The Best Electric Coolers: Tested and Reviewed

As luck would have it, a bomb cyclone ripped through my city the day after I finished testing the best electric coolers. After a few hours of the lights flickering, the power finally popped off. Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to transfer the contents of our freezer to one of the models I had tested, using one of the best portable power stations to keep it going overnight.

For this task, I picked the Goal Zero Alta 50. There were a few reasons for this. I knew from testing that it was one of the more energy efficient models, ideal when you don’t know how long you’re going to need the cooler for. Next, it was one of the easier electric coolers in my test to use, with clear, simple controls without a lot of fanfare.

The last thing I wanted to do was cross-check with a manual as to what some obscure code meant, or try to remember what steps I needed to take to unlock a cooler, while sitting in the dark with a flashlight. Our power came back on in the middle of the night, but the cooler was still going strong when I checked on it in the morning, and everything inside was still frozen. 

I tested the Alta 50, but the Goal Zero Alta also comes in a larger size (the Alta 80) that would allow you to use it as both a fridge and a freezer. Like other coolers, this one comes with an app that would allow you to remotely check, or even change, the temperature.

Best Features: EcoFlow Glacier

Pros

• Can be paired with an integrated battery (sold separately)
  Intuitive to use
• Integrated ice maker is fun
• Can alternate between a single and double compartment

Cons

• Expensive (unless you get it on sale)
• Not as energy efficient as others that I looked at
• Non-standard cords
• Potential for extra water in the ice-making panel to get on exposed electronics

Key Features

• Price: $1,100
• Weight: 50.1 pounds
• Compartments: 2 (2 zones)
• Temp Range: -13° F to 50° F
• Voltage: 12/24V DC or 100/240 AC
• Additional Features: Integrated ice maker, ice shovel, two baskets, DC and AC cables, app enabled, wheels (sold separately), and integrated battery compatible

Test Results

• Time to Reach 0° F: 43 minutes
• Energy Draw to Reach 0° F: 60 watt hours
• Total Energy Draw after 4 Hours: 150 watt hours
• Capacity: 36 cans (tested), 60 (claimed)

 

The EcoFlow Glacier is a joy to use. It looks sleek. The controls are intuitive. The internal compartment can be separated and dialed into two separate temperatures if you want. It was one of two electric coolers that had an ice maker, which was fun (if loud) to use. I also liked that you had the option to add an external battery directly to the cooler itself, which is handy if you are only planning to take the cooler out for a day at the beach.

There are some downsides to the EcoFlow Glacier. The biggest one is that it was significantly less efficient than other models I looked at, taking longer to come down to temperature and using more energy in the process. But that’s only an issue if you need to be mindful of your energy expenditure, such as in a power outage or when camping off grid. The other issue is that its internal capacity, when you use the internal divider and the provided baskets, is somewhat limited, much less than the 60-can capacity advertised. 

I tested the icemaker on both the EcoFlow and the Bluetti, and came away impressed with the EcoFlow’s performance. While the ice cubes it produced aren’t exactly traditional in appearance, they come out fully separate from each other, which makes it a lot easier to plop them into a mixed drink. Just keep in mind that this feature, unsurprisingly, uses a ton of energy. 

One final note on the icemaker. Because of the way the cooler is designed, if there is water in the icemaking feature that was unused and you tilt Glacier on its side — such as you would do to move it — there is the potential for water from the icemaker to fall out. Be sure to drain the icemaker before transporting it. 

Fastest Cooling: Dometic CFX2 45

Pros

• Energy efficient
• Great warranty
• Cooled the fastest of anything in my test

Cons

• Lack of clear instructions
• Control panel is confusing

Key Features

• Price: $800
• Weight: 43.4 pounds
• Compartments: 2 (1 zone)
• Temp Range: -7° F to 68° F
• Voltage: 12/24V DC or 100/240V AC
• Additional Features: One basket, DC and AC cables, app enabled, and USB port

Tested Results

• Time to Reach 0° F: 32 minutes
• Energy Draw to Reach 0° F: 30 watt hours
• Total Energy Draw after 4 Hours: 100 watt hours
• Capacity: 65 cans (tested), 60 cans (claimed)

 

Despite having the second largest measured capacity in my test, the Dometic CFX2 45 cooled down faster than anything else that I looked at, and it wasn’t even close. If you need to cool down your food in a hurry, that kind of performance is invaluable. And in this case, the Dometic didn’t even use appreciatively more power to accomplish this, coming in a close third behind my best overall and best value picks. 

Where I struggled with the Dometic CFX2 45 is with the control panel. Even after flipping through the various settings and consulting every hardcopy and online guide I could find, I’m still at a loss for what some of these features are for, and if they’re important to using the cooler. 

Part of this is that the minimal control panel is relying on a lot of shorthand to use the electric cooler. Part of this is that the instruction manual uses as few words as possible, which would be useful for non-English speakers if I could make heads or tails of it. Another part is that Dometic allows for a lot of customization of their coolers. If you’re already tuned into what this shorthand is, this probably won’t pose any issues for you. But if you’re new to Dometic products or electric coolers or both it’s an unnecessary aggravation. 

Engel MR040

Pros

• Good warranty
• Simple to use

Cons

• Not as energy efficient as other models I looked at
• Somewhat expensive

Test Results

• Time to Reach 0° F: 51 minutes
• Energy Draw to Reach 0° F: 40 watt hours
• Total Energy Draw after 4 Hours: 130 watt hours
• Capacity: 60 cans (tested), 40 quarts (claimed)
  

 

If some of the electric coolers that I tested overdid it with their touchscreen control panels and bluetooth-enabled apps, the Engel MR040 ran in the opposite direction. It has only a single dial, which runs from -5° F (freezing) to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The only indication you get that the cooler is even on when the compressor is off is a small green light. 

I appreciate electronics that have a minimum of moving parts, but in this case, it did make it more difficult to create a comparative test. Because there was no way to set the cooler to 0° F degrees, I opted instead to set the cooler to its lowest setting, which should have been -5° F. Then to judge when it had reached that temp, I waited to see when the compressor turned off. In the end, it took over an hour, by far the longest time in my test. That being said, it used less energy than coolers that were more feature-rich, even to hit that lower temperature. 

Grab the Engel MR040 if minimizing the number of electronics that could potentially break in your cooler is your highest priority. Otherwise, either my best overall or best value pick costs less money, has similar warranties, and uses less power to achieve the same result. 

Bluetti MultiCooler

Pros

• Can be paired with an integrated battery (sold separately)

Cons

• Touchscreen is more frustrating than physical buttons
• Takes some effort to close the top lid
• Expensive

Key Features

• Price: $1,000
• Weight: 52.9 pounds
• Compartments: 2 (1 zone)
• Temp Range: -4° F to 68° F
• Voltage: 12/24V DC or 100/240V AC
• Additional Feature: Integrated ice maker, ice shovel, two baskets, DC and AC cables, USB ports, app enabled, wheels, and integrated battery compatible

Test Results

• Time to Reach 0° F: 50 minutes
• Energy Draw to Reach 0° F: 50 watt hours
• Total Energy Draw after 4 Hours: 120 watt hours
• Capacity: 54 cans (tested), 42 quarts (claimed)

 

At first glance, the Bluetti MultiCooler closely resembles the EcoFlow Glacier. Both have icemakers and robust wheels and haul handles. Both are expensive and bulky, and, frankly, energy hogs. But when it came to the features that would tempt someone to upgrade, the Bluetti’s features just didn’t impress as much as the EcoFlow Glacier.

One area where the Bluetti MultiCooler fell short was the touchscreen panel and the lock screen. The screen wasn’t as responsive as the physical buttons of the EcoFlow Glacier, which at times made it difficult to set the MultiCooler to the temperature I wanted. The lock screen also came on every time I stopped using the cooler for a minute or two, and it was time-consuming and unintuitive to turn it off again. I was also surprised at how difficult it was to latch the cooler door — I had to hit down on it with surprising force to fully close it. 

Like the EcoFlow Glacier, the Bluetti MultiCooler has an icemaker. Unfortunately, during testing the ice cubes tended to come off as full sheets, rather than individual cubes, and they did not break apart properly. While there are different ice cube sizes available, I did not notice an appreciable size difference that recommends this feature over the EcoFlow Glacier’s. 

Comparing an Electric Cooler to a Rotomolded Cooler

There are a few advantages to an electric cooler compared to a traditional ice-powered version. With electric coolers, you get excellent temperature control. You can also fill up the entire interior cavity with perishables. But the biggest one is that you don’t have to deal with ice anymore, either the mess at the bottom of your cooler or the hassle and expense of loading it up before your trip. But given how expensive electric coolers are, and how relatively cheap ice is, how many trips would you have to take before the expenses started to equalize? Let’s compare the best-in-class (and notably expensive) Yeti Roadie 48 against the cheapest electric cooler I looked at, the Bodega QZW48. 

Best-in-Class Rotomolded Cooler

High-Value Electric Cooler

Verdict

If you already own a portable power station, or only camp in places where there is an electrical hookup, then an electric cooler might make sound financial sense. But if you’d need to purchase both to use them out in the field, then it’ll probably take decades of camping to make an electric cooler a more sound investment than a quality rotomolded one. 

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Electric Cooler

Your Camping Setup

If you’ve already invested in one of the best solar generators, then making the switch to an electric cooler is likely to be a no-brainer. But if your camping setup is a little more analog, either because of the cost of upgrading or because you prefer a more offline outdoors experience, then a great rotomolded cooler is probably what you want. 

Power Options

Most people will want to run their electric coolers in two ways, either from your car’s cigarette port while driving — plan to have the cooler in the backseat so that the cord will reach — or using one the AC port on one of the best portable power stations. The size you need depends on how long you plan to be out for and if you’ll be using your power station for anything else. That said, a power station in the 1,000 watt hour range is a great place to start, and you can add on a second if it ends up being too limited.

While it is possible to run electric coolers directly from your car battery (without the engine running), and models from the likes of Dometic and Engel are designed with this in mind, I would caution against this. While the electric coolers are designed to draw a low amp from your battery, and several models would shut off if they detected the battery getting too low, the last thing you want is to overdraw your car’s battery during a power outage or when off the grid. 

Temperature Control 

One of the biggest performance differences between an electric cooler and a classic camping cooler is the ability to control the temperature. If you’re concerned about food safety or the crispness of your vegetables, the ability to control the temperature can make a huge difference. 

Price

There is a wide range in the cost of the best electric coolers, ranging from a few hundred dollars to upwards of a thousand. Consider what features are most important to you before making a final purchase. I’d also recommend you consider the warranty and, if possible, wait for a retailer holiday like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day.

FAQs

Q: Do electric coolers use a lot of electricity?

Electric coolers use a substantial amount of electricity compared to other electronics that people frequently bring to the backcountry, but substantially less than power-hungry appliances like air conditioners or heaters. If you plan for about 500 Wh of electricity per day you’ll be using the cooler, you’ll be in good shape. If you are camping somewhere with plenty of sunshine, one of the best portable solar panels can help extend the life of your power station. Using the DC adaptor for your power station rather than the AC adaptor can also help increase the life of your power station, as the inverters used for the AC outlets on portable power stations use up a not insubstantial amount of energy, even when it is not indicated by the power stations user panel.

Q: Do electric coolers drain your car battery?

An electric cooler is unlikely to harm your car battery if you only use it while the car is running. However, if you plan to use your car battery to run your electric cooler while you’re parked at the campground, you won’t get as much life out of it. There are two ways you can look at this. If you’ll be traveling every day, you can probably plan to run your electric cooler while you’re on the go and then let it go while you’re parked. If you don’t open it too often then the perishables inside should stay reasonably cool. However, if you are planning to stay in one place for more than a couple of days or you need your electric cooler to stay at an especially low temp, then you should plan to invest in a portable power station.

Q: Are electric coolers noisy?

I was impressed during testing at how little noise the electric coolers made. If you’re a light sleeper who is planning to sleep next to one in a van, then a couple of these might wake you up, but you always have the option to turn the fridge off overnight to minimize the disruption.