Investing in one of the best duvets for your needs is a great way to get a better night's sleep, especially when there are now so many options for tailoring your sleep comfort to your exact specifications.
Whether you're fed up with overheating during the night and are looking for a more breathable duvet, you're looking to score yourself a warmer duvet to keep out the chill, or your budget buy is past its best and you're looking to invest in a duvet that will add some luxury to bedtime, we've rounded up the cream of the crop.
Tried and tested by the Ideal Home team, we’ve slept under a whole host of bestselling duvets to help you find the best one for your needs, including the best all-season duvets, best summer duvet options, and the best duvets for hot sleepers. There are duvets from Simba, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Soak & Sleep, plus many more in the mix. At the bottom of this page, we've also broken down the basics of duvet shopping – from understanding tog ratings to working out what duvet filling is best for you, as well as the best size duvet to opt for.
Whilst you're upgrading your sleep comfort, it's well worth having our guides to the best mattresses and best pillows on your radar too, but when it comes to finding the duvet of your dreams, this page has all you need to know to score yourself a more peaceful slumber.
Best duvets
Why you can trust Ideal Home Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Best summer duvets
You might think that buying a summer duvet is all about finding the thinnest or lightest-weight duvet available, but that isn't necessarily the case.
Duvet 'tog' ratings are a measure of how effectively a duvet insulates heat and therefore how much warmth a duvet offers. Tog ratings start at 1 tog and go up to 15 togs. Lower numbers are the coolest so can make the best summer duvets, however, you'll also want to consider fill.
Wool fill tends to offer the most breathability, although can feel 'heavier' in weight than a lightweight microfibre synthetic. Both are great summer duvet options.
Best summer duvet for hot sleepers
Buy it if: you're looking to invest in a great night's sleep, or if you're a hot sleeper who struggles with overheating during the summer months. We've tried and tested some of the best duvets on the market, and in our opinion, this Floks number is the cream of the crop. The wool fill is naturally thermoregulating, which means it keeps you warm whilst also offering great breathability and airflow to eliminate the overheating that can be a side-effect of synthetic or feather and down duvets. Handmade in Yorkshire using 100% traceable British Cheviot wool and certified organic cotton this is also a great eco-friendly option, with wool completely biodegradable.
Don't buy it if: your priority right now is affordability or ease of care. Although we think it's well worth investing in the great night's sleep it offers, there's no denying the price is prohibitive, and this duvet is dry clean only.
Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best lightweight summer duvet
Buy it if: you want a super lightweight duvet. This microfibre option really does feel like a cloud, with its airy featherlight fill meaning you can snuggle up without being weighed down or getting too hot. The 4.5 tog option is a great choice for summer, although there is also the super lightweight Fogarty Light & Lofty Warm Waffle 10.5 Tog duvet (opens in new tab) to consider if you want something that will transition through spring and autumn too. Even better it's affordable, and made from certified recycled polyester from waste (like plastic bottles or manufacturing off-cuts) which helps the movement towards a more circular economy by reducing waste going to landfill. Compared with virgin polyester, recycled polyester helps conserve crude oil reserves during fibre production.
Don't buy it if: you struggle to sleep without a little weight over the top of you, as this duvet feels almost so cloud-like it's almost non-existent.
Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best summer duvet alternative
Buy it if: you want a duvet to see you through the summer months, but prefer some weight to your duvet to help you sleep. The filling of this duvet is a blend of 50% bamboo and 50% synthetic microfibre, and it's that bamboo mix that gives this duvet a really pleasant weight. The bamboo rayon cover also feels silky and cool to the touch, which makes for a great sleep environment during hot and sticky months, and in our opinion feels far cooler than its 10.5 tog rating. The jury is still out on how sustainable bamboo is as a material, but Panda says theirs is sustainably grown in managed forests and meets the highest social and environmental standards. It's good to see that the microfibre fill is made from recycled PET bottles.
Don't buy it if: you are a white-bedlinen enthusiast. We love Panda's smart black piping and black embroidered panda logo, but it can be a little visible through all-white bed linen.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best all-season duvet
If you’re struggling to work out what the best tog duvet is to see you through summer heatwaves and plummeting winter temperatures then an all-season duvet could be the answer.
An all-season duvet is made up of two separate duvets of differing togs – one lightweight and one midweight – that can be attached together into one single heavyweight duvet or used separately, the idea being that you can mix and match to ensure you have the perfect weight duvet for spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
This makes an all-season duvet a super useful addition to your year-round sleep set-up. The only downside being that you will need space to store whichever duvet you aren’t using, and – seeing as you’re basically investing in two duvets – an all-season duvet is generally more of an investment, albeit a worthwhile one.
Best synthetic all-seasons duvet
Buy it if: you're looking for one easy-to-care-for duvet to see you through all the seasons. A synthetic duvet has the benefit of being easy to wash and quick to dry, it's also a great option if you don't like the idea of a duvet filling that utilises animal byproducts. In a bid to limit the impact of synthetic materials on the environment, the duvet fill is also made from recycled PET bottles.
Don't buy it if: you want more versatility over tog mixes, as although we think the combination of 3.5 and 7.5 tog is a good mix, this is the only combination Simba offers. If you're a hot sleeper, you might find a synthetic duvet lacks breathability, Simba combats this with a two-sided design, with one side of the duvet benefitting from technology first developed by NASA that absorbs, stores, and releases heat when you need it for better temperature regulation. Our testers were certainly impressed by its warmth levels.
Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best luxury all-seasons duvet
Buy it if: you want luxury as well as versatility. This 90% Hungarian goose-down duvet will instantly upgrade your sleep set-up. Scooms also offers a whole host of all-season weight options, including a 7 tog (the 2.5 tog duvet plus a 4.5 tog), 11 tog (the 2.5 plus 9 tog combo), and 13.5 tog (4.5 plus 9 tog). Each all-seasons option comes with press studs to fasten the two duvets together. Personally, we'd opt for the 13.5 tog for year-round versatility.
Don't buy it if: the price makes your eyes water. As well as being the softest duvet fill, down is also the most expensive fill, and 90% Hungarian goose-down is pretty much the best quality you can get. If you're a hot sleeper or suffer from night sweats then you might find down too warm; opt for a more breathable wool-filled duvet instead to avoid overheating. And, if you're vegan, then the feather and down fill won't be for you.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best affordable all-seasons duvet
Buy it if: you want an affordable duvet that will see you through spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This 13.5 tog duvet is a mix of one 4.5 tog duvet and one 9 tog duvet, which in our books makes a great combination of weights. Its 30% recycled synthetic fill is also machine washable and quick to dry. No wonder it gets such rave reviews from M&S customers.
Don't buy it if: you want something a little more luxurious. It feels great on the bed, but can't quite compete with a feather and down duvet in terms of snuggle-factor. If you're a hot sleeper, you might also find a synthetic duvet lacks breathability – and, unlike Simba's all-season duvet this option lacks temperature-regulating technology – in that case, a wool-filled duvet will offer the best thermoregulation, this Woolroom option is a great (if more expensive) alternative; Woolroom Chatsworth Collection Washable Wool All-Seasons Duvet (opens in new tab).
Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best winter duvets
Duvet 'tog' ratings are a measure of how effectively a duvet insulates heat and therefore how much warmth a duvet offers. Tog ratings start range from 1-15 togs, with higher numbers offering more warmth and therefore making the best winter duvets.
After much testing, we think 13.5 tog is best tog duvet for winter, with most of our testers finding 15 tog can retain heat a little too much during the night and lead to overheating.
We'd also highly recommend a wool-filled duvet. Wool is thermoregulating which means it insulates to make things cosy whilst remaining breathable to avoid overheating or night sweats. Feather and down options also trap heat well, and feel super luxe, but our hot sleepers found them less breathable.
Best winter duvet overall
Buy it if: you're looking for the very best duvet for a great night's sleep. This wool-filled duvet is an investment, but we've tried and tested some of the best winter duvets on the market, and in our opinion, this is the cream of the crop. It's the warmest we've come across, keeping our testers warm and toasty throughout the night without any of the overheating or night sweats that occurred with other high tog options. That's thanks to the naturally thermoregulating properties of wool that allow moisture to escape whilst still providing insulation. Handmade in Yorkshire using 100% traceable British Cheviot wool and certified organic cotton this is also a great eco-friendly option, with wool completely biodegradable.
Don't buy it if: your priority right now is affordability or ease of care. Although we think it's well worth investing in the great night's sleep it offers, there's no denying the price is prohibitive, and this duvet is dry clean only.
Our rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best all-seasons winter duvet
Buy it if: you're looking for luxury as well as warmth. No duvet fill feels quite as sumptuous as down, and this 90% Hungarian goose-down and 10% goose feather option is one of the best. It's super warm, drapes beautifully, and feels super luxurious. The all-seasons option also offers brilliant versatility; use the 4.5 and 9.0 duvets separately in warmer seasons and combine when the evenings start to drop in temperature to create 13.5 togs of winter warmth. Plus, although it's an investment, the all-seasons design means you'll also be kitted out with cooler tog duvets for spring, summer and autumn.
Don't buy it if: you're on a tight budget as this luxury duvet has a luxury price tag. If you're a hot sleeper or suffer from night sweats then you might find down too warm; opt for a more breathable wool-filled duvet instead to avoid overheating. And, if you're vegan, then the feather and down fill won't be for you.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best affordable winter duvet
Buy it if: you want an affordable winter duvet that still feels both warm and luxurious. This recycled polyester fill duvet has 10% silk mixed in, and whilst the proportion doesn't sound huge, it really makes a difference to the way this duvet feels, with a more luxurious touch and really nice drape on the bed, whilst still being lightweight. Even better it's a relatively budget buy, and made from certified recycled polyester from waste (like plastic bottles or manufacturing off-cuts) which helps the movement towards a more circular economy by reducing waste going to landfill. Compared with virgin polyester, recycled polyester helps conserve crude oil reserves during fibre production.
Don't buy it if: you really want to layer on the warmth. This 13.5 tog duvet is plenty snuggly enough, but we think the wool and down options just pip it to the post in terms of cosiness. That said, this synthetic option is far easier to care for as it's machine washable and can be tumble dried on a low heat setting.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best feather and down duvet
Long thought of as the Holy Grail of duvet fillings, down creates a plump, squishy and super soft duvet. However, that luxury feel comes with a luxury price tag to match.
A more affordable alternative to pure down, a feather and down duvet fill bulks out down's fineness by adding some larger feathers into the mix. Goose feather and down tends to be the more luxurious mix, with duck feather and down the more affordable (yet often a little lumpier) alternative.
This choice won't be for vegans, and industrial-level gathering of feathers and down can raise animal cruelty concerns. Look for fill that is certified to be a by-product of the food industry, with Downpass or Downafresh accreditation that denotes ethically sourced and traceable feather and down.
Best luxury feather and down duvet
Buy it if: you're looking for luxury as well as warmth. No duvet fill feels quite as sumptuous as down, and this Soak & Sleep Hungarian goose-down option is one of the best quality we've come across. It's super warm yet lightweight, drapes beautifully on the bed, and feels super luxurious – you'll instantly feel like your bedding has levelled up. The all-seasons option also offers brilliant versatility; use the 4.5 and 9.0 duvets separately in warmer seasons and combine to create 13.5 togs of winter warmth.
Don't buy it if: you're on a tight budget as this luxury duvet also comes with a luxury price tag. If you're a hot sleeper or suffer from night sweats then you might find this high down-mix fill too warm; opt for a more breathable wool-filled duvet like Floks Luxury British All Seasons Wool Duvet (opens in new tab) instead to avoid overheating. And, if you're vegan, then the feather and down fill won't be for you.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best all-seasons feather and down duvet
Buy it if: you want the luxury of Hungarian goose-down combined with plenty of weight options. As well as individual 2.5, 4.5 and 9 tog duvets, Scooms also offers a host of all-season combination duvets, with a 7 tog (the 2.5 tog duvet plus a 4.5 tog), 11 tog (the 2.5 plus 9 tog combo), and 13.5 tog (4.5 plus 9 tog). Each all-seasons option comes with press studs to fasten the two duvets together. Personally, we'd opt for the 13.5 tog for year-round versatility.
Don't buy it if: the price makes your eyes water. As well as being the softest duvet fill, down is also the most expensive fill, and 90% Hungarian goose-down is pretty much the best quality you can get. If you're a hot sleeper or suffer from night sweats then you might find down too warm; opt for a more breathable wool-filled duvet instead to avoid overheating. And, if you're vegan, then the feather and down fill won't be for you.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best budget feather and down duvet
Buy it if: you love the flumph of feather and down, but not the price tag. This budget feather and down duvet has a high feather-to-down ratio which makes it a far more affordable option than our two previous picks, but unlike many other cheaper feather and down duvets we've tested, this one still achieves that soft, squidgy feather and down feel, without any sharp feathers sticking through the lining.
Don't buy it if: you truly want to splash out on the best duvet for your boudoir. This option is very good for its price, but the higher feather mix does mean it feels more 'clumpy' than the 90% down alternatives on our list. That said, this is still a great buy, and the addition of feathers does make the duvet a little more breathable than a duvet with a higher down percentage, albeit not quite as warm. Again, if you're vegan, then the feather and down fill won't be for you.
Our rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Where to buy a duvet
If you're looking for a specific sort of duvet – whether that's feather, microfibre, wool, or a specific brand name – it can be useful to know where to start your search. Here are our top recommendations for the retailers with the widest range of duvet options:
Amazon: budget and premium duvets from a wide range of brands (opens in new tab)
Argos: own-brand duvets from just £9, plus affordable brand-name options (opens in new tab)
Brook + Wilde: luxury goose down, cashmere and silk duvets (opens in new tab)
Dunelm: Fogarty, Dorma, Panda, and Snuggledown duvets (opens in new tab)
Dusk: own-brand cotton, microfibre, and reasonably-priced feather & down duvets (opens in new tab)
John Lewis: quality own-brand options, plus a wide range of brand names (opens in new tab)
Marks & Spencer: polyester and reasonably priced feather & down duvets (opens in new tab)
Scooms: luxe Hungarian goose duvets with a luxury price-tag (opens in new tab)
Soak & Sleep: microfibre, feather & down, wool, silk, and linen duvets (opens in new tab)
White Company: own-brand microfibre and luxury feather & down duvets (opens in new tab)
Woolroom: fully traceable British wool duvets with organic options (opens in new tab)
Which duvet is best for me?
From down to feather-filled, anti-allergy and washable, simply choosing a duvet can be a bit of a nightmare. And that’s just variations in filling! There’s size, tog rating and price to consider too. It's worth knowing what will work best for you ahead of pressing pay, so that you can make the process of finding the best duvet a little more dream-like. We’ve got you covered with knowledge and know-how so you can source a good night’s sleep.
What duvet filling is best?
Spend some time looking for a new duvet and you'll soon realise there are a whole host of duvet fillings available. From hollow fibre to goose down, synthetic to natural, the array of terms and materials can fast become a little overwhelming.
To help you get to grips with the basics, we've broken down the pros and cons of most common duvet fillings below.
First up, it's synthetic fillings. These duvets are filled with manmade fibres, like polyester and polymide that are made from petroleum-based plastics.
Hollowfibre – the cheapest duvets you can buy tend to be made of hollowfibre. Made of polyester wadding, hollowfibre fill is dense but lightweight. A hollowfibre duvet is affordable, easy to care for as it can generally be washed at high temperatures, and anti-allergenic, which makes it a popular choice for kid's bedding. However, over time this duvet fill is most likely to flatten and become lumpy. Synthetics can also cause overheating and night sweats as the plastic polymer fibres aren't breathable and reflect body heat back towards the sleeper, and neither production or disposal at the end of the duvet's life span (plastic is non-biodegradable) is good news from an environmental point of view.
Microfibre – the 'luxury' version of hollowfibre, a microfibre fill is made of much finer strands of polyester resulting in a very lightweight duvet with a, yes, more luxurious feel. Some compare microfibre to the feel of down, but it has the upside of not running the risk of animal cruelty. However, again, being made of synthetics, the environmental impact of production and disposal is a concern. Like hollowfibre, microfibre can also cause overheating.
Then there are the more traditional, natural fillings to consider. These range from all types of feathers and down to wool filling.
Wool – in our opinion, wool is a bit of a wonder fibre in terms of duvet fill. Insulating, breathable, temperature regulating, hypoallergenic, durable, a sustainable and renewable resource, and bio-degradable at end of the product's lifespan, it ticks a whole lot of boxes when it comes to the best duvet fill choice. However, not all wool duvets can be washed, so it pays to double-check the manufacturer's care instructions. 'Wool works in perfect harmony with your fluctuating temperature', says Chris Tattersall, Sleep Expert and MD of Woolroom (opens in new tab), 'it also helps to alleviate sleep prohibiting allergies through its exceptional moisture management'.
Down – long thought of as the Holy Grail of duvet fillings, down creates a plump, squishy and super soft duvet. This natural fill is also far more breathable than a synthetic option, making for a cooler sleep. However, sourced from either duck or goose on an industrial scale, the fill can raise concerns about animal cruelty. Generally, down duvets also aren't machine washable, will need more plumping, and that luxury feel comes with a luxury price tag to match.
Feather and down – a more affordable alternative to pure down, a feather and down fill bulks out down's fine softness by adding some larger feathers into the mix. Goose feather and down tends to be the most luxurious mix, with duck feather and down the more affordable (yet often a little lumpier) alternative. Generally speaking, the more you spend on a feather and down duvet the better the quality, with some cheaper options resulting in escaped down and feathers that stick through the casing.
What duvet tog is best?
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 weight, 10.5 tog which tends to be the best bet for autumn and spring, and 13.5 tog which offers good winter warmth.
Obviously, it isn't always convenient to have a different duvet for each season, so the middle ground of the 10.5 tog duvet is one of the most popular options.
Another solution is to opt for 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.
Read more in our guide to what tog duvet to buy as well as finding out when is the right time to switch to a summer duvet.
What's the highest tog duvet
The highest tog duvet you can buy is usually 15 tog, although we have seen some all-season duvets (where two separate duvets of differing togs are combined into one warmer duvet) offering a combined warmth of up to 18 tog.
That said, personally, we think 13.5 tog remains one of the best winter duvet weights, with some finding 15 tog can retain heat a little too much during the night and lead to overheating.
Emily Attwood, Founder, of sleep-brand scooms (opens in new tab) agrees, ''We’d always advise a 9 tog to 13.5 tog for the winter months as this is ideal and will keep you warm. If your house is always on the warmer side, then a 9 tog duvet would probably suit you better throughout the winter months, and you wouldn’t want to go any higher. This will prevent you from overheating which can disrupt your sleep.'
As well as investing in a heavier duvet, when winter rolls around you could also consider adding one of the best electric blankets on the market to your bed in order to achieve a cosier night's sleep. More energy-efficient and cost-effective than turning the central heating up at night, an electric blanket can cost as little as a few pence per hour to run.
What size duvet do I need?
Although it will mean spending a little more, and may depend on your bed frame height and style, we'd generally advise sizing up with your duvet, especially if you sleep with a partner.
That means that if you have a single bed you should opt for a double duvet, on a double bed opt for a king-size duvet, and if you have a king-sized bed then opt for a super king duvet. (And if you're lucky enough to be the owner of a super king bed then you might want to try and track down an emperor duvet, although they are a harder size to find).
Opting for a duvet that's the size up from your mattress will avoid one partner accidentally pulling the duvet off the other during the 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.
What's the difference between a hypoallergenic and anti-allergy duvet?
Whilst often used interchangeably, they do differ in meaning. Hypoallergenic refers to the duvet being less likely to trigger allergies. Anti-allergy means the duvet has been treated to combat the development of dust mites and protect against allergens. So if you’re needing a duvet to fight off symptoms, then be sure to select anti-allergy as your battle player.
How to wash a duvet
Not all duvets are machine washable – or even hand-washable – but if yours is then it's handy to know how to do the best job of freshening it up. We've compiled advice from the experts in our guide on how to wash a duvet to help you get the best results with the least hassle.
How did we choose the best duvets?
There's only one way to test out the best duvets on the market, and that's to do some snoozing on the job!
The Ideal Home team has put multiple bestselling duvets from a whole range of brands to the test for this guide, sleeping under each option every night for at least a week to rate each duvet's performance, warmth, breathability, ease of care, and taking into consideration price points to compile our edit of the best-in-class.
We even gave the best duvet covers on the market a run-through at the same time.
As a hot sleeper Amy was keen to find some duvet options that still offered good breathability, she tested wool, feather and down, and synthetic duvets from all of the leading brands to find the best duvets for temperature regulation, as well as considering ease of care, value, and sustainability. "After trying wool-filled duvets from The Woolroom and Floks for the first time I'm now a convert and recommend wool bedding to all of my friends and family for its warmth, breathability, and sustainability".
As a vegan Lindsey was keen to find a synthetic duvet that gave feather and down a run for its money. She often struggles to regulate her body temperature, and found the Simba Hybrid duvet provided the ideal balance between lightweight and warm. “It leads to a rather structured feeling duvet, which some claim to be a bit on the heavy side, but as someone who uses a 13.5 tog duvet in winter and doesn't like the overwhelming ‘flump’ of down, I think this is the perfect feel”.
-
'This rustic farmhouse felt like home the minute we stepped through the front door'This mum of three restored a dated farmhouse and created a better life for her family in the process
-
Ultimate kitchen spring cleaning checklist – the only kitchen cleaning list you’ll need
Check these chores off to keep your kitchen in tip top condition
-
How to get rid of moss in a lawn – 5 steps to healthy grass
Follow these tried and tested expert methods to rid your lawn of moss
