Best sofa shops

Your sofa should be an attractive, practical and comfortable addition to your living room.

That’s why we asked 4,212 Which? members to rate their sofas. Our unique survey put some of Britain's favourite brands to the test, including DFS, Ikea and John Lewis. 

The results reveal the longest-wearing and best quality sofas for every budget. 

And that's not all – we also asked our members to rate their buying experience. We used these rankings to identify the best sofa stores so you can buy with confidence. 

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What are the best sofa brands?

To discover which brands are the best investment, we asked Which? members to rate their couches for comfort, build quality and value for money.

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to the results. 

Sofa brand scores

Our survey scores range from 61% to 84%. 

Top-rated couch brands received five stars across the board for comfort and quality ratings; the lowest scorers were rated just two stars for value for money. 

Which brand makes the most durable sofas?

As well as asking our consumers to rate their sofa, we asked them to report on whether or not it showed any signs of damage or wear and tear. 

This included signs of wear on the material (such as rips or scratches), sagging cushions or breaks in the frame. 

Log in or join Which? to get instant access to the results.  

Sofa durability scores

Less than 15% of the owners of our top sofa brands reported seeing signs of damage or wear and tear - an impressive result, given that we surveyed people who had owned their sofa for up to ten years. 

For brands at the bottom of the table, over 50% of owners reported their sofa showing signs of damage. 

How long do sofas last?

Based on our survey of real sofa owners, we estimate a sofa last at least ten years – provided you buy from the right brand. 

But brand isn't the only thing you should consider if you're on the look out for the most durable sofa.  

In the same survey, we found that faux leather sofas owners were significantly more likely to report that their sofa showed signs of damage. Faux leather consists of a sheet of plastic layered over fabric, so it's prone to cracking and peeling. 

To learn more about the most durable sofa materials, check out our guide to buying a durable sofa.

If you want more information about finding the perfect one for you, check out our sofa buying guide

Where is the best place to buy a sofa?

We also asked customers about their experience of buying a couch from 10 popular shops, including the service they received and the range on offer.

Log in or join Which? to see the results.

Sofa shop scores

Our best sofa stores score over 75%, and achieved five star ratings in some categories. 

At the other end of the table, some stores scored just 65% - and two stars for value for money. 

Check out our guide to how to clean a sofa to learn about sofa cleaning and maintenance

Which sofa shops have the best guarantees and returns policies?

We delve into the fine print to better understand the guarantees and returns offered by each sofa shop.

Sofa shop policies

Most store policies specify that sofas must be returned in their original condition and packaging, with all the labels still attached, so make sure you do a thorough damage check before you cut the labels off.

If you do find any damage, you can return it under guarantee. Typically, these policies cover 'manufacturing defects', which means that brands will replace, repair or refund your sofa if it develops a fault due to a manufacturing issue. 

However, if it gets damaged by normal wear and tear, this won't be covered. 

It's also worth noting that these policies typically don't apply to customised, second-hand, refurbished or outlet sofas. They also normally only apply to the brand of sofas made by the retailers and not any other brand they may sell – for example, if you purchased a Habitat sofa from John Lewis, the guarantee may be different. 

If you're buying one of the above types of sofa, make sure you check the specific refund and guarantee information before you make a purchase. 

For more information about guarantees and when you can use them, check out our guide to warranties and guarantees.

What should a good quality sofa cost?

You can pick up a three-seater sofa from some of our 10 top-rated brands for around £400. 

However, these won't be the best quality sofas they have on offer. Expect to pay upwards of around £800 for a mid-range three-seater sofa. 

Obviously a larger sofa will cost more, but the fabric you choose will also influence the final price. 

Leather sofas are significantly more expensive than fabric sofas. We don't recommend faux-leather, as it wears out very quickly. 

Pure wool and cotton are more expensive than blended fabrics but - unlike faux-leather - blends and synthetics perform just as well (if not better) than their real counterparts. 

Are high-end sofas worth it?

If you have the money, a sofa is a good place to invest it: not only do you use your sofa almost every day, but you will see an increase in quality if you spend more. 

High-end brands topped our table of survey results. The price of their sofas can range upwards of £5,000. However, some cheaper brands also did really well in our ratings. Although those brands didn't achieve the full five stars, Which? members were still very happy with their sofas, and they stood up well to daily use. 

Unless you're really keen to buy a luxury sofa, you certainly don't need to scrimp and save to buy a top-quality brand – in this case, it's unlikely to be worth it. 

For more advice, see our guide to the most durable sofa fabrics – it's based on real-life member experience 

How we calculate the best sofa brands and shops

Every two years, we ask our members to tell us about their sofa so we can find the top quality brands. 

• We calculate our customer score based on customer ratings of satisfaction with their sofa and likelihood of recommending to a friend. We use this to make an overarching rating for each brand. 
• We also ask consumers to provide star ratings for specific elements, including its quality, comfort, and how well it has lasted.

We also ask our members about the experience they had with the shop from which they bought their sofa, including how easily it was delivered and the quality of customer service they received. 

In June and July 2023, we surveyed 4,212 Which? members about their sofa and sofa shop experience. The survey was run online and we only surveyed people who bought a sofa in the past 10 years. 

Considering a sofa bed? Check out our sofa bed buying guide