How Long Will a Power Station Run a 12V Fridge?

By Hicham M. · Updated October 17, 2026 · How we calculate

A 12 V compressor fridge is about the easiest load you can put on a power station. It runs at roughly 45 W while the compressor is on and cycles off much of the time, so we plan on an average of 18 W. From the station’s 12 V car port, a 1,000 Wh station runs it for about 2.1 days, and a 500 Wh one for about 25 hours.

The car port matters. It skips the inverter, so we count 90% of the battery as usable instead of 85% through the AC outlets.

Running45 Wtypical range 28–60 W

Starting (surge)60 Wfor a split second

Average18 Wincluding on/off cycling

Per day0.4 kWhat 24 h/day

Calculate with your model Find the right size

Runtime by power station

Nonstop runtime for one 12 V compressor car fridge at 18 W average, with 85% inverter efficiency. Models that can't supply its running or starting power are listed separately below.

How long each power station runs a 12 V compressor car fridge: longest 10
Power station	Battery	Runtime
Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus	5,040 Wh	10.5 days
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3	4,096 Wh	8.5 days
Goal Zero Yeti PRO 4000	3,994 Wh	8.3 days
Anker SOLIX F3800	3,840 Wh	8 days
Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus	3,840 Wh	8 days
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Older	3,600 Wh	7.5 days
Anker SOLIX F3000	3,072 Wh	6.4 days
BLUETTI Elite 300	3,014 Wh	6.3 days
BLUETTI Apex 300	2,765 Wh	5.8 days
BLUETTI Elite 200 V2	2,074 Wh	4.3 days

Show the other 44 models that can run it

How long each power station runs a 12 V compressor car fridge: the rest
Power station	Battery	Runtime
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max Plus	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Older	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
BLUETTI AC200L	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
BLUETTI AC200MAX Older	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
Anker SOLIX F2000 (767) Older	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
DJI Power 2000	2,048 Wh	4.3 days
Jackery Explorer 2000 v2	2,042 Wh	4.3 days
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Older	2,042 Wh	4.3 days
BLUETTI AC200P Older	2,000 Wh	4.2 days
Jackery Explorer 1500 v2	1,536 Wh	3.2 days
Jackery Explorer 1500 Ultra	1,536 Wh	3.2 days
Goal Zero Yeti 1500X Older	1,516 Wh	3.2 days
Goal Zero Yeti 1500	1,505 Wh	3.1 days
Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus	1,264 Wh	2.6 days
Anker SOLIX F1200 (757) Older	1,229 Wh	2.6 days
BLUETTI AC180	1,152 Wh	2.4 days
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2	1,070 Wh	2.2 days
Anker SOLIX C1000	1,056 Wh	2.2 days
EcoFlow DELTA 3	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Older	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
BLUETTI Elite 100 V2	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
DJI Power 1000	1,024 Wh	2.1 days
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro Older	1,002 Wh	2.1 days
Jackery Explorer 1000 Older	1,002 Wh	2.1 days
Goal Zero Yeti 1000	998 Wh	2.1 days
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro Older	768 Wh	38 hours
Anker SOLIX C800 Plus	768 Wh	38 hours
BLUETTI EB70S Older	716 Wh	36 hours
Goal Zero Yeti 700	677 Wh	34 hours
Jackery Explorer 500 Older	518 Wh	26 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Older	512 Wh	26 hours
DJI Power 500	512 Wh	26 hours
Jackery Explorer 300	293 Wh	15 hours
Jackery Explorer 300 v2	288 Wh	14 hours
Anker SOLIX C300	288 Wh	14 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus	286 Wh	14 hours
BLUETTI EB3A Older	269 Wh	13 hours
Jackery Explorer 240 v2	256 Wh	13 hours
EcoFlow RIVER 3	245 Wh	12 hours
Jackery Explorer 240 Older	240 Wh	12 hours

We may earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes our numbers, and every model in our database is included whether or not it pays us. Learn more.

What the makers publish

Dometic publishes an average draw for each CFX3 in amp-hours per hour, tested in 90°F (32°C) air with the inside at 39°F (4°C). Multiply by 12 V for watts:

Dometic CFX3 energy consumption on 12 V
Fridge	Average draw	Per day	Rated DC current	On 1,000 Wh
Dometic CFX3 35	0.98 Ah/h (12 W)	282 Wh	7.5 A	3.2 days
Dometic CFX3 45	1.03 Ah/h (12 W)	297 Wh	8.2 A	3 days
Dometic CFX3 55	1.1 Ah/h (13 W)	317 Wh	8.7 A	2.8 days
Dometic CFX3 75DZ	1.43 Ah/h (17 W)	412 Wh	9.6 A	2.2 days
Dometic CFX3 100	1.56 Ah/h (19 W)	449 Wh	10.8 A	2 days

Dometic’s figures; runtimes are our calculation at 90% from the 12 V port. The 75DZ figure is at 39°F inside; with the small zone freezing at 5°F (−15°C) and the large one at 39°F, Dometic lists 3.04 Ah/h, about twice as much.

Other makers publish less. ICECO lists its VL45 at 0.347 kWh per 24 hours as “laboratory data for reference only”, without the test temperature: about 14 W on average. Engel says its compressors typically draw “around 1 to 2 Amps per hour”, roughly 12–24 W. Our 18 W planning figure sits near the top of Dometic’s range in 90°F heat, so cooler weather should do better.

Why the 10 A car-port limit matters

Car ports on power stations are typically rated around 10 A. EcoFlow lists the DELTA 3 Plus cigarette-lighter port at 12.6 V and 10 A, and says its 12 V outputs share 126 W in total. Jackery rates the Explorer 1000 v2 car port at 12 V and 10 A.

Not every station has a car socket. In our database, the DJI Power 500, 1000 and 2000, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 and the BLUETTI Apex 300 don’t list one; with those, the fridge has to run from AC.

Now look at the fridge’s rated current, the most it will ever pull, which Dometic says is the figure to size wiring by. The CFX3 35 to 75DZ are rated 7.5–9.6 A, inside a 10 A port. The CFX3 100 is rated 10.8 A, above it. EcoFlow’s manual adds that a 12 V appliance has to start within the port’s current and voltage limits or it “may not be able to start normally”. If the station’s port cuts out when a large fridge starts, run that fridge from its AC adapter instead.

Set the low-voltage cutoff to Low

Compressor fridges have a battery protection setting that switches the fridge off when the supply voltage sags, so it can’t strand you with a dead car battery. Dometic’s CFX3 manual gives three levels for 12 V:

Dometic CFX3 battery protection voltages
Setting	Switches off at	Back on at
Low	10.1 V	11.4 V
Medium	11.2 V	12.2 V
High	11.8 V	12.6 V

Dometic recommends Medium or High on a vehicle’s starter battery and Low on a separate supply battery. A power station is the second kind: its battery management, not the fridge, decides when the station is empty. By our reading of those numbers, High (off at 11.8 V, back on only at 12.6 V) leaves little margin on a car port rated 12–12.6 V once the cable drops some voltage under load, so the fridge may switch itself off with charge to spare. Dometic also warns that splitters, pigtails and extension leads add line loss that lowers the voltage at the plug.

Keeping it cold for longer

Plug the fridge into the station’s 12 V car port with the fridge’s own DC cord, not into its AC adapter. You skip the inverter and its losses.
Pre-chill the fridge and its contents on shore power before the trip. Pulling down from warm is when it runs hardest.
Keep it out of the sun and give the vents room. Dometic’s published draw is at 90°F; a hot trunk costs more.
Fridge mode at 39°F uses far less than freezing. Dometic’s 75DZ roughly doubles its draw with one zone at 5°F.
Check the station’s auto-off. Jackery’s Explorer 1000 v2, for one, switches outputs off after 12 hours when the car port stays at 2 W or less; you can turn that energy-saving mode off.

Questions

How many days will a 1,000 Wh power station run a 12V fridge?

About 2 days at our 18 W planning average from the 12 V port. At the Dometic CFX3 45’s published draw (about 12 W in 90°F air) it’s closer to 3 days.

Should I use the AC outlet or the 12V port for a car fridge?

The 12 V port. It skips the inverter, so more of the battery reaches the fridge, and you avoid the fridge’s own AC adapter as well. Check that the fridge’s rated current fits the port, usually 10 A.

What battery protection setting should I use on a power station?

Low. Dometic recommends Low for a separate supply battery and Medium or High only for a vehicle’s starter battery. The station protects its own battery.

Can a small 300 Wh station run a 12V fridge?

Yes: about 15 hours at our 18 W figure, or about 22 hours at the Dometic CFX3 45’s published 12 W. That covers an overnight stop if you recharge while driving.

Sources

Wattage figures are typical values from the sources below. Your appliance may differ, so check its label or measure it with a plug-in watt meter.