A queen size mattress or a queen size bed is 120cm wide and 190cm long in the UK. That’s 4 foot x 6 foot 3 inches. In the UK, it’s the same as a ‘small double’. That means it is bigger than a single mattress and smaller than a standard double mattress (I guess that’s unsurprising).
The USA has a completely different sizing system for beds and mattresses which means that a USA queen mattress is much bigger than a UK one. In fact, a US queen mattress is almost the same as a UK king size mattress. Confusing, eh?
Anyway, enough size-comparison waffle, let’s get on with some useful advice.
We’ve picked out five outstanding queen sized beds and queen sized mattresses which you can buy in the UK. These queen size mattresses and beds are a cut above the rest thanks to positive customer reviews, prestigious industry awards and impressive technical specifications, which show that they are well made. We also considered things like warranty length and whether they come with a trial period so you can try them out at home.
All prices for these queen size beds and mattresses are correct at the time of writing.
Step 1: Pick a queen size mattress (or click here to skip straight to beds & bases)
We’ll start our guide with 5 outstanding queen size mattresses before moving on to 5 of the best queen size bed frames and divan bases you can buy.
1. Nectar Sleep Memory Foam Queen Mattress – £600 (medium/firm)
There are loads of queen size mattresses on the market which call themselves a ‘bed in a box’ (e.g. Emma, Simba, Eve).
The Nectar Sleep is fighting for attention in a busy space, but it edges a place onto our top 5 by offering a longer warranty and trial period than the rest. You get a whole year to try it out and then a warranty which lasts ‘forever’. You need to check the Ts and Cs, of course, but the trial is relatively simple and you can get your money back if it’s not right. Some mattress trials require you to stand on one foot, recite the alphabet backwards and not sleep on the mattress on Thursdays (Ed: I think you may be exaggerating).
The idea of a ‘bed in a box’ is that you order a mattress online and then try it out at home. It’s much like ordering a pair of shoes online, except the box is somewhat bigger.
If it’s not right for you, they’ll give you a refund, even if you’ve slept in it for months. Unwanted mattresses are donated to charity.
Customers on TrustPilot give the Nectar Sleep brand a very solid 4.2/5. A couple of similar bed in a box mattresses score a little higher (OTTY Sleep for example) but they come with 10 year warranties. Admittedly, 10 years is still a very generous warranty compared to the usual 5-7 years which a lot of pocket spring mattresses offer.
How is it made?
Regarding the technical stuff, the Nectar Sleep queen size mattress is made from various layers of foam. There are no springs, which is what the majority of people sleep on. However, memory foam is a popular alternative and many people find that it offers a more consistent level of support than springs. The usual issues with memory foam are that a) some people prefer the bouncy feeling of springs to the sinking feeling of memory foam and b) some people find that it makes them feel warmer in bed.
This queen mattress uses ‘smart’ memory foam which Nectar say is good at ‘regulating your body temperature’. The advantage of a long trial period is that you can try it out during different times of year. You can then get a refund if you find it doesn’t work for you in the height of summer. See this video about the Nectar Sleep mattress.
Pros: outstanding warranty length, industry leading trial period length, decent customer reviews
Cons: limited choice of sizes, one-sided, not a long established brand in the UK
Our Value Rating: ***** (see foot of page for an explanation of what this means)
2. Sleepeezee Memory Comfort 1000 Pocket Pillow Top Queen Size Mattress – £549 (medium/firm tension)
Sleepeezee are a prestigious mattress brand which don’t charge prestigious mattress brand prices. They also offer a 60 night trial period if you buy it from Mattress Online. That means you can swap it for another queen size mattress if it isn’t right for you.
A few words on trial periods
A trial period used to be unusual for a traditional and long established mattress company. It has become more common over the last few years, as newer companies without showrooms have turned up and offered hassle-free trials.
Traditional and long established mattress brands have responded by offering trial periods, albeit with a bit more hassle. In the case of Sleepeezee, you don’t pay the cost of the return but you will only get a maximum of £100 in store credit if you swap it for a cheaper model.
What about the brand?
Sleepeezee has a Royal Warrant, meaning that it supplies King Charles’ household. It’s also won multiple awards from experts in recent years for mattresses such as the Sleepeezee Hybrid 2000 Pocket Gel Mattress (£659). The posh Sleepeezee Mayfair (£999) was a finalist in the bed of the year category at the main industry awards.
We’ve picked out this lower to mid-priced queen size mattress from the Sleepeezee range as it offers good value. It also scores more than 4.7/5 from about 500 reviews on Mattress Online. The Sleepeezee brand has an equally impressive TrustPilot score of 4.3/5 at the time of writing.
This model uses pocket springs, combined with a layer of memory foam on top. It might be a good one if you like a traditional style of mattress but want to try out the extra comfort and support that you get with memory foam.
A few words on firmness
Regarding firmness, this mattress is ‘medium/firm’ although there are firmer and softer queen size mattresses available in the Sleepeezee range. The general idea with a mattress is that you should sink in just the right amount. If you’re heavier than average then you’ll want a firmer mattress than someone who is lighter than average. Also keep in mind that people who sleep on their back tend to need firmer mattresses than people who sleep on their side. A firm mattress puts more pressure on your shoulders and hips if you sleep on your side.
The tricky thing is that mattress brands all have their own idea of what ‘soft’ or ‘firm’ actually means. It’s a bit like buying three pairs of ‘medium’ sized t-shirts and finding that only one of them fits you. This obviously makes an online purchase a bit riskier than buying a mattress in store. My personal preference for online shopping is a mattress with a home trial – like this one. Watch this video about the history of Sleepeezee.
Pros: major brand with Royal approval, trial period
Cons: single sided, limited returns options with the trial, low spring count
The Sleep Guy’s Value Rating: ****
3. Happy Beds Majestic 1000 Pocket Spring Queen Size Mattress – £259 (medium tension)
If you’re looking for a cheap queen size bed that is made in a traditional way then you could do a lot worse than the Majestic 1000 from Happy Beds.
The brand isn’t a household name like Silentnight or Sealy and you don’t get a home trial period, but the specification is very good for the price and customer reviews are decent (4.8/5 on Happy Beds, 4.2/5 on Amazon).
For the budget price you get a queen size mattress which is pocket sprung, rather than the cheaper alternative which is an ‘open coil’ mattress (avoid these if you can). It’s got 1000 pocket springs which will provide adequate support unless you’re very heavy, in which case you might be better going for a queen size mattress with closer to 2000 pocket springs.
You can turn this mattress over, which is another plus point. That usually helps prolong its life and reduces lumps and bumps. And it’s nice and deep at 25cm, which is more than most mattresses around this price.
It doesn’t have a fancy top layer made from natural materials but you could always add a topper later if you wanted to.
It’s got a five year guarantee, which is not bad at all for the price tag. Watch this video about the Happy Beds Majestic 1000.
As mentioned earlier, there’s no trial period. So the biggest issue with this mattress is that it’s a bit of a punt. You can only buy it direct from Happy Beds, and your only return option is your standard rights under distance selling regulations. That means you can can return it within 14 days, but only if it’s in perfect condition and if you pay the return cost.
Pros: low price for pocket springs, five year warranty, very good reviews, double sided.
Cons: spring count is low, synthetic materials, no trial period.
Our Value Rating: *****
4. Emma NextGen Premium Mattress – £649 (medium firmness)
Emma’s range of mattresses has changed a lot over the last few years. The chances are that if you bought an Emma mattress five years ago, you will have a very different design to the models they now sell. The company began with just one mattress, which was a 100% foam mattress called… (wait for it) the Emma Mattress. It now has several models.
The good news is that they still come with the bells and whistles that persuaded people to give them a go in the first place.
Why are Emma mattresses so popular?
Much like the Nectar Sleep mattress – mentioned earlier – Emma’s mattresses gained a lot of popularity due to the risk-free way you can try them out. They post it to you squashed into a box and it expands in your bedroom. If you don’t like it, they’ll pick it up and give you a refund.
They also come with a 10 year warranty, which is more generous than most sprung mattresses at around this price.
Emma also won a lot of awards, including many for its original Emma Mattress. To date, it says it has won 35 awards for its range.
So what is the Emma NextGen Premium Mattress actually like?
Apologies for the pre-amble, let’s get to the main point.
The big change with Emma mattresses are that they now use springs as well as foam, which makes them a ‘hybrid mattress’. This might seem about as interesting as a book about the history of drainage, but it does make a difference to how a mattress feels.
A sprung mattress is what most of us are used to, so it’s curious see modern brands coming back to springs after shunning them in previous designs.
The Emma NextGen Premium Mattress is medium firmness. It describes itself as a 7/10, where one is firm and ten is soft.
Unlike the original Emma Mattress, the memory foam layer is the top layer (apart from the cover obviously). Previously, Emma buried the memory foam somewhere in the middle, like a slice of foamy ham in a sandwich. The Nectar Sleep (mentioned above) is similar to the Emma NextGen Premium Mattress in that it puts the memory foam layer on top.
There are then two other layers of foam underneath which between them aim to keep you comfort and supportive.
The layer of springs at the bottom are what is doing most of the heavy work on a mattress like this. Emma doesn’t specify the spring count (I’m not sure why) but we do know that the springs are zoned. This is a common bit of mattress jargon, which means that some areas are firmer than others. The idea is that it gives more support in some areas than others, to allow for the fact that we aren’t shaped like a plank of wood. You might not feel like you have a curvy body, but Emma think you do.
Pros: generous trial period, longer warranty than most sprung mattresses, big seller, good brand rating
Cons: single sided, shorter warranty than Nectar Sleep
The Sleep Guy’s Value Rating: ****
5. John Lewis & Partners British Natural Collection Hemp 2750 Queen Size Mattress – £749 (medium or firm)
If you want a quality name from your mattress, take a look at the John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection of queen size beds and mattresses.
They aren’t cheap (£750-£3000ish) but you are getting a great product, even at the cheaper end of the range. The mattresses are made by a Yorkshire company called Harrison Spinks, which has a strong reputation. They have previously been named manufacturer of the year at the main mattress industry awards and they make other posh brands such as Somnus.
The queen size mattress we’ve picked out certainly isn’t the most expensive in the range. However, it’s a good balance between price and specification.
What you getting for your money?
It uses pocket springs as well as some natural materials (wool and hemp) for comfort.
Don’t get too excited by the high spring count (2750). These things can be a bit misleading, as there is a limit as to how many proper full sized springs you can fit onto one layer of a mattress. 750 of the springs are mini ones, which add a bit of extra luxurious comfort, with the 2000 full size springs doing most of the work. As a fascinating aside, I’ll also point out that the spring count on a mattress relates to the number you get on a king size version, so this one won’t have anywhere near 2750 springs.
It’s a solidly made mattress with high quality details such as ‘hand side stitching’, which means that it’s been made in a labour intensive way which keeps the edge of the bed strong.
A choice of firmness levels
Another positive about this queen size mattress is that it comes in medium or firm tensions. They even go so far as suggesting that an 8-16 stone person should get the medium one whilst a 16+ stone person should get the firm mattress. Most bed makers don’t offer such clarity.
On the downside, the warranty is seven years which I think is a bit on the low side compared to other posh brands like Vispring which offer up to 30 years. Also, you can’t turn this one over so you just rotate it round. You need to upgrade to a more expensive one if you want to flip it over.
Pros: sold by a respected retailer, made by an award winning manufacturer, clear guidance on firmness, high spring count, natural materials
Cons: one sided, expensive
Our Value Rating: ****
Step 2: Pick a queen size bed frame or queen size divan base
You’ll generally find that you can easily buy a queen size mattress and a queen size divan base as a set (Mattress Online has a large range). However, if you want a queen size bed frame or bedstead to go with your mattress, then you’ll end up buying two separate items.
Here’s our guide to the five main options when you’re looking for a queen size bed:
Option 1: A queen size divan base
The ‘traditional’ choice when you’re buying a queen size mattress is to get a queen size divan bed to go with it. Some retailers offer bundles which can save you some money and it means you only have to deal with one order.
My hunch is that a lot of people see divan bases as a bit of boring choice for a queen size bed compared to something like a wooden queen bed, a metal queen bed or a sleigh queen bed.
However, a queen size divan such as this one from Divan Base Direct comes in seven different colours and patterns (pictured). Plus, you can add on some useful storage drawers which you don’t get with something like a queen size metal bed frame.
Queen size divan bases are also a sensible choice, because they provide a flat base for your mattress. Some cheap metal beds have thin rungs which don’t spread out the weight of a mattress very well.
If you go for a bog-standard ‘platform top queen size divan base’ then it tends to be one of the cheapest options around (see the £200 Dreams model pictured). If you get a ‘sprung edge queen size divan base’ (such as this £500 one) then you’ll pay a lot more as the base has its own springs for a bit of extra comfort.
Don’t forget to budget for a headboard.
Option 2: A queen size wooden bed
Wooden beds look classy (in my opinion) and they have the added advantage of coming with a built in matching headboard.
The downside is that they’re painful when you walk into them whilst tiptoeing to the toilet in the middle of the night. Also, some of them get a bit creaky and bang against the wall when you get in and out of bed.
Some wooden queen size beds are made from pine, which is a softer wood. Posher ones are usually made from oak, which is a harder and more expensive wood. Both will do the job nicely, but oak is certainly an upgrade.
Some wooden beds have a ‘solid slatted base’ which gives a firmer feel whilst others have a ‘sprung slatted base’ which feels a bit softer and is usually seen as another upgrade. Check that the slats aren’t too far apart, or your mattress won’t get even support. Opinions online vary a bit but this guide says that the maximum gap between slats should be 7cm.
Queen size wooden beds which made it into our wooden beds guide include:
- Happy Beds Somerset Natural Queen Size Wooden bed (pine) – £215 (pictured)
- John Lewis & Partners Wilton Queen Size Wooden Bed (pine) – £249 (pictured)
Option 3: A queen size metal bed
Metal beds vary in quality quite a lot, but they have a nice simple look to them. Of course, you also get a built in headboard, which often makes them the cheapest option.
Have a look at the overall weight of the product. Cheap ones are likely to move in a light breeze whilst better quality ones are sturdier. Some also give a user weight limit, which is a useful indication of build quality – even if you are built like a jockey.
Ideally, I would avoid queen size metal beds that have thin metal rungs instead of wooden slats. Cylindrical rungs don’t spread out the weight as well so your mattress might not like it, particularly if it’s a pocket sprung mattress. Some people spread the weight out by putting a thin wooden board across the rungs (I guess that even a thick piece of card would be better than nothing).
Queen size metal beds in our top 5 guide include the Birlea Atlas Metal Bed (£225) (pictured).
Option 4: A queen size ottoman storage bed
Ottoman beds come in wood, fabric and faux leather. The poshest ones have an electric lifting mechanism whilst most of them lift up manually with hydraulics to help out, so it’s not a great effort.
There are a couple of things to look for when you’re buying a queen size ottoman bed.
Some have a base so that there is a space underneath the bed, which is great if you like the look of a bed with feet. Other queen size ottoman storage beds just sit on the floor so your stuff goes straight onto the carpet. That might sound like a cost-cutting bit of manufacturing (and it probably is) but it also means you can pile in your heaviest possessions without any risk of the base giving way.
Queen size ottoman beds in our top 6 guide include:
- Birlea Phoenix Queen Size Ottoman Bed – £410 (pictured) – see the video for more on this one
- The Dreams Wilson Queen Size Ottoman Bed – £499 (pictured)
Option 5: A queen size fabric/upholstered bed
Upholstered or fabric queen size beds offer the advantage a built in headboard without the downside of injuring yourself on the pointy corner of a wooden bed.
Again, it’s important to look at the slats on a fabric bed. Solid slatted bases are firmer whilst sprung slatted bases are (unsurprisingly) a bit springier. As I said before, make sure that the slats aren’t too far apart or the weight of your mattress won’t be spread out enough.
There are various designs and styles including sleigh beds which hold the mattress in place better. You can also get various materials including faux leather and crushed velvet beds if you don’t like a more traditional material.
Unfortunately, you’ll find that a lot of fabric beds don’t come in queen size but some popular ones include:
- Dreams Lucia Queen Size Fabric Bed – £599 (pictured)
- Stockholm Grey Fabric Bed – £279 (pictured)
What is The Sleep Guy’s Value Rating?
We’ve given each mattress a score out of five to reflect whether we think it offers value for money.
The ‘exceptionally good value’ products score 5/5 stars whilst ‘very good value’ mattresses get four stars. A three star product is ‘good value’ whilst two stars means ‘reasonably good value’ and one star means ‘poor value’. The last two don’t tend to make our guides.
We make our decisions by looking at factors such as specification, brand reputation, warranty length, trial periods and customer ratings.