Dometic CFX5 55IM Electric Cooler with Ice Maker

The CFX5 55IM is for families and groups who car camp or overland for a week at a time, and for anyone tired of buying bags of ice for drinks. It holds 55 liters, which Dometic rates at 84 cans. It adds an ice maker to the same vacuum-insulated design as the Dometic CFX5 45, our best overall pick.

It is the premium pick on our list of the best 12V portable fridges. The 45 is still the better buy for most couples; the 55IM is for people who fill the 45 and wish they had room for more.

GearJunkie's top pick. In its roundup of electric coolers, updated in August 2026, GearJunkie rated the CFX5 55 highest of the models it tested. A senior editor used it on a multi-day off-road trip along the Baja California coast. GearJunkie's verdict singled out efficiency, citing the vacuum insulated panels and a variable-speed compressor that reduces output as the interior gets close to its set point. Its conclusion: a fridge for overlanders, van lifers and road trippers who want tight temperature control and no ice hassle.

The ice maker. Most portable fridges make you choose between a refrigerator and a freezer, or split the box into two zones. The 55IM stays single-zone and adds an integrated ice maker. You keep the whole box at fridge temperature for food and still get ice for drinks. Dometic does not publish a yield per hour or per day, and GearJunkie's review does not measure one. Treat it as a way to keep a supply of ice for drinks, not a replacement for a bag of ice in a second cooler.

Shared strengths with the 45. The vacuum insulated panels and the VMSO 3.5 compressor are the reason OutdoorGearLab measured the smaller CFX5 45 at 6.8 W once cold and within 0.3°F of its set point. That independent measurement is for the 45, not the 55IM, but the insulation and compressor are the same design. The 55IM also has the 3-stage battery protection, a Bluetooth app that tracks energy use and alerts you when the lid is open, a weatherproof color display, an 18 W QC 3.0 USB port, an LED light and a drain plug. It runs on 12/24 V DC or 100-240 V AC.

Power. Dometic rates the 55IM at 1.55 Ah per hour at 12 V with about 90°F outside, 39°F inside and the ice maker in maintenance mode. That is about 37 Ah, or roughly 450 Wh, a day in summer heat. The CFX5 45 is rated at 1.05 Ah per hour under nearly the same conditions. On an EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus, that is about 13 hours of hot-weather running. On a 1 kWh station like the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus, it is about two days. Our watt-hour sizing guide walks through the arithmetic. If you plan to run the 55IM away from the car for more than a night, the 1 kWh class is the realistic minimum.

The lid. GearJunkie lists the attention it takes to close the lid completely as a con, the same issue OutdoorGearLab found on the CFX5 45. With the app's lid alert on, it is a habit rather than a flaw.

Weight and footprint. Dometic lists 44.4 lb empty and 28.4 in long. There are folding aluminum handles but no wheels. A full 55-liter fridge is a two-person lift, and it needs a cargo area where you can reach the lid without unloading everything else.

What the ice maker costs. The ice maker is the reason to pick this over a bigger plain fridge. If you would not use it, the extra draw and cost buy nothing.

Against the Dometic CFX5 45, the 55IM adds 9 liters, the ice maker and about 4 lb, and Dometic's rated draw is about half again as high. Couples should buy the 45. Families should buy the 55IM.

Against the Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 58L, the question is freezer or battery. The Anker has two independent zones and carries its own 288 Wh battery on 6-inch wheels, at 63.7 lb. The Dometic is lighter, better insulated and makes ice, but needs a vehicle battery or power station.

Buy the CFX5 55IM if you camp as a family or a group, stay out for several days and want ice without a second cooler. Pair it with a 1 kWh power station or a dual-battery setup in the vehicle. Skip it if you camp solo or as a couple, where the CFX5 45 does the job on less power.