Best Built-In Refrigerators of 2023
CR’s exhaustive tests reveal the best models from Dacor, JennAir, KitchenAid, Sub-Zero, and Thermador
Built-in refrigerators complement the aesthetics of any kitchen but often cost more than stand-alone fridges.
By Daniel Wroclawski
Updated by Dan Bortz and Daphne Yao
Built-in refrigerators take center stage in the most refined kitchens, even if you don’t spot them immediately.
Unlike stand-alone refrigerators that stick out past cabinets and counters by as much as 10 inches, built-ins sit flush with the cabinetry. Clean lines, flat surfaces, and right angles are their hallmarks. Built-in refrigerators are typically finished in stainless steel or come panel-ready, meaning your cabinet builder can fabricate panels to attach to the front of the fridge so that it blends into your cabinetry.
But there’s a trade-off. “With a built-in, what you’re really paying for are the style and premium finishes,” says Larry Ciufo, who oversees CR’s refrigerator testing. “Compared with stand-alone fridges, built-ins cost a lot more but actually offer less interior storage space.” And features are a mixed bag. Every built-in currently in our ratings has a freezer light, digital controls, and an icemaker. Most have spillproof shelves and air filters. But water dispensers are rare, and shelves that can be adjusted without clearing them first are absent altogether.
Built-ins are made chiefly by high-end manufacturers such as Dacor, Miele, Sub-Zero, Thermador, and Viking, and range in price from around $5,000 to well over $10,000.
As with freestanding refrigerators, built-ins come in different configurations, including bottom-freezer, French-door, and side-by-side. But because of their shallow depth—only 24 inches—some built-ins go as wide as 42 inches to maximize storage space. (By contrast, the largest stand-alone fridge in our ratings is 37 inches wide.) Some manufacturers offer built-in column refrigerators and freezers, which are separate appliances that you can place either next to each other or in different areas of your kitchen.
To test refrigerators, we outfit each model with thermocouples in a climate-controlled chamber and monitor it for a month, collecting more than 5.4 million temperature readings that identify warm and cold spots. By analyzing these millions of data points, we determine which models will keep your food fresh longer.
We also factor in survey data from thousands of CR members to judge brand reliability and satisfaction. All that data and more inform CR’s refrigerator ratings and each model’s Overall Score.
Below, CR members will find ratings and reviews of the 10 best built-in refrigerators from our tests. The list has models from Dacor, JennAir, KitchenAid, Sub-Zero, and Thermador in bottom-freezer, column, French-door, and side-by-side configurations. For additional highly rated built-ins, see our complete built-in refrigerator ratings. And for advice as you shop, check out our refrigerator buying guide.
Best Built-In Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators
Thermador Freedom Collection T30IB905SP
CR’s take: Looking for a narrow built-in? The 30-inch Thermador Freedom Collection T30IB905SP is your best bet. In our lab tests, it earns an excellent rating for thermostat control, very good scores for temperature uniformity and ease of use, and middling ratings for energy efficiency and noise output. Thermador built-ins received a stellar rating for predicted reliability and a near-top-level rating for owner satisfaction in our latest member survey results. This model features dual evaporators, an air filter, a built-in water filter, an icemaker, and WiFi connectivity.
Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB915SS
CR’s take: The Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB915SS is a strong performer in our tests, earning a top-notch rating for thermostat control, strong scores for temperature uniformity and energy efficiency, and midlevel marks for noise and ease of use. In our latest member survey, Thermador built-ins received an excellent rating for predicted reliability and a very good rating for owner satisfaction. This 37-inch-wide model features an icemaker, an air filter, a built-in water filter, and WiFi connectivity for smartphone app control.
KitchenAid KBBR306ESS
CR’s take: The KitchenAid KBBR306ESS is an all-around great 36-inch built-in with ace ratings for thermostat control and noise, impressive ratings for temperature uniformity and ease of use, and a middling rating for energy efficiency. In our latest member survey, KitchenAid built-ins receive middle-of-the-road ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. This Energy Star certified built-in features a stainless steel finish, an icemaker, a built-in water filter, spillproof shelves, and half-shelves to easily organize groceries.
Best Built-In Column Refrigerators
Sub-Zero Designer IT-36RID
CR’s take: The Sub-Zero Designer IT-36RID is a 36-inch-wide built-in column refrigerator, meaning it lacks a freezer compartment. Instead, you would need to buy a column freezer to go with it. This Sub-Zero refrigerator features a built-in water filter, an internal water dispenser, a built-in air purification system, and digital controls that display both set and actual temperatures. This built-in is also unique in that it’s divided into three separate fresh-food compartments, one with a door that opens upward and two pull-out drawers. In our tests, it receives excellent ratings for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, and middling ratings for noise output and ease of use. In our latest member survey, Sub-Zero built-ins received an above-average rating for predicted reliability and a standout rating for owner satisfaction. For a similar model without the internal water dispenser, see the Sub-Zero Designer IT-36R.
Sub-Zero Designer IC-36RID
CR’s take: The Sub-Zero Designer IC-36RID is a 36-inch-wide column refrigerator that performs quite well in our tests, with excellent ratings for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and energy efficiency, and a middling rating for ease of use. The only test it falls short on is noise output, where it garners a below-par score. In our latest member survey, Sub-Zero built-ins received a solid rating for predicted reliability and an outstanding rating for owner satisfaction. This model features a built-in water filter, an internal water dispenser, a built-in air purification system, and digital controls that display both set and actual temperatures. For a similar model without the internal water dispenser, see the Sub-Zero Designer IC-36R.
Best Built-In French-Door Refrigerators
Dacor DRF427500AP
CR’s take: The four-door, 42-inch-wide Dacor DRF427500AP earns excellent ratings for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, and noise in our tests, and passable scores for energy efficiency and ease of use. (We don’t have enough survey data yet to judge the predicted reliability and owner satisfaction of Dacor built-ins, though.) This built-in packs plenty of features, including an internal water dispenser, a freezer compartment that warms up to refrigerator temperatures, a second icemaker that serves up cocktail cubes, spillproof and half-shelves, three evaporators and two compressors (for better cooling performance and to prevent odors from mixing between fridge and freezer), and even WiFi-connected cameras so that you can check the contents of your refrigerator from the grocery store. We expect its less-expensive sibling, the Dacor DRF425300AP, to perform just as well, though it lacks the second icemaker and remote cameras.
Dacor DRF367500AP
CR’s take: The 36-inch-wide Dacor DRF367500AP receives high marks in all our performance tests, with excellent ratings for thermostat control, noise, and ease of use, while delivering very good ratings for temperature uniformity and energy efficiency. It has an internal water dispenser and two icemakers, as well as two evaporators, and spillproof and half-shelves. Its less expensive sibling, the Dacor DRF365300AP, comes with a single icemaker and less shiny interior cladding, but we expect it to perform similarly. Both models come either panel-ready or clad in silver or graphite stainless steel.
Thermador T36BT925NS
CR’s take: The 36-inch Thermador T36BT925NS is similar to the CR-tested (and now discontinued) Thermador Freedom Collection Professional Series T36BT920NS, and we expect it to perform similarly. The tested model earned excellent ratings for thermostat control and noise, very good ratings for temperature uniformity and ease of use, and a moderate rating for energy efficiency. Thermador owners really like their built-ins: In our member surveys, its French-door models receive an excellent rating for predicted reliability and a very good rating for owner satisfaction. This Thermador is relatively light on features; it doesn’t have spillproof shelves or a water filter, but it’s WiFi-enabled for remote temperature control.
Thermador T36IT905NP
CR’s take: The 36-inch Thermador T36IT905NP is similar to the CR-tested but discontinued Thermador Freedom Collection T36IT901NP, and we expect its performance to be similar. The tested model earned our highest ratings for thermostat control and noise, a very good rating for temperature uniformity, and a middling rating for energy efficiency. It’s one of the very few refrigerators to earn top marks for ease of use. Features include a built-in water filter and WiFi connectivity. It’s available either in stainless steel or panel-ready.
Best Built-In Side-by-Side Refrigerator
JennAir JS48NXFXDE
CR’s take: The Jenn-Air JS48NXFXDE is an absolutely massive built-in that’s 47 inches wide with 21.1 cubic feet of usable storage space, making it the largest built-in we’ve tested. It receives excellent ratings for thermostat control and temperature uniformity, a very good rating for energy efficiency, and decent ratings for noise and ease of use. Based on our latest member survey, JennAir built-ins garner a middling rating for predicted reliability but an unfavorable rating for owner satisfaction. This big built-in is available with stainless steel panels or can be panel-ready to match your cabinetry. Its features include an icemaker, a built-in water filter, digital controls, spillproof shelves, an independent temperature-adjustable storage drawer, and a striking obsidian black interior.
Café CSB42WP2NS1
CR’s take: The 42-inch Café CSB42WP2NS1 is a solid refrigerator all around, garnering strong marks for thermostat control, temperature uniformity, energy efficiency, and ease of use. This side-by-side, built-in model also aces our noise test. The fridge features spillproof shelves, WiFi connectivity, and digital controls. On the downside, the brand receives a lukewarm reliability rating and a below-par owner satisfaction rating in CR’s member survey.
Correction: On May 31, 2022, this article was updated to reflect the correct Overall Scores for the products listed. A prior version included Overall Scores that inadvertently drew on older predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data.
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