Best winter duvets: 13.5 tog, king-size and under £100

The weather outside may be frightful during the cold, wintry months, but with the right type of duvet, you can stay cosy and warm.

There’s a huge selection of winter duvets to choose from, so our team of trusty testers have had the tiring job of testing the most popular on the market, from the most trusted brands, to make it quick-and-easy for you to choose the duvet that best meets your needs. Plus, all the duvets we tried cost less than £100 at the time of publishing, so they're affordable, too - you’re welcome!

The best winter duvets at a glance:

• Best budget: Downland Eco duvet. Buy from Very, (£13)
• Best for hotel-style luxury: The Hotel Collection Luxury Anti-Allergy Goose Feather, 13.5 tog winter duvet. Buy from Very (£80)
• Best for allergy sufferers: Dorma Anti-Allergy Full Forever 13.5 Tog Winter Duvet. Buy from Dunelm, £85
• Best for sustainability: Martex Eco Pure Recycled Microfibre 13.5 Tog All Seasons Duvet

Looking to stay warm this winter? Check out our guides to the best throws, and thermal blinds, as well as advice about how to clean a mattress. We've also found the best autumn and winter bedding, the best sustainable bedding to buy, as well as the best way to clean and store winter bedding.

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How we tested:

We tested a number of 13.5 tog king-sized winter duvets over the course of a cold November and December, where temperatures dipped to -3 during the night. We looking to see how warm and comfortable they were, if they felt luxuriously fluffy or a little on the flat/thin side. We noted if they rustled when we moved in bed and if the filling remained evenly distributed after regular use. We also checked out the material used for the filling, to establish whether it was sustainable or not, as well as measuring them against the manufacturer’s claims when it came to size.

We also took them to the launderette (they were too big for our washing machines), to see how well they washed, if they kept their shape and remained evenly-filled.

We scored the duvets out of 10, awarding marks for the materials used, how comfortable it was and if it represents good value for money.

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Tried-and-tested: 13.5 tog, king-size and under £100 winter duvets

9 out of 10

This duvet has good eco credentials, as its hollowfibre filling is made from 100% recycled bottles, with a breathable cover made from a 100% polyester microfibre.

On test, we found it was lightweight with a slight puffiness, and kept us toasty and warm through the night. If you like your duvet to be heavy and very squishy, this might not be for you, but given that it’s super budget-friendly, made in the UK, machine washable and has good eco-credentials, we think it’s well worth considering. Again, as with the Dorma Anti-Allergy Full Forever winter duvet, the stitching means it doesn’t get lumpy, even after months of use. We also tested how it copes in the washing machine by sending it to the launderette - the results were great and it kept it's shape and size.

As a further guide, we checked out Very’s customer comments, too: comfortable, warm and soft were the most regular words used to describe this duvet, with only a couple of criticisms - one that it was a 15 rather than 13.5 tog, and the other was that it was too light.

Size: King 200cm x 200cm

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9 out of 10

Best for hotel-style luxury:

A lovely, squishy warm duvet which has a 233 thread count pure cotton cover, and a natural filling made from a combination of goose feather (85%) and goose down (15%). In our tests, we found it kept us very warm, and felt fluffy and squashy, ‘a bit like a weighted cloud’. It didn’t rustle, which is a welcome bonus for light sleepers - especially ones with restless partners, and remained ‘full’ over the testing period.

As it's machine washable, we sent it to the launderette and it came back in perfect condition: the filling remained even and there was no shrinkage.

If 13.5 tog is a little heavy for your preference, you can also purchase this in 10.5 and 15 tog versions.

As a further guide, we checked out Very’s customer comments too: 74% recommend it, as it’s ‘puffy and heavy’, ‘no smell,’ ‘no fall out of feathers’ and most reviews commented on its warmth. The negatives mentioned smell, hard feathers and delivery issues.

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7 out of 10

The cover of this winter duvet is 100% cotton, but we're more interested in the filling which is made from 100% certified recycled polyester. That means less waste going into landfill and, according to the manufacturer’s website, ‘recycled polyester helps conserve crude oil reserves during fibre production’ - making this a sensible option if sustainability is a concern for you.

While this is a super-warm duvet, it's worth noting that it lies relatively flat, so you may be disappointed if you like your duvets super-fluffy. That said, it doesn’t feel thin, even if it lacks the uber-squishy appeal of the Hotel Collection duvet reviewed above.

We appreciated that the stitching means the filling doesn’t rumple up, and doesn’t rustle when you turn over in bed. You can machine wash it, but it’s not suitable for ironing - and if you are using a tumble drier, make sure it’s on a low heat setting. As it was too big for our domestic washing machines, we sent it to the launderette and it washed very well, keeping it's shape and size.

As a further guide, we checked out Dunelm’s customer reviews, and 71 out of 86 reviews have given it 5 stars, with only 2 one-star reviews. Positive comments are that it’s ‘lightweight but warm’, and ‘anti-allergy’, ‘washes well’, and ‘no noise’. While one negative of the two negative comments mention rustling noise that sounds like plastic carrier bags, and the other that it’s on the small side.

Size: King 220xm x 225cm

Martex Eco Pure Recycled Microfibre 13.5 Tog All Seasons Duvet

9 out of 10

If you're sustainability-minded - and who isn't, these days? - the Martex Eco Pure Recycled Microfibre 13.5 Tog All Seasons is an option worth exploring. The hypo-allergenic polyfibre fill is made entirely from recycled water bottles, with the attached label informing you roughly how many water bottles were re-used to make your duvet. And while greenwashing is all too rife in the manufacturing industry, the fact that the Martex Eco Pure is Global Recycled Standard certified provides peace of mind on the duvet's eco credentials.

The duvet is lightweight for its size, but the fill is satisfyingly dense to the touch, to ensure you stay snug even on the coldest of nights. Rather than the silky feel of some duvets, the Martex Eco Pure has a more textured finish, although of course this will make little difference once it's inside your favourite winter duvet cover. But the standout feature is that, as the name implies, this duvet can be used all year round, because it's actually formed of two duvets - one 9 tog and one 4.5 tog - which can easily be detached for use during warmer spells.

The manufacturer states that the duvet can be machine washed at 40 degrees and tumbled dried on a low heat. Although we were unable to test this for our review, we can confirm that the duvet held up well to a vigorous clean with a handheld steamer. Just be sure to it's completely dry before you put it away - it always takes longer than you think!

Size: Superking 220xm x 260cm

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FAQs

What is a tog rating?

A tog is a way of measuring the warmth of a duvet and the higher the tog, the warmer the duvet.

• Duvets with a tog rating of 2.5 – 4.5 are ideal for summer, as they’re less insulating and will keep you cooler during the hot summer months. They might also be suitable if you find you are hot at night or experience night sweats.
• Spring- and autumn-weight duvets tend to range between 4.5 – 9 tog, as they are able to trap more air and keep you warmer if the temperature drops. Again, this type of duvet might be more suitable for winter if you run hot.
• Winter duvets need to keep you toasty, so anywhere between 10.5 to 13.5 are recommended, although there are 15 tog duvets, so if you’ really feel the cold, this one’s for you.
• There are all season duvets, too, which means you fasten two duvets together that each have a lower tog rating to create a warmer duvet during colder weather. Typically, all-season duvets include any combination of 2.5, 4.5 and 9 tog.

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What tog is best for winter?

Depending on how much you feel the cold, a duvet with a tog rating of 10.5 to 13.5 should be ideal – though the tog rating does go up to 15 if you find you can’t get warm at night.

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What are the types of duvet filling?

• Feather and down duvets

One of the most popular natural duvets, these use a mixture of feather (warmth) and down (weight) from geese and ducks. Make sure they are sourced from ethically certified companies. For more information, read about The Responsible Down Standard.

• Wool duvets

Ideal if you suffer from allergies, this type of duvet is naturally hypoallergenic, durable and sustainable, as they can be recycled. While they retain warm air well – think about those plucky sheep outside in all weathers – they also wick away moisture, which will make life much more comfortable if you get hot-and-bothered in the night.

• Synthetic duvets

Synthetic duvets are made from either microfibre (very fine, soft and silky threads) or hollowfibre (single fibres with holes down the centre, so traps warm air effectively and is typically squishier than microfibre fillings). Often made from plastic, these aren’t the most sustainable option, but they are often the best option if you’re on a budget or are allergic to feather or wool. That said, fillings made from recycled plastic bottles are becoming more popular, which is a better eco-friendly alternative. As a rule of thumb, it takes around 120 plastic bottles to fill a double duvet, which reduces the amount of plastic going into landfill. However, they may not use 100% recycled materials and can still create microfibre plastic pollution. Unfortunately, synthetic duvets aren’t great at wicking away moisture and are less breathable, so you may need to look at alternatives if this is a consideration for you.

As a rule of thumb, it takes around 120 plastic bottles to fill a double duvet, which reduces the amount of plastic going into landfill. However, they may not use 100% recycled materials and can still create microfibre plastic pollution

Which is better, synthetic or natural fibres?

In a nutshell, feathers have better insulation properties so require less to produce the tog rating, making them lighter but still very warm. That said, if you prefer a weightier, warm duvet, synthetic will be your best bet.