Whether the freezer is a chest or upright (vertical) model. 

We recommend freezers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 75% and at least 70% for temperature performance.

This overall score is made up of temperature performance (55%), warm-up (30%) and cool-down (15%).

The temperature performance score is made up of the freezer's response to outside temperature (40%), temperature stability (30%), temperature evenness (15%), heat load processing (10%) and recommended setting (5%).

A pass/fail measurement of whether a freezer achieves or exceeds it's claimed energy efficiency when set at -15°C.

How well the freezer's insulation performs in a power failure.

How long it takes an empty freezer to cool the air to -13C in a temp-controlled room from the time it's switched on.

The heat load processing score is a measure of how efficiently the freezer cools a warm (32°C) load placed inside, the mass of which is determined by the size of the fridge as defined by the Australian Standard.

How the freezer copes with changes in ambient room temperatures, such as from summer to winter.

How well the freezer maintains constant, even temperatures. (Large temperature fluctuations can reduce the quality of your food and leave your ice cream gritty.)

How uniform the temperatures are within the compartment (i.e. are there warm or cold spots?).

Whether the recommended setting of the control gives an appropriate temperature.

The model's general loudness (but not the pitch or irritation of the sound).

The claimed country of manufacture, though take this with a grain of salt as it may be made using components from other places.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating isn't included in our total score. N/A means there's no rating for that company.

This is the manufacturer's recommended retail price.

Calculated using a rate of 40c/kWh. A 10-year period gives a useful indication of the long-term differences between high and low energy use.

We add the running costs over 10 years to the purchase price to give a total expected cost over 10 years, which is how long we expect a product like this to last.

Rollers are useful for easy moving: when cleaning behind the freezer, for example. It should also have adjustable feet (or rollers) for levelling the freezer. Four rollers are better than two, provided they have brakes or adjustable feet to secure the freezer in place.

How many shelves and drawers or bins the upright freezer has. Drawers are marginally better for storage, but shelves are easier to access, particularly at the top of the freezer where a drawer may not be as practical. Chest freezers may have removable baskets, but do not have drawers or shelves.

The manufacturer's listed dimensions, rounded up to the nearest cm. These don't include the recommended installation space needed to keep the freezer working optimally.

The manufacturer's listed dimensions, rounded up to the nearest cm. These don't include the recommended installation space needed to keep the freezer working optimally.

The manufacturer's listed dimensions, rounded up to the nearest cm. These don't include the recommended installation space needed to keep the freezer working optimally.

How much air space the freezer has to cool. For chest freezers, most of this space is available for storage, but with uprights some of the volume is lost around the drawers so usable space is less than the claimed volume.