Refrigerators vary in width to fit different spaces. Some fridges are wide enough to accommodate two doors, some a single door, and others are available in a french door style, which has the freezer on the bottom, or a top freezer design. If you need a 30 inch refrigerator due to space constraints, I’ve evaluated them from the most popular brands to see which ones is the best.
Overall, the GE Model: GDE21ESKSS 30 inch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator is the best 30 inch refrigerator. It has a very good cubic feet (room in the fridge) to price ratio, it’s the second best looking fridge, and GE is voted as the second most reliable fridge brand.
NOTE: You can find this model at GE’s website here.
Many of the well-known fridge brands don’t in fact sell a 30 inch refrigerator which was a bit surprising. I used some key metrics to evaluate the best 30 inch fridge from all the top brands, these are:
- The length of the warranty
- The looks (aesthetics)
- The reliability of the brand
- The value for money
Below, is a summary of the score each model got, and how this info was used to decide which 30 inch refrigerator is the best one.
Criteria Used To Determine the Best 30 Inch Fridge
There are quite a few fridge brands on the market. I narrowed down the top brands to evaluate how good their 30 inch fridges are compared to each other.
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Here’s a summary of the key numbers for each of the top 30 inch fridges. To simplify it, rather than write the model number, I only chose the brand (the link in the table will take you straight to the fridge I evaluated):
| Warranty length | Price | Looks Rating | Best value Rating | Room in the Fridge | Reliability Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool | 1 year | $899 | 3 | 1 | 18 cf* | 28.47% |
| GE | 1 year | $1035 | 2 | 1 | 21 cf* | 25.69% |
| Kitchenaid | Doesn’t sell a 30 inch | 13.89% | ||||
| LG | 1 year | $1799 | 1 | 3 | 22 cf* | 13.19% |
| Frigidaire | Doesn’t sell a 30 inch | 12.15% | ||||
| Samsung | Doesn’t sell a 30 inch | 6.60% |
The columns that are a number from 1 to 3 indicate a rating from 1 to 3. Where 1 is the best, and 3 is the worst.
Here’s a table that shows the total score for each fridge based on the numbers above.
| Refrigerator Model | Overall Score |
|---|---|
| Whirlpool: WRT318FZDB | 10 |
| GE Model: GDE21ESKSS | 10 |
| LG: LFDS22520S | 8 |
As you can see from the table above, you can see that Whirlpool and GE were joint first. And LG was third.
The 30 inch fridges of the brands that DO sell them, don’t vary by much, if anything. Or, they only have 1 30 inch fridge option.
To make a fair comparison I chose the best fridge from the top brands that sell a 30 inch fridge based on:
- The number of units sold
- The start rating provided by previous customers.
Because the 30 inch fridges from each brand weren’t significantly different from each other, I thought this was a fair way to evaluate the best 30 inch fridge overall. Let’s take a look at each one from the choices above…
#1: GE Model: GDE21ESKSS Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator
The GE GDE21ESKSS came in overall as the best 30 inch fridge. But the difference between number 1 and number 2 is very small. The key determining factor is that the GE GDE21ESKSS looks better than the Whirlpool, and has equivalent value for money. Which ultimately, landed it in the top position.
The GE GDE21ESKSS is slightly more expensive than the Whirlpool fridge but this is worth it because it has more space inside than the Whirlpool fridge. Unlike the LG fridge, which appears to be a bit overpriced. In all other respects, it’s equivalent to the other 30 inch fridges on this list.
#2: Whirlpool Model: WRT318FZDB Top Freezer Model
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDB came is 2nd best. The key reasons are:
- It is rated as the most reliable fridge brand
- It has a nice interior layout
- It looks decent
- The area inside the fridge is reasonable for the price
- It’s the best value for money
The Whirlpool WRT318FZDB is a solid fridge. It’s a 30 inch fridge but is cheaper than the other 30 inch fridge options on this list. It’s just an all-around good fridge.
A minor downside of this fridge is that it isn’t as good-looking as the LG model. And therefore, it got downgraded one position. But in all other respects, it’s equivalent to the LG fridge, albeit with a slightly smaller internal space.
#3: LG Model: LFDS22520S French Door Refrigerator
The LG LFDS22520S is rated the 3rd best 30 inch fridge. The main reasons it didn’t score as highly as the other fridges are:
- It’s significantly more expensive – about 80% more expensive!
- It has fewer color options
The LG LFDS22520S is the most expensive of the best 30 inch fridges. Therefore, the value for money isn’t as good. And it’s not a little bit more expensive, it’s a lot more expensive.
The other downside of this fridge over the others is it only comes in stainless steel (silver), whereas the other fridges I’ve mentioned have 3 or 4 different color options
LG was rated as a very reliable brand. The main advantages of this fridge over the others are:
- It has an exterior water dispenser
- It has the best look
Looks are subjective, but if you compare the LG LFDS22520S to the other fridges on this list it looks far better and more expensive. The design of the handles is what sets it apart.
This fridge is a better option if you have a bit more to spend on a fridge. And for the higher cost, you do get a better-looking fridge and a water dispenser.
Deciding Factors When Choosing a 30 inch Fridge
All of the 30 inch fridges that I rated as the top 3 are good options. And you can’t go wrong in choosing either of them. But they have a few pros on cons when compared to each other. To decide between them you will want to take into account whether:
- You want a fridge with an external water dispenser
- You want a fridge with french doors
- You want a fridge with more capacity
- You want a fridge with a specific color
- You want the 30 inch fridge that is the best value for money
Here’s a table that shows which fridge to choose based on these factors:
| Key criteria you’re looking for | Which fridge to choose |
|---|---|
| You want a fridge with an external water dispenser | LG |
| You want a fridge with french doors | LG |
| You want a fridge with more capacity | LG or GE |
| You want a fridge with a specific color | Whirlpool or GE come in 3 colors. The LG only comes in silver (stainless steel). |
| You want the fridge that is the cheapest | Whirlpool |
| You want the fridge that is the best value for money | Whirlpool or GE |
Reliability Score – How Likely It Is To Break Down
One of the main issues with a fridge is how long it will last, and how reliable it is. To get an idea of how reliable each of these fridges are I did an independent survey on Reddit.
I asked people about the brand overall rather than specific models. This was done to get a large enough sample set. Overall, 288 people voted. I asked the question, “Which brand is the most reliable?”
Here’s a table that shows the results I got:
| Brand | Vote Results |
|---|---|
| Whirlpool | 28.47% |
| GE | 25.69% |
| Kitchenaid | 13.89% |
| LG | 13.19% |
| Frigidaire | 12.15% |
| Samsung | 6.60% |
Overall, Whirlpool and GE were the clear winners. The brands that didn’t score as highly received about half the votes that Whirlpool and GE got. In general, the votes for the brands that didn’t score as highly as the top 2 were evenly distributed.
- About 1 in 4 people thought Whirlpool and GE were the most reliable brand
- About 1 in 10 people thought that Kitchenaid, LG, and Frigidaire were the most reliable brand.
- About 1 in 20 people thought that Samsung was the most reliable fridge brand.
It is possible though, that the reason more people voted a fridge as being reliable compared to other fridge brands is because the brand happens to be more popular.
To get an idea of how accurate this is it would be necessary to evaluate the fridge sales per year for each company, which is beyond the scope of this article. But regardless, this gives a fairly good idea of how reliable one fridge brand is over another.
Warranty Length of Each Model
Another key metric I looked at is the length of the warranty. This is important because a fridge with a longer warranty would be a key buying decision because a fridge warranty covers mechanical failures.
However, in my research, I found that all of the refrigerator brands have the same warranty length of one year. Here’s a table that shows the warranty length for each of the top refrigerator brands:
| Brand | Length of warranty |
| Whirlpool | 1 year |
| GE | 1 year |
| Kitchenaid | 1 year |
| LG | 1 year |
| Frigidaire | 1 year |
| Samsung | 1 year |
According to fridge manufacturers, the average lifespan of a fridge is 10 to 15 years.
Overall Looks – Best Looking 30 Inch Fridge
Granted, how a fridge looks is very subjective. However, there are a few things to consider. The first is the number of colors a fridge comes in. The best 30 inch fridges vary in the colors they have available.
The LG has the least options and only comes in stainless steel (metallic silver). The Whirlpool model comes in 3 colors: silver, black, and white. And the GE model has the most color options and comes in black, silver, gray, and white.
This can be a deciding factor depending on the look you’re going for, for your kitchen or basement. GE is the clear winner in this regard, Whirlpool is a close second, and LG is the worst with only one color.
The next thing is the overall look of the fridge. In my opinion, the LG fridge has the nicest look. The main differentiating factor is the look of the handle. It has a very elegant design. The GE is a close second with a similar handle design but not as expensive looking. And Whirlpool has a very nice-looking fridge, but not as good.
The LG also has a french door. This is where two doors open out from the middle. It has a more elegant look to it.
Which Fridge Has the Best Additional Features?
The layout of the interior of a fridge does make a difference. All three models have vegetable crispers on the bottom of the fridge which prolongs the life of vegetables and fruits. The Whirlpool model is slightly different from the LG and GE models.
On the door, the Whirlpool model has only 2 half shelves for tall drinks like sodas, and wine. Whereas, the LG and GE have 2 full-length tall shelves. In some cases, this can be a bit of wasted space, because you may not need that much room for tall items.
This can depend on how much you like to drink sodas, soda water, tall bottles, and containers such as a big bottle of homemade chili sauce in your fridge. But there is a big difference and it is a key consideration that you should weigh up.
The other major difference is the LG model has a cool water dispenser on the front of your fridge. If you’re organized you’ll always have a bottle of chilled water in your fridge, if this is something you like to have.
But with the LG model you don’t need to worry, as you’ll virtually always have chilled water on hand. It is worth noting that a chilled water dispenser does run out. It has a limited tank that will run out if it’s run non-stop. For example, to fill up a few water bottles at a time. So, it can become necessary to have water in the fridge as well if you use up a lot of water in one go.
The Space Inside the Fridge – More Is Better
A key factor I looked at to determine the best 30 inch fridge is how much room there is inside the fridge. This is measured in cubic feet and is a measure of volume. Each fridge has a cubic feet capacity that includes the room inside the freezer, and the room inside the fridge.
However, the usable space can vary based on the layout of the shelves. As I mentioned in the additional features section, some fridges have a layout that can be better or worse. And it depends on how you use your fridge.
But in general, it’s a very important metric to look at. Here’s a table that shows the space inside a fridge that each of the best 30 inch fridges has:
| Fridge model | Space inside fridge (volume) |
|---|---|
| Whirlpool | 18 cf |
| GE | 21 cf |
| LG | 22 cf |
Here’s another table that shows how much more space each of the fridges has compared to the Whirlpool fridge.
| Fridge model | How much more space as a percentage |
|---|---|
| Whirlpool | – |
| GE | +16% more space than the Whirlpool |
| LG | +22% more space than the Whirlpool |
The LG fridge has quite a bit more space than the Whirlpool fridge, with 22% more. But the difference in space between the GE and the LG fridge is very small.
Due to the large price difference between the GE and LG, if you’re just comparing space to cost, the GE fridge is a better deal, compared to the Whirlpool than the LG.
There is not a direct relationship between the space either of the fridges has and the price. However, if you compare the price of the Whirlpool fridge compared to the price of the GE fridge, the difference in price to the amount of space you get is virtually identical.
The GE fridge has 16% more space than the Whirlpool fridge but is 15% more expensive.
So overall, the only clear conclusion is that the additional space the LG fridge has is not worth it for the price. Therefore, the reason why the LG fridge is more expensive is due to the look, and the fact that it has a built-in water cooler, as the warranty is the same for all 3 models.