We take the hassle out of buying a 12V upright fridge/freezer with our handy buyer’s guide. Every major brand is covered!
Whether you’re decking out the back of your wagon, your dream camping canopy, or making your caravan a little easier to live out of, there’s no two ways about it, 12V upright fridges are some of the easiest and lightest options you can buy. Sure, they don’t have the sheer volume of a chest freezer, but if you’re running one as a second option, or for quick getaways, they offer home-like comforts.
We’ve scoured the earth and the internet to come up with the 9 go-to upright 12V fridge offerings to inform you not just what’s on the market, but how deep you’ll need to dig in your pockets to make it happen.
Adventure Kings 12V upright fridges
While we’re still a little dirty that Adventure Kings blatantly copied the branding of high-end shock manufacturer King, it’s hard to argue their kit doesn’t represent great value for money. And while their quality is unarguably hit and miss, their upright fridges seem to be up to scratch, and their 5-year warranty and dealer network do give a little comfort.
Available in 85L and 110L variants, don’t expect groundbreaking technology or features from an Adventure Kings 12V upright fridge. However, they do offer plenty of usability. Both the 85L and 110L offerings feature an internal freezer, a bottom veggie drawer and height-adjustable shelving.
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Brass Monkey 12V upright fridges
One of the newest manufacturers in the game, Brass Monkey, is quickly making a name for itself for their wide product range and decent quality. While their flash centre console fridges normally claim the glory, their 12V upright options are no slouch either.
Available in a variety of sizes from 40L up to 95L, they feature all the usual kit, like reversible and locking doors, a battery cut out, and adjustable shelving inside. It’s worth mentioning that the freezer and crisper compartments can be removed for cleaning or storing bulkier items.
One feature we love in this 12V upright is the option to remote mount the compressor or bolt it directly to the back of the fridge. It does look a little ugly, but having the option to mount it somewhere more convenient is fantastic for space-poor setups. They do offer larger 95L and 138L 12/24V upright fridges but list them as “not suitable for mobile use”. So be careful ticking that box before heading for the Gibb River Road.
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Bushman 12V upright fridges
With one of the best reputations for quality on the market, it’s no surprise to see more and more people are looking to Bushman for their range of 12V upright fridges. If you’re on the hunt for one for your 4×4 canopy or wagon setup, their 50L and 60L are popular options.
Caravans are well looked after too, with larger options all the way up to a huge 230L. You won’t find too many bells and whistles across any of the fridges in the range, though. Instead, the brand focuses on rugged simplicity and reliability. They’re one of the few fridges available with a Tropical T rating, making them suitable for conditions up to 43 degree celcius, and even the largest caravan offerings are rated for off-road use.
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Dometic 12V upright fridges
It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest companies in this space has one of the biggest ranges. Camping lifestyle giant Dometic manufactures everything from rooftop tents to BBQs and 12V upright fridges in there somewhere too. They’ve got ten separate sizes available across three different ranges. The CoolMatic CRX is the more rugged platform better suited to off-road use, the RUC range features 12/24 and mains power with a compressor and a three-way gas-powered range in the RUA.
You will pay more for a Dometic offering, but their kit is quality. It’s also worth noting that their naming convention doesn’t align with the sizing. The CRX 65 only gives 57 L of space. The doors aren’t reversible, which is something else you need to factor in.
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Engel 12V upright fridges
One of the most respected names in camping fridges, Engel, is having a solid push into the 12V upright market with five sizes ranging from 40L all the way up to 95L. In classic Engel fashion, you shouldn’t expect literally any bells and whistles at all, but they’ll outlast the earth and chew bugger all juice in the process.
All their models feature their tried and tested Sawafuji Swing Motor type compressor, and all can run on 12/24 and 240V power without an adaptor. They also feature a neat trick in that the doors are not only reversible but have a replaceable door panel so you can colour-match your fridge to the rest of your kitchen. If you’re not feature-hungry, but want a good quality fridge for a great price, it’s hard to go past the Engel offerings.
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Evakool 12V upright fridges
Another company focused on robust products rather than flash, Evakool is near enough to a household name thanks to its top-notch ice boxes, draw fridges and traditional chest-type fridges. They do dip their toe into the 12V upright fridge market but your options are limited.
Evakool offers up a 110L fridge/freezer, and a 95L version available in silver or black. Unfortunately, that does mean that their sizing is a little too big for most 4×4 canopies, and a little too small for most large caravans. Still, if the sizing does fit your setup, you can expect years of trouble-free fridge fun with the usual suspect of features like reversible doors, a fruit crisper, and the all-important Tropical T rating.
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OZtrail 12V upright fridges
If you’re on the hunt for an affordable option, OZtrail are hoping their 80L 12V upright fridge will be enough to grab your attention. While the unit offers little in the way of bells and whistles, it does feature an LG compressor and electronics unit, which despite the limited 2-year warranty, should give some customers piece of mind.
There’s only the one 80L version for now, but OZtrail claims it’s specifically designed for 4×4 or off-road use with a 30-degree working angle without issues, and a claimed maximum operating temperature of 55 degrees celcius at 90% humidity.
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Thetford 12V upright fridges
With a reputation as the go-to company for camping toilets, you’d be forgiven for not having Thetford at the top of your list for 12V upright fridges. However, they’re well worth a closer look. Their range is focused squarely on the back-country caravan types and are sized accordingly. With a 105L option as their smallest, and a 274L book ending it at the other end, they offer bulk storage if you have the space to fit one and the budget to get the job done.
All four versions offer low-voltage cut-offs so they won’t fry your battery and over-current protection to protect the fridge itself. They’re light on the ground with flash features like Bluetooth connectivity, but they do offer a handy night mode that’ll reduce power consumption and noise, handy for people mounting them inside a caravan who might not appreciate the hum of a fridge all night
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Vitifrigo 12V upright fridges
One of the biggest names on the list that most people have never heard of, Vitifrigo are an Italian manufacturer, part of the 1200-worker-strong Vitri Alceste Group. That aside, they actually make genuinely interesting 12V upright fridge options. One of our favourite features they boast is the ‘vent’ position, where the fridge handle can be pushed to the side, leaving the door ajar and preventing mould when not in use.
You’ll pay a small fortune for it, but their DW360 OCX2 fridge freezer is one of the most unique on the market. Featuring three separate compartments it has a typical upright style 157L top section, an 80L fridge freezer drawer underneath, and a second 64L fridge freezer at the bottom, all integrated into the one fridge. They offer smaller versions for more affordable prices with other unique styles, but none would be described as budget.
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But what about the other 12V upright fridges?
Look, we’re sure there’s no surprise when we say that off-shore manufacturing has led to a flood of cheaper 12V upright fridges. Some of this has allowed traditional manufacturers to produce similar quality kit for lower costs. It’s also allowed a lot of other essentially no-name brands to purchase no-name fridges in bulk, whack a sticker on them and send them to market.
Unfortunately, this is no indication of their quality in a good or a bad way, but it does make them a roll of the dice. If you find an affordable 12V upright fridge, do a little digging to see if you can at least find a website and a little history about the company. You could save yourself a fortune by buying a lesser-known 12V fridge brand, or you could buy a dud and have very little recourse if it does fail. Caveat Emptor.
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