Hybrid fridge-freezers can switch between refrigerator and freezer modes for either fresh or frozen food storage
They’re a handy backup when you need extra fresh food space when family and friends come around
The freezer function is also useful when you need more room for frozen meals, bulk shopping or seasonal storage
Your standard refrigerator comes with two distinct sections – one for freezing and one for refrigeration. It’s a tried and true design that’s basically stayed the same for decades, until now.
Introducing hybrid fridge-freezers. Instead of operating like a typical fridge, hybrids swap between standalone refrigeration or freezing modes at the flick of a switch. But they can’t do both at the same time.
So a hybrid probably won’t replace your kitchen fridge. It could, however, find a home in the garage, shed or spare room as a backup for extra food storage.
What are hybrid fridge-freezers?
There are two main types of fridge freezers:
True hybrid fridge/freezers: can function as a fully-fledged fridge or freezer. They have an energy star rating for each mode.
Fridges with a “freezer function” (or vice versa): are dedicated fridges or freezers with an alternate “cooling”, “chilled” or “freezing” mode for example. They only have a singular energy star rating and are not true hybrids.
This doesn’t necessarily mean models that only have a star rating for their primary function aren’t as good. They can perform just as well as a true hybrid as long as they reach the necessary temperatures for safe refrigeration and freezing.
“Manufacturers are only required to register the appliance for a star rating once, using its coldest function,” says David Hill, CHOICE fridge expert and tester. “Dual-ratings are an extra step to demonstrate it also meets the performance and energy requirements of the Australian Standard as a fridge.”
However, a single star rating means you won’t know the cost of running the appliance in other modes until you get an electricity bill.
Dual energy star ratings are e a clear indicator of how the appliance performs as a fridge and freezer.
What types are available?
Hybrids are typically available as upright and chest models. Most of the upright models in our test are true hybrids while chest freezers tend to have “cool” or “chilled” modes.
LG, Westinghouse and Hisense also sell so-called “pigeon pair” fridges that are designed to work alongside a hybrid model. They’re standalone fridges that sit next to a hybrid model in the same product line, so you can switch between two fridges or a fridge and freezer setup as required.
“These aren’t to be confused with French-door fridges that include a customisable zone,” David explains. “French-door fridges have typical fridge and freezer sections as well as a smaller area that can be adjusted for a range of things like vegetables, dairy or seafood.”
How much do hybrid fridge-freezers cost?
Upright hybrids start at $200 and don’t usually cost much more than $1000 or so, which is cheaper than most of the standalone freezers in our test. Chest freezers with a fridge mode typically cost $600–$800, similar to many standard chest freezers we’ve looked at.
These appliances cost about $60 to $90 per year to run, with only a few tested models exceeding the $100 mark. This is cheaper than most standalone freezers, which will set you back $100–$160 in energy costs each year, save for a few cheaper, energy efficient models.
Swapping between the two modes on a hybrid is easy. It just involves flicking a switch, pressing a button or turning a knob. That’s it.
They can take a bit of time to reach the right temperatures for freezing, so remember to plan ahead. We timed a few models in our lab and found that they fully convert from fresh food to freezer temperatures in about two hours.
Bear in mind that the models we looked at aren’t necessarily representative of every hybrid, but they can give you a good idea of what to expect.
“You don’t need to worry about frost,” says David. “Most of the hybrids we tested defrost automatically like any other fridge, so there won’t be a big pool of water to deal with when you flick into fridge mode.”
Text-only accessible version
Time to reach freezing temperature
Time required for each model to switch from fridge or ‘cooling’ mode to safe freezer temperatures.
We have recently tested five true hybrids and three more models with a fridge/freezer function (and one energy star rating) in our expert labs, assessing how well they perform as freezers. According to David, true hybrids and “freezer function” fridges are comparable to standard models.
“There’s a fairly even spread of good, average and passable performers in our tests,” he explains.
“We have five recommended models, but most of the hybrids in our test scored an Expert Rating of 70% or more.”
It’s the same situation when you compare true hybrids and fridges with a freezer function. The best true hybrids are slightly superior to the fridges with a freezer function, but not by much. Both types have expert ratings in the low-to-mid seventies.
Though it’s probably worth noting that the two worst performers in our current freezer test – which includes standalone freezers – are true hybrids.
“The hybrid approach is a cool idea, no pun intended, and one that can work quite well depending on the model,” David says.
“But a hybrid of any kind won’t replace a traditional fridge and freezer in most homes unless they’re part of a pigeon pair.
“They’re more suitable as a flexible, secondary option, that should be right at home in the garage or cellar,” he adds. “You can keep one around for long term frozen storage or fridge overflow when you’re entertaining.”
You can switch between fridge and freezer modes at a press of a button.
“They can be great in fridge mode for storing extra food, drinks, snacks and so on, when large groups of friends or family come around. Then you can flick them back to freezer mode for storage when everyone goes home.”
This flexibility is handy for seasonal storage as well. Classic winter warmers like soup, stews and big batches of bolognaise can be portioned and frozen in the colder months. An excess of refreshing drinks and summer snacks can be stored in fridge mode when it’s really hot.
But the average household will get more mileage out of a standard fridge for day-to-day use. We assess true hybrids in our fridge and freezer tests, so you can see how they perform depending on the mode.
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Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.
Peter Zaluzny is a Content producer in the Digital home team. He covers everything from home entertainment and personal safety devices to tech for your car and mattresses.
Peter enjoys cutting through the nonsense to help people understand the products they’re considering to buy. He helps consumers make educated, informed decisions.
Peter has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wollongong.
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