The XTM 12L Cooler Warmer is a small thermoelectric box for the car: it keeps drinks and lunch cool, or keeps a meal warm, on a day drive. It holds 14 cans, weighs 3.5 kg and comes with leads for the car and the wall. It isn’t a fridge, though, and on a hot day that matters. I paid $120 for it.
What’s in the box
A grey plastic box, 56 cm long and narrow, made to sit on a centre console or between passengers on the back seat. A slide switch sets it to cold, warm or off, with a green or red light to show which. The lid has two cup holders and an anti-slip mat, and it comes with a 12V car lead, a 240V mains lead and a shoulder strap.
What we like
- Cools and warms to 55 °C
- 12V and 240V leads included
- Light at 3.5 kg
- Fits a centre console
- Two cup holders on the lid
What we don’t
- Cools only 20 °C below the air
- Draws power all the time
- Thin plastic, no thermostat
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | XTM |
| Capacity | 12 L14 cans |
| Colour | Grey |
| Weight | 3.5 kg |
| Size | 56 × 27 × 32 cm |
| Type | Thermoelectric |
| Cooling | 20 °C below outside air |
| Warming | Up to 55 °C |
| Power | 12V/24V and 240VLeads included |
| Power use | 46W cooling on 12V |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Cooling, not a fridge
This is the thing to understand before you buy. A thermoelectric cooler has no compressor and no thermostat: it cools the inside to about 20 °C below the air around it, and no colder. In a 20 °C car that’s close to fridge-cold; on a 35 °C day it’s around 15 °C, which keeps drinks pleasant but isn’t safe for meat or dairy for long. It works best if you put things in already cold and switch it on before you leave.
Warming
Flip the switch to hot and it warms up to 55 °C, which keeps takeaway or a pre-cooked dinner warm on the way to camp. That’s something a compressor fridge can’t do, and it’s the main reason to pick this over a small 12V fridge.
Power
It runs on 12V or 24V in the car and on 240V at home, with both leads in the box. The catch is the draw: it uses about 46W on 12V the whole time it’s on, close to 4 amps, because a thermoelectric cooler never switches off the way a compressor fridge cycles. That’s fine while you drive, but don’t leave it running on the starter battery while you’re parked.
Size and carrying
At 3.5 kg it’s easy to carry from the house to the car or down to a picnic spot, and the shoulder strap helps. Inside there’s room for 14 cans, a day’s lunch for a few people, or a tall water bottle standing upright. The two cup holders on the lid take a small mug or a bottle. The plastic shell is thin, which keeps it light, but it doesn’t feel tough, so it’s better on a seat than in the back with the recovery gear.
How it compares
For about the same money, the Kings 15L Console Fridge is a real compressor fridge that cools to −18 °C whatever the weather, but it can’t warm. Our camping fridges guide compares all four fridges we’ve tested.
Conclusion: XTM Thermoelectric Cooler Warmer 12LConclusion
The XTM 12L Cooler Warmer is a light, simple box for the car that keeps 14 cans or a lunch cool, or a meal warm up to 55 °C, with leads for 12V and 240V. It only cools to about 20 °C below the outside air, draws power all the time it’s on, has no temperature setting and feels a bit flimsy. I paid $120; for day drives it’s handy, for camping trips get a compressor fridge.
Handy for day drives, but not a camping fridge.
It keeps 14 cans or a lunch cool, or a meal warm up to 55 °C, on 12V or 240V. It only cools to about 20 °C below the outside air, draws power the whole time and has no temperature setting.
- Day trips
- Travellers
- Everyday carry
For day drives, yes: I paid $120 for a light box that cools or warms. For camping trips, a compressor fridge like the Kings 15L costs about the same and actually stays cold.
