The Best Microwave For A Semi Truck In 2024

If the pandemic’s taught us anything, it’s that the people keeping our goods on the road are an under-appreciated bunch. They deserve a good meal when they’re away from home, and keeping things flowing for the rest of us.

A microwave is a good option here for a few reasons:

• There are plenty of high-performance, compact microwaves on the market. You can enjoy better meals when you’re away from home, without cramping your limited space.
• They’re ideal for reheating leftovers, or single meals, and save heaps of time too.
• Even lower-powered microwaves are capable of heating up tasty food to a safe temperature.
• Variety. No one wants to eat the same thing, meal after meal, while they’re on the road. A compact semi truck microwave lets you grab something new, and have a little something to look forward to at the end of a long day.

What’s the best microwave for a semi truck though? 

In this article you’ll find reviews of the best appliances, and a buying guide that will help you make the right choice.

Summary

You’ll find more detailed reviews of each microwave further down the page, but if you’re in a hurry here are the top options I arrived at from my research:

BEST OVERALL – Panasonic NN-SD372S

If you have the space and the power to support it, the Panasonic is the best overall option. The 950 Watt power rating means it can tackle everything on the road that you can handle at home. It also features automatic power/timing technology which frees up a lot of precious time.

BEST BUDGET – Galanz Retro Red Microwave Oven

The Galanz strikes the best balance between performance, size and cost. Check the different capacity options on the product listing too. You might be able to get a little more cooking space if the size works for your own circumstances.

What To Look For In A Semi Truck Microwave

Many home microwaves are simply too large for a semi truck. Instead, you likely need something that fits in a smaller space. 

Just keep in mind that – generally – a smaller appliance will have a lower power rating. That means fewer cooking options, although anything above 700 Watts should be fine.

Voltage & Power Rating

When it comes to safety, using a microwave in an enclosed space is obviously safer than using – say – an open portable stove top!

When shortlisting your options though, always consider the power rating of the appliance. You need to be sure that the voltage of the microwave you’re looking at is compatible with the power capability of your semi truck.

Consider the power needs of all the appliances you plan to take on the road with you. Make sure the microwave fits in with the total power that’s available.

Ease Of Use

Simpler is almost always better when it comes to picking a microwave for this sort of environment.

After a hard day on the road, you want an easy way to rustle up a tasty meal, without messing around with lots of combos and power settings.

Make sure there are enough options to handle a wide variety of jobs, but don’t go overboard on the features. Only buy what you need, and what you’ll actually use.

Easy To Clean

Make sure the microwave doesn’t have any gaps or nooks where food can get trapped. Think about the actual controls as well. Over time, you may get bits of food detritus caking up around chunky buttons or power dials.

There’ll always be a bit of clean-up to do! Just make sure it’s nothing that can’t be handled with baby wipes. A smelly microwave in the cab is the last thing anyone needs…

Size & Capacity

If you’re lucky enough to have lots of space to play with, this will be less of a concern.

When you’re fitting a microwave in a truck though, you need to make sure every inch of space counts. 

First decide exactly where the microwave is going to go, and then measure up carefully and check the product listings. 

As well as simply fitting for the space, you also need to make sure the microwave has a relatively snug fit. You don’t want this thing flying around if you need to make a sharp stop, after all. 

Look for something that only just about fits in the designated space, but make sure there’s enough room for a little airflow if the microwave has side vents.

Finally, you need to consider the interior capacity of the microwave as well. For single meals, you don’t need a lot of space to play with. Just make sure the microwave can fit the kind of meals you’re likely to pick up on the road.

I’ve included the supplier’s official dimensions and capacity for each of the semi truck articles included in this round-up.

Timers

Make sure the microwave you pick has a good timer system on it, so you can set and forget things. 

Doing life admin on the road is tricky at the best of times. The more you can “set and forget” your dinner, the more time you’ll have to take care of other business, and then get some well-earned rest.

Semi Truck Microwave Reviews

Let’s take a closer look at the best options on the market right now:

Panasonic Stainless Steel Countertop Microwave NN-SD372S

This is a very popular Panasonic microwave, and the 950 Watt power rating provides a lot of versatility for cooking on the road.

It has an interior space of 0.8 cubic feet too, which is more than enough to accommodate a large dinner plate, or even a dish for more advanced meals.

The NN-SD372S also includes an automatic sensor. This adjusts the timing and power level, to suit whatever’s being cooked at the time. That means truly hands-free cooking while you get on with more pressing business.

There are plenty of preset menus for handling the most common tasks with just a couple of button presses. You also get a quick-minute timer, which is useful for giving the contents a little extra oomph. A ‘Keep Warm’ function’s also handy for keeping food hot if you find yourself distracted.

• Power: 950 Watts
• Dimensions: 12 x 8 x 7 Inches
• Interior Capacity: 0.8 Cubic Feet

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Danby Designer Countertop Microwave

The Danby offers more space and more power than the Panasonic – 1000 Watts and 1.1 cubic feet capacity respectively.

Both of these are very useful to have, but just make sure you have the capacity for them in both senses!

The presets don’t offer the most variety I’ve seen from a microwave, but they get some pretty common tasks done – think things like reheating leftovers and pizza, making hot drinks, cooking frozen vegetables and cooking potatoes.

You’ve also got a total of ten power levels to choose from, which means you have quite a bit of flexibility if you’re prepared to take a more hands-on approach to dinner time.

• Power: 1000 Watts
• Dimensions: 15.8 x 20.19 x 12.06 Inches
• Interior Capacity: 1.1 Cubic Feet

Commercial Chef Countertop Microwave

Like the Danby, Commercial Chef is another brand you might not be so familiar with.

I think it’s a pretty good option if you like or need your appliance controls to be pretty simple – and perhaps a little old-fashioned.

Two simple dials allow you to select one of six power levels, and the time you want the appliance to run for. 

There are no presets to play with here, but if simplicity is the most important thing for you then I think you could do a lot worse.

Just be aware that the Commercial Chef only has a 600 Watt power rating. That’s quite low compared to the other semi truck microwaves I’ve looked at, but for hot drinks and leftovers that may be all you need.

The interior is small too! At 0.6 cubic feet you don’t have a lot of room to play with, but if you have a very small space that might well be a good thing. You’ll get a dinner plate in there, but not much more than that.

• Power: 600 Watts
• Dimensions: 17.75 x 12.5 x 10.25 Inches
• Interior Capacity: 0.6 Cubic Feet

Galanz Retro Red Microwave Oven

If you’d like to add a little bit of color to your truck, then the Galaz Retro Red is a really good option.

At 700 Watts it sits towards the lower end of the power spectrum, but you’ll still be able to get plenty done with it on the road.

The models vary a little in what they can do, but this appliance is available in 0.7, 0.9 and 1.1 cubic feet editions. If you can fit the 0.9, then that’s probably a good option as it gives just a little more than a dinner plate’s space.

The control aren’t quite as simple as those on the Commercial Chef, but they’re still pretty simple. Five chunky buttons on the front help you switch between power levels, defrosting, timers and so on, while a simple dial helps you narrow down your options from there.

I think the Galanz strikes a really good balance between ease of use, capacity, power and function. It should definitely be on your shortlist if you’re looking for a budget semi truck microwave that doesn’t compromise too much on performance.

• Power: 700 Watts
• Dimensions: Various (check listing)
• Interior Capacity: Various (check listing)

Comfee Countertop Microwave Oven

Finally, there’s the Comfee Countertop microwave. I think this one should be directly compared to the Galanz when it comes to cost and performance.

This is another 700 Watt microwave, but you get 11 power levels compared to the Galanz’s six. That means more flexibility, but you’ll have to be comfortable picking the right setting for the job at hand.

Something else the Comfee has that the Galanz doesn’t is a collection of presets. These aren’t particularly exciting, but if you just want to be able to quickly make a hot drink or prep pizza this does provide a little convenience.

It’s not quite as elegant as the Galaz – this is very much a functional appliance, and the controls are a little more complicated.

Out of these two, my preference is towards the Galanz, unless you really need the presets. If that’s you, lean further towards the Comfee.

• Power: 700 Watts
• Dimensions: 17.3 x 13 x 10.2 Inches
• Interior Capacity: 0.7 Cubic Feet

Wrapping Up

When it comes to picking out the oen single best microwave for a semi truck, I don’t think it’s possible.

For an all-singing, all-dancing microwave that provides all the comforts from home, go for the Panasonic NN-SD372S. It’s a mini kitchen when you’re far from home, but you’ll need a little more space for it.

For something a little more budget-orientated, I think the Galanz is an outstanding pick. You’ve got multiple sizes to choose from, it’s simple to use, but it’s a little more primitive. It’s for simple reheating tasks, such as hot drinks and TV dinners.

Happy cooking!