TechRadar Verdict
Nectar’s Essential Hybrid is the brand’s entry-level hybrid mattress, although it doesn’t have a budget price tag. The mattress is particularly suited for back sleepers and it does a great job at alleviating back pain. Lightweight side sleepers may find the Essential Hybrid a little too firm and we don’t think it’s supportive enough for heavier weight stomach sleepers, but there’s a lot to recommend this mattress for others.
Pros
- +
Great for back sleepers
- +
Helps with back pain
- +
Good motion isolation
Cons
- -
A little on the firm side
- -
Not for heavier stomach sleepers
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Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review in brief
- Offers excellent pressure relief, particularly for back sleepers
- Minimal motion transfer
- Cover isn’t washable
Nectar is an extremely popular UK brand and its Original Memory Foam mattress is one of our recommended best mattresses (read our full Nectar Mattress review for all the details). The Essential Hybrid is one of three hybrid models available from Nectar and is the cheapest of the range. But how does it sleep?
We tested a UK single mattress for three weeks, with two main testers and a range of other sleepers invited to try it out. We tested the Nectar on all major areas of performance, such as pressure relief, motion isolation, edge support, cooling and ease of setup. We’ll expand on all these points throughout the review.
Best for: Back sleepers
Type: Hybrid mattress.
Firmness: 6.5-7/10
Materials: Open-cell foam, memory foam, polyester,
polypropylene, steel coils
Depth: 25cm
Sizes: Single, Small Double, Double, King, Super King
Weight: 22.5kg – 50kg
The Nectar Essential Hybrid has six layers and is made up of a combination of memory foam, foams and a layer of coils. Although Nectar rates the mattress at 6/6.5 out of 10, we’d put it at 6.5/7 out of 10 – it’s a slightly firmer mattress that offers great support for back sleepers and lighter to average weight stomach sleepers. The firmer feel of the mattress helps to keep the spine aligned, which is crucial to preventing pressure points from building up.
We did feel that the mattress was too firm for lightweight side sleepers, who are likely to feel some pressure build up at the shoulders due to not sinking into the mattress. Conversely, the mattress isn’t firm enough for heavier weight stomach sleepers, whose hips may sink too far into the mattress meaning that their spines won’t be aligned.
Motion isolation is surprisingly good for a hybrid mattress and edge support isn’t bad, although we did notice a slight slope at the edges. And although it’s not specifically a cooling mattress, the coils do an excellent job of promoting good airflow. Nectar also offers a fairly unbeatable 365-night trial and a Forever Warranty.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Materials and design
- The Essential Hybrid has six different layers
- Dynamic support layer for temperature regulation
- Memory foam provides a little contouring for the body
The Nectar Essential Hybrid mattress is made up of six different layers, each with a specific design and purpose. Let’s look under the covers.
Speaking of the cover, this is a quilted cooling cover that helps to dissipate heat. Underneath is a layer of memory foam, which we felt was slightly firmer than the memory foam you’ll find in Nectar’s Original Foam mattress. Next up is a dynamic support layer – this is designed to be temperature regulating. This is followed up by up to 600 individually wrapped pocket springs, cushioned in support foam. These respond to movement, promote airflow and help with edge support. The mattress is finished off with a supportive base with spring support and a non-slip base material to keep the mattress in place on the base. All the foams in the Essential Hybrid are Certi-PUR certified, meaning they’re free from heavy metals, harmful dyes and ozone depleting chemicals.
After three weeks we can’t obviously fully judge the durability of the mattress, but the build quality of the Nectar is excellent and the materials used feel solid. Nectar is clearly confident in the mattress with the Forever Warranty. Do help to keep your mattress stay in top condition by using a mattress protector, rotate it regularly and keep it clean.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Firmness and comfort
- A medium firm mattress with a 6.5–7 / 10 rating
- Excellent pressure relief, particularly for back sleepers
Our main testers are primarily back sleepers, although both occasionally venture onto their sides. Both found the mattress very comfortable and supportive when sleeping on their backs, with a noticeable reduction in back pain and other aches. They felt that the mattress gave them good spinal support and helped to relieve pressure points. We’d recommend the Essential Hybrid to all weights – it’s firm enough to support heavier bodies, without them feeling as if they’re sleeping on the coils.
Average and heavier weight sleepers also enjoyed sleeping on their sides, but our lightweight tester found it too hard in this sleeping position. They felt that they were sleeping on top of the mattress, rather than being cradled by it and also experienced some pressure build up around the shoulder.
Light and average weight stomach sleepers will also find the mattress firm enough to keep their hips elevated and spines aligned. But it’s not supportive enough for heavier weight stomach sleepers, whose hips will sink too far into the mattress leaving their spines unsupported.
Mattress firmness is, of course, subjective to a point. Do consider your body weight and sleeping style when choosing a mattress but also be aware of what sort of firmness you generally like in a mattress.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Support and pressure relief
- Particularly supportive for back sleepers
- Responsive coils move with a sleeper’s body to aid pressure relief
The wrong mattress can cause a build-up at pressure points around the shoulders, back and hips, so it’s important to choose a mattress that offers good pressure relief for your body type and sleeping style.
The Nectar Essential Hybrid offers excellent pressure relief for back sleepers of all weights, with the slightly firmer feel of the mattress helping to keep neutral spinal alignment. Light and average weight stomach sleepers will also feel that their hips are supported, but heavier weight stomach sleepers are likely to feel that they’re sinking too far into the mattress for adequate spinal support.
Lightweight side sleepers will feel pressure build-up around the shoulders, as the mattress is a little too firm for any sinkage. But average and heavier weight side sleepers should find their pressure points are well supported. All pressure relief is also aided by the responsive coils, which adjust with a sleeper’s movements.
We also tested sinkage on the mattress by placing a 20kg weight in the middle of the bed. The mattress sank in to 3.5”, which is the same as the Emma mattress. Another mattress to consider for good pressure relief is the Simba Hybrid Pro, although this is a far pricier mattress.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Temperature regulation
- Dynamic support layer is designed to regulate body temperature
- Well-spaced pocket springs promote airflow
Although it’s not specifically a cooling mattress, the Nectar Essential Hybrid has some nice touches to help prevent sleepers from overheating at night. We tested the mattress with a summer duvet (4.5 tog) and a thick fleece blanket in a bedroom of around 16C overnight.
One of our main testers generally sleeps fairly hot but didn’t overheat on the Nectar. They did note, however, that the mattress didn’t feel particularly cool to the touch. But we feel that this is a good choice for most sleepers, unless they sleep exceptionally hot.
The good temperature regulation of the Essential Hybrid starts with a quilted cooling cover, which is designed to dissipate heat. There’s also the dynamic support layer, where the foam helps to enhance airflow and regulate body temperature. Finally, the pocket springs are well spaced to encourage more airflow through the mattress.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Motion transfer and edge support
- Surprisingly good motion isolation for a hybrid mattress
- There is a slight slope on the edge of the mattress
We tested the motion transfer on the Essential Hybrid with a simple drop test, using a 6kg weight and a wine glass (empty of course). Dropping the weight at various distances from the wine glass gives a good indication of how much motion transfer you’ll get from the mattress.
The wine glass wobbled at both 25 inches and 10 inches, before falling over gently at 4 inches – this was with the weight dropped from a height of around 4-5 inches. These tests mimic a person in bed moving position or getting out of bed.
A bed that absorbs motion is essential if you share your bed with a restless sleeper and the Nectar Essential Hybrid does a pretty good job of isolating motion. You will feel a little movement from the coils, but the dynamic support layer and memory foam above the coils do an excellent job of absorbing most movement.
Edge support on the mattress is fair – we did notice a slight slope on the edge of the mattress, particularly when sitting on it. Lying on the bed was less problematic and we felt we could use most of the bed space. We measured sinkage at the edge of the bed at 4 inches, which is only half an inch more than the centre of the bed.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Price and deals
- The Essential Hybrid sits in the mid-range mattress bracket
- Nectar have multiple offers throughout the year with up to a 50% discount
Although the Essential Hybrid is Nectar’s cheapest hybrid, we’d still place it in the mid-price range mattress bracket, with the RRP of a UK double at £969. Fortunately Nectar nearly always have an offer or sale with money off the mattress, and generous discounts of up to 50%. Our mattress sales guide will keep you up to date with all the latest offers.
Here’s the pricing for the Nectar Essential Hybrid:
- Single: £749 RRP
- Small Double: £949 RRP
- Double: £969 RRP
- King: £1049 RRP
- Super King: £1169 RRP
As we’ve already mentioned Nectar is one of the most generous companies when it comes to discounts and promotions. Typical discounts are between 40 and 50%, so you could pick up a double mattress for as little as £485, making this one of the best hybrid mattresses for anyone on a budget. You should expect to see the biggest discounts around Black Friday – our Black Friday mattress deals page will keep you up to date on the offers.
Prices for the Nectar are comparable to Simba’s Hybrid Essential mattress, with a double retailing at £899 and the Brook + Wilde Lux, whose double is also £899. Both companies also regularly offer generous discounts of between 40 and 50%. However if you're after a little more from your hybrid, Nectar also launched its Premier Hybrid mattress alongside the Essential; find out all about it in our Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress review.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Setup
- The Essential Hybrid inflates quickly
- Off gassing is minimal
We’d highly recommend paying the £25 fee for Premium Delivery with your Nectar mattress, as it will then be delivered to a room of your choosing as opposed to the front door.
The Nectar is simple to set up – simply use the provided cutting tool to slice through the packaging, with the mattress positioned on the bed. Don’t be too brutal with the cutting tool – we managed to chip the tip off the blade by being a little too forceful. The Nectar doesn’t hang about with inflating either. Nectar say it can take between 24-72 hours to inflate fully, but we found the Essential Hybrid was pretty much fully inflated in around 6 hours.
Off-gassing is where organic chemicals and gases are released from the foam as a mattress expands is completely normal. For more information, read our guide to what is off-gassing. All the foams in the Essential Hybrid are Certi-PUR certified, meaning they’re free from heavy metals, harmful dyes and ozone depleting chemicals. We were pleasantly surprised by how little smell the Nectar had, and this dissipated within a few hours.
Nectar Essential Hybrid Mattress review: Customer reviews
- The Nectar brand has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 on TrustPilot
- Customers praise the mattress for helping with aches and pains
We looked at customer reviews alongside our own testing to get a wider view of the Essential Hybrid. Reviews on the Nectar website link through to TrustPilot, where the brand as a whole has a rating of 4.3 out of 5, with over 12,000 reviews of the various products. 72% of these reviews are 5*. However the Essential Hybrid is one of Nectar’s newer mattresses at the time of writing (December 2022), so there aren’t that many reviews of it. But the reviews that are up praise the mattress for its ability to help with aches and pains and back sleepers are particularly fond of the feel. There are also comments on the slightly firmer feel of the mattress, with some customers liking this and others not being so keen. It’s also worth noting that sleepers suggest that the mattress can take a few weeks to adjust to.
Should you buy the Nectar Essential Hybrid mattress?
If you’re looking for a mattress with the contouring effects of memory foam, but a slightly firmer feel then the Nectar Essential Hybrid is definitely worth considering. Back sleepers and light and average weight stomach sleepers will feel supported, with their spines aligned and pressure points relieved. Side sleepers also enjoyed the mattress, but we do think it’s too firm for lightweight side sleepers, as there isn’t enough sinkage to prevent aggravation of pressure points. And heavier weight stomach sleepers are likely to sink too far into the mattress to feel supported.
Motion transfer is minimal, meaning this could be a great choice if you’re sharing a bed with a restless sleeper and edge support is decent when lying down on the bed. There is a little sloping at the edge when sitting on the bed though.
You could also consider the REM-Fit 500 Ortho Hybrid mattress if you'd prefer a super-firm bed with impressive motion isolation and edge support, or the Emma mattress if you’d prefer an all-foam bed.
