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9 best duvets 2023 UK; tried and tested

IF you're on the lookout for the best duvet, the options you have to consider can be overwhelming.

There's the type of filling, the size, the tog rating, whether it's hypo-allergenic or machine-washable, and so much more.

Don't worry, though, because we've got you covered. We've put together a list of the best duvets with a range of fillings to suit every budget.

Best Duvets At a Glance:

Emma Cloud Duvet

  • The Emma Cloud double duvet, £62.30 from Emma Mattress – buy here

Pros: Temperature regulating, light, Machine washable, fluffy cloud feeling

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Cons: Expensive however 200, night trail offered

Overall rating: 4/5

Before testing out Emma's Cloud duvet, we'd been using a goodness-knows-how-old duvet and had never really considered upgrading.

We didn't know what we were missing.

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The Emma Cloud duvet is super light (6.7-tog), yet surprisingly warm and sees us through a range of seasons.

We found it kept us warm during chilly spring evenings and cool during the summer heatwave due to its clever temperature-regulating microfibres.

We can also see where it gets its name from. It has a light, almost fluffy, cloud-like feeling, which we just loved.

Another pro is that it's completely machine washable up to 60°C, a massive bonus for us as we have a dog that tends to sleep on the bed when we're not looking.

The only drawback is the price; at £100+ it's not cheap, but the good news is that Emma offers a 200-night trial on all of its products so if you don't love it as much as we do, you can always return it.

Read our full Emma Cloud Duvet review here.

Specs: Machine washable up to 60°C, Made of microfibre

Simba Hybrid Duvet

  • Hybrid double duvet, £139 from Simba – buy here

Pros: Temperature regulating, Breathable, Machine washable, Works for all seasons, Hypoallergenic, Squashy, comfy feel

Cons: Expensive

Rating: 4/5

The Simba Hybrid Duvet is a high-end product that's packed with smart technology, which delivers on its promises.

Made up of three layers (more on those shortly), it's incredibly lightweight, and while this initially gives the impression, it lacks the substance to be truly cosy during cold nights.
It's constructed from three layers: the top and bottom layers are both made from sustainable, breathable cotton, but while one side is pure cotton, the other is injected with NASA-inspired Stratos technology, which regulates body temperature by drawing away heat and releasing it, depending on your needs.

You can tell which is the Stratos temperature-regulating side as it has a grey cubed pattern on it, while the regular cotton side is white. There's also a blue trim across the edge on the Stratos side to help guide you when you're stuffing it into a duvet cover.

The Simba Hybrid Duvet is expensive, but if you struggle with staying warm or keeping cool while you sleep — and you don't want to switch duvets between seasons — it works.

It's made from recycled materials, making it eco-friendly too. What more could you want?

Read our full Simba duvet review to find out even more.

Specs: Machine washable, better cotton

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Simba Hybrid 3-in-1

  • Simba 3-in-1 duvet, from £249 - buy here

Pros: Easy to combine and separate duvets, Comfortable, Evenly distributed filling with no clumping

Cons: Very expensive, Storage bag doesn't save space

Rating: 3/5

The duvet does come with a storage case which can be used to store the half of the duvet you’re not using, but we found it wasn’t much of a space saver, so we vac packed the part of the duvet we weren’t using instead.

As you’d hope, Simba’s 3-in-1 duvet feels premium right away. It’s got a soft cotton cover which you can still notice beneath a bedsheet and the ‘renew clusters’ in the filling, which are made from recycled plastic, are evenly distributed and are divided into pockets so they can’t form clumps.

We tested this duvet in the summer, so we mostly used it with its lightest 3.5 tog (blue binding), which we didn’t find unbearable, even in the middle of a heatwave. That could be down to the duvet’s moisture-wicking properties which help it draw sweat away from you as you sleep.

The spring/autumn duvet (grey binding) is a 7-tog covering and we’d back up Simba’s claim that it’s suitable for the majority of the year. Similar to the light summer duvet, the 7 tog feels lux and is incredibly soft.

Combine the two duvets and (you maths whizzes guessed it), you get a 10.5 tog duvet designed for cold winter nights. Because of the premium design and the options available, we’d be surprised if we could find someone who didn’t like at least one of the options all year round.

Head over to our Simba 3-in-1 duvet review for the full in-depth rundown.

Specs: Machine washable, better cotton

Silentnight Ultrabounce

  • Silentnight Ultrabounce, £31.99 £22 double, from Amazon - buy here

Pros: Warm, snug, budget-friendly

Cons: Flimsy feel

Rating: 4/5

When we got this out of the packaging, we thought it was a bit flimsy but put it on the bed anyway hoping for the best. Within just five minutes, we were lovely and snug. 

It kept us warm even though it is quite lightweight.

We woke up refreshed, feeling like we'd slept well.

Costing less than £45 for a double size, we thought this was a good budget choice.

Amazon shoppers agree with us, with most shoppers rating its warmth, comfort and thickness as its best features.

Specs: Machine washable, hyper allogenic

M&S Simply Soft All Seasons

  • M&S Simply Soft All Seasons, £55 for a King, from Marks & Spencers - buy here

Pros: Thick, Squishy, can split into two for the colder months, made from recycled material

Cons: None

Rating: 4.5/5

Squishy and thick without being too heavy, it allows you to move freely.

The quality is as good as you’d expect from Marks & Spencer, and it nestles around you, keeping you super-warm.

The best feature is that it splits in two so you can have a 4.5-tog duvet for summer and a 9-tog for autumn. Button them together for a 13.5-tog when it’s super-cold. This saves you from buying multiple duvets.

It’s crafted from recycled plastic, so a winner for the environment, too. It’s like sleeping on a cloud.

An impressed M&S shopper added: 'Excellent product which gives the flexibility of combinations of the two duvets to match the weather and temperature conditions.'

Specs: Simply shake to return shape, 30% recycled material

Slumberdown Extra Warm

  • Slumberdown Extra Warm, £32 for a double, from Argos - buy here

Pros: Great value for money, fluffy, cosy, warm

Cons: Will struggle to cool down in Summer

Rating: 4/5

The cover is very soft and it feels lovely and fluffy when you snuggle down for the night.

Beautifully warm and cosy, it is just the thing for those cold nights if you want to keep your heating bill down during the current cost-of-living crisis. 

We thought Slumberdown would perhaps have been more expensive, for the brand name you are getting, but it was cheaper than we'd expect and superior to supermarket ones.

Great value for money and 97% of Argos shoppers have said that they would recommend this duvet.

Specs: Machine washable, Suitable for tumble drying

Habitat Supersoft Washable

  • Habitat Supersoft Washable, £26 for a double, from Argos - buy here

Pros: Soft, fluffy

Cons: Doesn't trap heat as well, flimsy

Rating: 2/5

Unfortunately, this one was not our favourite. It did feel lovely and soft and fluffy, but also a bit flimsy, and we wouldn’t have thought it was a winter duvet. 

Although it is a 10.5 tog, it didn’t keep us as warm as other brands with the same tog rating. 

Habitat does have the same duvet in a 15 tog if you get particularly cold at night – we recommend that one if it’s the warmth you are after.

Although we didn't have the best experience with it, Argos shoppers do enjoy it and most rated its comfort, design and quality as great features.

Specs: Machine washable, non-allergenic

Tesco Home Soft Touch

  • Tesco Home Soft Touch, £15 for a double, from Tesco - buy here

Pros: Soft, affordable, great middle-of-the-road choice

Cons:  None

Rating: 5/5

Lovely soft duvet and, for the price, we thought it was excellent. 

Some of the 15 togs were very hot and heavy, while the 10.5 togs were not warm enough – so this was a great middle-of-the-road choice. 

We couldn’t believe how cosy it was, even though it was half the price of most we tried. For £15, you can’t go wrong really.

There are also over 100 reviews from Tesco shoppers and it's got an average 4.8 star rating.

One happy shopper added: 'This is excellent quality and so soft. It's way better than some duvets I've purchased at double the price. Fantastic value.'

Specs: Machine washable

Sainsbury’s Home Supersoft Washable

  • Sainsbury’s Home Supersoft Washable, £35 for a double, from Sainsbury's - buy here

Pros: Comfortable, heavy, super warm

Cons: May be too hot for most of the year, and could be restrictive if you like to move around in your sleep

Rating: 3.5/5

A comfortable duvet, perfect for lazy days in bed. 

It was quite heavy and if you are someone who moves around a lot at night you might find this restricts you a bit. 

That said, it is super warm.

You definitely won’t need to touch the thermostat if you are sleeping underneath this. It’s big and warm for the coldest of nights, such as at the moment. 

Our worry is, it would be too hot for most of the year.

Specs: Machine washable, simply shake well to restore fullness

Where to buy duvets in the UK?

There are many retailers that stock duvets in the UK, ranging from supermarkets where you can find affordable and comfortable ones to sleep specialists that focus on providing high-quality duvets filled with tech aimed at helping you feel more rested in the mornings.

Here's a quick list of places to help you get started on your search.

How much do duvets in the UK cost?

There is no one shoe-fits-all answer to how much duvets will cost you, it depends on a few factors like size, quality and materials used to create them.

However, if you're looking for cheaper options, you can find some great quality ones for as little as £15.

On the other hand, if you need one that is hyper-allogenic and has other fancy functions, it can rocket up to £200+, as seen with the Simba duvets.

What are duvet togs?

The tog rating of a duvet is simply a way of measuring how warm a duvet is. They most commonly start at 4.5 tog (the coolest) and go right up to 15 tog (the warmest).

A 4.5 tog duvet is generally considered cool enough for summer, and either a 10.5 or 13.5 tog is ideal for winter.

If you have a memory foam mattress or mattress topper, you may want to think about going for a lower tog duvet to counteract the warmth of the memory foam.

What is the best tog duvet for all year round?

This depends on how warm or cool you like to be in bed, but an all-season duvet can be a great investment.

These are comprised of a lightweight spring/summer duvet (4.5 tog) and a warmer autumn duvet (10.5 tog), which can be fastened together (often with buttons along the edge) if you need extra warmth in the winter.

A 10.5 tog duvet should be sufficient for the majority of the year.

What is the coolest duvet filling for summer?

Many different duvet fillings have breathable, sweat-wicking properties.

Natural rather than synthetic fibres will keep you the coolest, and we would recommend both the Emma Cloud and Simba Hybrid duvets for their clever temperature-regulating microfibres.

Plus, 100% cotton duvets are both airy and lightweight, making them ideal for the hot summer months.

How do you clean a duvet?

The good news is most duvets are machine-washable - provided your duvet fits in the machine (one clever hack is to wash a too-big duvet in the bath).

To rid the duvet of all bacteria and dust mites, experts recommend washing duvets on a 60°c cycle - and washing it in the machine on its own.

You should aim to wash duvets at least once every few months, and you can either air dry your duvet or dry it in the tumble dryer on a low heat setting.

You can also spot-clean your duvet by rubbing a soap solution or gentle detergent on any stains and then rinsing with water.

How much should you spend on a duvet?

This depends entirely on your budget, but prices usually vary from around £20 to hundreds of pounds.

The cost will mainly depend on the tog and the filling that you choose.

Hollowfibre synthetic duvets are more affordable and the most popular ones with shoppers, according to consumer group Which? while feather and down duvets are usually more costly.

How often should you change your duvet? 

After some time, any filling, whether it’s hollow fibre or goose feather, will lose its springiness.

It will start to feel flat and deflated, and this is usually a sign that it needs replacing.

As a general rule of thumb, we should change our duvets after five years (although it will depend on the quality of your duvet), according to the Sleep Council.

What tog rating is best for hot sleepers?

If you find you often overheat at night, try a 3-4.5 tog summer duvet to keep you cool.

As well as the tog rating, you should consider the material used for the filling and cover of your duvet, as many natural fibre duvets have sweat-wicking properties that can make you more comfortable.

What duvets do 5* hotels use?

Hotels will often use natural feather and down duvets with high thread count covers for that soft, luxurious feel.

You're likely to find fairly light 10.5 tog year-round duvets at hotels but often with additional blankets and sheets for extra warmth.

What size duvet should I choose?

The size of your bed will indicate what size duvet you should choose but always check the dimensions to be sure.

A standard double in the UK is 135cm x 190cm, but in Europe, a standard double-sized mattress is 140cm x 200cm, so always best to check when you're making a purchase.

Also, if you like extra coverage, try buying the next size up, e.g. a single bed with a double duvet.

What are the different duvet fillings and what are they good for?

There are two main types of duvet fillings: natural and synthetic.

If cared for properly, natural duvets can last longer than synthetic ones, and they usually tend to be more breathable.

Down — a type of fine feather and thermal insulator — is the warmest material and is pretty lightweight but generally the most expensive. Down is definitely for splurging.

Feathers, usually from geese, are slightly less warm but heavier and, therefore, a more affordable option. A mix of both down and feather offers the best of both worlds.

Wool is best if you’re a cold person and struggle in the winter months, and also removes heat and moisture, so there's no need to worry about any nasties brewing.

On the synthetic side of the fence, duvets made from polyester benefit from being extremely hard-wearing and are easier to wash more regularly than natural duvets. They tend to keep their shape better too, and don't get lumpy over time.

Think of synthetic duvets as solid all-rounders that offer a good degree of comfort, warmth and softness at a very reasonable price.

What is the warmest duvet filling for winter?

As well as being better at keeping you cool in the summer, natural fibres are also more efficient as thermal insulation in colder weather.

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We would recommend a goose duck down or feather duvet to keep you cosy and warm.

A pure wool duvet would also certainly keep you toasty. Our suggestion of the Soak & Sleep Luxury New Zealand Pure Wool duvet will keep you both cool and warm, so it's all you'll need all year round.

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Jenniffer Sheldon

Update: 2024-05-19