Eve Lighter mattress review: a basic but brilliant budget buy

The Eve Lighter is a relatively new addition to top sleep brand Eve's lineup. If you’ve been shopping around for the best memory foam mattress, you’ve probably seen the name Eve crop up a fair few times. This British manufacturer, founded in 2014, has made a big splash with its Eve Original mattress (and its springs-and-foam sibling, the Eve Original hybrid mattress), which has won numerous awards and sells at a mid-range price. But what if you need something more wallet-friendly, yet still want a decent memory foam mattress?

To lure in budget buyers, Eve offers a similar but significantly cheaper mattress in the form of the Eve Lighter. Like all of Eve's mattresses, it's available as a hybrid (springs plus foam) or a foam-only – this review will focus on the latter. The Eve Lighter has an RRP of £299-£649 (but regular Eve discount codes and deals mean you might not even need to pay that). The pay-off for the much lower price is that, while the Eve Original mattress has three layers and is 24cm (9.4 inches) deep, the Eve Lighter has just two layers and a depth of 20cm (7.8 inches). You do, however, still get a full year to try it out and make sure you love it. 

By opting for the cheaper Eve mattress, are you cutting off your nose to spite your face? I put it to the test to find out. Read on for my full Eve Lighter Mattress review. 

If you have more to spend, check out our best mattress ranking, which includes Eve's top-end Eve Premium Hybrid – and bookmark our best cheap mattress deals page, which is updated regularly to help you find the best bargains.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: price

The Eve Lighter Mattress costs £249 for a UK Single, £349 for a UK Double and £399 for a UK King. Bear in mind that Eve, like all mattress brands, often discount their products, so you might get away with paying even less. Check out our regularly updated Eve mattress deals to find the best offers available right now.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: design

The Eve Lighter is basically the same design as The Eve Original, minus a 30mm layer of memory foam. This means its interior has just two layers. The top layer is 30mm of proprietary ‘Evecomfort’ foam, which the company claims is more 30 times more breathable than memory foam. Beneath that lies a 160mm core layer of high-density base foam, which features contoured zones for added pressure relief.

These foam layers come wrapped inside a white cover, which has an attractive yellow trim around the base, and is very soft to the touch. Made from 98% polyester and 2% elastane, it's removable via a zipper, and can be machine-washed at 40C. 

The Eve Lighter mattress conforms to ISO 9001 quality standards. And all the foam materials it uses are certified free from harmful chemicals by CertiPUR.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: packaging and unboxing

My King sized Eve Lighter Mattress came vacuum-packed in a cardboard box that was impressively compact (36 x 36 x 107cm), and relatively light at 34.5kg, making it easy to carry up the stairs by myself. Inside, the mattress is tightly wrapped in plastic, which you need scissors and a bit of patience to remove safely. Once unwrapped, it took about three hours to fully inflate. 

If you need to move it to another room after it’s inflated, there are six fabric handles on the base to make that easier. Take care though, because one of these unexpectedly started to tear when I tugged at it a little too vigorously.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: comfort

Just moments after agreeing to review this mattress, I panicked a little. Had I just let myself in for a month of misery? I’d had bad experiences with foam mattresses in the past. Yes, some people love the way they mould themselves to your body’s contours. But personally, I always felt like I was sinking in quicksand. 

Furthermore, I was used to premium-priced mattresses, and hadn't slept regularly on a cheap one for many years (I'm in my early 50s). So it was with some trepidation that I prepared for bed on my first night. 

And yet the moment I lay down on the Eve Lighter, my fears started to dissipate. 

Rather than getting that literal ‘sinking feeling’ I’ve suffered on other foam mattresses, I experienced that sensation that I’ve heard others describe, but which I’d never had myself: feeling cradled. Once I got my body into the right position, it was very happy to stay there, and I fell into a deep and satisfying sleep.

For some people, that not might sound remarkable. But I’m generally someone who moves around a lot in the night, continually shifting position in an attempt to get comfortable, much to the annoyance of my partner. 

On the Eve Lighter mattress, though, I’ve found myself staying in the same position for much longer, and getting a better night’s sleep as a result. Plus, when I do move about, the motion transfer is almost non-existent, so I'm less likely to wake up my better half.

Historically, I've also had issues with feeling either too hot or cold in bed. But that, too, has been a much rarer occurrence with this mattress. In my month of use, the Eve Lighter has done an excellent job at keeping my temperature stable through the night. The company says its foams have tiny bubble-like cells that make them extra-breathable, and this certainly seems to work in practice.

In general, I feel my body gets into good spinal alignment when I sleep on the Eve Lighter. As a side sleeper, pressure relief on my hips and shoulders has been good, and any fears I had about the shallower depth of this mattress have been dispelled in practice... despite my being (cough) slightly heavier than the average person, thanks to recent lockdown indulgence. 

Eve describes this mattress as medium-firm, and that sounds about right: I’d rate it a 6.5. There’s no edge support like you’d find on a more expensive model, but because neither of us feels the need to move about much, that hasn’t really been an issue.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: delivery and returns

Eve offers non-contact delivery to everyone’s doorstep; if you live in a block of flats, they’ll deliver to your building's main entrance. Delivery is normally free, but in some areas you might be charged. Any extra costs are listed at checkout, though, so at least you won’t get a nasty surprise.  

The company delivers between 8am and 7pm, and will send you an email saying your mattress is on its way, usually the evening before delivery. Alternatively, you can nominate the day of delivery for an extra £15. Eve will also take away and recycle your old mattress for a £40 fee in most areas. The courier will take care of bagging up your old mattress and dragging it down the stairs.

Eve offers a full 365 night trial, from the day the mattress is delivered. If at any point in that time you decide you this mattress isn't working for you, you can return it at no charge. There's also a 10-year warranty on all of its mattresses.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: verdict

The importance of getting a good night’s sleep on your health and wellbeing can’t be underestimated, and generally we’d advise you spend as much as you can, and get the best mattress you can afford. If money is tight, though, the Eve Lighter Mattress is an excellent choice, providing an impressive level of comfort, support, pressure relief and temperature regulation for a surprisingly low price. 

Don’t get us wrong: overall this is a pretty simple mattress, with just two foam layers, and nothing in particular to get excited about. But it’s well constructed, does its job well, and what more do you really need? 

Admittedly if you weigh more than 16 stone, you’re going to need some more depth to your mattress. And if you want a mattress with bounce, then you'll be better off looking at a sprung model, or at the very least a hybrid. But for anyone else looking for a decent mattress for a low price, we’d highly recommend it.

Eve Lighter Mattress review: Alternatives to consider

If you like the Eve brand, a great alternative for you is the Eve Original Hybrid. The Eve Lighter is essential a scaled down version of this mattress, so while you might spend a little more, you're still get the Eve quality and support that you want.

Alternatively, the models featured in our best memory foam mattress guide are perfect for your comfort preferences.