Need to know
- Our latest review includes over 50 mattresses from popular brands such as Sleeping Duck, Sealy, Ikea, A.H. Beard, Koala, Macoda and more
- Experts assess key factors that are important for a good night's sleep, such as: how comfortable and supportive the mattresses are – brand new and after eight years' use – how stable they are, and how well they regulate temperature
- Become a CHOICE member to access our full mattress reviews and compare products across over 200 product and service categories
We spend about a third of our lives in bed, so it's vital to find the right mattress for the best night's sleep. But be careful – buy a middling mattress and it could turn into a nightmare.
Choosing a mattress instore or online can be confusing and downright stressful, with so many types, builds, firmnesses, features and amazing 'new technology' claims being touted. Not to mention prices soaring into the thousands of dollars for some models. It's enough to warrant a serious lie-down!
To help you choose, CHOICE has been testing popular mattresses for years – and no, it's not just some lucky staff member sleeping on them all day. (We wish.)
Lab lie-down: Our comfort tests use lasers to monitor spinal alignment.
Instead, our lab partners in Europe scientifically test the most important factors, including comfort for both male and female body types, stabilisation, sagging over time, sweat resistance and more.
We've also looked at aspects relating to the sustainability and environmental impact of each mattress, including what materials it's made from and how easy it is to clean and recycle.
Members can view ratings for all these factors in our 'Compare all' table in our mattress reviews (though sustainability and environmental results don't yet contribute to the overall performance scores).
We don't want you to end up with a dud buy, so here are the products that scored lowest in our lab tests. Consider becoming a CHOICE member to see the best performers.
Why we don't test Emma mattresses
While Emma products have previously performed well in our testing, we don't include them anymore.
In light of ongoing member complaints and recent ACCC allegations regarding misleading advertising, we've decided to remove Emma mattress reviews from our website. We may revisit this decision in the future.
We remain committed to providing unbiased and impartial product reviews to our members and Australian consumers.
Four poor-performing mattresses to avoid
Here are four mattresses that didn't perform well in our independent testing.
Sealy's Atlanta mattress has very poor stabilisation.
1. Sealy Atlanta
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
- Comfort score when new: 57%
- Comfort score after eight years: 82%
- Price: $599
- Size tested: Queen
Bargain price, yes, but our experts didn't have many nice things to say about this mattress. Its standout feature? A very poor stabilisation score of 12%.
It also arrived at our labs in a shoddy state, with loose threads and early signs of wear and tear. That's not very reassuring if you're in the market for a good-quality mattress that will go the distance (rather than ending up in landfill in a few years).
It arrived at our labs in a shoddy state, showing signs of loose threads and early signs of wear and tear
None of this likely to help you get a good night's sleep. And if you're on a budget, we have mattresses around this price or less that performed better in our testing.
Read our full Sealy Atlanta review.
This mattress could do with a rebrand: You'll wake up anything but refreshed.
2. Original Mattress Factory Refresh
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
- Comfort score when new: 54%
- Comfort score after eight years: 62%
- Price: $2598
- Size tested: Queen
It markets itself as a 'firm' mattress, but scored a low 56% for sagging, which doesn't bode well for how long it would maintain its firmness.
To assess longevity, we measure height and firmness (among other things) straight out of the box when the mattress is new, then again after a test that simulates eight years of use to note any differences. Mattresses with a higher score show less sagging over time, while lower scoring mattresses show increased sagging.
Original Mattress Factory also charge a fee for returns and exchanges – and this even applies during the 30-day trial period. These costs are on top of any shipping expenses you may incur to replace the mattress during the free trial period.
This is also one of a few mattresses we reviewed that charge a fee for returns and exchanges
And while some brands will provide a free pick-up of the mattress you want to return, don't expect such luxury with this product: the cost of a pick-up will come out of your own pocket.
On other criteria, such as stabilisation, this mattress was on par with others reviewed by our testers, but did not perform noticeably well in any areas.
Read our full Original Mattress Factory Refresh review.
It's not very comfortable or particularly deluxe.
3. Clark Rubber Comfort Deluxe (100mm)
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Comfort score when new: 50%
- Comfort score after eight years: 84%
- Price: $365
- Size tested: Queen
Clark Rubber may be overselling this mattress a touch, because it's not very comfortable or particularly deluxe. That's not totally surprising given that it's really nothing more than a 10cm chunk of foam, but its name is the least of its problems.
For starters, the advertising is pretty muddled. On the one hand, Clark Rubber suggests that it's best for occasional spare bed situations like "sleepovers [and] surprise guests", which is fair. But the blurb goes on to say that it's "an excellent choice for your more frequent overnight visitors".
Occasional use may be fine, but based on our test results, this mattress is likely to dissuade guests from wanting to sleep over too frequently.
Clark Rubber may be over selling this mattress a touch, because it's not very comfortable or particularly deluxe
Comfort is the key issue. Our experts could feel the foundations (e.g. bed base, slats or the floor) through the mattress during our tests. And side sleepers will probably be particularly unimpressed, because this mattress provides very little lateral (a fancy word for side) support.
Overall performance is pretty middling too. It's prone to sagging, it's not very stable and though it's pretty good at repelling sweat, it's far from the best performer in this part of our test. The low price tag may be appealing, but we've tested much better mattresses that don't cost much more.
Read our full Clark Rubber Comfort Deluxe (100mm) review.
Ignore the Abygda, spend your money on meatballs.
4. Ikea Abygda
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Comfort score when new: 65%
- Comfort score after eight years: 78%
- Price: $699
- Size tested: Queen
There are quite a few good mattresses at Ikea, but this is not one of them. Its CHOICE Expert Rating of 67% isn't terrible, but we've tested over 15 Ikea mattresses and not only do most earn higher scores, some are also much cheaper.
Stabilsation results are poor, so you might get bounced around in the night if you share a bed with a restless sleeper. It also holds onto a lot of sweat, which isn't great if you run hot or live in a warmer climate.
There are quite a few good mattresses at Ikea, but this is not one of them
Other performance results are fairly middle of the road, which wouldn't be so bad if the Abygda was a bit cheaper. But it's hard to give it a glowing review when the higher-scoring Valevåg mattress costs just $399, and the Vesteroy model that is recommended by our experts is only $349.
Ignore the Abygda and spend your extra money on meatballs.
Read our full Ikea Abygda review.
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Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family.
And you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
