In the present study, the authors emphasized on characterization, heat transfer and exergetic performance of nanofluid in plate heat exchanger (PHE) experimentally. The characterization of nanofluid incorporates the systematic measurement of thermophysical properties of nanofluids. The heat transfer performance incorporate the heat transfer rate, convective heat transfer coefficient, pumping power, exergy loss and exergetic efficiency of nanofluids. In this work, two types of nanofluids namely CeO₂/water and ZnO/water are employed. The experimental outcomes are compared with water and between nanofluids. The experimental results revealed the best heat transfer performance is shown by ZnO/water nanofluid. The volume concentration of the nanofluids varied from 0.5 - 2.0%. Flow rate of coolant varied from 0.5.0-2.0 lpm at 2 lpm of hot fluid. The inlet temperatures of cold and hot fluid are 25° C and 50° C respectively.