Best duvets – I've tested over 20 options to find the best quality duvets for year-round use

The best duvets make a real difference to the quality of your sleep; something I only began to appreciate when I started testing duvets for this guide and noticed how much better I was sleeping when I wasn't overheating (or shivering) under a duvet that wasn't right.

What I quickly learnt is that one duvet doesn't fit all. If you're a hot sleeper (like me), you need a breathable and temperature-regulating wool-filled duvet. If you're a cold sleeper, insulating feather-and-down will be your friend. And if you're after affordability or a duvet you can bung in the washing machine and tumble dry easily, a synthetic microfibre duvet is your best bet.

However, even armed with this knowledge, it's still tricky to work out which is the best duvet from the overwhelming amount of options on the market. That's why, as Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I've spent the last four years testing all types of bedding, from reviewing the best mattresses to sleeping under more than twenty (and counting) duvets to find the best-in-class for this guide.

I slept under each duvet included in this round-up for a minimum of a week (often far longer), to test out its temperature regulation, breathability, snuggle-factor, and ease of care, and only the best of the best made the grade.

The quick list

Short on time? These are the six best duvets I've tested. As the best, some are an investment. However, if you keep on scrolling you'll find plenty of more budget-friendly alternatives.

Best duvets

Best summer duvet

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Temperature regulation: Finding the best summer duvet isn't just about opting for a low tog; good temperature regulation is just as important. Both myself (a hot sleeper) and my partner (a cold sleeper) found this duvet the best of the bunch for temperature regulation. It saw us through summer heatwaves and unseasonable cold summer nights without me overheating or him complaining about being chilly.

Breathability: Good breathability is another key factor in a summer duvet when we're all prone to getting more hot and sweaty then usual. Under even the lowest 2-5 tog synthetic or feather and down summer duvets I tested, I still found myself waking up clammy on warm nights, but not so with this wool duvet. I found it allowed air to circulate through the fibres for a sweat-free summer sleep.

Feel: When I first unpacked this duvet I have to admit I was a little disappointed by how flat it looked on the bed; it feels thin and very utilitarian. However, I soon found that its temperature regulation is 100% worth the sacrifice of 'squish', especially if you're a hot sleeper.

Ease of care: Unlike almost any other wool duvet, Woolroom's Deluxe can be machine-washed, making it far easier to care for. You need to line dry it rather than tumble dry, but as this is a summer duvet, you should have good weather on your side.

Value for money: This is a mid-range wool duvet. It isn't cheap, but having tested numerous duvets, I feel it's really worth the investment. It's also the only wool duvet I've found that comes with a sleep trial; you can sleep-test it for 30 nights on your own bed to see if it transforms your sleep in the same way it has mine.

Summer duvet alternatives

Best all-season duvet

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Feel: A down duvet made from the highest quality Hungarian goose down and a very small ratio of feathers, this is the crème de la crème of duvets comfort-wise, and looks and feels super luxurious on the bed. It's soft, squashy, light and airy, and has plenty of malleability so you can tuck it around every inch of your body for the ultimate cocooning softness.

Temperature regulation: Unlike most all-season duvets, which only offer one tog mix, scooms offer three options: a 7 tog (2.5 +9 tog) all-seasons duvet, an 11 tog (2.5 + 9 tog) duvet, and a 13.5 tog (4.5 + 9 tog) combo. That means there's a good warmth rating for everyone amongst those options.

Breathability: I'm a hot sleeper prone to overheating under bedding that isn't super breathable, and, I did find I got warmer under this feather-and-down duvet than I did under the wool-filled duvets I've tested. But, if you're a cold sleeper, that could be a bonus!

Ease of care: Whilst a feather and down duvet isn't quite as easy to care for as a synthetic duvet, this one can still be machine-washed at 40°c. It can even be popped in the tumble dryer on a low heat, although I found it took a lot longer to dry than a synthetic option.

Value for money: If you're looking for high-end hotel comfort at home, this duvet is the ultimate luxury, but it does come with a luxury price tag to match. However, scooms offers a 60-night sleep trial on its duvets; a great way to test out if this investment purchase is right for you before you commit.

All-Season duvet alternatives

Best budget duvet

Temperature regulation: The downside of any synthetic duvet is poor temperature regulation. That can make a synthetic duvet a false economy, as you usually need to buy two if not three separate duvets to get the right warmth for summer, winter, and the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn. Opting for an All-Season synthetic duvet is often a better value solution, and this M&S option offers a versatile 4.5 tog and 9 tog duvet that can combine to create a toasty 13.5 tog.

Breathability: This duvet has lots of plus points, namely affordability and ease of care, but breathability is the one thing it lacks. This is the case with any synthetic duvet, and although the Supremely Washable is more breathable than many synthetic options thanks to its airier fill, it can't compete with a wool duvet in this category, and I did find myself feeling clammy on hotter nights or when my temperature was high.

Feel: It doesn't have the same cocooning feel as a feather and down duvet, but thanks to its airy recycled polyester fill, I still found the Supremely Washable squishy and pliable, meaning I could tuck it around my body to keep out any draughts.

Ease of care: This is where a synthetic duvet really comes into its own. The Supremely Washable can be machine washed at 60°c, which is good news for anyone with allergies. It can also be tumble dried on low and I found it super fast to dry, so it can be washed and back on the bed on the same day.

Value for money: Synthetic duvets are far cheaper than wool or feather and down fillings, and this is one of the best value polyester duvets I've found. I think the All-Seasons option is the best buy overall because it means you have a warmth option for each season, but if you need an even more affordable option then the M&S Supremely Washable Duvet range is also available in 1, 4.5, 7.5, 10.5 and 13.5 tog warmth options which range from £19.50-£69.

Budget duvet alternatives

Best wool duvet

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Temperature regulation: This was the first wool duvet I tested, and having now tested multiple others, I still think it's one of the best. Its temperature regulation is superb, keeping me warm and cosy on cold nights, whilst never causing me to wake up too warm. The wool fill's ability to create a 'microclimate' around a sleeper is also a huge benefit if you share a bed with someone with a different inner thermostat than you.

Breathability: I'm a hot sleeper who is prone to overheating, and I thought that was just something I had to put up with until I first slept under this duvet. It has fantastic breathability, and whilst sleeping under it, I haven't ever woken up feeling too hot or clammy or felt the need to kick off the covers, which is pretty remarkable.

Feel: This is the one area where this duvet is a little less impressive. It feels thin and flat, and I do miss the squish-factor you get from a more premium option (like the more expensive Floks Luxury British Wool Duvet) or a feather-and-down duvet. I also find the fact its corners are round rather than square annoying as they don't fit a duvet cover well. However, the fact that it's still the duvet I choose to sleep under every night is testament to the great night's sleep it delivers.

Ease of care: Very few wool duvets are washable, because, in Woolroom's words 'the combination of moisture, heat and movement in the washing machine will cause wool to felt and shrink'. However, the brand has overcome this issue by using some clever technology to treat the wool fill in their Deluxe duvet. If washability is important, this is the wool duvet for you.

Value for money: Trust me, swapping to a wool fill duvet is a gamechanger if you're a hot sleeper, so although this duvet isn't cheap, I think it's worth every penny. Having tested more affordable and more expensive options, I also think its fairly priced. Plus, it's the only wool duvet I've found that comes with a sleep trial – you have 30 nights to test out how much this wool-filled duvet will improve your sleep too.

Wool duvet alternatives

Best feather and down duvet

Temperature regulation: I tested the warmest 13.5 tog version of Soak & Sleep's Hungarian Goose Down duvet (there are also a wide range of other togs available) and I found it super insulating and cosy to snuggle up under. If you're a cold sleeper, a feather and down duvet is a brilliant buy. However, if you're a hot sleeper, then, like me, you might find yourself slowly overheating as the night goes on. More on that in the next section.

Breathability: I'm a hot sleeper who is prone to overheating, so, for me, this is where a feather and down duvet falls down. I loved snuggling into this duvet at night, but, come 3am, I regularly found I would wake up hot and clammy because my body heat wasn't able to dissipate through the duvet fill in the same way it could with the wool-filled duvets I tested. If you're a cold sleeper this likely won't be a problem, but if you know you're prone to getting sticky at night, this may be a reason to opt for wool instead.

Feel: The feel of this duvet is where it really excels. No duvet feels quite as luxurious as a feather and down duvet, and this Soak & Sleep option is one of the cream of the crop. It's squishy, plumptious, and feels like being wrapped up in a cloud. If you're looking to create the ultimate sleep haven, then this duvet will certainly elevate your bedding and make you feel like you've just checked into a boutique hotel.

Ease of care: A feather and down duvet will require regular shaking to keep the filling aired and evenly distributed (this is helped by this duvet's quilted cover which keeps the fill well spread out) and is never going to be as easy to care for as a synthetic duvet that can be bunged in the washing machine without too much thought. However, this option can be washed at 30°c and tumble-dried on low.

Value for money: A good quality Hungarian goose-down duvet will never be cheap, and this duvet is a significant investment. However, in my experience, Soak & Sleep always offers great quality bedding at very competitive price points, and this is the best value Hungarian goose down duvet of this quality that I've found. The one caveat; the scooms Hungarian Goose Down Duvet listed below is slightly more expensive, but it comes with a very useful 60-night sleep trial which this Soak & Sleep option does not.

Feather & down duvet alternatives

Best synthetic duvet

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Temperature regulation: The downside of a synthetic duvet can often be poor temperature regulation. However, Panda has combatted this by using a blend of bamboo and polyester fibres in the Cloud duvet. And it works. I didn't find it kept me quite as cool on warm nights or as warm on cold nights as a wool-filled duvet, but its temperature regulation is far superior to most synthetic duvets I've tested in this regard.

Breathability: As a hot sleeper I usually struggle under a synthetic duvet as those polyester fibres reflect humidity back towards the sleeper causing overheating. I did still wake up a little too warm at around 5am each night I spent under this duvet, but its bamboo mix helped again, and I found it far more breathable than most alternative poly-bend duvets.

Feel: The addition of the bamboo also gives this duvet a silky feel that makes it feel far more premium than your average microfibre duvet. It drapes well, tucked around me nicely, and was virtually silent. It feels a lot like a vegan-friendly alternative to feather and down. I also liked the slight extra weight the bamboo added as I find a slightly heavier duvet helps me to sleep better.

Ease of care: The Cloud duvet can machine washed at 40°c and line dried or tumble dried on a low setting. That makes it very easy to care for and means it can be washed and back on the bed on the same day.

Value for money: The Cloud duvet is expensive considering 50% of its filling is polyester, but I do think the addition of the bamboo microfibre adds a lot of value. It means the Cloud duvet looks and feels much more premium and it does a far better job of temperature regulation, whilst still benefitting from being very easy to care for.

Synthetic duvet alternatives

How I tested

There's no better way to test a duvet than on your own bed, so that's what I did in order to compile this guide. I've slept under twenty bestselling duvets (and counting) to compile this shortlist, and have only included those products that impressed me the most.

I slept under each duvet I've tested for at least a week, and in many cases, much longer. During this time, I assessed each duvet's insulation and temperature regulation, its breathability (particularly important to me as a hot sleeper prone to overheating), its feel (meaning how nice it felt to tuck around me as I snuggled up in bed and how well it drapes on the bed), and its ease of care (meaning does it need regularly shaking to redistribute the filling and can it be machine washed or cleaned easily).

Each duvet was tested with as few variables as possible. For example, I used the same duvet cover on each duvet, as well as the same mattress, mattress protector, and fitted sheet. I also ensured the bedroom temperature remained as consistent as possible during testing. Experts, including doctors advising The Sleep Foundation and Patient Info, recommend a bedroom temperature of between 16 and 18°c for the best night's sleep, so I aimed to keep my bedroom at 17°c during the night, apart from when testing the summer duvets.

Each duvet was tested with as few variables as possible. For example, I used the same duvet cover on each duvet, as well as the same mattress, mattress protector, and fitted sheet. I also ensured the bedroom temperature remained as consistent as possible during testing. Experts, including doctors advising The Sleep Foundation and Patient Info, recommend a bedroom temperature of between 16 and 18°c for the best night's sleep, so I aimed to keep my bedroom at 17°c during the night, apart from when testing the summer duvets.

Because these duvets are in regular rotation on my bed I've also been able to see how they perform in hot and cold weather throughout the seasons and assess how well the duvet holds up over time. Any duvets that flatten, clump, or start releasing feather or down are promptly removed from this round-up.

Where possible, I've also thoroughly researched third-party customer reviews to see what other owners have to say about their sleep experience. All the duvets included in this guide regularly get 4-5 star reviews from customers.

And finally, I considered each duvet's price point. Having tested multiple duvets and discovered for myself the difference in quality between a £50 and a £200 duvet, I believe the options I've included in this guide are each worth their investment. Many can often be snapped up for cheaper than their usual RRP when bedding deals are in full swing. However, I've also included the best affordable duvets I've tested within each category as a budget-friendly alternative.

Amy Lockwood

I'm Amy, and as Ideal Home's Sleep Editor I've spent the last four years testing sleep products by night and sharing my findings with our readers by day. That includes sleeping under more than twenty different duvets on my own bed to find the best-in-class. All in all, that's over 10,000 hours of at-home duvet testing under my belt!

Best duvet brands

Which duvet brand to shop largely depends on what you're looking for. Dunelm, M&S, and John Lewis are great for affordable easy-care synthetic duvets and budget-friendly duck feather and down. Soak & Sleep offers more luxurious duvet fillings at hard-to-beat price points. For a premium goose down duvet scooms or The White Company can come up trumps. And for a wool-filled duvet, Woolroom is one of my first ports of call.

Here are my top recommendations for the best duvet brands to shop:

Dunelm: affordable synthetic and feather and down duvets
John Lewis: budget synthetics, mid-range feather and down, and premium wool duvets
M&S: affordable synthetic and feather and down duvets with a focus on ease of care
scooms: premium feather and down duvets
Soak & Sleep: great quality and good value premium duvets of all fill types
The White Company: premium feather and down duvets
Woolroom: great mid-range and washable wool duvets

How to choose the best duvet

Spend some time looking for a new duvet and you'll soon realise there are a whole host of options available. To help you choose the best duvet for your needs (and therefore get better sleep) I've broken down the basics of duvet shopping below, from understanding duvet tog ratings to working out what duvet filling is best for you.

How to choose the best duvet filling

Duvets come with a variety of different fillings, all of which offer different pros and cons. The best duvet filling for you will depend on a variety of factors. I've broken down the main advantages and disadvantages of the most common duvet fillings – wool, polyester, and feather and down – below.

How to choose the best duvet tog

Duvet tog is a measure of how effectively a duvet insulates heat and therefore how warm it will keep you during the night. Duvet tog ratings range from 1 tog to 15 tog, with higher numbers offering more warmth.

Although you can get duvets in almost any tog rating, the most common togs are 4.5 tog, which makes a great summer duvet, 10.5 tog, which tends to be the best bet for autumn and spring, and 13.5 tog, which offers good winter warmth.

You might also want to consider an 'all-season' duvet. This consists of two separate lighter tog duvets that can be joined together (usually by way of press studs) to make a warmer winter duvet. Most commonly, an all-season duvet will include a 4.5 tog and 9 tog duvet that can create a 13.5 tog duvet once combined, or a 4.5 tog and 10.5 tog duvet that will create a warmer 15 tog combination.

Wondering when to make the switch from a lower to a higher tog duvet? Our guides on when to switch to a summer duvet and when to switch to a winter duvet have the answers.

How to choose the best duvet size

We might think that we should match our duvet size to our mattress size, however, I recommend sizing up your duvet, especially if you sleep with a partner.

Opting for a duvet that's one size up from your mattress will prevent one partner hogging the duvet at night, and keep you both warmer in bed by offering enough fabric to tuck around both your bodies rather than the duvet tenting between you both and allowing in draughts.

That means if you have a double bed, opt for a king-size duvet, and if you have a king-sized bed, opt for a super king duvet.

FAQs

How often should I replace a duvet?

Experts recommend we should replace a duvet roughly every 5 to 7 years. Why? Because ‘Over time, the filling in duvets can naturally start to become less bouncy and clump together,’ says Emma Beck, buying and merchandising manager for retailer Bensons for Beds.

Plus, 'duvets can absorb sweat, body oils, and moisture, which can lead to bacterial growth and musty odours,’ Holly Castle, product manager at sustainable bedding brand EarthKind explains.

Whilst regularly washing your duvet can help combat this, even the best duvets still have a lifespan.

How do I wash a duvet?

Whether you can wash a duvet or not will depend on its care instructions. Synthetic duvets are usually suitable for washing in the machine and tumble drying, but feather and down or wool duvets may require more specialist care. Our guide to how to clean a duvet explains all.

What do I do with an old duvet?

Disposing of an old duvet responsibly can be tricky as many can't be recycled. This creates a huge environmental problem as many old duvets end up in landfill. Our guide to what to do with an old duvet has alternative solutions, including donating it, composting it (if it's made from biodegradable materials), and repurposing an old duvet at home.

Is an expensive duvet worth it?

Having tested duvets at both ends of the price spectrum, I do now think that an expensive duvet is worth it. There are some exceptions, when a higher price point may just be paying for a well-known brand name, but generally, the more you invest the better quality the materials, and those materials are what provides better comfort, better temperature regulation, and a more durable product.