Little Home Appliance

31 3.5 cu ft Compact Freezers, Ranked by Running Cost

Compact upright and chest freezers, total capacity 3.5-4.9 cu ft, sold in the US. Chest and upright styles are mixed and tagged below. Ranked cheapest to run first, estimated at 18.31¢/kWh (July 2026).

← All compact freezer sizes

31 ENERGY STAR certified models, from about $32 to $71 a year to run at the US average electricity rate. See how we calculate running costs.

Top 5 cheapest to run

#1 Chest

Danby DCF035A5WDB

3.5 cu ft · 173 kWh/yr

Est. $32/year to run

#2 Chest

Arctic King AC35ESKCR1RCM

3.5 cu ft · 174 kWh/yr

Est. $32/year to run

#3 Chest

Arctic King ARC04B2C**

3.5 cu ft · 174 kWh/yr

Est. $32/year to run

#4 Chest

Midea MRC04M3C**

3.5 cu ft · 174 kWh/yr

Est. $32/year to run

#5 Upright

Criterion CUF36C1W

3.6 cu ft · 252 kWh/yr

Est. $46/year to run

All 31 models

Rank Brand Model Style Capacity Energy use Est. cost/year
1 Danby DCF035A5WDB Chest 3.5 cu ft 173 kWh/yr $32
2 Arctic King AC35ESKCR1RCM Chest 3.5 cu ft 174 kWh/yr $32
3 Arctic King ARC04B2C** Chest 3.5 cu ft 174 kWh/yr $32
4 Midea MRC04M3C** Chest 3.5 cu ft 174 kWh/yr $32
5 Criterion CUF36C1W Upright 3.6 cu ft 252 kWh/yr $46
6 Danby DUFM043A2* Upright 4.3 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
7 Vitara VLUF0430EW Upright 4.3 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
8 Conserv FR430S Upright 4.3 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
9 Conserv FR430B Upright 4.3 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
10 Koolmore KM-RUF-42C Upright 4.2 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
11 Conserv FR430SC Upright 4.2 cu ft 260 kWh/yr $48
12 Fisher & Paykel Most Efficient RB36S Upright 3.7 cu ft 300 kWh/yr $55
13 Zephyr Most Efficient PRRFD24C2AS Upright 3.9 cu ft 330 kWh/yr $60
14 Zephyr Most Efficient PRRFD24C2AP Upright 3.9 cu ft 330 kWh/yr $60
15 Zephyr Most Efficient PRRFD24C2AS-OD Upright 3.9 cu ft 330 kWh/yr $60
16 Summit ADFD2D24 Upright 3.5 cu ft 355 kWh/yr $65
17 Marvel MPFZ*24-SS*1A Upright 4.6 cu ft 369 kWh/yr $68
18 Marvel MLFZ*24-SS*1A Upright 4.6 cu ft 369 kWh/yr $68
19 Marvel MOFZ*24-SS*1A Upright 4.6 cu ft 369 kWh/yr $68
20 Marvel MPFZ*24-IS*1A Upright 4.6 cu ft 369 kWh/yr $68
21 Marvel MLFZ*24-IS*1A Upright 4.6 cu ft 369 kWh/yr $68
22 Sub-Zero ID-24F Upright 3.8 cu ft 377 kWh/yr $69
23 Sub-Zero ID-24FI Upright 3.8 cu ft 377 kWh/yr $69
24 True TUF-24-*-**-C Upright 4.2 cu ft 384 kWh/yr $70
25 U-Line 1224FZRA Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
26 U-Line FZ124 Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
27 U-Line UHFZ124-BS01B Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
28 U-Line UHFZ124-WS01B Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
29 U-Line UHFZ124-IS01B Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
30 U-Line UHFZ124-SS01B Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71
31 U-Line UOFZ124-SS01B Upright 4.8 cu ft 390 kWh/yr $71

Estimated running cost = annual kWh × 18.31¢/kWh (July 2026 US average). Your own rate may be higher or lower — check your bill. ENERGY STAR figures are lab-test results; real-world use varies. This list includes discontinued and not-yet-sold certified models, and some brands are white-label relabels of the same unit.