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Best duvets 2024, tried and tested at home throughout the seasons

We snoozed to find the best duvets for every season, so you can have better night’s sleep

Zoe Phillimore
Tuesday 05 November 2024 15:10 EST
The higher the tog rating the warmer the duvet will be, but all-season duvets can be adjusted year-round
The higher the tog rating the warmer the duvet will be, but all-season duvets can be adjusted year-round (iStock/The Independent)
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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

A selection of the best duvets that we tested for this review
A selection of the best duvets that we tested for this review (Zoë Phillimore)

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

Dorma dream deluxe duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Duvet overall
  • Tog tested: 10.5
  • Togs available: 4.5, 10.5, 13.5
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filling: Polyester
  • Why we love it
    • Kept us at just the right temperature
    • Impressive quality of finish

The Dorma Dream duvet is part of Dunelm’s conscious choice collection. It’s Oeko-Tex certified, which means it hasn’t been produced using any harmful chemicals under socially responsible working conditions. That’s got to help you sleep easier, right?

Like many of the polyester duvets in this review, this dream duvet was also made from recycled plastic bottles to reduce waste. The casing is 350 thread-count cotton, which helped to keep us at just the right temperature while testing. We were also impressed with the quality of the finish – all the seams have piping to make it more durable and it feels premium for it too. The 10.5 tog is surprisingly lightweight, yet the duvet also has a decent loft. We feel like this duvet is a really good all-rounder.

  1.  £60 from Dunelm.com
Prices may vary
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Silentnight cooler summer duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Budget duvet
  • Tog tested: 7.5
  • Tog available: 4.5, 7.5
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king
  • Filling: Hollowfibre polyester
  • Why we love it
    • Casing is moisture-wicking
    • Machine washable
    • Hypoallergenic
  • Take note
    • Not much loft on this duvet

Made in the UK from 100 per cent recycled materials (the king size is made from up to 87 recycled plastic bottles), we were pleased to see an eco-friendly option from Silentnight.

We tested a 7.5 tog, and it’s very lightweight – people who don’t want a heavy drape on their duvet will love this option – and we think it is definitely best suited to use from late spring through until early autumn. Plus the polyester casing is moisture-wicking should you overheat at night. It’s also machine washable and hypoallergenic, so those prone to allergies are going to fare well with this duvet. There’s not much loft on this duvet – it looked quite thin on our bed, so didn’t bring those sumptuous hotel-bed vibes, but we were warm under it without overheating on very warm summer’s nights.

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Simba hybrid three-in-one duvet

Simba hybrid 3-in-1 duvet.jpg
  • Best: For all seasons
  • Materials: Simba renew clusters, better cotton cover
  • Tog rating: 10.5
  • Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
  • Why we love it
    • Super luxurious
    • Feels lightweight
  • Take note
    • Pricey

Simba has answered the question of which duvet to use and given us everything all in one product. There’s a 7 tog duvet for spring and autumn, a 3.5 tog duvet for summer and then you can put them together for full winter coverage. Simba has even colour-coded them, so you don’t get mixed up.

Let’s plumb the layers. The casing is made from temperature-regulating cotton that draws heat away from you when you need it. It’s made from a layer of eco-friendly modal fibres, which is super breathable and also wicks away sweat. There is also a layer of “Simba renew”, which is made from recycled PET bottles and provides breathable warmth. The two-layered duvet also snaps together using poppers at each corner, making changing the duvet less of a faff.

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Scooms Hungarian goose down duvet

best duvets 2023 reviews
  • Best: Down duvet
  • Tog tested: 13.5 all seasons
  • Togs available: 13.5, 7, 11.5, 9, 4.5, 2.5
  • Sizes: Single, double, king, super king
  • Filling: 90% Hungarian goose down, 10% Hungarian goose feather
  • Why we love it
    • No overheating
    • Generously packed
  • Take note
    • Expensive

As an all-season duvet, the Scooms Hungarian goose down duvet has two parts to it – a 4.5 and a 9 tog duvet. We tested both duvets together which felt like sleeping inside the fluffiest cloud. The Scooms duvet is filled with 90 per cent goose down, which is one of nature’s best insulators. There’s also 10 per cent goose feather, which has more of a rigid structure for stability.

This duvet is toasty warm and will keep you snug even on chilly winter nights. In fact, although we were warm, we never once overheated. It’s been designed in the UK and has extra side walls, which cleverly keep all the down in place spread across the whole duvet, and this also has the benefit of keeping it airy. And although this duvet is generously packed, we never felt weighed down. We were also pleased that it created a microclimate in our half of the duvet, so we were kept at the right temperature for us, and our co-tester on the other side of the bed kept at their version of perfect too.

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Devon Duvets medium-weight wool duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Winter duvet
  • Tog tested: N/A
  • Togs available: N/A
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking, emperor
  • Why we love it
    • Eco-friendly and high quality design
    • Kept us warm but never sweaty
  • Take note
    • Weighty
    • Caring for it is a faff

Now this duvet is cosy living at its finest. It’s the wool equivalent of 8 to 14 togs, so definitely suited to cooler nights. It’s made from 100 per cent traceable British wool, the casing is 100 per cent cotton, and it’s handmade in Devon, so we reckon you can’t get much more eco-friendly and high quality than that.

The combination of cotton and wool natural fibre work together to keep you toasty warm, yet never sweaty. The drape on the duvet is sumptuous too. Some might find this a bit much, but we love a weighty duvet – especially on cooler nights. Caring for it is a bit more of a faff though, which is why it dropped a point. You ideally don’t machine wash it, but air it regularly. If you do wash it, it’ll need to be on a 30C wool cycle and then air-dried, which is quite a lengthy process.

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Piglet in Bed merino wool duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Merino wool duvet
  • Tog tested: 4-6 tog
  • Togs available: 4-6, 8-10
  • Sizes: Single, double, kingsize, superking
  • Filling: Wool
  • Why we love it
    • Ties to secure it to the duvet cover
    • Naturally hypoallergenic

Piglet in Bed is perhaps best known for its high-end bed linen, but its duvet inserts are pretty special too. Filled with 100 per cent Merino wool, this is a great option if you want all the properties of natural fibres but down is not for you. Merino wool is a super temperature regulator, keeping you perfectly warm whatever the weather.

Despite this duvet being quite thin, we quickly warmed up under the duvet and were kept warm overnight. If you’re not a fan of duvets slipping inside their covers (who is?!) then there are ties on this duvet to tie in inside the linen – these are designed to work with Piglet in Bed’s own linen, but other brands of bed linen have this feature too.

We think this would be ideal for those who don’t love super thick duvets, as wool has a lower profile than other fillings. The wool is also naturally hypoallergenic and fire retardant, so there are no nasties in this duvet. Both the filling and casing are 100 per cent organic in the Piglet in Bed duvet, so you can rest easy knowing your duvet is totally chemical-free. We think all this for the price is pretty impressive. It’s not a budget duvet but it’s not eye-popping for the quality either.

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Soak & Sleep soft as down microfibre duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: For under £60
  • Tog tested: 9 tog
  • Togs available: 4.5, 9, 10.5, 13.5
  • Filling: Microfibre (synthetic)
  • Why we love it
    • Machine washable and easy to dry
    • Lump-free

Light and fluffy without a hint of a feather in sight, this duvet from Soak & Sleep is great for vegans and allergy sufferers alike. It’s machine washable at 30C and thanks to the microfibre filling is easy to dry too, meaning you can blast any allergens out of the duvet and have it as fresh as a daisy on your bed on the same day.

The microfibre filling inside has been carded – which essentially means untangled and combed so that it all goes in the same direction. This makes for a higher profile and smoother duvet. Certainly, ours is lump-free and voluminous – it feels positively cloudlike, despite the duvet “only” being 9 togs. It also is lightweight, meaning we could wiggle about under the duvet without it feeling like a Herculean effort.

If you want to pair Soak and Sleep’s duvets together to create an all-season duvet, then it comes with cufflink-style fastenings to clip them together. This means you can bolster your duvet to a whopping 18 togs if you feel the chill.

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Marks and Spencer comfortably cool all-seasons duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Cooling duvet
  • Tog tested: 4.5 and 9 (all seasons)
  • Togs available: All seasons, 10.5
  • Filling: Polyester
  • Why we love it
    • Naturally cooling
  • Take note
    • The two duvets often unclip

Happily, we gave this duvet a test during the turning of the seasons, so we tested it both at max thickness (13.5 tog) and at its summer thickness (4.5 tog). The duvets clip together with plastic popper which we found are liable to popping open, but are far less work than buttons. Marks and Spencer claim that the polyester used provides “climate control”, cooling you down when you overheat at night and wicking away moisture. We can attest to that as we didn’t overheat under this duvet, even when we were using the 13.5 tog.

We loved the weight of it – it seemed more substantial than other synthetic-fill duvets we tried – and we liked that the casing is 100 per cent cotton, which is naturally cooling. You can wash this duvet at 40C and tumble dry on low to keep it as fresh as a daisy. It also arrives in a durable reusable bag, which is handy for storing the winter section of your duvet away when you’re not using it.

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Panda the cloud duvet

panda duvet.png
  • Best: Eco-friendly duvet
  • Tog: 10.5
  • Togs available: 10.5, 4.5
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filling : Rayon from bamboo
  • Why we love it
    • Eco-conscious design
    • Kept us just the right temperature
    • Hypoallergenic

Panda is known for using innovative bamboo in its homeware, from bedding sets to towels. Its duvet combines sleek style with pure practicality. The design is lightweight (cloud by name and cloud by nature) and super soft, with the brand recreating the down feather feeling by substituting it with organic bamboo. We love the detail on the cover, which boasts black seaming and a panda logo on the corner.

The filling is comprised of thin, fluffy microfibre that is not only hypoallergenic but also thermoregulating. It’s breathable during warm nights but cosy and insulating during cold evenings. We neither felt too hot nor too cold when sleeping under the duvet. Plus, the natural properties of the bamboo are ideal for sensitive skin. Helpfully, it’s also machine washable and dries a lot quicker than regular duvets, so you can keep yours fresher for longer. Better yet, if you have a panda bedding set already, there are nifty corners on the duvet that can be attached to hidden straps on all the brand’s covers. This prevents the duvet from bunching up under the sheets during the night. What more could you want?

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Habitat supersoft washable duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: For spare rooms
  • Tog tested: 4.5
  • Togs available: 4.5, 7.5, 10.5, 13.5, 15
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filling: Polyester
  • Why we love it
    • Good value
    • Lightweight yet kept us warm
  • Take note
    • No fastenings to secure two of these duvets together

At 4.5 togs, this Habitat duvet was great for warm summer nights – which is when we tested ours. If you’re looking for something warmer, then Habitat does this duvet in a range of togs to suit all seasons.

We were astounded by the good value of this duvet. It’s 100 per cent polyester, which isn’t the most breathable of fabrics, but you can machine wash it at 40C. You can even tumble dry it on low. This makes it a practical choice, especially if you’re using on guest beds and want to give guests that ultimate fresh-bed feeling. Or if you’re using it with kids who are liable to mess up their duvets one way or another.

We did like that it’s filled with 100 per cent recycled polyester, and made in the UK, making it a fairly planet-friendly choice. We found the 4.5 tog duvet we tested kept us nice and warm, while still being lightweight thanks to the synthetic filling. There’s stitching to ensure the filling doesn’t slip inside, making it more durable. But it is worth noting there are no fastenings to secure two of these duvets together to create an all-season duvet combination.

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Murmur temperature regulating duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: For couples
  • Tog tested: 10.5
  • Togs available: 10.5, 13.5
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filling: Microfibre
  • Why we love it
    • Pillowy and soft comfort
    • Packed with temperature-regulating features
    • Premium feel

We loved the comfort of this duvet. It was pillowy and soft, with a bit of a crunchy sound to it as we moved around. Maybe it’s just us, but it reminded us of a hotel duvet because of this. The duvet is packed with temperature-regulating features. The cotton casing is designed to remove hot air as you overheat, then release it again as you cool down so you stay like Goldilocks all night – just right.

We found that while testing it with a co-tester who’s liable to overheating at night, we both stayed our version of the perfect temperature and crucially the co-tester didn’t overheat once. The filling is synthetic but is great for repelling dust mites so it’s a tick there for allergy sufferers. You can also wash it at 40C to blow the proverbial cobwebs away. We were thoroughly impressed by the quality of the finish on this duvet – with its casing, durability and even the stitching, it definitely feels a bit more premium than some others we tested.

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Soak and Sleep New Zealand wool duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Summer duvet
  • Tog tested: N/A
  • Togs available: N/A
  • Sizes available: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filling: Wool
  • Why we love it
    • Naturally antimicrobial and hypoallergenic
    • Duvet adapts to each person’s temperature needs
  • Take note
    • Wool is a bit heavier than synthetic fibres

We tried the summer warmth Soak and Sleep wool duvet, which was perfect for, well, summer. Using only New Zealand wool, Soak and Sleep says it’s “proven” to help you sleep better. We found that almost impossible to test scientifically, but we certainly did get a good night’s sleep under it. The wool is a bit heavier than synthetic fibres and keeps you temperate all night long as it’s such a good insulator.

The Soak and Sleep wool duvet adapts to each person’s temperature needs – so if you share a bed and are constantly arguing over which thickness of duvet to go for, this could be a relationship saviour. For us, the Soak and Sleep wool duvet was the perfect marriage of natural fibres, a reassuring weight and a great insulator. Wool is also naturally antimicrobial, hypoallergenic and fire retardant and you can wash this duvet at 30C, too.

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Devon Duvets botanic duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Light natural-fibre duvet
  • Tog tested: 2-4 tog
  • Togs available: 2-4, 4-6, 6-8
  • Sizes: Single, double, king, superking, bespoke sizes also available
  • Filling: Tencel Lyocell (synthetic)
  • Why we love it
    • Light design making it great for summer

Although this brand is better known for its wool-based duvets (more on those in this review elsewhere), this is its vegan-friendly option. The botanic duvet’s filling is made from tencel lyocell. Catchy, right? This fibre is derived from wood though, so it’s completely natural without the need for any animal products in the process. Tencel is fully traceable so you’re guaranteed there are no extra fibres added in there. Plus they’re environmentally friendly too. If that’s not enough, these duvets are handmade in Devon without glues or bonding chemicals. They’re then hand-folded and put into eco-friendly packaging.

We tried the “ultralight” version of this duvet, which is around 2 to 4 tog and found it was ideal for summer. It was as light as a summer’s breeze to lie under, and we didn’t get sweaty even on the warmest evenings. The stitching means all the filling stays in place and there’s an even distribution of weight across the whole duvet. We also liked that you can wash it at 30C and even tumble dry it on low.

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Duvet Hog all year round duvet

best duvets reviews 2023
  • Best: Vegan duvet
  • Tog tested: 10.5
  • Togs available: 13, 10.5, 4.5
  • Sizes: Single, double, king, superking
  • Filing: Polyester
  • Why we love it
    • Made without the use of any chemicals
    • Heavy-duty yet lightweight

If you’re vegan or want something very eco-friendly, look no further than Duvet Hog. This duvet is filled with 100 per cent polyester, made from recycled PET bottles, so it’s kind to the planet and uses no animal products. We found this duvet incredibly soft and, despite being a fairly heavy-duty tog rating at 10.5, pleasantly lightweight. It had a lovely drape to it, keeping us tucked in and feeling like we were in our own bubble all night.

Polyester isn’t famed for being super breathable compared with other fibres, but we found this duvet didn’t have us overheating on warmer nights. Those who suffer from allergies will appreciate you can wash this duvet at 60C to blitz any allergens – it’s rare we come across duvets that can be washed at such high temperatures and live to tell the tale. It’s also made without the use of any chemicals – the fibres are all Oeko-Tex standard 100 certified.

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Duvet FAQs

What is the best filling for a duvet?

These days, there’s such a wide range of fillings that it’s very much down to personal preference. If you’re prone to allergies, don’t write off natural fillings such as goose down, but ensure the cover has a tight weave and that the duvet has Nomite or Downafresh certifications. That said, if you’re still wary of natural fillings, opt for manmade ones such as Aerelle – a trademarked filling that is made from plastic bottles. Duvets filled with silk fibres are a great option for allergy sufferers, too.

Duvet vs comforter: What is the difference?

We’re blaming the Americans for this one (apologies to our readers across the pond). In recent years, we’ve noticed more people referring to duvets as quilts, when they’re two very different items. A comforter is basically another word for a blanket – albeit an extra-thick quilted one that is made from a single piece of material – while a duvet is a slab of thick filling inside a separate cover. Unlike a comforter, which is intended to be draped over beds for additional warmth, duvets are standalone items.

What is a tog?

The tog rating of a duvet will indicate how warm it will be, with the scale ranging from 1 tog (the coolest) to 15 tog (the warmest). While you would ideally want a tog between 2.5 and 7 during the summer and higher for the winter, buying multiple duvets may not be realistic, so getting around a 10 tog duvet to use all year is a good compromise. There are all-season options available too.

What is the thickest duvet?

A tog of 20 is the highest you’re likely to come across, although why you’d need one – unless you’re planning on camping out in the Arctic Circle – is beyond us. In reality, the ideal tog for a winter duvet is around 13. Summer duvet togs should be between 2.5 and 7.

That said, neither the tog or the thickness should be the only focus because numerous factors play a part: the material used for both the filling and the lining, our individual responses to temperature fluctuations, and whether the duvet will be used by one person or two.

How to clean your duvet

Aim to wash your duvet every four months, but always check the label first as most natural duvets will be dry clean only. If it’s suitable for the washing machine and there’s a specific stain that needs removing, shake the filling away from that area and apply a mild detergent before you load it into the drum. Make sure there’s enough space within the machine for the duvet to fit in first though.

Use a normal spin setting to wash and allow your duvet to air afterwards until it’s completely dry. Then, run a warm iron over it to remove any remaining bacteria.

You can help keep your duvet clean for longer though by investing in a duvet protector or liner. These zip up over the duvet to keep it fully enclosed and prolong its life, as well as protect those who suffer from allergies. Waterproof bedding protection is also available if you’re looking for a child and want to protect against accidents.

The verdict: Duvets

We were impressed with the quality for the price of the Dorma duvet. It feels great quality and is a planet-friendly choice. We felt like we weren’t sacrificing much by opting for this duvet. If you’d prefer natural fibres, then we loved Duvet Hog’s duvet – it’s reasonably priced and vegan friendly too, which means it should appeal to pretty much everyone.

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