I put Simba's most affordable mattress topper to the test – I'm impressed by the cushioning and bounce it added to my bed

The Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress Topper is Simba’s entry-level – and most affordable – topper. Although at £299 for a double, I'd say it's still pretty pricey.

The brand's premium topper – the Simba Hybrid Mattress Topper – scores best-in-class in our guide to the best mattress toppers money can buy, and having slept on this more expensive topper in the past, I was keen to see how the brand's more budget-friendly offering compared.

Overall, I was impressed. I did find the Hybrid Essential felt a little thinner than I'd have liked, but it added cushioning, bounce, and support to my bed without causing any overheating.

Simba Hybrid Essential Topper review

Specifications

• RRP: £249 / £299 / £299 / £349 / £399
• Sizes: single / small double / double / king / super-king
• Depth: 6.5cm
• Construction: foam, springs
• Care instructions: removable cover is machine-washable at 40ºC, do not tumble dry
• Manufacturer sleep trial: 200 nights

Attaching the topper to the bed

The Simba Hybrid Essential Topper is delivered rolled up in a box. It may look a little bulky at first glance, but as I lugged it upstairs, I was pleased to note that there are handles on the box and it’s relatively lightweight.

I was able to get it upstairs and into my bedroom on my own, as a moderately strong person.

It’s also easy to unpack. Open the box, slide the topper out onto your mattress, and then carefully snip away the plastic that surrounds the topper. Mine wasn’t actually vacuum-sealed – just rolled in a cling-filmed layer like a topper burrito.

Because it wasn't vacuum-packed, that meant that there didn’t seem to be any off-gassing scent, and it expanded to its full size pretty much immediately it was unboxed.

Another big tick for me was strong, sturdy elasticated straps on each corner of the topper. These were easy to slip over my deep mattress and held the topper in place well.

The underside is also covered in a slightly tacky treatment to bolster the stay-put credentials of the Simba Hybrid Essentials mattress topper.

Comfort

The Simba Hybrid Essential has three cushioning layers packed into its 6.5cm depth, plus the cover (which Simba counts as a layer on their website).

The first layer is Simbatex foam comfort. Simbatex is an open-cell foam that’s infused with graphite. Great, but what does this mean? It’s meant to offer increased elasticity and allow air to flow through the foam so you don’t overheat. The added graphite also works to regulate temperature, but we'll get onto that in a bit.

In terms of comfort, I did find that the topper had a discernible bounce to it – it noticeably improved the responsiveness of my mattress (I usually use the Woolroom Deluxe Wool Mattress Topper on my bed – but for temperature regulation rather than responsiveness). In contrast, I was almost bouncing up out of bed with the Simba topper on!

This foam layer is complemented by a layer of 'Aerocoil' springs underneath. Simba says these micro springs ‘provide unique, cushioned comfort and tailored, responsive support’.

This translated into good motion isolation – so I wasn't disturbed by my husband moving next to me in my sleep, and meant the topper adapted to my movements, supporting my spine in natural alignment, however much I shifted about.

Overall, I found the Simba Hybrid Essential Topper's support was very impressive. When I lay on my side, my heavier parts – hips and shoulders – gently dipped down into the mattress, and the topper contoured around my body without feeling claustrophobic. I didn’t wake with any aches in my hips, which does sometimes happen on my Woolroom topper.

Plus, while loads of people love the sinking feeling of memory foam, it’s not for me. I don’t want to feel my body imprint on the mattress topper. I was pleased that the Simba Hybrid Essentials didn’t really give this effect. It sprang back quickly when I changed position.

There’s also a firmer, high-density foam that forms the base layer on the Simba Hybrid Essentials mattress topper. This layer is to consolidate support, providing stability and durability to the topper. This Certipur polyurethane foam certification means low VOC emissions and no harmful heavy metals.

Although one thing I would say is that the topper does feel slightly thin. One of the mistakes people make when buying a mattress topper can be scrimping on depth. And although, at 6.5cm, this topper initially looks and sounds quite deep, I found it compressed quite a lot under my weight.

Overall, it probably isn’t going to cover any significant dips, bumps, or protruding springs on the mattress underneath.

However, if you want to add an extra layer of comfort to an already pretty decent mattress, this topper does do the trick.

Temperature regulation

I’m always stringent about testing temperature regulation on toppers and mattresses with foam components. I’ve slept on many a foam mattress or topper that has felt like it’s trying to cook me while I sleep. I’ll admit that I am a hot sleeper, and temperature can really disrupt my sleep.

Simba says that their aforementioned Simbatex foam allows for airflow through the topper. This is done via an open-cell structure and the addition of graphite, a material that draws heat away from the body. This layer is the uppermost layer, keeping you “just right” while you sleep.

I found, even as a very particular tester who’s sensitive to overheating, temperature regulation wasn’t an issue on the Simba Hybrid Essentials mattress topper. I was able to sleep all night without waking in a sweat, even with a thick down duvet on. I paired the topper with 100 percent cotton sheets, and it felt positively cool without being chilly.

Care instructions

Whilst you can't wash the topper itself (you'd have trouble getting it in a washing machine anyway!), you can zip off the entire cover of the Simba Hybrid Essential mattress topper, and stick it in the wash.

The zip is also pretty robust, so I think you'd be able to do this many times without encountering any problems. (I've found many zips on topper/mattress covers are flimsy and not fit for purpose, but not so here).

Simba’s care instructions, which are printed on the label of the cover, say to wash it at 40ºC and not to tumble dry.

Washing a mattress topper cover is a great option to have in case of nighttime accidents or to refresh the topper. However, 40ºC is not going to banish dust mites or kill many bacteria. I'd also advise adding one of the best mattress protectors over both the topper and your mattress – just make sure to choose one that's deep enough to cover both.

Sleep trial

Simba offers a 200-night sleep trial on its Hybrid Essential mattress topper. That's a pretty long time to test it out on your own bed, and as long as you’re within this time frame and follow any terms and conditions, if you aren’t happy with the topper, Simba will collect it for free.

Not all retailers offer a sleep trial, so to my mind this is a real plus point with opting to invest in a Simba topper. The 200-night period starts the day your topper arrives at your house, and you don’t need to have kept the original packaging – phew.

Verdict

Overall, I was genuinely impressed with this mattress topper. I think it offers a decent degree of comfort and adds some pleasant bounce to my pocket-spring mattress. On the whole, I found it supportive and responsive.

It also did a great job at regulating my temperature during the night, and offered some additional motion isolation so my husband and I didn't notice so much when one of us rolled over in the night. The 200-night sleep trial makes it a low-risk purchase, too.

That said, I would like it to be a bit thicker. I don't think it would be deep enough to mask a lumpy or bumpy mattress underneath, and, at £299 for a double, I do think it's expensive.

Yes, the £299 Simba Hybrid Essential Mattress Topper is cheaper than the premium £349 Simba Hybrid Mattress Topper, but only by £50. In comparison, a double of the Hybrid Essential has 1,500 Aerocoil springs compared to the Hybrid Mattress Topper's 1,900, and it has 1cm less depth. I didn't notice *that* much difference between the two, but if I was spending this much on a topper to sleep on night after night, I think I would pay the extra £50 and go all in.

Alternatively, if I wanted to give a guest bed a boost, or make a sofa bed more comfortable, I’d be completely happy with opting for this mattress topper. However, I do think there are more affordable options out there that do the trick for occasional use, such as the Panda Topper, which is only £139.95 for a double.

How I tested

Zoë Phillimore

I’m Zoë, a writer who helps the Ideal Home team put all manner of products through their paces to find the top recommendations for our readers. For this review, I put the Simba Hybrid Essential mattress topper through Ideal Home's testing process. Here are my sleep stats:

Usual sleep position: side
Tension preference: medium-firm
Sleep problems: hip pain

In order to test out this mattress topper, I slept on it for two weeks in my own home on top of the fairly firm pocket-spring Hypnos Wool Origins 6 mattress. I assessed how easy it was to attach to the bed, how comfortable it was when sleeping on my back and side, and whether it offered good temperature regulation. I also took into account how easy it was to care for and any sleep trials on offer.