Thanks and great question. Yes ice eventually melts even in a high performing cooler. We thought about adding a drain plug but no we didn't. Why? It's small enough to be dumped and we worried more about the damage it could do to the car if the plug wasn't used right. Lid is a decent strainer as well. We didn't see an upside in having a drain plug. In testing we haven't wished for it, we just would have worried about it draining into the trunk well if the plug wasn't in just right. Tip: don't drain it unless you have ice to fill it back up. Cold water is better than leaving it part empty (which means part full of warm air).