The best duvets, tried and tested at home

As with a supportive pillow or a comfortable mattress and mattress topper, the best duvet can have a tangible impact on your sleep quality. Better sleep advocates the Sleep Council say a duvet should be replaced every two to five years, so you’re probably due an upgrade.

But it’s hard to know which to choose – duck feather, goose down, synthetic fill, microfibre, cotton or wool? Simba, The White Company or Soak & Sleep? What’s the best cooling duvet for the summer heat, or for a cold snap in winter? Do you go for a budget-friendly option, temperature-regulating or breathable?

We answer all those questions in the FAQ section at the bottom of this feature. In short, duvets range from extremely cool 1.5 tog to extremely warm 15 tog, while other temperature-regulating duvets are better for year-round use. The most sought-after filling is goose down, due to the ‘loft’ (puffiness) it provides, although wool and synthetic fillings have their own benefits.

If you already know your preference, here’s a quick glance at our top five.

The best duvets: At a glance

• Best Buy duvet: The White Company Hungarian Goose Down Duvet
• Best Value duvet: Dreams Just Like Down Duvet
• Best cooling duvet: Simba Summer Hybrid
• Best winter duvet: Ava Innes Luxury Cashmere and Wool
• Best duvet for hot sleepers: Fine Bedding Company Smart Temperature Duvet

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How to choose the best duvet

The best duvet should keep you cool and comfortable in the summer months and warm in winter. This is called thermoregulation and it’s the key to a good night’s kip.

“Down is really very light,” says Emma Casson of The Bed Expert. “Feather-and-down is cheaper and a bit heavier – and some people like a bit more weight. Then you’ve got your synthetics, like microfibre. You can have really good quality synthetics nowadays. They’re really breathable.”

If you are allergic to feathers, you may want to opt for a synthetic duvet. These are usually filled with microfibre (a fine polyester yarn) or hollowfibre (which is very similar, but slightly warmer), but you may see them called, ‘soft as down’ or ‘down alternative.’

There are other natural duvet fillings out there, including wool, which Casson says is rising in popularity, “because it’s breathable, it’s good for heat and regulates your body temperature so in the summer it keeps you cooler, and it’s natural and hypoallergenic.”

Other options include silk and linen, but down and feather remain the most popular for their warmth and breathability. Casson herself sleeps with a down duvet from luxury German brand Mühldorfer, “as it’s the lightest and most luxurious.” (Mühldorfer duvets are used in luxury hotels in over 100 countries, which answers the common question, “What duvet do hotels use?”)

How we test duvets

Everyone has their own preference in terms of thickness and weight (our review of the best weighted blankets would certainly not appeal to everyone), so we were looking for quality.

Sleeping under each duvet for at least a fortnight, first in summer and then in winter, we assessed their thermoregulation properties and how cosseting they felt against the skin.

The down duvets with the most ‘loft’ felt the most luxurious, but some of the thinner duvets had special properties that goose down can’t match. We also looked at tog sizes, fillings, and whether the duvets were machine washable.

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The best duvets of 2025

1. Best Buy Duvet: The White Company Hungarian Goose Down Duvet

Score: 10/10

We like: The luxurious, cloud-like down and feather filling

We don’t like: It goes in and out of stock a lot

Reviewed by Abigail Buchanan

Light yet warm and deliciously plump and cosy, there’s a reason this duvet has aced our tests and won the top spot, despite being expensive. It’s made from a high proportion of Hungarian goose down – 90 per cent down to 10 per cent feather – and you can really feel the quality of the down in its cloud-like softness. The down and feathers are sourced from cruelty-free suppliers as a by-product of the food industry.

The filling is distributed evenly, and the breathable cotton percale cover means I feel snug but not sweaty. I find the 10.5 tog version to be the perfect weight for most of the year, but it also comes in 4.5 and 13.5 togs, or two duvets can be buttoned together for customised warmth through the seasons.

In short, it’s a worthy investment – and since The White Company duvets come with a 10-year guarantee, it’s an investment that will last.

Key specifications

• Available in: 4.5 tog, 10.5 tog and 13.5 tog (we tested 10.5)
• Sizes: Single, double, king and super king (we tested double)
• Filling: 90 per cent Pyrenean goose down, 10 per cent Pyrenean goose feather
• Casing: 280-thread-count cotton
• Guarantee: 10 years

2. Best Value Duvet: Dreams Just Like Down Duvet

Score: 9/10

We like: It’s light and airy enough for summer, but still cosy

We don’t like: The artificial down is crunchy and noisy

Reviewed by Rebecca Astill

As proven by a number of other duvets on this list, down is expensive because it’s so difficult to obtain. Dreams has solved this by creating a polyester dupe, at a fraction of the cost.

The key characteristics of down are being lightweight, fluffy and naturally insulating. Having slept under this Dreams duvet for a couple of weeks, during both a hot spell and colder nights, it does regulate temperature well. It helps that it’s soft and airy too.

The duvet casing is made from 230 thread count cotton, which keeps it breathable. For reference, anything above a 200 thread count is considered to be good quality.

The one thing I’m not so keen on is that it’s quite noisy. Dreams, in replicating the crunch of down feathers, has used fibres that rub against each other when I adjust the duvet. It’s only a slight issue and it’s never loud enough to awake me at night. But then again, not much is.

Key specifications

• Available in: 10.5 tog
• Sizes: Single, double, king or super king (we tested double)
• Filling: Polyester
• Casing: 100 per cent cotton
• Guarantee: One year

3. Best Luxury Duvet: Norvegr Luxury Goose Down Duvet

Score: 10/10

We like: Unbelievably light, but still cosy

We don’t like: The stupendous price

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

Having been handmade to order in Trondheim, this ultra-luxurious duvet was delivered in a small box that weighed almost nothing. I thought there had been some mistake. But no, the duvet was in there. It’s just that it is mostly air. Indeed, when I held it up to the window I could see light through it. And that air, caught between the goose down clusters, is what makes the Norvegr twice as expensive as any other duvet on our list.

You see, the quality of a duvet is all about fill power: the ratio of volume to weight. The duvet industry considers anything over 600 fill-power as luxury. The Norvegr is an unheard-of 775. That’s because it uses European goose down, which grows in large clusters. The bigger the clusters, the more air they can trap, keeping you warm in the night while allowing moisture to escape.

Being mostly air, the Norvegr lies on top of you like a cosy cloud. I first tested it on a hot night in late August and it was exactly what a hot sleeper like me needs, light and breathable and easy to move around in. I doubted it would be warm enough for my wife when the nights got colder. September did bring some chilly nights, but the Norvegr kept her temperature well regulated.

Our all-year version seems perfectly balanced for Britain – although winter and ‘polar’ versions are also available. It is from Norway, after all.

There’s no getting around the fact that the Norvegr is very, very expensive, but the makers do full restorations at a quarter of the price of buying it new. Do that four times and they say this duvet will last 50 years. By that time, you may have given it to your grandchildren – making this the only heirloom duvet on the market.

Key specifications

• Available in: Summer, winter, polar and all-year weights (tog not rated)
• Sizes: Single, double, king, super king, super king extra long and emperor (we tested double)
• Filling: European white goose, 90 per cent down and 10 per cent feather
• Casing: 100 per cent Egyptian cotton
• Guarantee: 10 years

4. Best Winter Duvet: Ava Innes Luxury Cashmere and Wool

Score: 9/10

We like: The utterly luxe feeling of sleeping under cashmere

We don’t like: It’s more expensive than some mattresses

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

Cashmere guard hair is the outer coat of the cashmere goat. It can’t be used for weaving because it’s straight, but it’s still light, fine and remarkably warming (they live in the Himalayas, after all) – the perfect material for a winter duvet. Scotland’s Ava Innes blends it with Yorkshire wool to create these extremely indulgent comforters, which have S-shaped stitching to keep the precious filling evenly distributed.

I was expecting something puffy and fluffy, but it’s both slimmer and heavier than expected, similar to the merino and wool duvets below. The magic is in the heat regulation. If you’re in one of those couples where the one prefers oven-like warmth and the other prefers access to oxygen, it can be very hard to find a winter duvet you both like, but this one manages it.

The wool, cashmere and cotton are cossetting and cosy, but all entirely breathable. My wife and I both slept very well throughout an autumn that swung wildly between Mediterranean and Arctic conditions. The super king version is over £1000, but if you want to feel special while you sleep, the Ava Innes is the one to go for. Just be careful with your breakfast in bed.

Key specifications

• Available in: 8-11 tog
• Sizes: Single, double, king or super king (we tested double)
• Filling: 65 per cent cashmere guard hair + 35 per cent British wool
• Casing: 100 per cent organic cotton
• Guarantee: Unspecified

5. Best Cooling Summer Duvet: Simba Summer Hybrid

Score: 9/10

We like: The special cooling ‘Stratos’ material

We don’t like: It won’t suit anyone who loves a fluffy duvet

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

Online sleep specialist Simba took the top spot in our guide to the best mattresses with its Hybrid Pro mattress. Hybrid in that case means a combination of springs, foam and wool (and, incidentally, it’s recommended as a good mattress for relieving back pain). Here it’s a bit different.

The Simba Hybrid duvet is thin (about an inch) and very light, with a fleece filling made of recycled plastic bottles. But the big news is the temperature-regulating ‘Stratos’ cover, identified by a subtle hexagon-patterned sheen to the fabric. The sheen comes from polymers which absorb heat from your body, transferring it to the airy filling.

If you sweat, the polymers wick that away too. If your body temperature cools, the material ‘phase-changes’ back to normal. Allegedly this was developed to regulate astronauts’ body temperature.

The cooling effect definitely works. During a run of hot nights I sweated less, woke up less and slept better. It’s expensive, but I’ve yet to find a comparably cooling duvet.

In the same range:

It might also be worth investigating their Hybrid 3-in-1 duvet (£349 for a double). It’s actually two duvets – a 3.5 tog summer duvet (without Stratos) and a 7-tog spring/autumn duvet that can be fastened together to make a 10.5 tog mega-duvet for the coldest nights. It’s obviously more expensive, but works a treat and saves space in the cupboard.

Key specifications

• Available in: 4.5 tog (all-season 3.5/7/10.5 tog version also available)
• Sizes: Single, double, king and superking (we tested double)
• Filling: ‘Simba Renew Bio’ recycled PET fibres
• Casing: Breathable cotton with Stratos active temperature regulation
• Guarantee: One year

6. Best Duvet for Hot Sleepers: The Fine Bedding Company Smart Temperature Duvet

Score: 8/10

We like: The filling is very even and light

We don’t like: 10.5 tog is high for a summer duvet

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

Curiously, the cooling duvet from hundred year-old British firm The Fine Bedding Company appears to use exactly the same high-tech, hexagon-pattern heat-wicking material as the Simba Summer Hybrid, above. Compared side by side, the fabric looks and feels identical. The difference is that the British firm’s duvet is much cheaper and they don’t sell you a story about astronauts...

Here they call it HeiQ Cool technology, which after a bit of research turns out to refer to a Swiss high-tech materials firm. It definitely does the job, feeling cool to the touch and removing moisture on the hexagon-patterned side. (There’s also a normal cotton side.) You feel far less sweaty when the temperature rises.

However, the Smart Temperature Duvet only seems to be available in 10.5 tog. Testing it in a 30-degree heatwave, this was too warm for me. It was perfect for my wife, who likes to feel snug even in sticky weather. The filling is a little on the thin side, but still thicker than the Simba equivalent, and feels very light, fluffy and appropriately luxurious.

I’d say this is a great all-year duvet for hot sleepers, rather than a special heatwave purchase. But no-one ever went broke betting on the British summer being short...

Key specifications

• Available in: 10.5 tog
• Sizes: Single, double, king and super king
• Filling: Smartfil synthetic fibre
• Casing: Cotton with HeiQ coating on one side
• Guarantee: Five years

7. Best Merino Duvet: Piglet in Bed Merino Wool Duvet

Score: 8/10

We like: It’s fluffy and keeps you cool

We don’t like: It’s not machine washable

Reviewed by Rebecca Astill

Merino – a particularly fine, soft wool – is becoming something of a buzzword in both clothes and bedding thanks to being moisture-wicking, lightweight but insulating, temperature-regulating, odour-resistant and breathable. It’s a popular choice for duvets because the temperature regulation means it should be good for both summer and winter (although Piglet in Bed also sells a lighter version of this duvet).

This Merino Wool Duvet lacks the dramatic puffiness of down duvets, but it’s still soft and plump. The 100 per cent cotton casing helps with breathability. Although it doesn’t claim a tog rating, Piglet in Bed estimates it to be somewhere between eight and 10, which is perfect for all year round use.

One of the measures I use to test duvets is my quality of sleep. My Fitbit tells me I slept excellently, repeatedly under this duvet. All in all a natural, mid-range duvet that has all the characteristics of one much more expensive.

Key specifications

• Available in: Lighter (4-6 tog) or warmer (8-10 tog) (we tested warmer)
• Sizes: Single, double, king or super king
• Filling: Merino wool
• Casing: Cotton
• Guarantee: 90 days for a free refund

8. Best Wool Duvet: WoolRoom Organic Washable Wool Duvet

Score: 8/10

We like: Brilliantly light and breathable

We don’t like: It doesn’t feel as luxurious as down duvets

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

A far cheaper version of The Wool Room’s excellent woollen duvet is available at from £86 for a double, but I wanted to try the organic and washable version, which is fully sustainable and traceable right back to the specific British herd. While expensive, if properly cared for this could literally last a lifetime.

Funnily enough, the duvet this most resembles is Simba’s warm/cool synthetic fibre hybrid. It’s not puffy – or ‘lofty’, as the experts say – but relatively slim and cool to the touch thanks to the 200 thread count cotton outer layer. It feels nicely cosseting at night without feeling at all heavy. Wool, as any sheep will tell you, is good for temperature regulation, keeping you warm at night but allowing moisture to escape easily.

That was definitely my experience. I tried the 2-5 tog light version which would easily see me through nine months of the year, although I am a very hot sleeper. Warmer 7-10 tog medium and 11-14 tog warm versions are available, as well as an even more expensive all-season version.

These are certainly not budget duvets, but pound for pound (they pack away very small) they’re one of the best sleep aids nature can provide. They’re hypoallergenic, too.

Key specifications

• Available in: Light (2-5 tog equivalent), medium (7-10 tog), warm (11-14 tog) and all-season (we tested light)
• Sizes: Single, double, king and super king (we tested double)
• Filling: Organic soft British wool
• Casing: 300 threadcount cotton
• Guarantee: 30 night trial period

9. Best Anti-Allergy Duvet: Soak and Sleep Soft As Down Microfibre Duvet

Score: 7/10

We like: It really does feel ‘soft as down’

We don’t like: It’s a little less breathable

Reviewed by Abigail Buchanan

I usually have a strong preference for natural fill duvets, but if you suffer from allergies, a microfibre or hollowfibre alternative might suit you better. Plus, synthetic duvets are significantly cheaper. The reason this one from Soak and Sleep is so good is that it really does emulate the plump feeling of goose down.

It’s filled with a very fine denier polyester fibre that has the loftiness and softness of down and feathers, and is cased in natural cotton to help with temperature regulation. No microfibre duvet is going to beat the luxurious feeling of down, but this is a close second.

Key specifications

• Available in: 3 tog, 4.5 tog, 9 tog, 10.5 tog, 13.5 tog and all-season versions (we tested 10.5 tog)
• Sizes: Single, double, king and superking (we tested double)
• Filling: 100 per cent blown microfibre
• Casing: 233 threadcount cotton
• Guarantee: Five years

10. Best Low Tog Duvet: Silentnight Summer Fresh

Score: 7/10

We like: Perfect for summer when you still want a cover

We don’t like: It’s so thin it struggles to fill duvet covers

Reviewed by Rebecca Astill

I’d been on the hunt for a light summer duvet for a while when I came across this Silentnight number. I’m the kind of person who would rather sleep under something and be hot than sleep under nothing.

The Silentnight Summer Fresh was just the thing. Being only 4.5 togs, it’s incredibly lightweight but still has enough of a presence to make me feel cosy, without overheating. The microfibre cover has a slight cooling effect to touch, though it’s nowhere near the high tech of the Simba Hybrid duvet above. The duvet is labelled as anti-allergy, which is perfect for my sensitive skin and partially made from recycled water bottles.

The only issue I had with the duvet is that it was so thin it didn’t properly fill out my duvet cover. I had to push the corners of the duvet back into the corners of the covers most nights. Other than that, it was a welcome addition to my bed.

Key specifications

• Available in: 4.5 tog
• Sizes: Single, double or king (we tested double)
• Filling: Anti-allergy treated polyester including recycled water bottles
• Casing: Polyester
• Guarantee: One year

11. Best Cool-to-the-touch Summer Duvet: Rest Evercool

Score: 7/10

We like: Feels cool all through the night

We don’t like: Silky surface means it slides around a lot

Reviewed by Simon Lewis

On a very hot night, there’s no such thing as a duvet that actually reduces your body temperature (unless you’ve kept it in the freezer) but if it can wick away sweat, at least you’ll sleep more comfortably. This specially-designed duvet – so thin that it’s perhaps better described as a blanket – is moisture-wicking and breathable, but it really comes into its own where one partner sleeps hotter than the other.

Some people can’t sleep without being covered by something. The Evercool, being somewhat heavier than it looks, gives those people the cosseting feel of a duvet without heating them up too much. Others spend hot nights alternatively shaking off the duvet then, when they’ve cooled down, going back under it.

I’m one of the latter and my wife is the former. What most impressed me was that, every time I touched the Evercool, whether to pull it on or take it off, it felt genuinely cool to the touch. None of the other duvets here have the same feel.

It is a coverless duvet so you won’t need a separate cover. A drawback of this silky effect is that it does slide around the bed a fair bit, especially with my annoying tossing and turning. But it’s a small downside to a summer blanket with these semi-magic powers.

Key specifications

• Available in: 4.5 tog
• Sizes: Single, king or super king (we tested super king)
• Filling: Tencel eco-friendly synthetic fibre
• Casing: 90 per cent nylon, 10 per cent spandex
• Warranty: One year and 30-night trial

Duvet FAQs

What size is each duvet?

Duvets are not sized according to an official standard in the UK. However, most are sold in sizes that are proportionate to standardised mattress sizes including cot bed, single, double, king, super-king and emperor.

A duvet should overhang the mattress by about 20-30cm at the sides of bed (but not at the head or foot), so pay special attention to the width specification when checking whether a duvet or duvet cover will fit with your mattress.

A rough guideline of UK duvet sizes are as follows:

• Cotbed: 120 cm x 150 cm
• Single: 135 cm x 200 cm
• Double: 200 cm x 200 cm
• King: 230 cm x 220 cm
• Super king: 260 cm x 220 cm
• Emperor: 290 cm x 235 cm

What tog duvet should I buy?

The warmth of a duvet is measured in togs, which span from a light 1.5 tog to a thick, warm 15 tog duvet. “Tog rating is a very UK thing – I don’t know if anyone truly understands them,’ says Casson. “Those in Europe laugh at us.”

However, it’s the easiest way of working out a duvet’s warmth here in the UK. “10.5 tog is a good mid-range that should last for most of the year, unless your house is very warm,” says Casson. “Otherwise, 4.5 tog is most common for summer and 13.5 tog is for winter.” Another option is an all-seasons duvet which consists of two layers that can be buttoned together.

What is the best quality duvet to buy?

That comes down to your personal preference. Natural-fill duvets are generally more breathable and can be recycled when you’re done with them. But they may not be suitable for those with allergies, plus they’re more expensive than microfibre or hollowfibre duvets.

How do I clean and care for my duvet?

Duvets should be washed once a year as a minimum, but ideally every two to three months. Most duvets can be washed in a washing machine or washer-dryer at home, in fact many have a specialised duvet setting.

You should always wash your duvet according to the care label but as a general rule, wash at the hottest temperature suggested (often 60C) and use a liquid detergent. If tumble drying, do so on a low heat or, better, hang it out to dry in the sunshine (even if that is a rare occurrence in the UK).

How often should I replace my duvet?

The Sleep Council recommends replacing your duvet every two to five years but a good quality duvet could last up to 10 years, if well looked after. The White Company duvets come with a 10-year guarantee, for example. You can even buy a duvet protector which sits between the duvet and cover for extra protection.

How to dispose of old duvets

According to The Waste and Resources Action Programme, duvets are generally not recyclable, and should be disposed of in the waste bin or at your local recycling centre. Some recycling centres accept duvets in their textile bins.

Old duvets in decent condition can sometimes be donated to good causes, especially homeless charities, or in the case of more heavily used duvets, animal shelters. Always check with the charity before you take a duvet to its premises.

Alternatively, you might find uses for your old duvets at home. They make very good kneeling mats for ground-level DIY tasks like laying flooring, and can also protect belongings during transit, or even to alter the tone of a bass drum.