The Best RV Ice Makers for Your Next Road Trip

1. Best Overall RV Ice Maker: NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker – 50 lb

The NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker can produce 50 pounds of ice in 24 hours. With its insulation, you won’t have to worry about the ice melting too quickly — even if you leave it unplugged. 

Heavy-duty in design, the NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker tips the scales at 21.6 pounds. Indeed, it’s heavy for a portable ice maker. Nonetheless, this shouldn’t be an issue with BPA-free components built to last and churn ice efficiently. 

Despite its weight, it’s still easy to move and store, given its 15.75 x 13.58 x 13.7-inch frame. 

While producing ice, this model is quiet. Also, adding to the comfort factor is its single-button operation, which is straightforward. The NewAir Portable Countertop is easy to clean since you can easily remove the ice basket.

What We Liked

The 50-pound capacity of the NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker allows it to produce enough ice for almost two coolers. After 24 hours, you’ll have enough ice to last you three days or so if you can store it in your RV freezer. 

Also, the material that makes up the machine’s interior is highly insulating, meaning that ice stays solid for up to 24 hours. If you don’t have a freezer on board, that’s a big win. 

Another thing that stands out is how simple the controls are. There’s only one button atop the lid, meaning that all you need to do is put water in and turn it on. 

With its 15.75 x 13.58 x 13.7-inch construction, the NewAir Portable Countertop is a breeze to clean and store, balancing capacity and size.

What We Didn’t Like

At nearly 22 pounds, the NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker is the heaviest on our list. It may not be too heavy for most people, but you should think twice about asking your kids to move it. It’s also a tad cumbersome when shifting it to store on travel days.

While this portable model does make clear ice, it only makes one size of ice cubes. (We love chunky ice cubes). Nevertheless, the amount of ice produced per 24-hour period does compensate for the size.

The hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker Machine is a budget-friendly option balancing economy and function. This RV-friendly ice maker produces as much as 35 pounds of ice in 24 hours. 

However, depending on the settings, you can use it to make small to medium-sized ice cubes in as little as 10 minutes. Perfect for unplanned sundowners.

This portable ice maker measures just 12.9 x 9.5 x 14 inches, making it easy to store in an RV’s cabinet or chest. Also, it’s is one of the lightest at just over 18 pounds. 

An LED light indicates whether or not it’s on or off. It also shows whether or not there’s already ice in the ice basket. 

Quiet, energy-efficient, and easy to clean, the hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker also boasts intuitive touch panel controls on the lid. The controls enable you to select the cube sizes and switch it on or off.

What We Liked

Right away, what impressed us was the presence of a water line and drain. So if you want to use this portable ice maker in your home and your RV, that’s a great feature. In addition, it can make it easy to remove excess water from the ice-making process. 

The water line makes filling the 2.2-liter reservoir easier and less messy than pouring water into it. In the RV, filling the reservoir is the same as every other portable ice maker.

There’s also the impressive speed of 10 minutes to make ice. The machine also automatically shuts off the second the process finishes, making ice-making so much easier. 

The hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker also comes with an ice scooper and a detachable ice basket that makes cleaning a breeze. Who said you can’t get a lot out of something budget-friendly?

What We Didn’t Like

With an interior made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (try saying that out loud after a G&T), the hOmeLabs Portable Ice Maker has resilience but at the expense of insulation. 

With that in mind, make sure to take your newly churned ice and put it in a cooler or freezer quickly, or it will begin to melt. Then the ice cubes stick together.

Also, at one time, you can only get about eight medium-sized ice cubes at most. Here, you can see that quantity is sacrificed for speed. You’ll need to prepare it in advance and store the cubes in your freezer to get lots of ice. 

While it emits minimal noise most of the time, it can be a little loud occasionally. The noise isn’t too disturbing, but it isn’t something you’d expect from a machine like an ice maker.

Measuring only 10.75 x 14.17 x 13.19 Inches, the IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine is the most compact on our list. However, despite its small frame, it boasts several functions to hold a candle to its larger counterparts. 

The IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine consists of an energy-efficient compressor and an aluminum condenser and refrigerant. These components enable the ice maker to churn out up to nine ice cubes in 9 minutes. 

Over 24 hours, the IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine produces up to 26 pounds of ice — not bad for a small portable ice maker. 

This model also has a single-button control scheme for straightforward ease of use. It also features LED indicator lights to give you an idea of whether or not there’s already ice in the basket. 

Weighing just over 15 pounds, this ice maker is the lightest we’ve found, making it easy to store, clean, and move. Perfect for bringing to a barbecue, camping trip, or a trip to the beach.

What We Liked

Portability is the key selling point of the IKICH Portable Ice Maker. This ice maker is a breeze to store and move around, true to what’s advertised. Controls are foolproof, with just one button to manage. It’s also very quiet, emitting just 50 dB of noise.

What’s also impressive is its maximum capacity. Over 24 hours, the IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine can make up 26 pounds of ice — despite its small size.

What We Didn’t Like

Indeed, it produces some ice within minutes. However, despite the presence of a condenser, the IKICH Portable Ice Maker Machine has a “pre-use” period. Before usage, you’ll have to leave it on for a few hours to get the best results. That’s not ideal when boondocking or dry camping and relying solely on your batteries.

The ice basket’s material also doesn’t provide much insulation beyond a few hours. Hence, you have to use the ice immediately or throw it in the freezer. 

In the manual, there’s also an instruction not to fill it close to its maximum level. Unfortunately, this leaves much room for interpretation, causing the average user to use less water. But, of course, less water means less ice.

Many RV ice makers can produce 26 pounds of ice. However, few can do it in the time the Igloo ICEB26BK Ice Cube Maker does. 

The Igloo Ice Cube Maker quietly produces up to 26 pounds of consistently shaped ice in 24 hours or less. Even within minutes, you’ll see ice cubes forming from the transparent lid. This is also where you’ll find the LED indicator and straightforward single-button control panel. 

The Igloo Ice Cube Maker also boasts a high-capacity three-quart water tank. In addition, the ice basket holds two to three pounds of ice at a time. It’s also detachable, making cleaning easy. 

The Igloo Ice Cube Maker measures 17.75 x 14.50 x 12.25 inches and weighs 20.5 pounds. Its sleek frame features no odd edges, making it compact and easy to store alongside other items in your RV.

What We Liked

It’s always a fantastic experience to see ice forming, and it’s an experience the Igloo Ice Cube Maker delivers well. The transparent top lid is as clear as the ice created below. 

Also worth noting is a drainage port for removing unused or residual water from the unit. 

We also like how quiet the ice maker is. This is great if you’re making ice overnight.

What We Didn’t Like

To get the 26-pound capacity of ice, the three-quart water tank will need to be filled over 30 times. 

It’s also not the lightest RV ice maker around. In fact, it’s almost as heavy as our heavy-hitter on this list – the NewAir Portable Countertop Ice Maker. 

It is quiet most of the time. However, during the instances where it makes noise, you’ll hear it emit a fan-like noise. It might not be too loud for some, but it’s enough to keep some awake. Hence, keep it a distance from you if you’re sleeping.

Delivering 200 watts of power with just 110 volts, the FRIGIDAIRE EFIC101 Portable Ice Maker is as energy-efficient as they come. So if you’re using shore power, you can leave this ice maker on overnight and not see significant spikes in your energy consumption. 

It’s as energy-efficient as it is compact. Measuring just ‎14.1 x 9.5 x 12.9 inches and weighing less than 18 pounds, the FRIGIDAIRE Portable Ice Maker is easy to store and move. With easy drainage courtesy of its drain line, you won’t have to tip it over to remove water. 

LED indicators and a control panel on top put ice-making in your hands. Like many ice makers of similar size, it churns out 26 pounds of ice over 24 hours. However, for shorter 15-minute intervals, the machine can produce some ice with its high-quality condenser and compressor.

What We Liked

True to what’s advertised, the FRIGIDAIRE EFIC101 produces ice with minimal input. Hence, you’re not likely to encounter disruptions in your ice-making. The FRIGIDAIRE EFIC 101 doubles as an ice cube fridge once you hook it up to a power supply. 

It’s also compact and easy to store, given its sleek design. Weighing just 18 pounds, anyone can easily move it from one part of the RV to another. 

What We Didn’t Like

The reservoir’s capacity can be better since it’s just 2.3 quarts. Hence, to get 26 pounds of ice, you’ll have to refill it. 

It can also take a while before the ice maker produces a quart of ice. It can take an hour for a quart of ice to be produced at times. This is hardly impressive since the reservoir’s capacity is double that. 

While the transparent window on top of the ice maker is clear, it’s also on the smaller end. Hence, you might not get a full view of the ice-making process if that’s your thing.