A cooler/refrigerator to keep drinks cold while you’re on the road is the ultimate form of convenience and one device that many people love to have in their automobiles. It’s quite easy to add car coolers or small refrigerators to your car; it’s simply plug-and-play. We’ve looked into the top manufacturers and discovered the finest car coolers on the market, so you’ll know all you need to know about installing a car fridge in your vehicle.
Keeping your beverages and food chilled when traveling for a weekend adventure or a day excursion may greatly improve the experience. A car coolers is the best option because most vehicles lack an inbuilt cooler. If you have a standard 12-volt socket in your car, you can plug these small refrigerators in.
10 Best Car Coolers to keep chilled during the trip in 2022
In our shopping guide, we’ve listed the best car refrigerator models on the market. The Best Car coolers and Refrigerators in this article. They will begin chilling their contents in a couple of minutes, without the need for ice. When necessary, some even serve as food warmers. To learn more about these appliances, including their top features and appropriateness for your cooling needs, read our car refrigerator review.
1. Cooluli Mini Fridge Electric Cooler
Cooluli’s little fridge is the king of the hill in our list of the greatest car refrigerators. You will not only receive the car charger power cord, but you will also be able to charge it using a 110V inside the outlet. You have a twenty-four-hour battery reserve in eco-mode after it’s charged, which means you can take it to the beach for the day, take it to work and leave it in the break room, and it’ll still be cold when you return.
This four-liter capacity can hold up to six cans, or you can use the heating feature to keep meals hot between 122 and 144 degrees Fahrenheit. You can fit your drive-thru meal into this for the duration of the journey home, and then eat it once you get inside if you’re up for some late-night nibbling. It’s not a good idea to change this using your computer’s USB port (it won’t collect enough energy), and you should wait a while before switching it from hot to cold and vice versa.
2. Igloo Iceless Thermoelectric Cooler
We all remember Igloo as the summer monarchs, the ones that kept our Coronas cool on scorching July days. With their 28-quart unit, Igloo came close to taking first place. If you plan on using this anyplace other than the car, be aware that you will need to purchase an indoor converter. A built-in 12V cable that is very durable and has a stabilizer on both ends is included.
The motor is whisper-quiet. Brushless technology means you won’t even notice it’s turned on. If you have the radio on, the noise from your Igloo will be drowned out by the music. They kept it traditional by adding a handle to the top to make it easier to carry. It’s about as light as you can get (especially considering these don’t use ice), and thanks to its ergonomic design, it fits right between your center console and the dash.
3. Wagan 12V Cooler
Wagan’s version of a portable refrigerator is nothing short of brilliant. There’s plenty of room for 24 liters, a handy folding carry handle, and a long cable to allow you to select where to put it in your car. Wagan’s model also has a hidden operations panel, which is one of our favourite things about it. To utilize the hot or cold setting, turn it up, and don’t make the mistake of turning a switch while moving. We came across a man’s horrifying account of how he accidentally switched his car to a different type while driving and ended up at the beach with six boiling hot soda cans.
Wagan’s inventive design doesn’t stop there, either. The heating and cooling elements are inside the lid, which makes it easier for your contents to spread out. Heat rises, cold descends, and with Wagan, you don’t have to battle gravity with a bottom-mounted fan. Last but not least, this item has a tremendous range. From 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for keeping food heated and inhibiting bacterial development, This is a good, low-cost option.
4. Koolatron Compact Electric Cooler
It’s a vertical car cooler that fits neatly into your car’s narrow passageways. You’ll need to keep it aired correctly, but compared to a normal cube-shaped car refrigerator, the options are still endless. You also receive an adaptor to connect to any conventional 110V outlet, in addition to the unusual style. This allows you to quickly transfer food from the pan to a container in your unit before heading out the door. As low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to properly refrigerate temperature-sensitive foods. You get a maximum temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
The shell is composed of temperature-treated plastic, which makes this 12V cooler very light. When you combine that with the fact that the heat vent and engine operate at such a low, whisper-quiet volume, you’ve got yourself a terrific car cooler. You could have some difficulty putting this between the center console and the dash, so keep that in mind. That’s fine because there’s enough wire length to run this almost everywhere in your car.
5. Dometic 12v Electric Powered Cooler
The temperature range of this lightweight and compact refrigerator/freezer is 0 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It comes with a 12/24V DC connection wire, so you can easily plug it into your car’s auxiliary power port. The fridge includes a quick-chill feature for fast cooling your things, and it can accommodate up to 13 12-ounce cans. It’s 12.3 inches long, 14.1 inches wide, and 9.3 inches tall. The refrigerator features a memory function that saves your presets when you switch it off. It comes with a shoulder strap for mobility and a soft-touch control panel with a digital temperature display. It’s simple to assemble, uses very little energy, and keeps the contents cold, including pre-cooked meals, frozen meat, and ice cream.
6. Black+Decker Portable Travel Cooler
In our search for the finest car coolers on the market, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out some of the more well-known brands and see what they had to offer. Black+Decker did not disappoint, and their outstanding price followed suit. Carry it from your house to your car by slinging it over your shoulder with the supplied strap; you’ll need it because it’s just under twenty pounds. It’s a little bulky, but Black+Decker does the job.
Your temperature ranges from 40 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for keeping meals warm but not safe for driving for more than a few hours. You receive a 1.6-gallon capacity, a power cord that is just over six feet long, and an adaptor so you can bring it inside at the end of the day and keep it plugged in on the counter. After using this unit for a while, we can state that the temperature range has been reduced to save money, but for around $50, it’s a strong car cooler that will last you for years.
7. Gourmia Thermoelectric Mini Fridge
Using thermoelectric technology, this lightweight cooler/warmer chills liquids to 32 degrees Fahrenheit and heats meals to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It holds six 12-ounce cans and comes with a detachable shelf, a self-locking clasp, and an embedded Bluetooth speaker that can be used to play music from an iPhone, Android, or another smart device. The cooler is insulated on the inside, so it will keep its temperature even after you disconnect it.
It’s quite adaptable and may be used both at home and on the road. It includes two power cords: an AC cord for wall outlets and a CD cord for your vehicle’s auxiliary plug. ETL certification ensures the cooler’s safety and efficiency. Overall, it cools things down rapidly, keeps frozen food cold for a long time, uses very little electricity, and isn’t too noisy.
8. Koolatron Voyager Cooler
Koolarton provides the greatest internal area for the least amount of money. You can keep up to 48 regular 12-oz cans in here; it’s like having a mini-reach-in refrigerator; the only issue is finding a place to put them. You may either put it on the passenger floor or run it from the trunk to the cigarette lighter using the nine-foot cord. If you want to take the whole family to the beach, the Voyager is the way to go.
For such a huge machine, you get a wide temperature range in addition to the gigantic size. You can refrigerate, not just chill, down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, with the hot setting reaching 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The latter is useful for transporting food for a short trip home, but not for transporting hot meals for more than a few hours. The sturdy polypropylene construction allows them to keep expenses low; just bear in mind that scuffs and scrapes will appear, but the internal mechanism is rock strong.
9. Knox Gear Electric Cooler and Warmer
Knox offers some of the best overnight car coolers on the market. You’ll get a mostly vertical chest-style design that can hold up to thirty-four quarts of food. The cooler from Knox Gear also has a detachable divider; fill it with liquids or use it to protect sandwiches from getting smashed. The pricing is a little surprising since they could charge a lot more for this. You get several features that are often seen in higher-priced models, such as an LED indicator light.
They even have both cables included. You won’t need adapters or the same cable because there are two different outlets. If one of the cables becomes broken over time, you may still use an adapter on the other to extend the life of the device. A locking handle, a wide temperature range, and a silent fan exhaust are all included. There’s so much to say about this that it’s difficult to condense it into a few paragraphs: Knox Gear is a great value for the money, and it’s also suitable for RV use.
10. Coleman PowerChill Hot and Cold Cooler
You didn’t think we’d make it through this list without Coleman, did you? For a great price, the Coleman electric cooler offers a lot of power. It’s designed to look like a little fridge, but it still runs on thermoelectric electricity. To store this in the trunk, use an eight-foot power cable and run it under the seats to the 12V cigarette lighter adapter. Remove the shelf divider to make this a beach cooler with a capacity of forty-four cans.
Coleman also included a one-year guarantee because manufacturing flaws in thermoelectric coolers are obvious right away. There’s a large temperature range, a relatively quiet engine, and an incredible price. If you’re still unsure of what you want in an electric car cooler, read the shopping advice below to get a better idea of what you should be searching for.
When Buying a Car Coolers, Look for the Following Features: Total Capacity
An electric cooler for usage in a car should be large enough to accommodate one person. If you plan on using this when traveling with children, you may always choose a larger capacity. As an example, some of these units exist in sizes that only differ by two or four quarts of space, yet they charge up to 30% more. Keep an eye out.
In-Home Application
Is there a 12V DC indoor adaptor included? Is it necessary to purchase one separately, or is this not a worry for you? If you can use your car fridge on the counter, you’ll get more use out of it. A whole new universe of possibilities opens up for you (important stuff, like a BYOB event where you want to keep them cold).
Temperature range
If your machine also has a heating feature, you’ll want to check this for both settings. You won’t always be able to get a unit that goes below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (the upper limit of the recognized food safety range for storing cold food), and your heat functions may not be as powerful as you’d want. Keep this in mind, and keep in mind that “chilly” and “cold” are two very different things.
Noise
The majority of thermoelectric coolers are rather quiet. That is, according to the label. Companies will hide behind technical information like a dB rating to ward off the noise, which is when user reviews come in handy. Listen to customer evaluations, and if you get anything with a decibel explanation, keep in mind that a normal discussion between two people produces a noise level of 58–62 dB.
Warranty
Murphy’s Law has a quirk: it isn’t actually true, but it seems like it. Everyone knows someone who had a dryer, refrigerator, or dishwasher break after the warranty had ended. Even with little low-cost appliances like these, you should be covered by a solid guarantee.
The Advantages of Using a Car Refrigerator or Cooler
- At Work, Enjoying Hot or Cold Food: Nobody wants to eat cold soup or a sandwich that is just a touch too hot to be comfortable. Most car coolers also have a heating function, which lets you keep food at a temperature that stops germs from growing.
- Save Money: You won’t see the electricity used on your home energy bill, but you will notice a significant difference in your spending habits. We’ve all done it: gone through the drive-thru or spent money on lunch at a sit-down restaurant. When traffic is really terrible, I’ve even stopped at a burger joint to spend money and wait it out. You can carry food with you and avoid making needless purchases that deplete your hard-earned income.
- Keep Insulin Cold: Being an insulin-dependent diabetic and not having a place to keep your insulin at work is a nightmare. For years, truckers and drivers have relied on car coolers to keep their blood sugar levels in check while on the road.
- Snacks for Kids That Are Good for Them: You may carry nutritious options for your kids to eat on the road in the spirit of bypassing the drive-thru. They’re usually asking for food, so you’ll be able to relax for the rest of the voyage.
- No more soggy food: This isn’t your pal Dave’s house for Labor Day weekend. Pulling a cold brew from an ice chest is part of the end-of-summer fun, but when you’re just trying to keep your lunch from spoiling, the soggy mess that melting ice creates is the last thing you want. You don’t have to worry about your food spoiling if you keep it cool.
How Do Car Plug-In car coolers Work?
These are small car coolers enough to run on only 12 volts. If you’re driving an older car or a small car (like a Corolla), the electrical system is simple enough that a 12V car battery will suffice. You should be safe to use the cooler as long as it does not exceed the voltage of your car’s batteries (which is an extremely improbable case, but you never know). When you plug it in, it transmits current via two separate plates with hot and cold outputs that alternate. There’s a heat drain to remove the hot air created, efficiently keeping the cooler air within the machine, and that’s all.