20 Best Travel Cooler For Car (2023 Updated)

I bought this cooler for a sailboat liveaboard situation. It seemed to work fine and kept things relatively cold, and I was excited because it was one of the few coolers I could find that fit into the space I had for a fridge.

However, two months after receiving it, the top part of the cooler started splitting apart, and the door no longer stayed put. Luckily, Walmart was really good with the return, but now I have to go find another one that will work.

Spend a few more dollars and get one that won’t fall apart; it’s worth it.

Worked perfect out of the box. using it it transport food after shopping. living remotely we have a 60 to 90 mile trip to the store. great to put the frozen/cold items in. Peltier cooler has large finned heat sink for heat transfer in the cooling mode, puts out heat well.

Power cord and plug show no signs of getting hot running for 4 hours. Like the manual states, it needs ventilation so you down overheat it. I’m using it in the covered bed of my truck, so I’ll have to monitor it on hot days.

I purchased this product in 2006 and had it for 14 fantastic years of consistent and wonderful use. When the fan gave out on the 2006 model, I did not hesitate to replace with same model. After 4 months of intermittent use the fan on the new one gave out – okay it happens.

I replaced the 4 month old one and began using cooler number 3. After less than 48 hours of cooling, the fan died. Clearly this product is not what it used to be. I didn’t have a bad thing to say about the 2006 version and I don’t have a good thing to say about the 2020 version.

I didn’t abuse the 2020 versions, I just filled them half full and tried to use. CT was great about refunding my original purchase price but I was frustrated by 2 failed efforts to get a reliable cooling/heating product.

Perfect for that multi-state cross country road trip. It’s been a while since we took a cross-country road trip without taking our RV. One of our major concerns was the ability to pack and take food with us.

I live on a Keto diet and require specific foods, which can often be difficult to find when traveling away from home or eating out. We really wanted to make sure we could take frozen steaks, hamburger and pork chops with us, as well as refrigerated items like salad contents, drinks, cheese, and more.

We would be traveling 9 days total, through multiple states, staying at 2 hotels and a rental cabin on our way to and from the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Two adults and two teenagers would make this road trip in a Ford Expedition.

We knew that some type of a cooler would be a must. We considered a Yeti or other brand iced-down cooler, but they can be pretty messy and we didn’t want wet and soggy foods, or the requirement to purchase ice and drain water.

That led us to our search for some type of a powered 12V cooler, that would run off of the power port at the back of the Expedition. It didn’t take long to discover that the Newair 80-quart powered cooler (we’ve been calling it the portable refrigerator) would be perfect for us.

It’s large, and has separate sections for freezer and refrigerator. Each section has a desired temperature setpoint that is easy to set and displays the current temperature of that section. We’re currently mid-way through our trip.

We packed the Newair the night before leaving, and had it plugged in to the 120V outlet in our garage. The freezer side of the Newair was packed full – with 4 New York strip steaks, 4 pork chops, 10 lbs of frozen ground beef, and a frozen omelet.

The cooler side contained a few drinks, uncooked chicken breasts, salad ingredients, fresh vegetables, and some miscellaneous perishables. We set the refrigerator side to 36 degrees and the freezer side to 0 degrees.

Throughout our travels, both sides maintained their temperatures consistently. Both sides functioned perfectly on 12V or 120V. We found that even during very hot travel days, the Newair kept the refrigerator side at 40 or below, and the freezer side at 8 degrees (Fahrenheit) or below.

When we arrived at the first hotel, we moved the unit into our room. It was great to have the extendable handles, which make rolling the portable cooler simple and quiet. We also really appreciate the ability to run the cooler on 12V or 110V.

So whether in the car or in the hotel, maintaining our desired temperatures for the food was worry-free. And the battery protection modes ensure that the vehicle will always start and remain running when you need it to.

Once we arrived to our final destination, we unpacked all the food (frozen and fresh) and everything was in perfect condition. We are currently mid-way through our stay at a cabin in the mountains of Tennessee and couldn’t be happier with the Newair 80 qt portable cooler.

We actually keep it running in our bedroom of the cabin as extra refrigerator space for extra cool drinks. We can’t imagine another road trip without the convenience of our Newair portable cooler. It has changed how we travel – and eliminated the anxiety of traveling with specific dietary needs.

I’d encourage anyone who lives the Keto lifestyle, or any similar dietary lifestyle that requires specialty foods consider the Newair. For a family of 4-6, I think the 80-quart is an excellent size.

I received my 80Qt Portable cooler and when I turned it on the day after I received it the refrigerator side cooled to 37* in about 20 minutes which was impressive but the freezer side didn’t work. 😢 Customer Service said they would send me a new one the next day and sent me a prepaid FedEx label to return the 1st cooler.

Charles was awesome in helping to expedite the process as I was going camping a week later. Charles went above and beyond my expectitions to make it happen!!! The construction is very strudy and I loved all its features especially the locking of the digital screen.

as not to accidentally change the settings or turning it off. The wheels and extended handle makes it Very maneuverable for this 116lb gal. It was also very quiet. I was impressed with the overall construction of this cooler and would highly recommend it.

I only gave it 4 stars due to the freezer section not working. I will update after I receive my replacement.

This cooler is an absolute game changer in the overlanding community. The NewAir Portable 80 Quart 12V Electric Cooler is the best cooler I have ever owned. For me to make this statement, it had to do a few things that no other cooler I have owned could do.

First, it MAKES ICE – 6 hours after I turned this cooler on, my bottle of warm water turned to frozen block of ice. Second, it’s POWERED BY BASIC SOLAR – We connected this cooler to our 12v battery and 200W solar system on our overlanding trailer.

After powering the cooler, we still had plenty of solar generated power left to operate lights, music and charge phones. The NewAir cooler design does an outstanding job insulating the cooler compartments resulting in low power requirements.

Here is why this is so important. imagine you are going camping in a very remote area for a month. On the way you buy some ice cream and put it in the NewAir cooler and connect it to a basic solar system like ours.

After a month, you will still have frozen ice cream and a full battery. Game changer! Third, it has a RUGGED DESIGN – I like everything about the design of this cooler. The handle and wheels are rugged and making moving a full cooler easy.

The reversible lids make it easy to configure the cooler to work well in any space. There is one last point that must be stated. Since the NewAir Portable 80 Quart 12V Electric Cooler does not require any ice, the 80 Quart cooler feels more like a 120 Quart cooler due to all the extra space available.

Right now, I have 60 beers in one compartment and 20 sparking ice drinks in the other. amazing!.

The unit was on holiday sale, and I had been looking for this model for some time. I plugged it in to the wall outlet (120 VAC) and the compressor was so quiet I had to get close to make sure it was running.

The enclosed information has pictures showing how to set it up for my application. It was very easy but, I had watched several on-line U-tube videos before deciding on this unit. I set the control for 41°F and without anything inside the unit, it took only a few minutes from the start of 70°F, to display that temperature and shut off.

As described in the literature and earlier reviews the unit appears to be very well built. The metal handles are very strong. This would be very important if the chest was full and needed to be moved.

The lid has a good seal and with a push locked down. Looking forward to using it more in the summer for food pantry frozen food pickups and personal travel.

There are a LOT of things we like about this fridge. First, I’m very impressed with rugged construction. I appreciate the reversable lid that gives me more flexibility in how I can position the fridge in the car and still easily access our food and drinks (I even like the secure ‘SNAP’ sound the lid makes when it latches!).

The interior LED lights that pop-on when you open it are very handy when we’re cooking at night in low light. The bottle opener is also a VERY nice touch (I seem to forget to pack one more often than not.

haha). As an extremely light sleeper, I’m so impressed at how quiet the LG compressor is. even when it first kicks on, it kind of ramps up rather than starting with a ‘clank’ as many other 12v fridges seem to do.

From a power consumption standpoint, I can actually run this fridge off-grid pretty much indefinitely, even with just a 300w power station and a single 120w panel (provided I get at least 4hours of decent sun each day – even less if I’m just using it as a fridge and not a freezer).

I do typically use it with a 1000w powerstation, just for the extra capacity for other things, but it was just this fridge, my 300w would be all I needed! I think the last thing I’m really happy about is the pull-out handle and roller wheels.

This is absolutely indispensable back-saver when you’ve got the fridge loaded-up with soft drinks and you need to move it from point A to point B (I’m not a 25 year-old gym rat anymore, after all!) In summary – fantastic product! I look forward to many years of use from it!.

It’s called a cooler but it really is a portable refrigerator/freezer. Skip the ice and have total control over the temperature of two different sections! The unit is rugged and well built. I’m confident that it will withstand just about any situation.

Lots of little bonuses too like a cutting board and a bottle opener. While those aren’t key to the cooler performance, we all know they’ll by handy when away from home. Few things to know, this unit isn’t super light.

There’s a lot to it including the compressor. Additionally, I’d say some may want to consider the larger 80qt option to be able to bring even more with you. Finally, most are really going to want the rechargeable battery for camping.

If you enjoy camping or road trips and want more control over when you bring with you; this cooler is likely the answer.

Wow, this baby is NICE! First off, looks-wise, it’s mighty attractive. Burly handle, beefy wheels, Darth Vader vibes – and I mean that in a good way. Then you note all the niceties, like the bottle opener, the baskets, the cutting board integrated into the lid.

Performance-wise, it excelled during its first test run. I live in Arizona. It is summertime. It kept my food and drinks frosty-cold during a long drive and an overnighter. I even brought along some ice cream and ice cubes – nothing like a beverage on the rocks at camp.

I charged it through my 12v outlet while driving, and at camp, used my 720wh powerbank. With the cooler eco mode, after about 24 hours, my powerbank still had 26% of its juice left (approximately another 4 hours).

I was also charging my phone, watch, and laptop, during that time. When I got home, I still had ice left! That’s it. Never going back to regular old coolers. Ever.

Excellent for long trips in the car. Found it easy to carry but that may depend upon what you carry in it. Have not tried the cupholders. Purchased a power cord for pre-cooling it in the house before traveling which doesn’t take much time at all.

Happy with this purchase.

this is a must for parents who have kids! it good for hot or cold drinks or foods. this can be put right behind the console and right between the second row seats so easy that kids can just reach out for their drinks thanks to the two cup holders on top of the cooler! and best of all the size is just right.

I had this model and honestly, I loved it. It kept my lunch/drinks cold for me when at work last summer. It was a lifesaver!! You gotta remember that it cools the drinks down to about 12° or so below ambient air temp.

I always froze a water bottle or two and threw th ed m in during the day. I never did get to use the heating element though.

I choose this due to its nice appearance and size, not too big, Hoping it would work, however after testing it 3 times I realize that there is no way this could ever replace a simple ice chest. But before I go into the test results Ill note the good and bad points.

The Good: Looks nice, not too large, very quiet. The Bad: The lid gasket does not seal at all, the handle is flimsy, vents on the top are just asking for spilled liquids to collect, the power cord compartment door is poorly designed push/push and is easy to break, the lid latch must be pulled all the way up and is very frustrating and not a one handed operation.

The Ugly: The Wagan Tech 24 Liter Fridge does not work well at all. The first test was in a vehicle at 99, the fridge only dropped to 75. Inside the house at 80 degrees the cooler only dropped to 60, and at best outdoors at 85 degrees the cooler only dropped 25 below ambient temperature.

which was the closest to the 36 it claims. Not to mention most other coolers claim to drop 40 under. (call this Wagan being honest, yet still its 40+ watt power consumption is seriously NOT practical.

Nice try to who ever created the thermoelectric coolers but You have to do much better if you are going to get my money. OH, AND BEWARE, THE 12V DC PLUG GETS EXTREMELY HOT. THIS IS NORMAL.

Its very quiet and it gets cold enough to keep meat under control. Its bigger than what i expected. I loaded a 7lb cornbeef with 4 tbone steaks. This 12v cooler is worth every penny! It has a slick design, the opening latch is kind of wierd but i like something different overall you going to get your money worth.

i had just about every 12v cooler and this 1 is perfect from the size and quality. Much better than the colman! I highly recommend this to a truck driver who doesn’t have a refrigerator on thier truck u going to love this.

Gets cold fast and stays cold. Just after buying it we drove 1000 miles all the way through California in our sedan and it kept food and beverages at 38-40 degrees the whole way. And I can leave it on for up to 5 hours without the car running and am still able to restart the car.

It works best if you put in already cold items. Plenty of room and even though you can hear it running, it is a low and mellow sound. Have not tried the heat setting yet, as we’ve been in triple digit summer heat.

Since 1981, I have thought out the years have purchased over 50 of these KOOLATRON Portable fridges. Many were put into our new 18 wheelers , traveling cross country Trucking. Never , have I ever had to return one!! KOOLATRON is the VERY BEST ON THE MARKET! BAR NONE!! I also suggest that you purchase the converter , it’s a must have.

I have been dealing with Compact Appliance for a number of years now, purchase a few of these as gifts. All who have received one as a gift, Has absolutely loved them!! They run very very quietly and keep the contents very cold, no matter what size you decide to purchase.

Thanks to Compact Appliance for selling these KOOLATRON Products Signed , 48 yrs n counting, LONG HAUL TRUCKER!.

For $100 you can’t beat it. I suspect that over time I’ll save that much by not having to buy ice all the time. I’ve used it twice now and it does keep refrigerated items a good forty degrees below the ambient temperature.

I keep it in back of my dual cab pickup and cannot hear it running without really concentrating on the sound when the truck isn’t running. Put in a little road noise and this thing is silent. An added plus: you can use it laying down like a conventional ice chest or standing up like a refrigerator.

I don’t see how you could go wrong unless the thing konks out in a short time, but even then there is a one year guarantee to fall back to.

It came dirty, like it was used. Dirty finger prints inside and out. Human hair and debris inside. Otherwise, it cools. We haven’t tried it with food in it yet.

Bought this one years ago to use in trucking business. Very rugged, keeps frozen foods great a week at a time. Allows me to eat healthier less expensive food on the go. Well worth the price. It has just given up after at least 8-10 years of hard work.

Will bu y another.

This is a great little cooler! I also got the AC adapter. The instructions said to cool the unit and what you want to keep cool beforehand, which I did. It kept everything nicely chilled despite the record heat over the Labor Day weekend here in California.

This product was initially working very well, keeping food/drinks very cold. However, after a few months of use, it stopped working properly. Essentially, it was unable to maintain a temperature below 20 degrees C (68F).

No matter how we adjusted the settings, the temperature remained high or simply displayed ‘LL’. The fridge was reading almost the same temperature as outside. This has simply become a very expensive storage box, with no cooling or freezing capabilities.

Do not purchase this product. It is unreliable. The company (Costway) had very poor customer service and made minimal effort to rectify the issue. This fridge was bought for use in a remote location in a hot climate.

There is no way to return the product or have it serviced. Considering it is marketed for travel and camping, I am incredibly disappointed.

Took this in our move across Canada during the pandemic. It was the bomb!!! So grateful we had it. Good quality. Does get noisy at times.

So far, my husband seems to be enjoying the cooler. We were only slightly disappointed–and it may have been my fault. This is a cooler, in that it is not adjustable. You plug it in and it begins to cool (or heat, depending on how you have it set).

Our disappointment was that there are no controls, so you cannot adjust the cooling setting. I had assumed, since it is advertised for in the car, that there would be settings based on the temperature, so hotter days could have a cooler cooler.

But it simply cools to about 40º lower than the room (or car) temperature. I think on most days that will be adequate, but it would be nice to have a little more control over that setting. We’re a little concerned that indoor use may cause it to cool too much.

I got this cooler for my husband. He drives a semi. Leasing company doesn’t put a refrigerator in it. He loves having this cooler. He keeps it between the two seats. Keeps drinks and his food cold. It’s the perfect size.

I think this would be the perfect cooler but the lock feature for the lid is a real pain and frustrating to open at times. Really makes no sense other than it must be a problem with the plastic mold it is made from as the mechanism should be a piece of cake to useOtherwise it cools great while we tested it but ultimately didn’t use it due to being afraid the handle would break and just returned it.

I as looking forward to using this cooler on 6 day car trip with my dog. Unfortunately, the second day the cooler stopped working I think it was the cigarette lighter plug in. Luckily it came with two little freezer packs that did their best to keep things at least cool for the time I was driving.

The cooler is really tight and does a better than average job at keeping out the heat.

We bought a thermometer to put inside the fridge. It reads a bit warmer than the temperature on the panel but it’s a simple matter to just turn the fridge down a bit to get it to the temperature that we want.

It cooled quickly and I really like being able to use either the 110v outlet on the dash of my van or the 12v port. When the power is off, it does warm up a bit faster than I expected it to, but then again there is only so much insulation that can go into a portable unit.

It fits perfectly between the seats and makes long road trips a lot more enjoyable, being able to easily grab a snack while under way. So far I’m very pleased.

The product works fine plugged in via electricity. I have not tested its ability to work via solar panels, as I do not have the solar panels to test how well and how long it will keep food cold. In regards to pricing it’s a little steep in cost, hence is the reason I have not purchased the solar panels.

I do not want to spend $100 for solar panels.

Not summer yet. Cooler cools, but not to refrigerator temperatures. Helps if you are out all the time and don’t have an ice machine to fill the cooler. I do like the convenient storage in the top, for the cords, and the switch for the heat and cool.

Fans in lid help to keep space available inside the cooler. Wheels and long handle are good. I would give the cooler 4 stars.

This is really a valuable cooler for travel and camping. It does a great job keeping products cool and does keep the temp at 39-40 degrees. The separate cords for 110V and 12V really makes this a great value.

Then add the wheels for transport on pavement with a long handle on the tote side and it is the most value for the money and size of any cooler around. We love it.

this is a well built cooler. the cooling unit just helps keep at temp. it isn’t made to be stand alone cooler but need ice packs. I had ice packs with a bag of ice in it for a day with it outside in 80 Plus weather.

Plugged into outlet. Ice was just as put in at end of day. comes with cig plug and a 110 plug which tuck into holder on top. very Happy with it. Haven’t tried the heating side.

I love it. It is super quiet, it is narrow and tall so can fit between 2 seats or on the seat with room for the dry goods too; the lid doesn’t lock so it is easy to get into while driving. The cord has an area to be wrapped around for storage that could be better designed.

Haven’t used it as a warmer yet but if it works as good as the cooler I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Perfect for those quick runs to the beach or pool. Tall enough for bottles vs cans and easy carry shoulder strap.

We haven’t used them as they were purchased to be used in part as Christmas gifts – filled with a favorite craft beer, cheese, salami or homemade moonshine.Pros: Well madeCons: None

This bag is a little bigger than I envisioned, but the quality is spot on especially considering the reasonable price. This will hold a huge lunch or lunch plus stuff or a day outing’s worth of food and snacks.

Recommended!.

I’ve always liked the thermoelectric coolers, having used the “full-sized” cooler and the 6-pack cooler for many years. Bought this as a replacement for the big Igloo unit (finally wore it out and wife wanted something without years of staining).

This unit is large enough to hold a full size gallon of milk and other stuff (dozen eggs, etc. ) But it doesn’t overwhelm the back seat like the 40 gallon cooler. The AC adapter is well worth the money to pre-cool, use as mini-fridge.

Great for party time – cooled drinks without the melted ice slop.

I really like my cooler, but buyers, beware! There is an ongoing problem with the packaging of this cooler. It comes shipped in a flimsy card board box with no protection about the actual cooler. None at all.

My hinge is broken on the cooler door, and according to reviews I have read online, other people have had the same issue! This is an easy fix for the seller. Pack it properly.

We’ve begun a trek to visit as many National Parks as we can and after visiting Acadia in Maine we decided we needed something better than the standard ice-chest cooler for longer trips. We bought the Kargo 33 Quart because we liked the idea of the split-lid design, and the fact it can be used up-right like a small fridge.

Our first use last weekend was great as we traveled from Ohio to Mass for a wedding. The outside temp was in the 90s and even with several stops the cooler cooler was off, it maintained a good temp in the 40s all the way.

We bought the Koolatron 110v to 12v converter for inside use and it was great for pre-cooling the cooler before we left. I wish we’d used it when we arrived at the B&B in Mass because the little fridge there was too cold and a lot of our stuff froze despite turning the temp up as high as it would go! The converter does get a bit hot.

My thermometer read around 100 degrees, but I don’t think it is too bad as long as you keep it clear and open for best air-flow. Someone commented on the noise level, but I really didn’t even notice it and it was sitting on the seat right next to me most the trip.

Everything works as per design except for Bluetooth. There is no Bluetooth function. Listing shows it is supposed to have Bluetooth in the picture with functions icons under pictures of items description.

I have run it with my solar windmill system in my camp and it worked great. I purchased the insulated cover for it also. It runs during the day off of the solar and windmill power alone and runs the night on reserve battery power.

The only noise is from the fan and its low enough not to be an issue unless your sleeping close to it and that is all in how you set up is and room you have. Once items inside get down to temperature the unit runs less.

If you put cold items in it the less, it has to run, and the less electricity is used. I recommend this item but really was looking forward to being able to monitor it and control it from my phone. Bluetooth would of been the cream of the crop.

Only thing I can see why this unit does not is that it is and older model and there fore the price!.

It can freeze water solid in just a few hours. It keeps cold items cold easily. The only thing I found it couldn’t do was to freeze “popsicle” type alcohol treats like Slim Chillers. It could keep them slushy if pre-frozen.

I have not tried it with icecream. It takes very little power and can run for a day or a bit more from a 500wh lithium battery pack like the Suaoki G500. I have used it outdoors camping in 75+ degree weather.

This was purchased to supplement an existing 40L Dometic freezer (one to cool, one to freeze). It has served it’s purpose well as the supplemental freezer.

This product exceeded my expectations. It kept my food cold and it used very little of my deep cycle battery. I was able to run it continuously for about 7 days and it never drain the batteries they hardly went down at all.

Also was very quiet and did not disturb me at night when I was trying to sleep you almost couldn’t tell it was on. There is a small light that emanates from the temperature gauge but other than that it was almost completely unnoticeable at night.

I love this product and I would highly recommend it for camping trips RVs vans Etc. It is a bit small but it held enough food for one week for me with some food left over.

This Koolatron P 20 cooler 18 quart highest quality cooler you can buy. Ive owned 2 of these coolers in the past fifteen years. I would highly rate this cooler with a solid 5 star rating. Jim

My husband and I have a conversion van we take on long trips. Your cooler is perfect for those long trips I prepare ahead of time, with water & snacks. This cooler is so awsome, I start the night before we leave Pack & Plug it into a home outlet.

the next morning everything in it is super cold. I’ve never had another product like this so I had no idea it could work do well. Took it from Washington State to Las Vagus and was so happy with how well it worked I couldn’t believe it.

No, it isn’t a refrigerator, but it will keep your drinks and sandwiches nice and cool – approximately 40 degrees below the ambient temperature. It can also serve as a warmer, but I haven’t used that feature – and don’t expect to.

It is nice an quiet and carries a nice load of water or drinks with room left over for vegetables, fruit and or sandwiches. Great for traveling.