Updated on Oct. 28, 2024
We tested electric coolers while camping, working on job sites, hanging at the beach, off-roading, road-tripping and more. Here are our favorites.
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We’re awarding BougeRV’s Rocky 55-quart electric cooler best in show because of its versatility, size, weight, depth of features and affordability. After testing it out, it’s become our go-to mid-size electric cooler.
BougeRV’s Rocky series was designed for overlanding, which means multi-day off-road adventures. Testing challenge accepted! Since it’s designed for rough and tumble situations, the Rocky 55 is fitted with a flashy, durable stainless steel exterior that’s strong enough to withstand 664 pounds loaded on top of it. The Rocky is also efficient on power, drawing just 45 watts in eco-mode. As a bonus, the metal casing is also fingerprint resistant, so it stayed looking fresh, even when we did not.
The Rocky 55 is a true dual-zone model, which means you can assign each of its two compartments to be a fridge or a freezer. It also has a removable divider between them, which we found to be particularly handy when we were trying to fit a rack of ribs and a big bunch of chard. It would also be great for anglers or hunters who needed some extra length to store their catch.
As an upsell, you can buy a 173 Wh battery to run it off of, which can take 100W of solar (panel also sold separately). While most other manufacturers make unrealistic claims about how long their batteries will last under real-world conditions, BougeRV is refreshingly honest and spot-on with theirs: expect it to last only around four hours on eco-mode in hot weather. Of course, as with most electric coolers, you can also run it off of your car’s 12V socket, a regular AC wall plug or a portable power station. If you’re going that latter route, for any sizable electric cooler, plan on about 1,000 watt-hours per day (or better yet, 1,500 to be safe).
The Rocky 55 is also compact and lightweight for its capacity, not much larger on the outside than the Anker EverFrost 30, Bluetti MultiCooler, or EcoFlow Glacier, but with quite a bit more room inside. It’s also about 6 pounds lighter.
The Rocky’s biggest (perhaps only) flaw is that it doesn’t have wheels, making it more awkward to transport. Unless you’re particularly burly, you’ll want to do a team carry with this (and most other electric coolers, for that matter).
BougeRV’s rocky series comes in 41- to 81-quart sizes, and the company also makes several other lines of portable coolers.
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Newair’s 80-quart electric cooler includes many of the features as other top-end manufacturer models but at a fraction of the price. It would have received our best overall slot, except the size is a little unwieldy for everyday use. That being said, we personally prefer this size cooler, which is perfect for extended road and camping trips or any day that involves a family or work crew.
This dual-zone cooler has ample fridge and freezer space and only draws 80 watts, which means it’s a good candidate for running off of a portable power station or 12V car outlet. It has a sturdy feel and a pleasant, textured and rugged look.
Due to its large capacity, it’s a behemoth to transport (definitely a two-person lift into the car if you value your back; plus, it takes up most of the back seat of our SUV). But, it’s perfect for an extended camping trip. We found the capacity can hold enough fresh food for a week for two people. It’s also plenty big to stow food for a family weekend adventure or enough drinks for a decent-size work crew, even on a hot day. And once it’s off the tailgate, it’s actually reasonably easy to move around, thanks to large-diameter wheels that can handle uneven dirt surfaces and a high-quality extending pull handle, complete with a cushioned grip.
The Newair’s closest competitor in this lineup is the Dometic CFX75 DZ, which is slightly heavier and smaller in both capacity and dimensions but costs more than double. The Dometic does draw about a quarter less power, however.
Newair also sells a 173-watt battery/100W solar panel accessory for this, though that won’t power it for very long. If you don’t have a 12V or wall socket, you’re better off using a larger portable power station. The company also sells a 25-quart battery-powered job-site cooler.
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Coming in well under $300, the Alpicool CF45 is an outstanding portable cooler for the price. It’s as energy-efficient as any compressor-style cooler, drawing just 60 watts. We also love it because it is lightweight (a hair over 28 pounds).
The Alpicool has two compartments, which help keep food organized. It isn’t a dual-zone model since both compartments stay at the same temperature. However, you can choose to make it either a fridge or a freezer. This is also the only cooler in the lineup with a lid that opens from the short side. That could make it more or less convenient to access your food, depending on how you’ve got it stowed in your vehicle. I found it to be desirable.
Despite it being on the budget side, we found the Alpicool a good fit for off-roading. Other than the Bluetti, it’s the only model in this lineup that can function at up to a 45-degree tilt (versus the rest, which will typically shut off at around 30 degrees but turn back on after a few minutes once righted). Its bottom corners are reinforced with plastic protectors, which did their job, and it’s advertised as having an anti-vibration feature, though we couldn’t verify precisely what that is or how it works. But it sounds good!
On the downside, it has a bit of funkiness that’s probably inevitable at this price point. It gets down to temperature quickly but also warms up fast, which means the compressor runs a lot, and this particular compressor is pretty noisy. It also doesn’t freeze ice as fast as other models (it took about three hours, versus two for all others that don’t have ice makers).
The control panel looks like it’s straight off of an 80s calculator, but works fine. The wire baskets have large gaps, which allow food to fall through when you lift them up. There is no drain and some random circular indents in the bottom, which makes it harder to clean. And finally, it doesn’t have any wheels, but that’s common for a cooler of this size.
All in all, this is a great cooler for the price. Its outer dimensions are small enough to hold a cooler of this capacity, so it’s a great space saver. But it’s not a good fit for situations where you don’t have constant or unlimited power, especially if it’s sitting in warm ambient air temperatures.
Alpicool makes a lot of other models, too, from little 10-quart personal coolers up to 60-quart dual-zones.
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Anker tends not to do anything half-heartedly, and their EverFrost cooler is no exception. It’s sturdy and attractive, with good insulation and a stylish LCD control panel. It’s also the only cooler we’ve seen where the price includes a battery. This one stows neatly inside, contains 299Wh and includes USB-A and USB-C charging ports, plus a solar input, which means you can recharge it in the field if you have a panel.
The built-in battery makes it a great candidate for a day at the beach, a boat trip, or car camping (which is how we used it). It’s not so large that it’s hard to fit in the vehicle, but it still has enough room to house essential food and beverages.
You can buy additional batteries to extend its runtime, but beware: while the company claims the battery will last 42 hours, in real-world conditions—especially if you’re opening and closing it to get food out—you won’t get anywhere near that. We got closer to 10. Of course, you can also run it off of regular wall power or a car 12V outlet.
This cooler has two compartments for food, but it’s just a single zone, so you have to choose whether to make it a fridge or freezer. While testing, we found the compressor remarkably quiet, even at night in our van, when the world is particularly silent. Though the company doesn’t always tout it, Anker uses exceptionally high-quality electronic components on its power stations, and I suspect that is the case with its coolers as well.
Other nice features: Its sturdy, large-diameter wheels were easy to pull through uneven terrain. The telescoping handle works decently, though feels slightly flimsy. There’s also a small fold-out table for food prep and resting drinks, plus a built-in bottle opener.
Overall, we don’t have any complaints about this cooler, other than that its exterior dimensions are slightly larger compared to its inside capacity. It’s high quality at a fair price. Anker also makes models in this line up to a 56-quart dual-zone, plus offers some great package deals with power stations and solar panels.
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On its own, Bluetti’s MultiCooler Fridge has many good features, including a self-cleaning ice maker. But it’s also designed to be paired with Bluetti’s large B70 modular power system batteries, which makes it a smart option if you’re planning on being off the grid for a while, whether that’s on a day-long beach picnic or an indefinite voyage on a live-aboard boat.
The cooler has a 42-quart capacity main compartment plus a 9.5-quart ice/freezer section. We found it ran quietly, except when the ice maker was engaged. That racket took about 24 minutes for the first batch and about half of that for subsequent batches. The Bluetti cooler will, however, pause cooling in the main compartment while ice is being made. As a bonus, it automatically drops completed cubes into the ice compartment.
Bluetti’s MultiCooler is also a good choice for off-roaders. Like the Alpicool, it has a 45-degree tilt tolerance and recessed metal sidebars. As we took it up a rocky mountain pass, we appreciated being able to use those to strap it down securely. Even though it’s a bit heavy to lift, it pulled decently around camp, and I liked the padded handle. The wheels are rather small, though, so it’s a bit of a bear over rough terrain.
Other helpful features include USB-A and USB-C ports for charging electronics and a removable lid. I also particularly appreciate that its food baskets have a smaller wire pattern than most other coolers. This means bottles stand upright better, and food doesn’t fall through when you pick the whole basket up to unload it.
The power system can be plugged into a wall outlet or a 12V car socket or used with one of Bluetti’s B70 batteries (sold separately), which each carry an impressive 716 watt-hours. Once one of those is in, you can add up to 200W of solar charging to the mix.
Bluetti encourages pairing the MultiCooler Fridge with its AC180T Power Station, which holds two B70 batteries. By doing this, you can expand your battery capacity indefinitely by buying more B70s and charging them through the AC180T. It’s also a handy option because you can get a lot of power without having to lug a full power station around — just grab a battery or two as you need them. If you can afford it, we’ve found the cooler plus AC180T to be a great, versatile package since you can also use the AC180T as a power station for all sorts of other electricity needs.
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If ice-a-plenty and fast cooling are your primary goals, EcoFlow’s Glacier is a good bet. Once powered up, its powerful compressor can freeze the compartments in 15 minutes and churn out a tray of cubes about every 12 minutes (the first batch takes a bit longer).
It’s also a dual-zone unit, which means you can stash plenty of those cubes in the freezer while maintaining a refrigerated section for drinks and food. That makes this cooler ideal for soccer games, family reunions and company parties in the park. Like BougeRV’s Rocky, the divider between the compartments is removable, which is handy when you need the extra length to stash a salmon or a baking dish.
The Glacier can be powered through an AC outlet, a 12V car outlet or an optional 298 Wh battery, which neatly stows inside the cooler’s housing. EcoFlow claims its battery will power the cooler for 40 hours, but don’t bet on that under real-world conditions, especially if you open it to retrieve items, if it’s warm outside or if you intend on making ice. During our tests, in the shade, with ambient air temperatures in the 80s, and grabbing an occasional beverage from it, it lasted more like nine hours — so if you need to use it for any length of time off-grid, plan on buying extra batteries or a larger portable power station.
On the bright side, the battery also accepts 240 watts of solar input, which is the highest of any built-in battery in this lineup. It can also be charged via USB-C and charge other electronics.
As for the ice maker, it draws water from a 1.4-liter tank, which can make about five batches of ice But, one of our biggest complaints about this model is that the ice maker won’t run on 12V power, so you either need to be plugged into AC power or buy the battery.
Personally, we don’t long for ice makers in a portable cooler. They take up storage capacity and add weight. With a dual-zone cooler like this, we prefer to make ice the old-fashioned way, with a couple of trays. But if you’re having friends over for cocktails, the novelty is pretty nifty, plus the quick freezing speed of the ice maker will keep the party going more reliably.
On the downside, this cooler is expensive if you don’t find it on sale. Plus, you still have to buy the battery, wheels and tow handle separately.
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We adore this dual-zone Dometic, partly because it was our first electric cooler but also because after three years of heavy use and flat-out abuse—including exposure to dust storms, extreme heat and thousands of rocky off-road and washboard miles—it’s still going strong. It even saved us hundreds of dollars in food when our house fridge broke down.
With a 79-quart capacity, it’s among the largest electric coolers on the market, comparable to the Newair model in this write-up. Dometic is known for making particularly good yet expensive RV appliances, and this model is no exception. It’s more than twice the price of the Newair (but still the same price as the EcoFlow Glacier), which is the main reason why we awarded the Newair the best dual-zone electric cooler instead of this one.
The Dometic cooler is also a lunker. Empty, it weighs 61 pounds. Full, it takes two people to carry it (I finally wised up and now take the baskets of food out first before lugging it long distances, duh). It doesn’t come with wheels or a pull handle, either, but you can buy a slide and tie-down kit for it, which is nice if you’re planning on installing it in your van or camper.
But this cooler does hold a lot of food, and it’s very sturdy. Dometic doesn’t list any internal component specs, but after the thousands of hours we’ve run it, it’s safe to say they are of high quality. Cosmetically, however, we have managed to chip the decorative plastic on the outside, but that’s been easily fixable with a bit of J-B Weld. Oh, and the compressor is also very quiet.
Despite its size, it’s great at power conservation, drawing only 60 watts when the compressor is running (25% less power draw than the Newair). Dometic also sells 200 Wh and 960 Wh batteries, which attach to the outside and have solar ports. We never opted for that option, though, since we have a portable power station to run it from when we’re off-grid. Dometic makes a range of other electric coolers, too, all the way up to a 104-quart beast.
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If you already use Ryobi tools, then adding this electric cooler to your job site or tailgating kit is an obvious choice. It can run off of one or two Ryobi 1 batteries, plus it comes with cords for an AC wall outlet or a car 12V electric socket.
For an electric cooler, it is lightweight enough to solo lift in and out of the truck. It’s also refreshingly straightforward: there’s just one compartment, which can be set as a fridge or freezer. It holds up to 40 12-ounce cans and comes with an impressive 3-year warranty. There are also tie-down loops, an integrated bottle opener and a USB-A port for charging your phone.
The LCD screen is easy to use and displays both the temperature and battery level. It’s also easy to clean, thanks to the single compartment with a drain. We accidentally put that to the test when we used it to temporarily store a bag of fresh-roasted green chiles, which had a leak in it. The ensuing layer of gooey, dark liquid wiped right up and didn’t leave a trace.
The biggest downside to the Ryobi One+ cooler is that it doesn’t come with any batteries, and those are pretty pricey. So if you don’t already use Ryobi battery-powered products, there are far better deals out there on other electric cooler brands. For its size, this cooler is also on the expensive end, even if you’re already in the Ryobi family. Plus, the battery configuration is a little clunky, with the battery compartment taking up more room than it needs to. On the upside, the color scheme means you’ll never lose it, even in the dark.
This cooler is a little small for most camping needs, but it is perfect for keeping a stock of refreshingly cool drinks and unspoiled burritos and sandwiches. Because it’s so lightweight and portable, we’ve been using it both on the job site, where we’re building a workshop, on day trips to go leaf peeping, and on runs to the big city to pick up materials and supplies. It would also be a great choice for long- and short-haul truck drivers.
There are two main categories of cooling technology being used in electric coolers: compressor and thermoelectric. Thermoelectrics generally use less power, are lighter, and don’t contain potentially environmentally harmful refrigerants. On the downside, they don’t get nearly as cold, especially when it’s hot outside. If a cooler doesn’t advertise zero or sub-zero cooling, it’s probably thermoelectric.
If you live in a cool place or just need to keep some veggies from spoiling, a thermoelectric might do the trick.
Most people opt for a cooler with a compressor, but not all compressors are equal. Recent compressor technology developments, such as variable-speed and inverter compressors, are more energy-efficient compared to traditional or single-speed compressors, says Mosaferi. To ensure that you get the latest compressor technology, look for the term “inverter technology” in product descriptions, he says. (Note: We have yet to see an electric cooler brand touting what compressor tech they’re using.)
With an electric cooler, you’ll save internal space that would be filled with ice. But, because of the compressor size, electric coolers are larger overall than regular coolers. So when deciding what size to get, consider both the inner capacity and the outer dimensions, as well as the weight — because these guys can get pretty hefty.
Most models can be powered through a wall or generator outlet (AC), 12V car outlet (DC) or built-in/detachable lithium batteries. A few come with the batteries, but most are an additional purchase. Many have built-in solar inputs as well. Otherwise, if you want to power your cooler via the sun, you could bring along a portable power station with solar panels.
The energy efficiency of electric coolers depends on their compressor technology and the quality of insulation. If you’re just plugging your electric cooler into the wall, then how many watts it uses isn’t much of a factor. But if you’re running it off of a battery, a battery being recharged by solar, or your car/RV battery, then more efficient models make life a lot easier.
When calculating how many watt-hours it will take to run a portable cooler, keep in mind that the compressor won’t be running once the cooler is down to temperature. Of course, the more you open the lid or the hotter it is outside, the more the compressor will run and the more watt-hours it will consume.
Some larger-capacity electric coolers offer dual-zone cooling, which means one side can be a refrigerator and one a freezer. Often with these, you can also set both sides as a fridge or both as a freezer. The better ones have independent lids for each side. Note: A few models have two sides but can’t be set at independent temperatures, so check that before you buy if that’s an important feature for your needs.
Other features that can add to your portable cooler bliss include:
Note: None of the models we tested have warming options, but some thermoelectric models, like the 4Patriots Freedom Fridge, can actually heat compartments up to 149 degrees F.
My partner and I have been testing and writing about outdoor, camping and workshop products for nearly 30 years. For the last three years, we’ve been putting electric coolers and portable power stations through the wringer, from high-elevation mountains to vast deserts and even tropical islands. We’ve been using them for car and van camping, including weeks-long remote overland expeditions, where solar was the only power source. Back at home, we’ve also been testing electric coolers on our job site and building a new workshop.
This electric cooler is affordable and easy to carry, being less than 19 pounds. It also draws very little power since it uses thermoelectric technology, compared to the compressors used in the rest of the coolers we tested. If you live in a cool climate and don’t need freezer temperatures, this could be a realistic choice. Also, if you start with frozen food and don’t open the lid, this cooler could keep it from spoiling for a couple of days, so long as it’s not parked in the sun. But otherwise, the technology can only effectively make it 38 degrees cooler than the ambient air temperatures, which means it’s really only practical if it’s less than 60 degrees outside.
Part cooler, part air conditioner, the IcyBreeze is a novel concept that we thought might be a bit kitschy, but which actually works really well. The only reason we’re putting it down in this section instead of featuring it up top is an annoying technicality — it’s not actually an electric cooler. Instead, it’s a high-quality rotomolded traditional cooler with a three-speed fan (similar in concept to an evaporative cooler). Put water or ice inside, and it’ll blow cool air or even mist your way. The air that comes out is 35 degrees F or so below ambient air temperatures, and the cooling lasts for two or three hours. The IcyBreeze is perfect for cooling off at the pool, a soccer match or anywhere else where you’re feeling overheated. We particularly like it for dogs, to give them a break in cars with poorly functioning AC or at the end of a hot hike. It holds 38 quarts, and there’s an optional battery. It also has tie-down points, all-terrain wheels and a USB charging port.
After analyzing 15 electric cooler manufacturers, we settled on 10 we wanted to try. We opted for models with various sizes and features to ensure we included ones for an array of uses, from job sites and picnics to extended car and RV camping.
From there, we evaluated each on its power efficiency (watt-hour use), size and weight, price, power options, cooling zones, pull handles and wheels and other user interfaces. We also tested how well they performed in various scenarios over the course of the summer, including:
After adding all of that up, we picked our favorites for various uses, whether that meant going to the beach, living on the road or storing drinks for the crew.
It depends on the power source you’re using. If it’s plugged into a wall outlet, it will stay cold indefinitely. If it’s running off of a battery, it depends on how many watts the battery holds versus how many watts the cooler is drawing. Most coolers that come with batteries advertise between 4 and 40 hours of runtime, though that will be largely affected by the outside air temperature and how often you open the cooler (which will make the compressor have to run more often). If the electricity gets cut off, as long as you don’t open the lid, most electric coolers will still keep your food from spoiling for several hours or even days, similar to a regular cooler.
Yes. Electric coolers can stay plugged in indefinitely, though as with any appliance, eventually, the compressor or other parts may wear out.
Yes. In fact, if you don’t have a way to power your electric cooler, you can just put ice in and use it as a regular cooler. But if you do have power, it’s better to avoid using ice since, as it melts, the excess moisture can reduce the efficiency of the insulation, thereby increasing the workload on the compressor or thermoelectric cooling system, plus making your food soggy and leak out of drains that might not be fully sealed. Ice trays for drinks are an exception since the ice is neatly contained. Some electric coolers even include ice makers.
