Nectar Review: Every Model, Scored
A brand whose mattresses are ordinary and whose trial is the best in Britain.
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Verdict
A brand whose mattresses are ordinary and whose trial is the best in Britain. Three hundred and sixty-five nights removes almost all the risk from a mattress purchase, and for a genuinely uncertain buyer that is worth more than a better spring unit.
Who should buy it
You are uncertain about what suits you and you want a full year to find out.
Who should avoid it
You know what you want. Nectar's construction is beaten at every price point by brands with shorter trials.
See the current Nectar offer
The 365 night trial is the longest in the UK mainstream and applies only when buying direct.
No code needed. The discount is applied automatically at checkout. Opening the site in a new tab.
Nectar on Amazon UK
You lose the year-long trial, which is the main reason to choose Nectar at all.
No code needed. Prices on Amazon change frequently, so check the seller and the returns terms before you buy. Opening in a new tab.
The range, scored
| Model | From | Key construction | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nectar Classic Memory Foam | All foam, entry model | 6.0 | |
| Nectar Classic Hybrid | £299 | Micro-springs in the comfort layers | 6.9 |
| Nectar Premier Memory Foam | £399 | 28cm all foam | 6.4 |
| Nectar Premier Hybrid | £549 | Encapsulated pocket springs, reinforced edges | 7.4 |
Scores are mine, using the six criteria set out on the method page. Prices are the lowest UK size before discount and move constantly.
A year is a genuinely different product
365 nights
Most trials run 100 to 200 nights. Nectar's runs a full year, and it is the longest in the UK mainstream by a wide margin.
Why that matters more than it sounds. Firmness is the property buyers get wrong most often and it cannot be judged without sleeping on a mattress for several weeks. A short trial ends roughly when you would be able to judge properly. A year lets you experience the mattress through a summer and a winter, through a period of back trouble and a period without, and after the foam has fully broken in.
For a first mattress, a tight budget, or anyone who has been putting the purchase off because they are afraid of getting it wrong, that is the single most useful thing any brand in this category offers.
It applies only when buying direct.
Micro-springs are not a support core
Nectar uses the word hybrid for two different constructions and the difference matters.
The Classic Hybrid at £299 has micro-springs within the comfort layers. They improve surface responsiveness and airflow, and they do it well. The support structure beneath them is foam.
The Premier Hybrid at £549 uses encapsulated pocket springs with reinforced edges. That is a genuine support core.
That £250 gap is the most meaningful step in Nectar's range and the one worth taking if you can. The industry uses hybrid for both, which is the problem rather than Nectar's naming specifically.
Nectar and DreamCloud are the same company
Worth knowing before you compare them
Nectar Sleep Ltd also trades as DreamCloud in the UK. Same company, same commercial team, same trial structure, same sale calendar.
So a DreamCloud versus Nectar comparison is a comparison between two product lines from one manufacturer, not shopping around. If you have arrived from one of those articles, widen the search.
Which Nectar should you buy?
The Premier Hybrid at £549 if you can reach it. Encapsulated pocket springs with reinforced edges and the same 365 night trial.
The Classic Hybrid at £299 on a tight budget. It is the cheapest mattress on this site I would put in a main bedroom, and the reason is the trial rather than the construction.
Not the foam models unless motion isolation is your specific problem. If your partner is restless, deep foam beats any sprung mattress at absorbing movement, and that is a real reason to choose one.
A correction worth making
Commonly repeated, and wrong
Nectar and DreamCloud are written about as competing brands, including in direct comparison articles declaring one better value than the other. In the UK they are the same company: Nectar Sleep Ltd trades as DreamCloud. Prices, trial structures and sale calendars are set together, so choosing between them is choosing between two ranges from one manufacturer rather than shopping around.
Should you buy from Nectar?
Buy Nectar for the trial, not the mattress. A full year to change your mind is the most valuable thing anyone in this category is offering, and for an uncertain buyer it outweighs a better spring unit.
If you already know what suits you, Origin and Otty give you substantially more mattress for the same money and you will not need the year.
Questions people ask
How long is the Nectar trial?
365 nights, the longest in the UK mainstream by a wide margin, and it applies only when buying direct. A year lets you experience the mattress through a summer and a winter and after the foam has fully broken in, which a 100 night trial does not.
Is the Nectar Classic Hybrid a real hybrid?
It has micro-springs within the comfort layers, which improve surface responsiveness and airflow. The support structure beneath them is foam. The Premier Hybrid at 549 uses encapsulated pocket springs with reinforced edges, which is a genuine support core.
Are Nectar and DreamCloud the same company?
In the UK, yes. Nectar Sleep Ltd trades as DreamCloud, with the same commercial team, trial structure and sale calendar. A DreamCloud versus Nectar comparison is two product lines from one manufacturer, not shopping around.