Mattress sleep trials: which brand offers the longest trial period?

Some popular mattress brands including Nectar and Silentnight's Just Sleep range offer year-long 'sleep trials', on some mattresses, which should allow your mind to rest easy when buying a new mattress. But when you take the returns fine print into account, which deal is the best overall?

These sleep trials are some of the longest available on the mattress market, and are 165 days longer than the sleep trial offered by Emma, the most popular mattress brand, according to the latest Which? mattress survey.

Before you head to the summer mattress sales, check out what you need to know about sleep trials. 

Need a new place to rest your head? Go straight to our best mattress deals or read more about the best mattresses we've tested.

What is a mattress sleep trial?

Sleep trials, commonly offered by online-only, bed-in-a-box mattress brands, allow you to try out a mattress to see if it is the right one for you. If you don't like it, you can return it within the specified trial period. This can be perfect if you want to try a different type from your usual mattress but aren't certain it'll be right for you.

With their full-year trials, Eve Sleep, Nectar and Silentnight (Just Sleep range) are only a handful of brands to offer such a lengthy try-out. Mattress sleep trials from other brands and retailers start from just 30 days.

Unlike mattress warranties and guarantees, which cover faults, a mattress sleep trial lets you do exactly that - sleep on the mattress, in your own home, so you can see if it’s a dream to sleep on or if it will turn your slumber into a sweaty nightmare. If it’s not for you, you can simply return it within the trial period - as long as you abide by the rules. 

Which brand offers the longest mattress sleep trial?

Before you head online, check out which brand has the longest sleep trial on offer. We've also given brief trial details below, but don't forget to check the small print to see what conditions apply.

Got a problem with your mattress? Find out how to return a mattress. 

Watch out for mattress sleep trial small print

Even putting length aside, not all sleep trials are the same. Some come with a list of terms as long as your night-time snooze, while others are a dream to take advantage of. 

Conditions to watch out for can include:  

• You may have to use a mattress protector. 
• Only being able to exchange, rather than return, a mattress.
• Some brands will refund you, but others, such as Silentnight with its Just range, will only let you exchange, and you may have to pay extra if you exchange for a higher-priced mattress.
• Some may have a minimum number fo nights you have to use the mattress for
• You have to keep track of the number of nights on the trial, some brands will not remind you
• Having to pay to return the unwanted mattress. 

How to complain if you’ve been misled by a sale or special offer

Do you really need a year-long trial?

You might assume that a full year is far longer than you need to work out if a mattress is right for you. And in some cases, it may be obvious far sooner than this that a mattress is just not cutting it.

But extra-long trial periods do have a couple of advantages:  

• They let you try out a mattress across all seasons of a year. You may find, for example, that a mattress which feels cosy in winter becomes uncomfortably hot for you in the summer. 
• A long trial also gives you time to adjust to a new type of mattress, particularly important if you're switching from springs to foam. 
• If you suffer with back pain, or a sore back, for example, it could take quite a while to adjust to a new mattress, so a lengthy trial can help see if it's better for your back. 

Emma, Eve or Simba? The best boxed mattresses

What happens to returned mattresses?

In our latest mattress survey, 5% of mattress owners said they had returned a mattress as part of a sleep trial. But what happens with the returned mattresses? We asked some of the big brands:

Emma says mattresses which are returned during its 200-night trial period are either cleaned and sold as refurbished mattresses or are donated to charity. Any that are damaged or have defects are properly disposed of.

Eve Sleep told us: '...we either refurbish it for our eBay store, donate it locally or recycle it. If your mattress is recycled, 94% of it will be made into things like dog beds, carpet underlay and car insulation. The other 6% will be used for energy (see ya, fossil fuels). We want to make sure all mattresses get a new lease of life and nothing gets wasted...'.

Simba told us: '...mattresses that are returned - they receive a second lease of life and are either recycled, or refurbished and redistributed through an eBay outlet'.

Nectar says any old and returned mattresses are donated to the British Heart Foundation. This avoids landfill waste, gives the mattress a new home and raises money for the charity.

Need to dispose of your old bed? Find out how to dispose of a mattress responsibly.

Popular mattress reviews on Which.co.uk

Need a new mattress? Below we've picked out the most popular mattress review on the Which? website, for most of the brands above:

Silentnight Studio Gel mattress

• Pocket-spring
• Double
• Medium firmness

We like: Arrives rolled up which makes it easier to move, feels cold to lie on

We don't like: The cover isn't removable for washing

Read our full Silentnight Studio Gel mattress review.

Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress

• Memory foam
• Double
• 'Just about right’ in terms of firmness, according to Nectar

We like: Extra-long warranty

We don't like: Feels warm to sleep on, which some may not like

Read our full Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress review.

You can buy the Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress direct from Nectar.

Head to our best mattresses guide to find out all you need to know about buying a new mattress.

Or, for an alternative way to improve your sleep, see our guide to the best eye masks for sleep