Consumer Reports Names A Top Garage Fridge Brand For 2026

The garage refrigerator has become something of a modern necessity. Families, in particular, might prioritize the kitchen refrigerator to store leftovers and other fresh food products, often leaving it too full for spillover items like sports drinks, adult beverages, and buy-in-bulk freezer products. Although a lot of people have traditionally moved their older refrigerators into the garage when they upgrade the indoor model, many brands now produce garage-ready refrigerators, with Consumer Reports recently rating one Samsung model as their top pick. According to the report, shoppers can feel pretty confident that the Samsung Bespoke AI Top Freezer with All-Around Cooling (model RT70F18LRSR) will function nicely in their garage.

Consumer Reports puts refrigerators through a lot of testing designed to mimic the often stiflingly hot temperatures in a typical garage. After all, a fridge may need to handle temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which can easily happen during a summer heat wave. Because cold weather is also bad news for a garage fridge if it's not specifically designed to handle it, a good fridge should also function as far down as 38 degrees Fahrenheit, although Consumer Reports didn't explicitly test this aspect. The Samsung RT70F18LRSR model received high marks in ultra-important categories like energy efficiency and the consistency of temperature. Those are pretty important because no one wants a fridge full of half-lukewarm, half-frozen sodas, nor do they want a super high electric bill.

It's important to choose a more energy-efficient refrigerator to keep costs down, especially for a garage fridge, which may already have to work harder to keep up with fluctuating outdoor temperatures. The Samsung RT70F18LRSR's Energy Star certification is one of its most important designations, particularly as a cost-savings feature. Through the SmartThings app, you can also view your appliance's energy usage and enable AI Energy mode, which adapts the cooling functions to your usage patterns. Samsung claims this mode can save you up to 10% on energy costs, and Consumer Reports confirmed that the fridge delivered on energy efficiency, estimating a yearly running cost of just $83.

The appliance also performed well in both thermostat function and consistency of temperature. Consumer Reports found that the fridge reached the desired temperature during testing with no difficulty. This is obviously a big deal for a garage refrigerator, where the climate is not nearly as well controlled as in a living space. The internal temperature uniformity rating was the other shining star, meaning that it stayed consistent from shelf to shelf and corner to corner. Anyone who has ever retrieved strawberries from a spot in the back of a refrigerator, only to find them frozen solid, is aware that cold and warm spots are a legitimate peril. This Samsung model achieves consistent cooling through what the brand calls multi-vent and True No-Frost technologies, which reduce the risk of accidentally over or under-cooling a food item, ensuring better food quality and safety. Consumer Reports pointed out that the fridge had some minor flaws too. The crisper drawer was reportedly too dry for fresh produce, and the fridge lacked some everyday features that might have made it easier to use.

Users largely seem to agree with the Consumer Reports assessment. Retailing for $699.99 at Lowe's, this Samsung model has a rating of 4.2 out of a possible 5 stars with nearly a thousand reviews. One Lowe's consumer called it a "Great fridge for the garage," noting that it's, "Small but well-designed so stores an ample amount." Others add that the temperature and cooling controls performed as advertised, and overall, buyers seem to appreciate the simplicity of the appliance and the inside storage capacity.

As with most products, not all reviews are glowing, however. Reviews on Lowe's website were mixed about the temperature control's reliability and lacking an independent freezer control. One Lowe's buyer reported that they had to replace the refrigerator after only a couple of years because water became trapped inside the doors and fridge liner, eventually leaking onto the floor. Another Lowe's reviewer said that Samsung models are on their list of refrigerators consumers should avoid because the compressor broke in this model after four years of use. To the company's credit, Samsung saw the review on Lowe's website and reached out to troubleshoot the compressor issue, although no update was provided.