The best winter duvets for cold weather cosiness

Most feather and down duvets are made with by-products of the meat industry, although some can come from live-plucked birds during the production of foie gras, so it’s worth checking to ensure yours is cruelty-free. Regardless of what size duvet you opt for, whether it’s a double duvet, a king size, or smaller, you’ll also want to double-check if they’re suitable for throwing into the washing machine. Failing that, you could potentially dry clean them, as you would with any other bedding item like mattress toppers or pillowcases. As always though, make sure to check the specific instructions for your duvet to avoid any laundry mishaps.

Can man-made fibres do the job just as well?

Thanks to contemporary bed brands like Nectar, Eve, and Simba, there’s a wealth of high-tech, high-performing synthetic duvets that do a great job of keeping us snug during the winter, with no feathered friends harmed in the manufacturing process. Each brand has its own unique duvet core that’s come about through innovative engineering and a lot of research, much of which is proudly explained on the websites.

These next-gen duvets tend to be great all-rounders too, with hypoallergenic properties for allergy sufferers (keeping pesky dust mites at bay), moisture-wicking abilities, and clever temperature control. You can get all sorts from hollow fibre duvet fillings with cotton casings, to luxurious duvets that are quilted, to ones with high togs that are filled with fibres made from recycled plastic bottles. Yes, really.

Finally, man-made fibres have the inclusive and obvious benefit of being free from animal products, and so they are vegan-friendly. There’s now a wide range of options for people who don’t want to sleep under a duvet stuffed with goose or duck down or feathers.

What tog duvet do I need for winter?

Generally, for a winter duvet, you'll want to be looking for something a little higher than the typical 10.5 tog duvet, with a tog rating of around 13. Often, this will be in the form of two duvets which can be detached in order to have a lower tog rating during the more changeable spring and autumn seasons, but making sure the total tog rating is around 13 should make sure you're nice and cosy. Tog rating aside though, you'll also want to consider a few other things when assessing a winter duvet, namely the material it’s made from, the type of filling, if it can be machine washed, and how well it's designed. A better quality duvet will last you better in the long run, so it's definitely worth investing.

What is the warmest bedding for winter?

Winter duvets obviously make a huge difference (or we wouldn’t have dedicated an entire guide to them), but there are also some other ways in which you can make your bedding more suitable for the winter months, all of which complement a winter duvet. For peak cosiness, we’d recommend investing in one of the best electric blankets, and also popping on some of the best brushed cotton sheets for a fleecier, warmer feel.

How we test winter duvets

Given that temperatures are set to drop soon, and energy prices are continuing to rise at alarming rates, we’ve made it a priority this year to find the best winter duvets that’ll keep you warm and cosy throughout the chilly nights to come. To choose the best, we slept under many duvets to see which actually felt warm enough, and also looked at other features like the duvet’s weight, how easy they were to keep clean and to maintain, the materials used and how comfortable they were. We also took into account any more practical features the duvets had such as being suitable for year-round use by having two different tog duvets that can be attached and detached.

Shop GQ’s edit of the best winter duvets…