Best duvet 2023: Browse our favourite feather, synthetic and silk quilts
Stay warm and toasty with our pick of the best duvets for spring, summer, autumn and winter
No matter what the season, if you live in Blighty there's one thing you can't do without: a good ol' duvet. And if you don’t have the right one, the quality of your sleep won’t be top – or should we say “tog” – notch.
While the easiest thing to do is simply buy the first duvet that you see after a quick Google search (or grab the nearest one on the department store shelf), it’s essential to do some research into the different types first.
If you want to make sure that you get the right duvet for you, here you'll find our pick of the best duvet options from the midst of summer to the depths of winter.
But if you just want to quickly grab the best duvet, read on and you'll find eight of the best duvets from £11 to £3,000 (yes, really). If you want to know more, you'll also find our quick buyer's guide after these mini reviews, which will run you through which features to look out for.
Best duvet: At a glance
- Best budget duvet: Fogarty Duvet
- Best all-seasons duvet: Scooms Hungarian Goose Down duvet
- A synthetic duvet that's as soft as down: Simba Hybrid Duvet
- Best affordable summer duvet: Silentnight Cooler Summer Duvet
- The ultimate duvet: Soak & Sleep Supreme Eiderdown Quilt
How to choose the best duvet for you
What tog duvet do I need?
Tog ratings are based on a duvet’s ability to trap warm air – the higher the tog rating, the warmer the duvet. For a summer duvet, look for anything between 2.5 and 4.5 tog. For winter, go for 10.5 to 13.5. And for spring/autumn, seven to 10.5 tog is ideal. For an all-year duvet, you should hover around seven tog and you can also get all-season duvets, which consist of two separate duvets – generally a lightweight 4.5 tog for summer and a warmer nine tog for autumn and spring - which you can connect together for 13.5 tog in winter.
What about duvets for children?
Go for a lighter weight duvet of 4.5 tog, unless your child’s bedroom is very cold. Children are smaller, which means their duvet automatically traps more air and will feel warmer than it would to an adult. For a full-size single bed, go for a full-size single duvet, while for cots and cotbeds there are smaller duvets available. A duvet is not recommended for a child under one.
How do I choose the right size duvet for my bed?
It's important to know that duvets come in six different sizes, and you'll want to choose the right one for your bed. Too small and you'll be fighting over who's got the most cloth all night with your significant other; too big and it'll be draping over the sides – not ideal if you want your bed to look nice and tidy once made. And if you've already got your duvet cover, buying the right size will save having to buy another.
Here are the duvet measurements for the six different types of duvets and the corresponding beds they are fit for:
- Cot bed: 120 x 150cm
- Single: 135 x 200cm
- Double: 200 x 200cm
- King: 230 x 220cm
- Super king: 260 x 220cm
- Emperor: 290 x 235cm
Make sure these measure up to the duvet cover on the labels before you buy.
Are heavier duvets warmer than lighter ones?
Not necessarily. As natural duvets have better thermal properties than synthetically filled ones, they need less filling to achieve the same level of warmth, making their weight misleading. Some high-end down duvets feel practically weightless, for example, yet can keep you toastier than a cheap, heavy man-made one.
What about fill power?
Duvets also have a “fill power”, which is essentially a measurement of quality. The higher the fill power, the better the duvet, both in terms of content and how long it's likely to last. Fill power is measured in cubic centimetres per gramme and ratings vary between 345gsm (grammes per square metre) and 750gsm for feather and/or down duvets, and 475gsm to 750gsm for synthetic and specialist duvets.
What filling should I go for?
Your first choice is between natural and synthetic. Duvets made from natural fillings – wool, silk, feathers or down – tend to be more breathable (and, therefore, suitable for all seasons) and they last longer, sometimes up to 30 years. The most lightweight are those with down filling – great for insulation as they trap warm air in and keep cold air out. Meanwhile, feather fillings tend to be heavier, due to the quills. You can also get a combination of both. But while these are no good for allergy sufferers, both silk and wool fillings are naturally hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant.
While most synthetic fibre-filled duvets don’t last as long (generally no more than ten years), they're usually cheaper and, unlike many natural duvets, can often be washed in the machine. There are plenty of options, each with their own characteristics, so be sure to do your homework. Examples include classic hollowfibre (warm, springy, plump), quadfill hollowfibre (lightweight), cirrus hollowfibre (breathable) and microfibre hollowfibre (feels like down), to name but a few. And don’t assume that synthetic duvets are inevitably inferior – the Rested duvet from Outlast, for instance, is made from NASA-designed thermo-regulating fabric that exceeds the quality of many of its natural peers.
What other features should I look out for?
With natural duvets, check that the filling is contained in separate chambers to ensure even distribution. To help prevents cold spots and flattening, regularly shake the duvet from side to side. You don’t need to worry about this with synthetic duvets, however, because they are constructed so that the filling stays in its place, making it easier to maintain. Also consider the quality of the casing, which can affect softness against the skin (even with a duvet cover over it) and breathability.
The best duvets you can buy in 2023
1. Fogarty Duvet: The best budget duvet
Price: From £11 | Buy now from Dunelm
You’d be a fool to expect much from a duvet that sets you back little more than a tenner – or would you? We couldn’t believe our luck with this cosy non-allergic comforter, which is really all you need to keep you warm on colder nights without leaving you feeling clammy on warmer nights. We’ve rarely come across such flexibility, either – with a vast number of tog options and sizes.
You can bung it in the washing machine, as well as the dryer, and although the casing could be softer, we’ve seen a lot worse.
Key features – Tog rating: Available in 1, 2, 4.5, 7, 10.5, 13.5 and 15 tog; Filling: Polyester microfibre; Casing: Microfibre; Cleaning: Machine Washable at 40˚C; Sizes: Single, double, king and superking; Warranty: None
2. Silentnight Cooler Summer Duvet: Best affordable summer duvet
Price: From £24 | Buy now from Amazon
Silentnight’s 4.5 tog Cooler Summer duvet is more or less guaranteed to keep you cool during summer evenings. It’s incredibly thin but still has a soft microfibre filling, meaning you get all the snuggly comfort of a real duvet with the breathability of thin linen.
It’s available in single, double or king size and it’s not only hypoallergenic, but you can also pop it in the washing machine to keep it fresh and hygienic. While it’s not the cheapest duvet you can buy, at just £25 in a double, it’s our favourite affordable option that’s both skin-friendly and comfortable.
Key features – Tog rating: 4.5; Filling: Polyester microfibre; Casing: Microfibre; Cleaning: Machine Washable at 40˚C; Sizes: Double, king; Warranty: Five years
3. Simba Hybrid Duvet: A synthetic duvet that’s as soft as down
Price: From £139 | Buy now from Simba
The Hybrid Duvet from bed-in-a-box brand Simba is so-called because, like the brand’s range of hybrid mattresses, it is made up of a number of different materials that have been combined to give you the best night’s sleep possible.
Made from recycled plastic bottles, its microfibre filling is stitched evenly into square pockets throughout the duvet so that it never becomes lumpy. Not only is this ‘Simba-Renew’ filling eco-friendly, it’s also strikingly soft, especially for a synthetic microfibre material. If you’re hunting for a vegan-friendly alternative to down feathers, it’s a compelling option.
Unlike some duvets on this roundup, the Simba Hybrid is designed for year-round use with the brand claiming that its astronaut-inspired ‘Stratos’ material (used in the cotton casing) will help to regulate your temperature regardless of the season. When I tested the duvet during mild autumn nights, I can confirm that I indeed never felt too hot or too cold.
It’s not cheap, but if you want a comfortable duvet you can use all year round that boasts the latest technology, the Simba Hybrid duvet is a great choice.
Key features – Tog rating: Unspecified; Filling: 100% recycled plastic ‘Simba-Renew’ material; Casing: Cotton; Cleaning: machine washable at 40°C; Sizes: Single, double, king and superking; Warranty: Unspecified
4. Panda Cloud Bamboo Duvet: A luxuriously soft, competitively priced duvet
Price: From £100 | Buy now from Panda
We’ve tested a number of products from London-based bedding brand Panda, and we’ve been consistently impressed by their quality as well as their affordability.
The Cloud Bamboo Duvet, like Simba’s Hybrid Duvet, is a light and soft vegan alternative to a down feather duvet. Its hypoallergenic and antibacterial filling is made from a blend of “nano-microfibre” and bamboo while the duvet’s casing is 100% bamboo. During testing, we found the duvet to be very soft and comfortable indeed. And crucially, it’s more affordable than the Simba duvet at just £145 in a king size (rather than £199). You also get a 30-night trial period, during which you have the option to return it for a full refund.
Because of bamboo’s temperature-regulating qualities, the Panda Duvet is designed to be light and cool in the summer yet warm in the winter. That said, during particularly cold nights, we didn’t find it quite warm enough on its own. Depending on how prone you are to feeling cold in bed, we recommend keeping an extra blanket handy for when winter rolls around.
Nevertheless, we like the Cloud Bamboo Duvet for the same reasons we like Panda’s pillow and mattress topper: it offers good quality at a reasonable price. If you like the sound of Simba’s duvet but your budget can’t stretch that far, this might be your next best option.
Key features – Tog rating: 10.5; Filling: 50% bamboo, 50% nano-microfibre; Casing: 100% bamboo; Cleaning: Machine washable at 40°C; Sizes: Single, double, king and superking; Warranty: Five-year guarantee (plus 30-night trial)
5. Emma Cloud Duvet: Best for its money-back guarantee
Price: From £109 | Buy now from Emma 
Cloud by name, cloud by nature. Despite its 100% polyester construction (meaning it doesn’t feel quite as breathable as those using natural fillings), the Emma duvet is very light, soft and comfortable. With a middling tog rating of 6.7, Emma claims that it’s the ideal duvet for autumn and spring. That said, we tested the duvet in December (albeit a mild one) and didn’t have any problems.
The Cloud Duvet starts at the competitive price of £109, though there’s a good chance you can find it discounted in one of Emma’s sitewide sales. Another key selling point is the duvet’s lengthy trial period: as with Emma’s mattresses, you’ve got 200 nights to decide whether or not you like your new duvet. If you don’t, then there’s the option to return it for a full refund. While Panda and Scooms also offer similar guarantees, neither are as generous as Emma’s trial. This is the duvet for the picky and indecisive.
Key features – Tog rating: 6.7; Filling: Polyester microfiber; Casing: Polyester; Sizes: Single-Super king; Warranty: Unspecified
6. Brook + Wilde Marlowe: A luxuriously cosy down duvet
Price: From £539 | Buy now from Brook + Wilde
Brook + Wilde has surely earned its position in the luxury mattress and bedding market. The 10.5 tog Marlowe is one of three duvets manufactured by the brand, and is the most expensive option, starting at £539 for a single and rising to £779 and £949 in double and king sizes respectively.
It’s filled with ethically sourced Hungarian goose down, recognised as the last word in natural duvet fillings thanks to its softness and insulating properties, as well as its breathability. The duvet’s casing, on the other hand, is made from 100% Egyptian cotton.
Understandably, you might be reluctant to pay north of £600 for a duvet, and we’d recommend the Scooms duvet featured below as a more affordable Hungarian goose down option. But if you’ve got the budget to splash out on luxury, the Marlowe guarantees cosy comfort.
Key features – Tog rating: 10.5; Filling: Hungarian goose down; Casing: Egyptian cotton; Cleaning: Unspecified; Sizes: Single, double, king and superking; Warranty: None
7. Scooms Hungarian Goose Down duvet: Best all-seasons duvet
Price: From £115 | Buy now from Scooms
The Scooms all-seasons duvet isn’t cheap but it is truly the only duvet you’ll ever need – for the next ten years, anyway. Thanks to its easily detachable fasteners, you can quickly choose between a 4.5-tog summer duvet, a 9-tog duvet for autumn and spring, or a combined 13.5-tog duvet that’ll keep you snug on even the coldest of winter nights. It’s also available in 7-tog (2.5 and 4.5) and 11.5-tog (2.5 and 9) combinations, as well as separate 9-tog, 4.5-tog and 2.5-tog duvets.
The duvet is made from 90% Hungarian goose down and 10% Hungarian goose feathers and is sourced responsibly, meaning the materials come from geese that have been treated well and never live-plucked. We found it kept us nice and comfortable in all weather conditions, without ever feeling too warm or sweaty.
Although it’s made from down and feathers, there’s no problem with putting your Scooms duvet in the wash. The company recommends doing so every six to twelve months and it can be both line and tumble dried. If you’re struggling to justify spending upwards of £200 on a duvet, you’ll also be pleased to learn the Scooms comes with a 60-night trial. If for any reason you don’t get on with it in that period, you’re entitled to return it for a full refund.
Key features – Tog rating: 2.5, 4.5 and 9 tog; Filling: 90% goose down and 10% goose feather; Casing: 300 thread-count cotton; Cleaning: machine washable; Sizes: single, double, king and superking; Warranty: ten-year guarantee
8. Soak & Sleep Supreme Eiderdown Quilt: The ultimate duvet
Price: From £3,500 | Buy now from Soak & Sleep
For sheer indulgence, this is hard to beat. In order to understand why it’s quite so luxurious, you’ll need some context about the eider duck, which breeds in extremely cold climates, hence its unusually warm yet lightweight down. The result is a duvet that’s like sleeping under a fluffy cloud – lofty and toasty warm, yet it feels practically weightless. As for the eye-watering price, remember that a) this is a rare bird and b) they only use down that is hand collected in Iceland once the chicks have left the nest. Not surprisingly, it’s made to order so allow six weeks for delivery.
Key features – Tog rating: 9; Filling: 100% eiderdown; Casing: 320 thread count German batiste; Cleaning: Washing not recommended; Sizes: Single, double, king, superking and emperor; Warranty: 10-year guarantee
9. Gingerlily Silk Filled Duvet – All Seasons: Best silk duvet
Price: From £219 | Buy now from Seymour's Home
There are plenty of reasons to buy a silk duvet – for a start, it’s clean and hygienic on account of being naturally resistant to dust mites and other allergens.
Thanks to silk’s natural temperature regulating properties, which keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, this duvet is also good for use all year. Plus, it’s natural – absolutely nothing artificial goes into this duvet and it uses A-grade long-strand mulberry silk, which is the best out there.
One caveat is that it’s on the thinner side, so if you like to feel cocooned by your duvet, this probably isn’t for you.
Key features – Tog rating: Equivalent to a conventional 6-8 tog duvet; Filling: 100% pure long strand A-grade mulberry silk; Casing: 100% 300-thread count cotton sateen; Cleaning: Dry clean only; Sizes: Single, double, king, euro king, super king and euro super king
