Eve Sleep launches one-year mattress sleep trial

Bed-in-a-box brand Eve Sleep has increased it's sleep trial offer from 100 nights to a full year, beginning from the day your mattress is delivered.

This makes it one of the longest sleep trials available on the mattress market, matching the 365-day trial already offered with Nectar (and sister company Dreamcloud) mattresses. It's getting on for twice as long as the next longest from Simba and Emma mattresses, both of which give you a 200-night sleep trial.

Unlike mattress warranties, which only cover faults, mattress sleep trials let you return a mattress within the trial period if you simply don't like sleeping on it.

But not all sleep trials are the same, and some have strings attached. Find out more below and compare sleep trials from some of the longest on offer. And, if you're in need of a new mattress, we've outlined the key features of the most popular mattresses from top brands.

Looking for a high-quality mattress that will stand the test of time? Discover the best mattresses we've tested.

What is a mattress sleep trial?

Sleep-trials, commonly offered by online-only, by bed-in-a-box mattress brands, allow you to trial 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 of mattress but aren't certain it'll be right for you.

Eve Sleep is one of only a handful of brands to offer a trial of a full year, though. Mattress sleep trials from other brands and retailers can start from just 30 days.

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.

Watch out for sleep-trial small print

Even putting length of trial 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:

• Needing to use a mattress protector
• Only being able to exchange, rather than return, a mattress
• Having to pay to return an unwanted mattress.

Mattresses with the longest sleep trials

We've compared three of the longest sleep-trials available and highlighted the most popular mattresses from each of the brands*.

*Ordered by trial length and then alphabetically

Eve Premium Hybrid mattress, £733** (double)

• Type: Hybrid
• We like: Not excessively warm to sleep on; 10-year guarantee; currently on sale
• We don't like:Not the easiest mattress to lift and move; there is a memory effect which some may not like

The Premium Hybrid is the most popular Eve Sleep mattress on the Which? website for January. It's a one-sided mattress, so doesn't need to be flipped over. It's constructed from layers of different density foam, full-sized pocket springs, and memory foam.

Eve says this mattress is medium-firm in feel. In our independent firmness tests, it ranked as a four out of 10, where one is the firmest and 10 the softest. This puts it slightly towards the firmer end of the scale.

But will it lead to a superb slumber? Read our full Eve Sleep Premium Hybrid mattress review to find out, or buy it now from Eve Sleep.

Nectar memory foam mattress, £449.40** (double)

• Type: Memory foam
• We like:Extra-long warranty; currently on sale
• We don't like:Feels warm to sleep on, which may put some off

You may spot ads for this Nectar mattress doing the rounds on social media, especially as it's on sale at the moment. It's a memory foam mattress, made up of a large 16.3cm foam core, then 3cm of memory foam and 2cm of foam, all topped off with a quilted cover. The foam can make the mattress feel warm to sleep on, which may bother those who prefer a cooler-feeling surface to sleep on.

Nectar says this mattress is 'just about right' in terms of firmness. We say what's 'just about right' depends on your personal preference, which is why we independently test how firm each mattress is. In our firmness test, on a scale where one is the firmest and 10 the softest, we rated it a seven, so heading towards the softer end of the scale.

Can this mattress stand the test of time? Find out by reading our full test review of the Nectar Sleep memory foam mattress or buy it now from Nectar.

Emma The Original mattress, £349.50** (double)

• Type: Foam
• We like:Not overly warm to sleep on; currently on sale
• We don't like: It could be easier to move about; there's a slight memory effect on the mattress

This Emma mattress continues to be the most popular mattress review on the Which? website, and it's often on offer. The Emma Original is made from a 19cm foam core, topped with two layers of foam of different thickness and density.

Unlike some foam mattresses, the Emma Original doesn't feel too warm to lie on, though you will feel the foam around you as you lay on the mattress - we call this the memory effect. This can be worse on some other mattresses, where you may feel like you're being enveloped in the mattress as you sink into the foam.

Emma says this is a medium firmness mattress. In our independent firmness tests, the Emma ranked as an eight on a scale where one is the firmest and 10 is the softest, so it may not feel as firm as you expect.

Is this the dream mattress for you? See what we uncovered in our full test review of the Emma Original mattress or buy it now from Emma.

Five top tips to get the best from a sleep trial

If you're tempted to take the plunge and sign up for a sleep trial, don't let this lead to sleepless nights. Before you rely on the trial period, read our top five questions to ask yourself:

• Have you read the T&Cs fully?
  These will outline any specific rules, such as the minimum time you need to sleep on the mattress before returning it under the trial terms,or if you need to use a mattress protector. It should also list any extra costs such as administration fees, increase in mattress costs if you exchange, or return delivery fees.
• What condition does the mattress need to be returned in?
  Check to see what condition the mattress needs to be returned in and if a soiled mattress (a spilled morning coffee, for example) will void the trial.
• Do you have to get the mattress back into the packaging to return it?
  This can be a real pain. If you've thrown the original packaging away, some may insist you find another way of packaging it back up to return, so it's worth checking.
• Do you have to pay to return the mattress?
  Find out if you have to pay to return the mattress, or if it will be picked up for free. Otherwise you could be stuck with a large, heavy mattress and the expense of sending it back yourself; no mean feat when some couriers won't ship something so large. One mattress retailer even admits organising your own return shipping is 'a bummer'.
• Will you get a refund or is it exchange-only?
  Some trials will offer you a refund, but some will only let you exchange or upgrade your mattress. For exchange-only trials, check what alternative mattress types are available before you buy to avoid a nasty surprise if, for example, you realise a foam mattress just isn't right for your back.

What happens to returned mattresses?

If you're wondering what happens to a mattress after you return it, here's what we found out when we asked the major brands we've included in this story.

• 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...'
• Nectar says any old and returned mattresses are donated to the British Heart Foundation to avoid landfill waste, to give the mattress a new home and raise money for the charity.
• Emma says mattresses which are returned throughout the 200-Night trial period are either cleaned and sold as refurbished mattresses or are donated to charity. Any which are damaged or have defects are properly disposed of.

Got an old mattress to get rid of? Find out how to dispose of your mattress

Latest mattress reviews

If you're in the market for a new mattress, check out the most recent double mattresses we've fully tested.

Click on the link to take you to the review, where you'll find out just how durable and supportive they are:

• Dreams Hyde & Sleep Rainbow£1,099, 40-night sleep guarantee offer
• Dunelm memory foam medium £136, no trial nights offer
• Habitat Elite memory foam 836/7903 £230, 100-night comfort promise offer
• Reylon Dunlpillo Bridgwater £1,299, 40-night sleep guarantee offer
• Silentnight Cool Gel £288, 60-night sleep guarantee offer

If you're short on cash, but need a new mattress check out our top five cheapest mattresses, or head straight to our mattress deals page. We update this monthly, to help you find a range of mattresses at knock-down prices.

All prices correct at the time of writing.

**Sale price