The best cool boxes
Cold drinks at the beach and fresh sandwiches on the long drive: the cool boxes worth packing, from a lunch-sized box to plug-in electric ones for the car.
A passive cool box is an insulated box that stays cold with ice packs. How long it lasts depends on the insulation, how full it is and how often it's opened, so treat the makers' hours as the best case.
Electric cool boxes plug into the car's 12V socket or the mains and cool to a set amount below the air around them, so they need no ice but won't chill like a fridge on a hot day. Pre-chill food and drinks before packing either kind.
What matters
- Size: a few litres for one person's lunch, 20–30 litres for a family.
- Ice packs or electric (12V car and mains).
- How long it stays cold, as the maker states it.
- Weight when full, and a handle that locks the lid.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Stanley Adventure Easy-Carry Outdoor Cooler (15.1L)
£110.00 RRP
Double-wall foam keeps ice frozen for up to 36 hours by Stanley's figures, long enough for a weekend's camping or a long day on the riverbank, and the gasket in the latched lid stops meltwater leaking into the boot. There's room for 21 cans.
What owners say: Owners rate the build quality as excellent, find it keeps things cold for a long time, and say it holds enough food for a few days' camping; anglers like it too.
A closer look: Chill it overnight with a couple of ice packs inside before packing and it holds the cold much longer. The bungee cords on the lid hold a flask or a bottle, which frees a hand for the walk from the car.
- 15.1 litres, 21 cans
- Keeps ice up to 36 hours
- Leakproof gasket and latches
- Bungee cords on the lid
- BPA-free
Best for: Camping and fishing trips
- Capacity
- 15.1L
- Cooling
- Ice packs
- Keeps cold (maker)
- Ice up to 36 hours
- Weight
- 3.01kg
- Outside size
- 42.5 × 32.5 × 28.5cm
- Warming mode
- No
#2 of 5
Best budget
Coleman Performance 6 Personal Cooler (4.7L)
£10–£20 Price range
Coleman has made cool boxes since its first galvanised steel cooler in 1954. This little one takes a packed lunch and six small cans, the hinged lid snaps shut, and Coleman says it keeps ice for up to half a day.
What owners say: Owners say it's ideal for work lunches, holds its temperature through long hot days, and is tough and good value; one packs a 2-litre bottle and a few chocolate bars in with ease.
A closer look: Freeze a bottle of water overnight and pop it in: it chills the lunch and is a cold drink by the afternoon. It's light enough to carry one-handed to the office, the building site or the riverbank.
- 4.7 litres, 6 small cans
- Keeps ice up to 12 hours
- Hinged lid with snap lock
- Light, about 800g
- Food-safe interior
Best for: Packed lunches
- Capacity
- 4.7L
- Cooling
- Ice packs
- Keeps cold (maker)
- Ice up to 12 hours
- Weight
- 0.8kg
- Outside size
- 29 × 20 × 21cm
- Warming mode
- No
#3 of 5
Best electric
Subcold Euro30 Electric Cool Box (28L, 12V and mains)
£99.99 RRP
Plug it into the car's 12V socket on the way and the mains at the campsite or at home, and on MAX it cools to 15–20°C below the air around it, with no ice needed. It takes 45 cans, and 2-litre bottles stand upright.
What owners say: Owners say it keeps food and drinks cold, has room for big bottles, runs quietly and is good value.
Heads up: It cools relative to the air around it, so on a hot day load it with food and drinks straight from the fridge, as Subcold suggests.
A closer look: The handle locks the lid shut for the journey and props it half-open while you load up. It also runs from a portable power station, handy for off-grid camping.
- 28 litres, 45 cans
- 12V car and mains
- ECO and MAX modes
- 2L bottles stand upright
- Quiet, 26dB
Best for: Road trips and campsites
- Capacity
- 28L
- Cooling
- 12V and mains
- Keeps cold (maker)
- 15–20°C below the air (MAX)
- Weight
- 4.3kg
- Outside size
- 39.5 × 29 × 43cm
- Warming mode
- No
#4 of 5
Best for hot and cold
Amazon Basics Electric Cool Box with Warming (24L, 12V and mains)
£50–£75 Price range
Cools drinks to about 6°C on a 24°C day, or switches to warming and keeps food at close to 50°C, so it suits chilled picnics and hot takeaways alike. It runs from the car's 12V socket or the mains, with both leads in the box.
What owners say: Owners find it cools drinks and food quickly and well, like the size and the value, and use it at home, in the car and on the boat.
A closer look: Use the divider to keep drinks and food apart. ECO mode draws just 8W and is quiet enough for overnight use, though it needs mains power.
- 24 litres (22 usable)
- Cools and warms
- 12V car and 230V mains
- 8W ECO mode on mains
- Divider included
Best for: Hot food and cold drinks
- Capacity
- 24L (22L usable)
- Cooling
- 12V and mains
- Keeps cold (maker)
- About 6°C in a 24°C room
- Weight
- 4.6kg
- Outside size
- 39.8 × 30 × 43.5cm
- Warming mode
- Up to about 50°C
#5 of 5
Best for family days out
Tanness 24L Cool Box
£20–£30 Price range
A 24-litre box for very little money, tall enough for most bottles to stand upright, with a handle that locks the lid down while it's carried.
What owners say: Owners find it well made and good at keeping things cool, with room for bottles of pop and milk, and handy in the footwell behind a car seat.
Heads up: Carry it by the handle rather than the lid when it's full, so the fittings last.
A closer look: Lay frozen ice packs on top of the food rather than underneath, as cold air sinks. It fits the footwell behind a car seat, which keeps it level on the drive.
- 24 litres
- Most bottles stand upright
- Handle locks the lid
- Up to 24 hours cooling (maker)
- BPA-free, about 1.7kg
Best for: Family days out
- Capacity
- 24L
- Cooling
- Ice packs
- Keeps cold (maker)
- Up to 24 hours
- Weight
- 1.7kg
- Outside size
- 39 × 25 × 38cm
- Warming mode
- No
How they compare
| Feature | #1Stanley Adventure | #2Coleman Performance 6 | #3Subcold Euro30 | #4Amazon Basics 24L | #5Tanness 24L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best electric | Best for hot and cold | Best for family days out | |
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Price | £110.00 RRP | £10–£20 Price range | £99.99 RRP | £50–£75 Price range | £20–£30 Price range |
| Capacity | 15.1L | 4.7L | 28L | 24L (22L usable) | 24L |
| Cooling | Ice packs | Ice packs | 12V and mains | 12V and mains | Ice packs |
| Keeps cold (maker) | Ice up to 36 hours | Ice up to 12 hours | 15–20°C below the air (MAX) | About 6°C in a 24°C room | Up to 24 hours |
| Weight | 3.01kg | 0.8kg | 4.3kg | 4.6kg | 1.7kg |
| Outside size | 42.5 × 32.5 × 28.5cm | 29 × 20 × 21cm | 39.5 × 29 × 43cm | 39.8 × 30 × 43.5cm | 39 × 25 × 38cm |
| Warming mode | No | No | No | Up to about 50°C | No |
| Best for | Camping and fishing trips | Packed lunches | Road trips and campsites | Hot food and cold drinks | Family days out |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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