“Start with the Valevåg in the firmness you think you want and treat the 365-night exchange as your safety net, because firmness labels are not standardised and a label is a starting point rather than a promise.”
The IKEA range side by side
The table joins IKEA’s UK specifications with its own customer ratings. Prices are for a UK Double.
Read the firmness label with care
IKEA sells most models in firm and medium firm, at the same price on the Valevåg and the Vesteröy, and firmness labels are not standardised, so treat IKEA’s as a starting point. Construction tells you more: the Vesteröy has no comfort zones, the Valevåg five and the Vågstranda seven over two layers of springs, while the Ånneland and the Åkrehamn put memory foam near the surface. Medium firm is the sensible default for most adults, and a 2021 systematic review of 39 studies in the Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (Caggiari et al.) concluded that “a medium-firm mattress promotes comfort, sleep quality and rachis alignment”.
What the 365-night exchange and the guarantee cover
IKEA’s ‘Sleep on it’ scheme is an exchange, not a refund. Under IKEA’s return policy you can swap a mattress once within 365 days, provided it is not dirty, marked or damaged. An upgrade costs the price difference, a cheaper replacement is credited to an IKEA Refund card, and IKEA charges £25 if it collects the old mattress. An unopened mattress can be returned for a refund within 365 days, and IKEA advises sleeping on a new one for a month before deciding.
Every mattress ranked here carries IKEA’s free 10-year guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. That covers faults, not the normal wear of long-term use. The National Bed Federation’s survey of 500 recent bed buyers (November 2021) found that 41% replace their mattress within five years, and a third of them do so because the old one is worn out.
Bonnell springs, thin foam and the two models left out
The three cheapest ranked models trade support for price. The Vestmarka and the Vadsö use Bonnell springs, 166 per m², which IKEA’s own Vestmarka page says “can transfer motion, meaning partners can feel your movements”. The 12 cm Åfjäll, two layers of 33 kg/m³ foam, is best kept for a day-bed or a guest bed used now and then.
Two IKEA adult mattresses sit outside the ranking, both made for day-beds. The Ågotnes is a single 10 cm layer of firm foam in single widths, at £65 for a Single, and the Vannareid is a 12 cm pocket sprung mattress sold only in continental 80x200.
Delivery, roll-packing and sizes
Most IKEA mattresses arrive roll-packed, and the Valevåg product page says a mattress may need about 72 hours to regain its full shape. IKEA sells UK sizes (Single 90x190, Small double 120x190, Double 135x190, King 150x200, Super king 180x200) next to continental ones, so measure the frame first: a continental 140x200 is not a UK Double.
IKEA mattress toppers and bundles
IKEA calls its toppers mattress pads. The Nordberget is a 4.5 cm memory foam pad (50 kg/m³) with a cover washable at 60°C, and the Valevåg with Nordberget costs £308 in a Double, the same as buying the two separately. The cheaper Vesteröy with the 4 cm Näsfjället foam pad costs £208 in a Double. A pad helps when the mattress supports you well but feels hard on the surface, the usual complaint about the Vesteröy, and it will not fix a sagging mattress. Our best mattress toppers comparison covers pads from other brands.
Frames, slatted bases and bed bundles
IKEA’s mattress pages specify a mattress base or a non-adjustable slatted base underneath. The Luröy slatted base costs £35 in a UK Double at the time of writing and is also sold in continental 80x200 and 90x200, so keep frame, base and mattress on one size standard. IKEA also sells complete sets, and the MALM bed frame with a Valevåg mattress costs £318 in a Double with the Luröy base and a midbeam included, or with a Vesteröy or Åbygda instead. If no IKEA model suits you, our best mattresses of 2026 ranks the wider UK market, and the foam and memory foam comparisons cover the alternatives to the Åkrehamn and Åbygda.
