and if it is a modular kitchen should fit in effortlessly.
The twin inverter technology ensures that both the fan and the compressor are running on DC, which ensures less fluctuation. The term inverter itself is synonymous to energy conservation and less noise. This does not disappoint on both the mentioned aspects and is a super silent operator.
The fuzzy logic and high tech sensors give the fridge the artificial intelligence to adjust the temperature based on the contents in the fridge and the prevailing ambient conditions.
The super cool and super freeze are convenient functions, especially when you are receiving guests or when you need to make some quick ice.
The quick touch LED panels are on the outside of the refrigerator, thereby avoiding unnecessary opening of the fridge doors. This goes a long way in enhancing the power saver feature of the fridge.
The vacation mode gives the user the flexibility to turn off the freezer if needed when your stepping out of home for longer than usual.
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✅ 565 Litres Storage capacity
✅ Fuzzy Logic
✅ Twin inverter technology
✅ Toughened glass shelves
✅ Quick touch LED control panel
✅ Super cool and Super freeze function
✅ Frost free
✅ Vacation mode
✅ Child lock
✅ Warranty – 1 year on the product 10 years on compressor and motor
What needs to be improved
🚫 External Water dispenser would have been ideal
🚫 Standard Ice tray provided
🚫 No Wifi or Smart features
Best Single Door Refrigerator
We rate this as the best pick in the Single Door refrigerator segment. We liked that LG has packed some cool features into the good old and modest single door range.
The refrigerator had a 4-star rating as per the new 2020 guidelines. The refrigerator’s storage capacity is 190 Litres, suitable for small families of 2 – 3 members, ideal for bachelors.
You wouldn’t be disturbed by any unpleasant noise from this device as it works super silently. The fridge has a Smart inverter compressor, which ensures stabilizer free operations given its extensive voltage operating range from 90v to 310V.
Tempered Glass shelves that are strong and durable and carried a whopping 175 Kgs under test conditions. So you can store food in heavy utensils or even the larger sized fruits/vegetables with ease.
The anti-bacterial gasket is easy to maintain, ensuring that the food stays hygienic for long periods. The lattice designed, “Moist and Fresh” box cover, ensures optimal moisture balance.
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LG continues with its innovative streak offering the Smart connect feature in this model as well. This revolutionary feature helps to connect the refrigerator to the home inverter. A very handy feature during power cuts which will allow the fridge to continue working.
The Solar Smart feature allows the refrigerator to work on solar power as well. Kindly note that the solar panels need to be purchased separately if you would like to explore this feature.
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✅ 190 Litres Storage capacity
✅ Fast Ice Making – According to LG’s inhouse tests, you should have ice ready in less than 2 hrs, which is pretty neat.
✅ Tempered Glass shelves.
✅ Spacious Chiller Zone
✅ Smart Connect to Home Inverter
✅ Anti-Bacterial Gasket
✅ Solar power Operations compatibility
✅ Child Lock
✅ Warranty – 1 Year on Product and 10 Years on compressor
What needs to be improved
🚫 Manual Defrost
🚫 Exposed compressor
Best Single Door Refrigerator – Value Pick
If you are currently looking for a Single door budget pick. We’d advocate the Whirlpool 190 L 3 Star Direct-Cool Single Door Refrigerator. This Refrigerator is fantastic for bachelors or well suited for small families and couples.
The fridge has a storage capacity of 190L and an energy rating of 3 stars. The fridge has enough room to take care of daily necessities.
The two shelves are designed for optimal space management. There is also a special dairy area, and the bottle space is wide enough to accommodate three 2L bottles.
Special mention of the unique pocket handle on the top of the fridge. The inbuilt stabilizer can handle voltage range from 130 to 300V, which ensures stabilizer free operation.
There is an Easy manual defrosting setting and the removable anti-bacterial gasket aides in maintenance. The honeycombed designed Vegetable Crisper section with moisture lock keeps vegetables fresher longer.
The Quick Chill technology maintains the cool temperature for upto 9 hrs in case of a power outage. Worth mentioning that it can auto-connect to the home inverter if available.
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✅ 190 L storage Capacity
✅ 3 Star energy rating
✅ Quick Chill Technology
✅ Stabilizer Free Operation
✅ Moisture Lock Crisper Section
✅ Anti-bacterial gasket
✅ Warranty – 1 Year on Product and 10 Years on compressor
What needs to be improved
🚫 Manual Defrost
🚫 Exposed compressor
Buying Guide for Refrigerator
Size of the Refrigerator – We are referring to the exterior size of the refrigerator here. It’s essential to check the space availability where the fridge is to be placed.
If you are making this purchase as part of a significant kitchen renovation, you will, of course, have more flexibility to aid this decision.
Moreso if it’s an upgrade buy, chances are the new refrigerator will have larger dimensions and will require that additional planning to fit the device correctly.
You want to ensure that the swinging doors open freely, unhindered and without any obstruction from the existing furniture in the chosen area.
There should at least be 1-inch clearance/gap around the fridge and the surrounding cabinets to ensure there is sufficient airflow.
Most modern refrigerators do tend to have the sides getting warmer under normal operating conditions, so it’s crucial to have the bare minimum 1” space around the sides and back of the fridge.
While this holds true for a Freestanding refrigerator, If the Refrigerator is part of a built-in modular setup, you may want to consult a professional to advise the space and size compatibility.
Capacity of the Refrigerator – You are the best judge to take a call on this. The co-relation used is that the size of the family and the Capacity of the Fridge needed is directly proportional.
While this could be the basis of choosing the capacity of the fridge, it’s not the holy grail and should be taken considering other aspirational factors.
For example, even if you are a family of 4 or a couple, you may receive guests and host some parties or events, your buying habits (explained below) would also hold weightage here.
Factoring all this you want to ensure that the refrigerator is future proof at least in its space holding capacity.
Your buying habits – If you are a weekend grocery shopper and shopping is a weekly, rather than a daily ritual. You definitely want to counter that fact and choose a device designed to handle storage better accordingly.
Types of Refrigerator:
* Single door Refrigerator
* Double door Refrigerator
* Side by Side Refrigerator
* French Door Refrigerators
Single door Refrigerator – Used to be the popular choice until the late 90s and early noughties. These are commonly called direct cool Single door refrigerators, or Inverter direct cooled Single Door refrigerators.
They have an average from storage capacity from 180 to 270 Litres. Due to its compact capacity they are space-saving and should be considered if that is the deciding factor.
Double door Refrigerator – As the name suggests, Double door refrigerators have two doors and are more spacious compared to the single door variants.
Typical storage capacity ranges from 250 to 700 litres. The main storage door houses the chilled products, and the Freezer door opens to the frozen storage compartment.
They are frost-free as the auto defrost function prevents ice build-up. Depending on the model, the Freezer door may be either at the top or the bottom.
Our team vote is for the top freezer door model as a matter of convenience, to avoid leaning to pick up stuff from a bottom-placed freezer.
The double door refrigerator continues to be the popular choice in most Indian households.
Side by Side Refrigerator – These are comparatively spacious and roomier with storage capacity ranging from 525 to 900 Litres.
The freezer and the main compartment in these models are designed vertically with 1/3rd housing the freezer section and 2/3rd for the chilled compartment.
These variants are frost-free with the auto defrost function preventing ice build-up. The Width of the unit itself is naturally more massive, so placement can be accordingly decided.
French Door Refrigerators – These are refrigerators with 3 or 4 doors. The top 2 doors open’s to the chilled compartment while the bottom door/s opens to the Freezer.
In terms of storage capacity these refrigerators are similar to the Side by side refrigerators with storage capacity ranging from 500 to 900 Litres.
These model refrigerators are yet to become the popular choice in India compared to the Side by Side and Double door refrigerators that are the popular choice amongst Indian consumers.
Storage design of Refrigerator – Despite its simplicity, the shelves play a crucial role in the way the refrigerator operates.
Over the years we have noticed the old lattice and ribbed shelves make way for the good looking, hygienic tempered glass variant. Now, the former lattice shelf may have had some serious shortcomings, but the design ensured good air circulation and better cooling.
If you are worried about the modern design, you needn’t. Most of the current manufacturers have forced ventilation and efficient distribution.
Terms like Dynamic Air Flow and Multi airflow or similar sounding brand jargons that describe the airflow are what you should be checking out.
Check the compartments available to place fresh produce and the size of the freezer.
The design of the shelves is crucial as you don’t want them to hinder large vessels, the 2.5L aerated bottles or even large-sized fruits and vegetables for that matter.
Dairy products and desserts should ideally have a separate space, if not closed compartments since its prone to contamination.
Energy Efficiency – We like to factor in a device in our eco-system that works efficiently and with minimal energy consumption while doing so.
I know most of you reading this will have a needle eye approach to this, So Yes! check the star rating and the energy efficiency of the device
Budget – Goes without saying, that you deserve the best bang for your buck.
The Single Door budget average range is from 12000 to 24000.
The double door budget average buying price varies from 20000 to 65000. So you should target something available between the 20000 to 45000 mark.
In the case of the side by side refrigerator which is the luxury variant budget offerings are available between 40000 to 70000.
Although the premium side by side door refrigerator prices could go as high as 5 to 6 Lakhs INR we would recommend something around the 75000 to 1.25 Lakh price point. For the purpose and must-have features included.
Noise – While most refrigerators are noise-free, ensure the fridge you choose works silently. This is highlighted in case you are opting for a single door model.
Other Features to look for depending on the Type of Refrigerator
* 5 in 1 mode or Vacation Mode
* Inverter Compressor
* Adaptive Cooling
* Auto or manual defrost
* Smart Features and Wi-fi compatibility
* Stabilizer requirements
* Water Dispenser
* Warranty
How to get the best out of your Fridge – Tips and Tricks
Cover or wrap all the food containers with Lids, polythene or aluminium foil. This not only prevents the mixing of flavours but also keeps the food fresh and prevents it from drying sooner.
Avoid putting hot food or beverages in the refrigerator. Doing so, will increase the load on the compressor and increase power consumption. Ideally, the fridge efficiently handles food at room temperature.
Do not leave the refrigerator door open for a long time. This is prone to happen when you open the fridge door and are overwhelmed by the food lying in there.
It would be best if you planned what you need from the refrigerator to negate this factor.
In case of a power failure its ideal not to open the fridge unless absolutely necessary.
Never overload the refrigerator.
Do not cover the refrigerator shelves with paper or plastic sheets. If you do need to cover the shelves, we recommend Fridge mats that are designed for this purpose.
Organize your food in the refrigerator.
Ensure the door is securely closed. Check the gaskets for wear and tear to avoid possible air leaks which in turn will reduce the efficiency of the compressor.
Use the child lock function liberally if available.
Use Fridge magnets notepads to make notes of what items should be consumed soon or the date when particular articles were placed in the fridge. You could also use this to make notes on the grocery list or anything noteworthy.
Price Comparison of Fridge
“Here you will find prices of all the products mentioned in this feature”