Miele KFN12924SD-1: How well does it perform?

With the machine loaded at 0.5kg food/10litres in the fridge and 1kg/10litres in the freezer, we set the thermostats to 5 and -18 degrees C respectively (We could not our usual 4 degrees in the fridge due to Miele’s unique control panel.)

Freezer Performance
The freezer was very efficient, but a little on the chilly side. It brought our two litres of water from room temperature down to -18 degrees in just 13 hours and went on to chill it to -21 degrees C, which it held very evenly for the duration of the two-day test.

The air temperature in the freezer was also remarkably consistent during this time, albeit a bit on the low side. The top, 3rd down and bottom shelves averaged -20, -21 and -22 respectively, although none varied by more than +/- 1.5 degrees. With an A+ rating meaning good insulation, the 3-hour fail test results were excellent with a food-safe limit in the event of power failure comfortably over 12 hours.

Related: Our pick of the best kitchen gadgets

Fridge Performance
The fridge was equally consistent throughout the test and maintained a temperature much closer (on average) to the required 5 degrees. From top shelf down to one of the lower drawers, the average temperature was 7, 5, and 4 degrees respectively. The main compartment varied little during the approx. 75-minute compressor cycle, just +/- 1 degree.

The drawer did, however, dip to just above freezing at the end of the cycle, making this ideal place to store meat and cheeses as well as crisp salad produce. Other than the freezer thermostat being a little inaccurate, the Miele produced a textbook set of results for a modern, energy efficient fridge freezer.

Miele KFN12924SD-1: How much will it cost to run?

Unfortunately, running a freezer just a few degrees colder than required will have an impact on running costs. With the freezer averaging -21 degrees, we calculate that the KFN12924SD-1 would use around 320kWh per year, costing around £48.00 (@ 15p/kWh).

Ironically, that is quite a bit lower that Miele’s own claimed figures (358kWh) and actually makes it closer to an A++ rating for its capacity – despite the rather chilly freezer compartment! Given household use in a hot kitchen and regular family access, obviously these running costs will increase, but the Miele KFN12924SD-1 is clearly a very efficient fridge freezer.

Go to the Miele KFN12924SD-1 specs page for the full test results

Should I buy the Miele KFN12924SD-1?

It’s a very good fridge freezer that’s ideal if you want a 60cm model that offers more freezer space. The build quality is impeccable, it looks fantastic and those glorious easy-to-open doors make this Miele very appealing. It performed well in most tests, too, and is very quiet and efficient.

It does have some small problems, though. We’d like to see brighter LED lighting in there and the freezer section ran a little cooler than it should, which will lead to higher bills if left unchecked. Neither are huge problems, but they’re the kind we’d rather not see in such a pricey appliance.

If you’d prefer more fridge space, meanwhile, we’d suggest looking at the Haier A2FE635CFJ or the Samsung RL60GZEIH – both fridge freezers that earned 9/10 and Recommended Awards. Head to our fridge freezer reviews for even more options.

Verdict

A stylish and classy fridge freezer that offers more freezer space than many in its class – if we could give it an award for the handles alone, we would.

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