:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/faw-electric-coolers-group-greg-baker-1-8bdd416f114a49d09f3381b1cc99d17a.jpg "The 4 Best Electric Coolers of 2025, Tested")
I go on an annual camping trip every Memorial Day weekend and have developed an undesirable ritual. As the summer heat is in full effect by then, the ice in my best cooler lasts about a day. So, each morning before I can get to the hiking or swimming part of the show, I have to drive 10 miles into town and restock the coolers with ice. It’s a large group trip, and others line up to do the same. By the end of the weekend, food at the bottom of the coolers has spent a great deal of time underwater, and I worry about cross-contamination, no matter how well I packed the food. But it's hot and we’re camping, so what other option is there?
Enter the solution: an electric cooler. All you need is a power source — from your car battery or electrical outlet — and you can stop worrying about melted ice, waterlogged food, or warm drinks. Packed sandwiches and picnic salads stay crisp and dry, and beverages stay cold. Electric coolers come in two forms: compressor models, which perform in the same way as residential refrigerators or freezers, and thermoelectric models, which are solid-state cooling systems that run continuously to cool your food and drinks. I recently took four top-selling models to my backyard on a hot spring day to see how they performed.
Our Favorite Electric Cooler
The Igloo ICF 40 Electric Cooler was the best electric cooler I tested for its durability, performance, design, and mid-range price.
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The ICF 40 balances price, design, capacity, and performance. This compressor-powered cooler provides cooling and freezing between 0° and 68°F, with a powerful compressor. It has an easy-to-read temperature display, and adjusting the temperature simply requires pressing an up or down button to arrive at your desired setting. The ICF 40 has separate, built-in inputs for 12V (car) or 110 (household current), so you can easily shift between the two while traveling without needing a separate adapter.
The ICF 40’s stated capacity is 41 quarts or 61 cans (12-ounce size). Although I tried a few configurations, and could only fit 58 cans, but a three-can difference isn’t exactly a dealbreaker. Few coolers out there leave me liking the handles, and this model isn’t among them. I have curiously long arms, and most cooler handle designs leave me either bumping my knees into them or tricep-curling a heavy cooler while I carry it. A couple of extra niceties are a removable divider to separate cans and food and an LED light, which allows you to see what you’re grabbing from the cooler in the dark. It kept drinks at 40°F and ice frozen during separate tests, with no overheating or other ill effects from the hot day.
Capacity: 41 quarts | Dimensions: 28.25 x 14.72 x 18.15 inches | Weight: 28 pounds | Temperature Range: 0 to 68°F
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There are no temperature settings, just on or off, and the side handles are uncomfortable for carrying.
The Versatemp is a small-capacity, thermoelectric cooler that did quite well in my testing. Besides the absence of a compressor, the main difference between this and other coolers is that it does not have customizable temperature settings. The Versatemp simply cools to 36°F below the current air temperature. On paper, this sounds like it wouldn’t be great for hot days, but I put a pre-chilled drink in the cooler and plugged it into my truck’s 12V outlet on an 88°F day, and the drink was 44°F after an hour.Â
One design feature I liked was the curved back side of the cooler, which, when paired with the loop handle on the top, allows the cooler to rest against your leg more comfortably when carrying it. The molded plastic side handles would feel more comfortable with finger grooves, but I realize that’s more subjective. I could only fit 38 cans, instead of the 39 it’s said to hold, but only one of the coolers I tested lived up to the claims, so a one-can difference is entirely acceptable to me.
Capacity: 28 quarts | Dimensions: 18.43 x 12.78 x 17.07 inches | Weight: 10 pounds | Temperature Range: 36°F below ambient temperature
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If you’re looking for luxury electric coolers, Dometic makes them. While not even the brand’s most expensive cooler, the CFX2 is a splurge, but I found the results at least justified the price. The range of features is wide, with Bluetooth or WiFi app connectivity for good measure. It has a large, 39-quart capacity and a powerful compressor to keep it cold or frozen. It also has a rugged construction with reinforced corners to minimize damage from dropping or shifting when traveling and built-in inputs for 12V or 110 power supplies. The 12V system contains a three-stage battery protection system to avoid draining your car battery while plugging the cooler into it.Â
In testing, I found that the Dometic lived up to its claims of 48 drink can capacity, and it kept a cold beverage at 40°F and ice frozen when used on an 87°F day. It also had a feature I wish more manufacturers would adopt: a drain in the cooler's bottom. I’ve encountered way too many coolers that don’t drain melted ice completely, and I realize the irony of this drain belonging to an ice-less cooler. It’s the heaviest cooler I tested, weighing 34 pounds, and the short, flip-up handles were comfortable enough.
Capacity: 39 quarts | Dimensions: 15.79 x 16.85 x 26.69 inches | Weight: 34 pounds | Temperature Range: -7° to 68°F
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This dual-zone cooler from Alpicool checks the boxes for versatility and a reasonable price. What exactly does dual-zone mean? The cooler has two compartments, one large and the other small. The temperature controls affect the large compartment, so you could use that as a freezer and use the small compartment for refrigeration at a slightly warmer temperature. It’s got reinforced corners, a built-in LED light, an easy-to-use control panel, and Bluetooth and WiFi app connectivity. It also has dual power inputs and three-stage battery protection on the 12V input.
The manufacturer states that the 42-quart capacity will hold 68 cans, but my best attempt only allowed 61. Besides that, it performed admirably in the other tests, keeping a chilled beverage at a steady 40°F and ice frozen for an hour. As with all the coolers I tested, I wasn’t a fan of the handles, but that’s a common complaint from me.
Capacity: 42 quarts | Dimensions: 27.2 x 13.6 x 18.3 inches | Weight: 28 pounds | Temperature Range: -4° to 68°F
How I Tested Electric Coolers
I tested these coolers to examine their capacity, design, cooling capability, and freezing capability (if applicable).
- Capacity test: Each cooler has a stated capacity in quarts and cans. To check the veracity of these statements, I loaded each cooler with 12-ounce drink cans, counting as I went. I tried various configurations for maximum capacity and used the highest count as the final number.
- Carrying test: With each cooler loaded to its highest capacity, I picked up each cooler and carried it around my yard, going up and down stairs, and over uneven terrain. This test aimed to judge the handle’s comfort and whether the overall cooler design made it easier or harder to carry.
- Chilled beverage test: I cooled drinks in my refrigerator, set each cooler to 40°F (if possible), and allowed them to pre-cool for an hour. I then took the temperature of each beverage and placed it in the cooler for an hour. I then re-checked the beverage’s temperature to see if it had changed.
- Frozen beverage test: I froze pint containers of water, set each cooler to 20°F (if possible), and put the frozen containers in the coolers for an hour, returning an hour later to see if the ice melted.
- Cleaning: I cleaned each cooler per the manufacturer’s instructions and rated them on the ease or difficulty of the task.
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Factors to Consider
Power SourceÂ
Electric coolers' primary power sources are 12-volt (car), 110-volt AC (wall outlet), and battery. Many of the coolers I tested have dual power sources, and can work using 12-volt or 110-volt. Converters are available for separate purchases that allow switching between power sources if your cooler doesn’t have dual-source capabilities. Battery-powered coolers are good for when you don’t have a car or household current, but those batteries are heavy and not the longest-lived.
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Thermoelectric vs. CompressorÂ
There are pros and cons to each type of electric cooler. A thermoelectric cooler is typically solid-state, which means it has no moving parts to break. Yet, they don’t cycle on and off like a compressor cooler (think about a home refrigerator or mini fridge) and run constantly, presenting a shorter lifespan and requiring a constant energy flow. A compressor cooler has fans, motors, and coils, and the weight of those pieces adds up quickly.Â
Capacity and Portability
Coolers typically carry a capacity rating based on volume (quarts or liters) or the number of 12-ounce drink cans they can fit. Higher capacity is good, but bear in mind that the larger the capacity, the larger the refrigeration unit needed to cool it. The compressor-based models I tested ran between 28 and 34 pounds empty, so keep in mind that filling the cooler will add considerable weight, especially if you have to lift it into a trunk or truck bed. If the weight issue is concerning, consider looking for a wheeled cooler. As it was, none of the coolers I tested had wheels, and I carried them around to judge their comfort and ergonomics. Also, none were as portable as I’d like, as the only way to carry them by the handles comfortably meant a tradeoff of the cooler bodies smacking into my knees.Â
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Our Expertise
Greg Baker is a former chef, restaurant owner, and consultant with almost four decades in the industry. He’s used several types of coolers at home and tested four electric coolers to write this article.Â
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