I always get a bit irritated when mattress sellers try and flog you a pricey mattress with the argument that it will only cost you 27p a night, or whatever.
We don’t all have £1000 to spend on a mattress, or perhaps you’re just looking for a cheap mattress for a spare room.
According to data from the National Bed Federation’s annual report in 2019, almost half of mattresses sold in the UK are in the £100 – £399 bracket and the ‘overall mean’ is £583. It’s worth noting that mattresses under £100 are unusual and my advice is that the difference in specification between a £100 and a £200 mattress will probably be quite considerable.
The proportion of people who spend more than £400 on a new mattress is just under 50%, so you needn’t feel under pressure to spend big. The figures are a bit confusing as they include various sizes of mattress, but they’re still a useful starting point.
Fear not, there are plenty of budget mattresses under £200 which get good reviews and have surprisingly decent specifications.
If you’re on a budget, I would either go for:
- the cheapest pocket sprung mattress from a brand you’ve heard of (1000+ springs is preferable, but I realise this is a cheap mattresses guide). Avoid open coil sprung mattresses unless you don’t want your guests to stay very long.
- a foam mattress or memory foam mattress which gets good reviews, most likely from a brand you haven’t heard of. They’re a bit of a gamble, so go for one with reliable reviews.
So, roll up bargain hunters for six of the best cheap mattresses in the UK in 2022 and 2023. Prices are for double mattresses, including delivery and are correct at the time of typing:
1. Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam Mattress – £199 – soft/medium firmness
The Silentnight 3 Zone Memory Foam mattress is worth a mention for those who want a cheap memory foam mattress from a brand they’ve heard of.
Silentnight is the biggest name in the UK mattress market and the brand overall scores an impressive 4.2/5 on TrustPilot (2023).
The 3 Zone model comes with a three year guarantee, which is shorter than most. It is only 18cm deep (which is shallower than most) but it was scoring 4.2/5 on Amazon from well over 11,000 reviews. This model also got the thumbs up from expert testers a few years ago.
The idea of a ‘zoned’ mattress is that it provides variable support to different parts of your body so that you are well supported all over. Various studies have been carried out into the benefits of this design, including one by Zhu, Hu et al. They found that ‘Elasticity distribution…was a key factor…effecting body spine form’ (‘Research on the Effect of Elasticity Distribution of Five-Zone Spring Mattress on Human Supine Position Spine Form’, 2020).
Memory foam is a popular alternative to a sprung mattress. Fans of memory foam say that it offers a more consistent level of support than springs. The main issues people have with the material is that the ‘sinking’ feeling is a bit unusual. Other people find memory foam mattresses a bit warmer than sprung mattresses.
This one comes rolled up and then unfurls and expands at home.
Our keyword analysis of the thousands of reviews on Amazon highlights a couple of pros and cons which are consistently mentioned by customers. More than 400 reviewers praised its value for money, either mentioning ‘good value‘ or ‘value for money’ in their reviews. On the other hand, more than 150 people mentioned a ‘chemical smell’ in their reviews. This is a relatively small proportion of the thousands of reviews, but is still notable. This ‘off gassing’ is a common issue with foam mattresses and it can usually be resolved with some time airing the mattress. You may want to avoid using it immediately upon arrival if possible.
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2. Inofia Pocket Spring Mattress – £234 – medium firmness
You’ve probably not heard of Inofia Mattresses, but they get very positive reviews and offer a good specification for the price. We’ve picked out this pocket spring mattress which combines springs and layers of foam.
You need to put with some dodgy English on their product listings (‘your bones and joints sink into softness instead of feel their own weight against a surface’) but customer reviews average 4.5/5 from more than 3000 reviews on Amazon.
It uses pocket springs, although unfortunately the description doesn’t seem to include how many springs are used (higher numbers provide greater support). On top of the springs are different types of foam, including ‘high elasticity foam’.
According to the description it comes with a 10 year guarantee and a ‘100 night risk free trial’. It’s always worth checking the small print for home trials, as they do vary a bit.
For the price it is pretty deep at 22cm. Cheap mattresses are often closer to 15-20cm deep.
Keyword analysis of product reviews on Amazon reveals that nearly 100 reviewers used the phrases ‘great value’ or ‘value for money’ in their reviews (6% of the total) whilst 48 people used the phrase ‘highly recommend’ or ‘definitely recommend’ (3% of the total reviews). About 30 reviewers mentioned that they could feel the springs in the mattress, but this represents a relatively small percentage of the total number of reviews (just under 2%). Also, some reviewers made a point of saying that they couldn’t feel the springs on their mattress.
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3. Sleepeezee Classic Ortho 800 Pocket Mattress – medium/firm – £314
(Apologies, this mattress has gone up in price since we first wrote this £200 guide. We’ve kept it in as we still think it’s good value and you may find it is reduced when you come to search).
If you want a cheap, traditionally made mattress from a highly rated brand you’ve heard of, Sleepeezee should be somewhere near the top of your list.
They’re a long established mattress brand which even has a Royal Warrant but their budget mattresses and beds are good value. The brand averages 4.4/5 on TrustPilot, making it one of the highest rated sprung mattress companies (there are some foam mattress companies which rate higher).
Sorry if I get a little excited, but this Classic Ortho 800 pocket spring double mattress for about £300 deserves a look as long as you aren’t too heavy (heavier people will want a higher spring count than 800).
For a start it uses proper pocket springs rather than the open coil springs used in some cheap mattresses. It’s also a good depth at 24cm so you won’t be lying on the floor (most top quality mattresses are about 25-30cm). It also has a 5 year guarantee.
So why is it so cheap? Well, the main reason is that the spring count is low. Honestly, it’s lower than I would recommend but I’m aware this is a budget guide. Most of the best mattresses are 1000 – 2000 springs. If you’re above average weight you’ll benefit from a number near the top of that range whilst lighter people will get plenty of support from a lower number in the range. If you’re very light or thin then you might find this mattress is a bit firm for you, as lighter people get better support from softer mattresses.
You also can’t turn this mattress over, which is more convenient for the user but can mean that it won’t last as long.
Still, a mattress brand with a Royal Warrant isn’t to be sneezed at.
The upgrade is the Sleepeezee Backcare Deluxe version with 1000 springs which is a little bit firmer and about £50 extra, at the time of typing.
This one has a low spring count but Sleepeezee is a Royal-approved mattress brand
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4. Happy Beds Majestic 1000 Pocket Sprung Mattress – medium tension – £229
Happy Beds don’t have the Royal Warrant of Sleepeezee but this Majestic mattress does have a higher specification on paper, and it was a bit cheaper when we checked prices.
For a start, it’s got 1000 pocket springs which is within the recommended range according to most experts (unless you’re very heavy, in which case a number nearer to 2000 is preferable (try the Happy Beds Signature Platinum 2000). Most of us are more used to the feel of a sprung mattress like this one, rather than memory foam.
This Majestic mattress can also be turned over, which should give it a longer life as long as you actually get round to turning it.
It’s got a hand tufted top as well, which is enough to raise my heartbeat. I realise I’m now sounding like a very boring person, but good quality pocket sprung mattresses look like they’re held together with buttons on top rather than being completely flat.
It’s also listed as 25cm deep, which is a good depth for the money. Some mattresses which cost three or four times as much are the same depth.
Reviews for this model average 4.3/5 on Amazon whilst the Happy Beds brand was scores 4.3/5 on average.
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5. Vesgantti Pocket Sprung and Foam Mattress – £209 – soft/medium tension
Much like Inofia, Vesgannti is another brand you’ve probably not heard of but they offer a lot of mattress for the price. This particular model has well over 3000 reviews and an average rating of 4.6/5 on Amazon so it’s hard to ignore.
It’s made from a combination of pocket springs and foam layers, although the specification doesn’t give an exact number of springs beyond saying that it contains ‘hundreds’. It uses some memory foam, amongst a number of layers of foam.
It’s quite a thick mattress for the price (24cm) and it comes squashed into a box to make it easier to get up the stairs.
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Review scores correct at the time of writing.