A 27-quart cooler that genuinely freezes changes what a family road trip looks like: no ice runs, no soggy sandwiches, and frozen food that stays frozen until dinner. The Setpower RF25 portable freezer is built for exactly that job — a 12V compressor cooler that plugs into the car, runs on household power at home, and holds one temperature anywhere from -4°F to 68°F. It sits mid-range: bigger than the 23-quart BougeRV CR22 and far roomier than the 10-quart Alpicool C9 — the family-size step up.
In this review of the Setpower RF25 portable freezer, we cover what 27 quarts actually holds, how cold it gets, what it draws in ECO and MAX modes, how its battery protection works, and what the app and control panel really do. We also compare it with the BougeRV CR22 and the Alpicool C9, the two rivals most buyers shortlist next to it. The Quick Pick table below has the short version.
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| Pick | Product | Why it stands out | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Winner | Setpower RF25 12V Refrigerator, 27 Quart | Family-size 27 quarts, -4°F to 68°F, ECO mode, battery protection and a built-in ice pack | |
| Best Budget | Alpicool C9 Portable Mini Freezer, 10 Quart | Tiny 10-quart mini at 14.8 pounds — the solo and weekend-trip pick | |
| Premium Pick | BougeRV CR22 12V Refrigerator, 23 Quart | Colder floor at -8°F, proven 23-quart size, 36W ECO mode |
Table of Contents
What the Setpower RF25 Portable Freezer Is — and What It Is Not
Sold as a portable electric cooler, the Setpower RF25 is really a single-compartment compressor refrigerator that works as a freezer too. It is sold as a 27-quart unit, while its own RF20/25 manual lists 26.4 quarts (25 litres) — a small labelling gap, not a different product. The box measures 24.3 x 13.1 x 14.3 inches, weighs 23.4 pounds, and runs on 12/24V DC or 100–240V AC through the included adapter, with a 2.5-metre DC cable.
The temperature range is -4°F to 68°F (-20°C to +20°C), set from the panel: one temperature for the whole box, fridge mode or freezer mode, never both at once. That single-compartment design is what separates the RF25 from Setpower’s dual-zone models. Our road-trip cooler roundup covers the smaller 21-quart SetPower as its efficient mid-size pick — the RF25 is its bigger brother.
Just as important is what the RF25 is not. It is not a dual-zone unit — if you need frozen food and chilled drinks at different temperatures at the same time, this is the wrong model. It is not a thermoelectric cooler: a compressor does the cooling, so it genuinely freezes instead of merely chilling a few degrees below the cabin temperature. And it is not the grey RF25, sold under a separate listing. Check the model number before checkout.
Capacity and Size: What 27 Quarts Actually Holds
Four quarts over the BougeRV CR22’s 23 is one more layer of drinks or one more day of food in a packed trunk. The RF25’s 25 litres holds a family weekend’s worth of drinks, sandwich ingredients and a few frozen items. Against the 10-quart Alpicool C9 it is nearly three times the size — a drinks box for one or two people against a food box for the whole car.
Size guidance from our road-trip cooler roundup: 16 to 26 quarts covers two people and a weekend, while a family of four on a multi-day holiday drive needs 35 to 50 quarts. At 27 quarts the RF25 sits just above the couples range and below the full family range — right for a small family or a couple that packs heavy and hates ice runs. It is not a multi-day family-of-four unit; buyers who need that should look at a 35-quart-plus model instead. At 24.3 inches long it fits most SUV trunks but will dominate a compact sedan’s, so measure first.
Cooling Performance: From Room Temperature to Frozen
The RF25 is an electric cooler in the compressor class, the only kind that genuinely freezes. Set the panel to -4°F and the whole box becomes a freezer; set it higher and it holds drinks and fresh food without freezing them. With one compartment, everything inside shares the same temperature — frozen items and chilled drinks cannot live in it at the same time.
No cooling-time figure was verified for the RF25 itself, so this review states none. Portable-cooler coverage credits the smaller 21-quart model in the same RF line with reaching freezing range in about 15 minutes, but that figure belongs to the smaller box. What matters: pre-cool at home on AC power the night before and load already-cold food.
Keep the ventilation grilles clear of luggage and the unit out of direct sunlight in the trunk. The manual excerpts checked state no defrost system for the RF25, so expect to defrost it by hand if frost builds up — the same as the CR22, which is also manual defrost.
Power Draw, ECO vs MAX, and Battery Protection
The RF25 runs in two modes, MAX and ECO, switched through the settings button on the panel — MAX is the factory default. MAX cools fastest; ECO sips power to hold a temperature once the box is already cold. Portable-cooler coverage puts the RF25’s draw at 40 watts in MAX and 28 watts in ECO — but that figure comes from third-party coverage, not from the RF20/25 manual excerpts checked, which state no wattage. Treat the 40W and 28W figures as reported, not measured.
Battery protection is where the RF25 earns its keep. The manual gives three levels — HIGH, MID and LOW — with HIGH as the factory default. At 12V, LOW cuts out at 9.6 volts and cuts back in at 10.9, HIGH cuts out at 11.1 and cuts back in at 12.4; at 24V, LOW cuts out at 21.3 and HIGH at 24.3, with cut-in at 22.7 and 25.7. HIGH shuts the cooler down earliest to protect your starter battery; LOW lets it run longest at the cost of a harder-drained battery. If the car has to start in the morning, leave it on HIGH.
Even with protection set, do not run the RF25 overnight on a starter battery — the cutoff protects the battery from going flat, not from being drained. For parked hours, plug into household power, use a portable power station, or unplug and let the ice pack carry the cold.
Controls, App, and the Built-In Ice Pack
Day-to-day control is from the panel: plus and minus buttons adjust the temperature one degree at a time, or faster when held, and the settings button opens the advanced options for MAX and ECO modes and the battery protection level. The panel also switches between Fahrenheit and Celsius — the control that works when a phone is dead or out of reach.
App control is the one feature buyers should verify before counting on it. Setpower describes app-based temperature control for the RF line, and our live road-trip cooler roundup credits the smaller 21-quart RF20 with it — but the RF20/25 manual excerpts checked describe panel control only, with no app section. That leaves the RF25’s own app support unconfirmed. If phone control is a reason you are buying this model, confirm the app works with the RF25 on the live listing before ordering.
The built-in ice pack is the RF25’s quietest useful feature: the listing includes it with the AC adapter and DC cable, and credits it with keeping contents cool for up to 50 hours during a power outage — cover for parked hours and campsite power cuts. Freeze it down during the pre-cool, since it must be cold before it can help.
Setpower RF25 vs the Alternatives (BougeRV CR22, Alpicool C9)
The BougeRV CR22 is the closest rival. At 23 quarts it is four quarts smaller than the RF25, but it cools colder — down to -8°F against the RF25’s -4°F — and its manual states 36 watts in ECO mode and 45 watts in MAX, with a 15-minute pull from 77°F to 32°F. It is a touch lighter at 22.3 pounds, has the same three-level battery protection, and carries two years of technical support from BougeRV. Its limits are that it is panel-only, with no app control listed, and it is manual defrost. Choose the CR22 if the colder floor and the verified fast-cool figure matter more than the extra four quarts; choose the RF25 if the bigger box and the ice-pack backup matter more.
The Alpicool C9 is a different kind of rival: a 10-quart mini that weighs 14.8 pounds and measures 16.75 x 12.56 x 9.88 inches. It holds about eight 18-ounce water bottles or twelve 12-ounce cans, cools from -4°F to 68°F like the RF25, runs at 45 watts, and offers MAX and ECO modes with three-level battery protection. Third-party coverage also credits it with Bluetooth app control. It is the right pick for a solo driver, a couple on a weekend trip, or a second cooler for drinks — and the wrong pick for feeding a family, because ten quarts is not a family load.
The three form a clear size ladder: the C9 at 10 quarts for one or two people, the CR22 at 23 quarts for couples and small families, and the RF25 at 27 quarts as the family-size step above them. None of the three covers a family of four on a multi-day drive — the roundup puts that job at 35 to 50 quarts — so the RF25’s pitch is not that it is the biggest box available, but the biggest box in this class before the jump to a much larger and heavier unit.
Who Should Buy It — and Who Should Skip It
Buy the RF25 if you travel as a family and want a cooler that holds a weekend of food without jumping to a 42-quart unit. It suits car camping and road trips where the box lives in the trunk for days, drivers who want ECO mode and three-level battery protection looking after the starter battery, and anyone who values the built-in ice pack as backup for parked hours. As an rv fridge for a small camper or van, it earns its place too — 27 quarts suits a small living space, and the AC adapter means it doubles as overflow cold storage at home.
Skip it if you travel solo or as a couple on short trips: the 10-quart C9 or the 23-quart CR22 covers that job in a smaller, lighter box. Skip it too if you need two temperatures at once — the RF25 is single-compartment, so a dual-zone model is the honest answer. Skip it if phone control is a must-have and you cannot confirm the app works with the RF25 on the live listing. And skip it if you are feeding a family of four for several days: at 27 quarts it is below the 35-to-50-quart range that job needs.
Verdict
The Setpower RF25 portable freezer is the family-size step in the 12V cooler range: four quarts bigger than the BougeRV CR22, nearly three times the Alpicool C9, with a -4°F to 68°F range, ECO and MAX modes, three-level battery protection and a built-in ice pack for parked hours. Its limits are equally clear: single-compartment, a 27-quart label that reads 26.4 quarts in its own manual, no verified cooling-time figure, and unconfirmed app support. Accept those four facts and this is a strong buy for family road trips and car camping; if any is a deal-breaker, the alternatives above are the honest next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Setpower RF25 really 27 quarts?
It is sold as a 27-quart unit, but its own RF20/25 manual lists the capacity as 26.4 quarts (25 litres). The gap is small — less than a quart — and it is a labelling difference, not a different product. Buy it as a 26 to 27-quart box and it will hold what a box of that size should hold.
How cold does the Setpower RF25 get?
The RF25 cools from -4°F to 68°F (-20°C to +20°C), so it works as a freezer at the bottom of the range and as a refrigerator above freezing. It is a single-compartment unit, so the whole box holds one temperature — it cannot freeze food and chill drinks at different temperatures at the same time.
Will the RF25 drain my car battery?
It can, if run for many hours with the engine off — which is why its three-level battery protection matters. Set to HIGH, the factory default, it cuts out at 11.1 volts on a 12V system and cuts back in at 12.4 volts, shutting down before the battery is too weak to start the car. For overnight stops, use ECO mode, a portable power station, or unplug it and let the built-in ice pack carry the cold.
Does the Setpower RF25 have app control?
App control is described for the RF line, and the live road-trip cooler roundup credits the smaller 21-quart RF20 with app-based temperature control — but the RF20/25 manual excerpts checked for this review describe panel control only, so the RF25’s own app support is unconfirmed. Confirm the app works with the RF25 on the live listing before buying for that feature, and learn the panel controls either way.
What comes in the box with the RF25?
The listing includes the refrigerator itself, a 100–240V AC adapter, a 12V/24V DC power cord, and a built-in ice pack. No basket or divider is listed in the manual excerpts checked, so do not expect one in the box. The DC cable is 2.5 metres long.
Should I buy the Setpower RF25 or the BougeRV CR22?
Choose the RF25 if you want the bigger box — 27 quarts against 23 — plus the built-in ice pack for parked hours. Choose the CR22 if you want the colder floor at -8°F, the manual’s verified 15-minute pull from 77°F to 32°F, and a slightly lighter unit at 22.3 pounds. Both are single-compartment compressor coolers with three-level battery protection, so the choice is capacity and ice-pack backup against colder cooling and a verified fast-cool figure.
