Sick of bending down every time you grab the milk?
A bottom-mount fridge bends the rules of fridge design and turns the traditional 'freezer on top, fridge on the bottom' form on its head (quite literally) to make it easier to grab those fridge faves that you reach for multiple times a day.
A bottom-mount fridge makes it easier to grab fridge faves that you reach for multiple times a day
If you're still not sold on flipping the script fridge-wise, our resident refrigeration expert talks top features of bottom mounts, and more importantly, which ones to avoid.
Plus, for CHOICE members only, we'll reveal the four best bottom-mount fridges from our rigorous lab testing.
If you want to find out which bottom-mount fridge comes out on top, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.
If you're already a member and you just want to see the best products, you can jump straight to the results now.
Why buy a bottom-mount fridge?
It's probably important to acknowledge upfront that the term 'bottom-mount fridge' may be a bit confusing.
It really means a fridge with a bottom-mounted freezer – so the fridge on top, freezer on the bottom – but for better or worse, that's been shortened to 'bottom-mount fridge'.
Now, if you grew up with the old-fashioned freezer-on-top fridges, you might be wondering what the point is of a fridge with a freezer on the bottom. It's all about convenience.
Think about how many times a day you open your fridge to get out the milk, veggies, cheese and the like.
How many times do you open the freezer? Nowhere near as many, right?
In a bottom-mount fridge, the things you're likely to be reaching for most are much closer to eye level, making them easier to find and pick up.
The things you're likely to be reaching for most are much closer to eye level, making them easier to find and pick up
You'll pay slightly more for a bottom-mount fridge – both to purchase and to run – but it's a small price to pay for the convenience.
Bottom- and top-mount fridges tend to have around the same freezer capacity. But freezers on the bottom are generally built with sliding drawers, whereas freezers up the top generally have shelves, which can make it harder to access frozen goods buried deep at the back of the freezer.
Ultimately, which one is best comes down to personal preference.
This $4000 Smeg may appeal if you love the retro look, but not if you also like your food fresh.
The bottom-mount fridge not to buy
Have your heart set on a retro-style fridge?
Despite its good looks, we recommend you avoid the Smeg FAB32RPB5AU – a sibling of the worst fridge to ever come through our labs, the Smeg FAB38RCRAU.
The FAB38 received a CHOICE Expert Rating of 22% overall and a score of 0% for temperature stability. (Yes, zero percent).
Fortunately it's been discontinued since we named and shamed it, but Smeg's follow-up fridge is another flop.
For a cool $3990, the FAB32 is marginally better than its predecessor – but not by much.
It rated 43% overall, but was also roasted by our experts, scoring 0% for temperature stability due to its tendency to fluctuate by a huge 8.4°C in the fresh food compartment.
It was roasted by our experts due to its tendency to fluctuate by a huge 8.4°C in the fresh food compartment
And with a total capacity of just 331L, that's a heck of a lot to pay for a small fridge that won't keep your food fresh.
If you're looking for a similarly-sized fridge that'll actually do the job, check our list of expert-recommended models below.
What are the best bottom-mount fridges?
The sheer range of fridges on the market can make it hard to pick the right one – but that's where we come in.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
