Top five cheap mattresses for 2023

If you need a new mattress, but are short on cash, we've picked out five of our cheapest Best Buys mattresses so you can sleep easy. 

A mattress should last you 8 to 10 years, so a good mattress is definitely a long-term investment, and these cheaper-than-average choices won't leave you hot under the collar. 

But our expert tests have proven that, while spending more may get you more premium materials, such as silk and cashmere, it doesn’t guarantee superior support or stability.

We’ve tested mattresses costing £1,500 – the equivalent of more than 40 pence per night for 10 years – that are less supportive and long-lasting than mattresses costing £200 – or five pence per night for 10 years.

All of the mattresses we’ve picked out, below, cost around £350 or less (at the time of writing, prices change regularly) and all of them are Best Buys. That means that, at the very least, you can rely on them to support your spine for years to come, without sagging or softening - and they won't cost over the odds.

Want to see more mattresses that aced our tests? See our pick of the best mattresses around right now.

Only logged in Which? members can see the results in the tables below. If you’re not yet a Which? member and want access to all these results and more, join Which? now.

Table last checked: April 2023

Want to browse reasonably priced options? See our guide to the top five most popular Ikea mattresses.

Which? mattress reviews

Not only are we completely independent and impartial, but every mattress we test is subjected to an extensive series of lab tests, all of which have been designed by mattress experts.

Our body support tests, for example, use special equipment to measure the shape of our test subjects’ spines at 36 different points. When you’re lying on your back, a good mattress should keep your spine in the same shape as when you’re standing, while your spine should be parallel to the mattress when you’re lying on your side.

We also measure the firmness, warmth and breathability of mattresses, as well as dropping weights on them and measuring the bounce to see how stable they are. A stable mattress will be good at preventing movement from transferring from one side of the bed to the other, ideally without making it more difficult for you to roll over and switch sleeping positions during the night.

We also simulate up to 10 years of use by rolling heavy human-sized barrels over each mattress thousands upon thousands of times. We then do our body support tests all over again to see whether it has sagged or softened. 

Prices may change.

We’ve tested good and bad mattresses at every price point so, however much you want to spend, make sure you check our full list of mattress reviews.