12 Volt Solar Friendly Fridges

Using the power of the sun to keep your food cold can be a game changer. If you are off-grid or want to live in your vehicle full time, a high quality 12 volt fridge is a must.

Be aware that lots of cheap 12 volt fridges are available online and they should be avoided because they are not solar friendly. These cheaper units are called “thermoelectric coolers” and they use a peltier module instead of a compressor, which means they require a lot more electricity. They also fail to work in hot temperatures and take forever to get cold. Avoid them like the plague.

If you buy a high quality compressor fridge (any of the fridges below), you will be set for years. They initially cost much more but they are worth every penny. Buy the largest size fridge that you can afford. You will not regret it.

If you are on a budget, please scroll to the bottom of this page!! (I make a commission for purchases made through the links below)

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Pretty much the same as the ARB, but it’s cheaper. Some still swear that the ARB is better. In my opinion they are both great. Both are high quality. If I had to buy a new fridge today, I would go with a dometic because it’s cheaper and has high ratings.

Dirt Cheap 12V Compressor Fridge

This model is 1/2 the price of the models above, and works well! I use one for my cold temperature battery tests, and have never had an issue with it. Some people swear by the “name brand” fridges above, but this will get the job done. It also has a high quality compressor, and the reviews are great.

ICECO VL45 Portable Fridge Freezer

47.5-quart metal fridge/freezer with SECOP compressor, AC/DC power, battery protection, and 0–50°F cooling.

ICECO VL75

Performance and quality of an ARB, but 30% less in price. This is ICECO higher quality lineup. Probably the best value around but lacks the fancy brand name. These have all the features of the more expensive fridges as well.

ICECO VL75 ProD Dual-Zone Fridge Freezer

Spacious 79-quart metal fridge/freezer with two independently controlled zones, a SECOP compressor, AC/DC power, and multi-directional lids.

ARB Zero 101 Qt

Because it is an ARB, it will work for decades. This is there top of the line series, and does cost quite a bit more! If you want the best of the best, from the best brand in the industry, this is it. And it looks  really cool!

ARB Zero 101Qt Fridge Freezer

Rugged dual-zone fridge/freezer with 12V DC and 110V AC power, app control, and a 101-quart capacity.

Budget Friendly Solar Fridge Options

The fridges above work great, but most people will cringe while spending around $900 for a fridge with a capacity of a $70 dollar dorm fridge (such as the ARB). On top of that, most other options for vehicle specific fridges are over priced (RV specific dometic fridges, for example).

If you are out of money, or simply want to save a ton of money, here are your options:

Dorm Fridge

Pros:

Extremely cheap and easy to find
Efficient for total power consumption over a 24 hour period
Large space! Much more capacity per dollar than a RV specific fridge
No questions asked warranty is usually available for cheap (you will need it. some dorm fridges do not like vehicle road vibrations and may fail faster)

Cons:

These fridges run on AC power only so there will be a instant 20% efficiency loss and will require your inverter to run 24/7 (This is actually not a big deal if you have a lot of solar power on your vehicle, and the money that you save by using a dorm fridge can allow you to spend more money on solar panels to negate these efficiency losses)
These fridges are not made for use in vehicles that experience a lot of vibration. The fridge will probably fail in a few years. This is still ok because they are so cheap and you can buy a new one anytime.
The initial startup power to run these dorm fridges is crazy!! I saw mine spike at 70 amps. But when the compressor is running, it only uses 5 amps. But this means that you will need a large inverter to power your fridge (so that it will not shut down your other appliances during normal use). It is also recommended to buy a pure sine wave inverter (which will cost more initially, but it is worth every penny).
Some models have a loud compressor that may bother your sleep. I was lucky and bought one that is extremely quiet (a hisense). It really is a hit or miss as to which one will be loud or not. You can check the reviews on amazon to see if anyone complains about the noise. My current RV is very large and the fridge is far away from where I sleep, so even if it was loud, it wouldn't be a problem.

And to summarize:

Use a 1000 watt (or larger) pure sine wave inverter to power the fridge

Upgrade your solar power system by adding 100-200 watts of solar panels to negate AC power losses caused by fridge

Buy a warranty for your fridge

Add a child safety lock to the door of your fridge so it doesn’t open while driving

The larger your fridge, the larger your solar power system must be.

200 watt solar array+100 amp hour battery can handle a 1.6 cubic foot dorm fridge
400 watt solar array+ 300 amp hour battery can handle a 3.2 cubic foot dorm fridge
600 watt solar array+ 500 amp hour battery can handle a 5 cubic foot dorm fridge

These are rough estimates but should help you to get an idea of what should work. Keep in mind that running a fridge during winter is always difficult. These estimates come from personal experience of living in california, so keep that in mind. You can never have too many solar panels! Fill up that roof 🙂

Affordable Dorm & Small Space Fridges

It may seem like you are spending more because you need to beef up your solar power system, but a dorm fridge is still much cheaper!

Some dorm fridge options that I recommend checking out:

1.7 Cubic Foot Fridge

1.7 cu ft mini fridge with thermostat and reversible door.

3.1 Cubic Foot Fridge

Compact 2-door fridge/freezer with adjustable thermostat and reversible door.

3.2 Cubic Foot Fridge

Compact fridge with freezer and adjustable thermostat.

Ice Chest and Counter top Ice Maker

(or buy bag of ice once a week)

This option will actually cost about the same as the dorm fridge, but will require a lot less solar power. What you do is run the ice maker when it is sunny out, then fill up your ice chest. This method can be powered by a very small solar power system (even a 100 watt solar panel/100 amp hour battery), but I would still recommend having at least a 1000 watt inverter to run it.

A drawback to this method is that you will need to figure out a way to store/dispose of the ice water. You will also need to clean the ice box periodically.

So it requires more work, but it is a really awesome way to keep your food cold! You will only need to add ice every 5 days.

COSTWAY Countertop Ice Maker

Compact ice maker producing up to 26 lbs of ice per day.

Coleman Xtreme Portable Cooler

Large hard cooler that keeps ice cold for up to five days.

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12 Volt Solar Friendly Fridges

Most Popular and Highest Rated 12V Fridge

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ARB Classic II 50Qt Fridge Freezer

Dometic CFX3 55 Powered Cooler

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