For anyone who spends a lot of time in their car, whether it’s for a commute to work, road trips, camping or tailgating, there’s an easy way to keep food fresh and drinks icy cold: a portable refrigerator designed to be kept in a car, and powered using your vehicle’s 12-volt DC power port.

Portable refrigerators designed for in-car use come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it’s easy to find one that’ll easily fit within your vehicle and offers the capacity you need. Each of these portable refrigerators can be used in your car, but most can also be used indoors with a standard power adapter, too.

The best portable refrigerators work just like the appliance in your kitchen, but smaller. They’re very different from traditional coolers, which need to be filled with ice to keep contents cold. 

What is the best portable refrigerator for a car?

Think of the convenience of reaching into a portable refrigerator to pull out a cold drink. The best portable refrigerators for a car are designed for ease of use. After extensive research and some testing, here are the top choices from our in-house appliance experts.

Best portable refrigerator overall: Igloo Versatemp 28-quart electric cooler

The Igloo Veratemp 28 can serve two purposes — cooling or warming — but only handle one of these tasks at a time. Without ice, this portable fridge can maintain a temperature as low as 36 degrees Fahrenheit. When it’s switched to heating mode, it can reach and maintain up to 136 degrees.

This Igloo portable fridge uses a quiet, brushless motor. It includes a swing-up bail handle and two convenient side handles to make it easy to lift and carry, but it can just as easily be kept in the back of your vehicle. For power, the fridge plugs into any vehicle’s 12 -olt auxiliary power outlet with the included cable. A 110-volt AC converter, which allows you to plug the fridge into a standard indoor outlet, is sold separately. 

It’s 28-quart capacity is spacious enough to hold up to 39 soda cans. The exterior dimensions of this portable fridge are 18.43 by 12.78 by 17.02 inches.

Best budget portable refrigerator: Puneda 8-quart car fridge

The biggest perk of using the Puneda 8-quart car fridge is convenience — well, that and a great price. It’s small enough to be seat belted into the back seat of a car, which makes it easy to access. We also like the dual functionality of this device. As a fridge, it can maintain a temperature as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. But when you switch it to warming mode, it can reach and maintain a temperature up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s available with a brown or grey exterior that measures 14.4 by 7.7 by 11.1 inches. Thanks to its eight-quart capacity, it can hold up 10 soda cans. For power, it uses the 12-volt auxiliary power port that’s built into your vehicle. A 110-volt AC adapter for indoor use is also included. 

The unit relies on a brushless motor and fan, so it operates quietly. With the fridge’s lid closed, you still get access to two cup holders for added convenience. 

Best compact portable refrigerator: Vevor 10 quart portable mini-fridge

While some of the portable car refrigerators in this roundup can keep their contents either cold or hot, the Vevor 10-quart portable mini fridge can serve as a refrigerator or freezer. The unit has a built-in electric temperature control panel, so you can set the ideal temperature to meet your needs — between -4 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s also controllable using a smartphone app.

The exterior of this mini fridge is both durable and corrosion-free. The unit comes with a 12-volt DC cable for connecting it to your vehicle for power, but also includes a 110-volt power cord for indoor use.

This mini fridge’s exterior measures 15 by 25 by 20 inches. It can reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 15 minutes. Even if power is cut off, the mini fridge can maintain its temperature for up to 10 hours, with the help of an optional insulated protective cover. It generates less than 45 decibels of noise.

Best large-capacity portable refrigerator: Bodega 80-quart electric cooler

Having access to an 80-quart, single zone refrigerator in your vehicle gives you enough space to keep a lot of drinks and food cold during an extended road trip, camping adventure or tailgating party. This beast can handle 96 soda cans. You can monitor and adjust its temperature manually, or use a smartphone app.

The Bodega 80 has a temperature range between -4 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can use it either as a refrigerator or freezer. The exterior of the unit measures 32.1 by 18.1 by 17.7 inches. While it comes with wheels and a handle to easily transport the fridge — from your car to a camping site, for example — those wheels can easily be removed to keep the refrigerator stable in your car while you’re driving.

Thanks to its fast cooling mode, it can reach a 32-degree Fahrenheit temperature in less than 15 minutes. The unit is powered using the supplied, 8.5-foot-long, 12-volt DC power cable that plugs into your vehicle’s auxiliary power socket. A 110-volt AC power converted for indoor use is also included.

Best battery-powered portable refrigerator: Anker EverFront Powered Cooler 30

Yes, this portable car refrigerator can be plugged into the 12-volt auxiliary power port in your car, or be used with an AC converter for indoor use. What sets the Anker EverFrost car fridge apart from the others in this roundup is that it can be powered using its 299 watt-hour-capacity battery.

It comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that can keep contents cool (at 39 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 42 hours, without needing ice or external power. If you plan to use this portable fridge while off-grid, it can also be connected to optional solar panels to recharge. When the portable fridge is connected to power, its internal temperature can be set anywhere between -4 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Anker EverFront generates less than 42 decibels of noise. To make the unit easy to transport, it has two, six-inch wheels and an easy-tow handle. The plastic and metal exterior of the unit measures 31.2 by 22 by 20.1 inches.

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