The need for bigger refrigerators improves as the family size increases. But buying a new refrigerator can be confusing, as we can consider several factors such as capacity, energy efficiency, energy star rating, built-in ice maker, door style, etc. To help you in your endeavor of finding the best refrigerator for a family of 4, we have come up with the best models from leading brands, along with their buying guide.
How should you choose the ideal refrigerator for a family of 4?
Refrigerators were once considered mere appliances in the kitchen that preserves fruits and vegetables until they are consumed. But now they are the workhorses of the family and every single function of the household seems to revolve around the refrigerator.
These appliances are now available in a range of color and style options and these cleverly designed units come with a range of smart features as well. Here are some important factors to consider before choosing your refrigerator for your small family of four members.
1. Type of the refrigerator
Refrigerators are of many types for small families. They can be a single door, double door, and even triple door refrigerators and there are also side by side refrigerators for small families. Some of them have water and ice dispensing options and reversible freezers as well. You can choose the refrigerator according to your needs and the requirements of your family members.
Check out: What Is the Best Single Door Refrigerator?
2. Budget
This is perhaps one of the important deciding factors that influence our buying decision. It is first required to estimate the quantum of spending, that one can allocate as this is a long-term investment. The capacity of the refrigerator that you require and its budget are always interrelated. More the capacity and features, more will be the cost and you have to plan your purchase accordingly.
Check out: Best Refrigerators Under $500
3. Capacity
The capacity of the refrigerator is measured in Cu.ft. You can choose the refrigerator of your choice, depending on the requirements of the family members and the size of the family members. The capacity of the fridge depends on the amount of food that you will refrigerate in the fridge and the number of members in the family. For a family of four members, it is important to choose the capacity accordingly.
4. Defrosting type
All the refrigerators have cool air circulating inside their compartments and in the refrigerator with direct cool options, the circulation is carried out through natural convection technology. But this results in uneven distribution of temperature and it also results in the formation of ice in the refrigerator.
This requires us to defrost the fridge at regular intervals. There are also frost-free refrigerators that do not have frost or ice to deal with. They keep circulating the cool air with the help of electric fans. They do not form ice and do not subject the food to freezer burns. But they are expensive.
5. Energy efficiency
Check the energy star label before choosing the refrigerator to save on your electricity bills. Refrigerators with 5-star rating save bills and those will 2-star rating makes you spend more.
What Are The Best Refrigerators for a Family of 4?
Also check: Best Refrigerator for Large Family in 2022
Best Refrigerators for a Family of 4
#1. Kenmore 04671212 Top Freezer Refrigerator – Best Overall
| Features | Rating |
| Performance | 9.3 |
| Controls and Functionality | 9.3 |
| Build quality | 8.9 |
| Energy efficiency | 9 |
| Value for money | 9.3 |
This is indeed a very large refrigerator with a capacity of 21 Cu.ft. and is great for meeting the requirements of a family of four members for over a week. This freezer and refrigerator combo from Kenmore has ample storage to store fresh and frozen food items. This refrigerator has two crisper drawers and a pre-installed ice maker to preserve both fresh and frozen food items. The freezer is mounted on top of the refrigerator and has integrated handles.
The Kenmore refrigerator has field reversible doors, auto-close doors, an EvenTemp cooling system, and crisper drawers. It also has adjustable glass shelves with bright LED lighting. The total capacity of this refrigerator is about 13.9 Cu.ft. and it is also ADA compliant and energy star certified. As this refrigerator has auto-closed doors, it helps in avoiding wastage and spoilage of food, especially frozen desserts.
The refrigerator is Energy-star certified and thus helps us to save money and maximize energy efficiency. It is also ADA compliant, with accessible shelving. The controls of this refrigerator are positioned within the reach of the arm. The door hinges of this refrigerator are reversible and thus we can open the refrigerator both from the right and the left sides. There are two shelves in this refrigerator to help organize things and food items.
Pros
- This classic top freezer refrigerator is an excellent piece for the starter kitchen.
- Its humidity-controlled crisper drawers are designed to keep the fruits and vegetables fresh for a long time.
- The refrigerator adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act standards and is Energy Star certified for efficiency.
- The refrigerator is extremely quiet.
Cons
- This refrigerator doesn’t have frost-free operations and thus manual defrosting is necessary.
Also check: Best Refrigerators Under $800
#2. Frigidaire FFHD2250TS French Door Refrigerator – Great for Family of 4
| Features | Rating |
| Performance | 9.4 |
| Controls and Functionality | 9.3 |
| Build quality | 8.9 |
| Energy efficiency | 9.1 |
| Value for money | 9.4 |
This is an excellent French door refrigerator with a total capacity of 22.5 Cu.ft. capacity. The refrigerator has a stainless steel color and glossy finish with a French door and it also holds a solid pattern for use in the home kitchen. It is a great refrigerator for a family of four members and its Pure Source Ultra II ice and water filtration technology helps in offering clean and filtered water for everyday consumption. Its Pure Source Ultra Ii water filter helps in removing about 99.3% of lead and 99.9% of cysts from the household water.
It helps in maintaining an even temperature throughout the refrigerator and it has ample space to store enough food items with its edge-to-edge shelves. This counter-depth refrigerator with its counter-depth design offers four inches of kitchen floor space while offering at least 100 ways to organize things. The adjusting interior storage of this refrigerator customizes the storage options.
Its effortless glide crisper drawers help in organizing the refrigerator in many different ways. The shelves can be stacked either side by side or on top of each other to organize the refrigerator in the best way possible. The refrigerator is also energy-star certified for energy efficiency. The capacity of its fresh food counter is 15.2 Cu.ft. and its freezer capacity is about 6.8 Cu.ft.
Pros
- Its Even Temp technology maintains an even temperature throughout the refrigerator.
- The Pure Source Ultra II filters help in removing 99.3% of Lead and 99.9% of cysts from household water.
- The humidity-controlled drawers help in organizing the refrigerator the best way we want.
- There is a water and ice dispenser on the door of this refrigerator.
Cons
- The exteriors of this refrigerator are not smudge-proof.
- A huge refrigerator that occupies a lot of space.
Also check: Best Refrigerators Under $700
#3. Kenmore 70715 Top-Freezer Refrigerator – Editor’s Choice
| Features | Rating |
| Performance | 9.3 |
| Controls and Functionality | 9.2 |
| Build quality | 9 |
| Energy efficiency | 9 |
| Value for money | 9.3 |
This is a classic refrigerator that has a total capacity of 18 Cu.ft. The refrigerator is made of stainless steel material and has a top-mount freezer on the refrigerator. It also has a pre-installed refrigerator and is also energy-star certified with ample storage for both fresh and frozen food items. The refrigerator has easy access shelving and its adjusting split shelves help with customizable food storage. It also offers easy access and we can also remove casseroles to store large food items. Its frost-free freezer helps in preventing freezer burns as well.
The refrigerator has convenient storage and its gallon door bins offer to render tremendous space to store wider and taller food items and beverage cans. There are also dedicated utility bins in this refrigerator that renders excellent access to the favorite food items. The refrigerator helps in keeping the produce fresh and there are two clear bottom plastic crisper drawers that are humidity controlled for fresher and crispier vegetables and fruits. The drawers also slide out easily for removing the produce from the unit.
The total space of the refrigerator is about 13.12 Cu.ft. and the total capacity of its freezer is about 5.07 Cu.ft. The freezer compartment of this refrigerator helps with versatile food storage space. The freezer has automatic defrost functions and is energy star certified. There are five shelves in this refrigerator that can be reorganized and removed for easy and efficient organization.
Pros
- Excellent refrigerator and ice maker combo with a total capacity of 18 Cu.ft.
- Freestanding refrigerator with freezer on top model.
- The refrigerator has ample interior space with long-lasting LED lighting, perfect for storing food items and snacks in the home and office.
- Its gallon-size door bins offer easy access to frequently used food items.
Cons
- The door hinges are not reversible and are oriented towards the right.
Must read: How to Clean a Refrigerator Both Inside and Out?
#4. Frigidaire FFBN1721TV 17.4 Cu. Ft 4 Door Refrigerator – Popular in Market
| Features | Rating |
| Performance | 9.3 |
| Controls and Functionality | 9.3 |
| Build quality | 9 |
| Energy efficiency | 9.1 |
| Value for money | 9.4 |
This is an excellent refrigerator with adjustable freezer storage with a total capacity of 17.4 Cu.ft. This appliance from Frigidaire has a brushed steel appearance and a French door pattern. Its four-door design helps in organizing and storing both fresh and frozen food items efficiently so that we can easily find what we need at any hour of the day. Its TwinTech dual evaporators help in preserving the freshness of the frozen and refrigerated food items for the long term.
Its adjustable freezer storage space helps in maximizing the storage for refrigerated food items and it also has four pull-out freezer bins and two pull-out freezer drawers for maximizing the storage space. The refrigerator has a digital display to adjust the freezer and the refrigerator settings on the exterior refrigerator door. The refrigerator cabin has two adjusting glass shelves for better customization of the refrigerator. There are also two-gallon-sized storage bins on the refrigerator door that are designed to store more food items and a variety of beverages.
The crisper drawers in this refrigerator help in storing more fresh fruits and vegetables. The interiors of this refrigerator are illuminated by better-LED lighting, all through the refrigerator for better visibility. The refrigerator is CSA certified and helps with frost-free operations as well.
Pros
- The four-door design of this refrigerator helps in organizing and storing fresh and frozen food items easily.
- This four-door refrigerator features a four-door design, easy access control panel, adjusting freezer storage, and TwinTech dual evaporators.
- The four pull-out freezer bins and two pull-out freezer drawers help in maximizing the storage in this refrigerator.
- The glass shelves are easy to clean, organize and adjust storage.
Cons
- The sides of the refrigerator are not made of stainless steel material.
- The compartments are not counter depth.
Check out: Best Refrigerator for Small Kitchen
#5. Frigidaire FFHT1425VV Freestanding Refrigerator – Brand Value
| Features | Rating |
| Performance | 9.1 |
| Controls and Functionality | 9.1 |
| Build quality | 9 |
| Energy efficiency | 9.1 |
| Value for money | 9.2 |
This is an excellent top freezer refrigerator that is made of brushed steel from the Frigidaire brand. There is a freezer on top of this refrigerator and it features integrated handles with field reversible doors and a crisper drawer. Its auto-close doors help in maintaining an even temperature throughout the refrigerator and prevents a warm zone in the unit. The refrigerator holds adjusting glass shelves with LED lighting and this appliance is also Energy Star certified and ADA compliant as well.
We can save a lot of money and maximize the energy with this energy-efficient appliance at home. Its doors are reversible and its LED interior lighting helps in clear viewing of the interiors of these refrigerators. The Frigidaire 28-inch freestanding refrigerator features integrated handles, field reversible doors, crisper drawer, auto-close doors, adjusting glass shelves, EvenTemp cooling system, and LED lighting.
The refrigerator holds a flexible interior storage system that has been designed elegantly for large and busy families. Its humidity-controlled crisper drawer helps in keeping food fresher and longer, and thus it helps us to waste less and save a lot of money. The fridge not only works great and quiet but also looks elegant, integrating with the existing décor of the home.
Pros
- Its built-in ice maker helps in getting ice ready instantly.
- It is capable of holding many gallons of milk at a time.
- Features an automatic ice maker for quick parties at home
- Works very great and is very quiet.
Cons
- The exteriors of this refrigerator are not smudge-proof.
- Very tall refrigerator
Bottom Line
From door style to refrigeration options and energy star rating, there are tons of features to look out for before buying the refrigerator. We hope our product recommendation and our buying guide help you to pick the best refrigerator for a family of 4.
