It’s a fact of life that we need good-quality sleep to function. One of the best ways to guarantee yourself a good night’s sleep is to have an optimal sleep environment. As well as mattresses, and pillows, a duvet has a huge part to play in how well you sleep. But there are an astronomical amount of duvets on the market – so how do you find the best? We’re here to help.
The price of duvets ranges wildly, starting from around £20 up to fairly eye=watering amounts of money. The main thing that’s going to affect the price is the fibres used in the duvet. We’ll drill down into the pros and cons of the fibres later, but synthetic fibres tend to be a whole lot cheaper than natural fills.
Natural fills aren’t just goose and duck down, by the way. Although the pricey feather duvets are often considered the most premium as they can be fantastic insulators, keeping you just the right temperature at night, there are other natural fibre options. Wool duvets are a big deal – for good reason. Wool is hypoallergenic, fire retardant and it’s traceable. There are also vegan fibres such as bamboo and tencell lyocell, which are made from wood pulp.
Synthetic fibres can be a budget-friendly option, and we’re seeing more and more duvets using recycled fillings. These are more often than not made from recycled PET bottles, which means they’re a relatively eco-friendly choice. Synthetic fibres are great for allergy sufferers as they tend to repel nasties, and they can be machine-washed and tumble-dried to really get rid of those allergens. Some synthetic fibres though can be a bit sweatier and less durable.
Tog ratings on duvets should be consulted. The lower the tog, the less warm it is – this often translates as thinner in loft (thickness) too, but not always. Low togs such as 4.5 are great for summer months, providing some snugness without the sweat. Then duvets tend to range up to 10.5 tog, which are great for cold nights. There are also all-season duvets, which are two different tog duvets that can be clipped together to create your perfect thickness for the weather.
How we tested
We tested duvets during a chillier-than-normal spring into a very warm summer and cold winter. This gave us a good idea of what duvets were right for every season. How did we test? We put in the hard graft of sleeping for hours on end. What we were looking for were good-quality duvets for the price. We wanted duvets that didn’t make us feel like we were roasting alive but kept us just the right side of toasty. Around a month was spent weighing up togs, price points, fillings and casing fibres to find the very best duvets on the market.
The best duvets for 2024 are:
- Best overall – Dorma dream deluxe duvet: £75, Dunelm.com
- Best budget buy – Silentnight cooler summer duvet: £20.94, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for all seasons – Simba hybrid three-in-one duvet: £211.65, Simbasleep.com
- Best down duvet – Scooms Hungarian goose down duvet: £290, Scooms.com
- Best vegan duvet – Duvet Hog all year round duvet: £109, Duvethog.co.uk
