The best yoga and exercise mats for 2023, as tested by WH's resident yogi

One of the thickest mats tested, this one is ideal if you're looking for plenty of comfy cushioning. Lightweight with a bumpy texture, it had fantastic grip when tested with yoga and high intensity exercise, as well as with shoes on or off.

Cleaning this mat is a painless experience too, as all you have to do is give it a wipe!

We’re all for keeping your fitness routine fresh by trying new things — and luckily for us, so is this versatile mat. It’s double-sided, with the cushioned red surface ideal for yoga and the grey side (with its anti-slip coating) providing a brilliantly grippy platform for energetic workouts.

Our expert said it lay flat on the floor instantly when rolled out (nothing like tripping over curled-up edges to ruin your flow) and was robust enough to withstand a weighty dropped barbell, while also proving super comfy for yoga. The eyelets were a nice touch for hanging in our home gym, too.

First things first, let’s state the obvious: this mat looks great and everyone will envy you. But, how did it perform? Thankfully, there was plenty of substance to back up its stand-out style, with a layer of soft towelling providing a nice, soft feel to the upper. This could be a little slippy on dry hands, but (top tip) you can solve this small setback by giving it a quick spritz with water before using.

It’s incredibly light — great for travelling to and from class — with a surprising amount of cushioning for a 2mm mat. It did mark quite easily, though the fact that it’s machine washable means cleaning it is a doddle.

Meet your new on-the-go hot yoga companion. This good-looking mat from Irish athleisure brand Gym+Coffee has a non-slip cork surface to wick away moisture and stop you sliding around, even during the sweatiest of flows. The smooth material felt comfy for all positions, from savasana (corpse pose) to chaturanga dandasana (low plank) and, at 5mm thickness, it offered serious comfort and top-notch joint protection. Plus, it’s antimicrobial, so you needn’t worry about the mat going mouldy, no matter how hard you work on it.

Our expert rated the stretchy carry strap, which means it’s a breeze to carry around should you fancy an alfresco yoga sesh in the park. They also appreciated the detailed care instructions (simply wipe it down with a damp towel and dry flat) to ensure the mat stays in tip-top condition.

Calling all ad-hoc yogis, this simple Boots design – which comes in at under £25 – is your perfect mat-ch (sorry). According to our tester, the foam material is thick, supportive and makes flowing from pose to pose supremely comfy. It’s a particularly good shout if you need extra cushioning for your spine, joints or limbs.

The underside proved sufficiently grippy on all floors, but the foamy top layer was a tad slippy. As such, we reckon this mat is best suited to less dynamic practises, pranayama and meditation.

It lacks fancy features such as travel straps or alignment markers like the pricier mats in this round-up, and it did need flattening out at the edges once unfurled, but nonetheless it’s a brilliant purse-friendly option for beginners and fair-weather yogis.

Another top-quality option from our pals at Les Mills. Unlike the MBX mat above, this one is designed specifically for yoga, with a vegan leather top layer that absorbs moisture (read: sweat) and stops you from sliding around, no matter how clammy your paws are. Sure enough, our resident yogi stayed rooted in their poses during vigorous vinyasa flows, without any distracting slipping around. Music to our ears!

Fast-paced flows aside, it’s just as effective for chilled out sessions, even on the most unforgiving floors, thanks to the wonderfully cushioned rubber base. Our tester said it lay flat on the floor as soon as they rolled it out, it’s wide enough for users of all sizes, and cleaning the mat is a painless experience – just wipe it down with a cloth and you’re G2G (good to go).

Just note that the mat is on the delicate side – it picked up a few scratches on test – so avoid wearing shoes and make sure to remove any jewellery that may snag the fabric before you get into your sun salutations.

There’s nothing more irritating than buying a brand-new yoga mat only for it to fall apart after a few vinyasa classes. Fortunately, there’s no such problem with this durable offering from the experts at Complete Unity. It’s crafted from sustainably harvested tree rubber and natural jute fibres, which means the surface isn’t the smoothest, but it is resistant to wear and tear and, crucially, it’s uber sturdy – trust us, it won’t budge, whether you’re flowing on carpet, hard wood or tiles.

Our yogi was mega impressed with the mat’s CompleteGrip™ technology, which provided a brilliantly stable surface to get their zen on. The brand is so confident about its grip, it even offers a 30-day ‘grip guarantee’ – so if you do find yourself slipping around mid-flow, you can get your money back. Neat.

The mat earned bonus points for its eco creds. The manufacturing process is zero waste, the materials are non-toxic and vegan-friendly, and the packaging is plastic-free. A word to the wise, though, there’s no carry stap and it is on the heavy side, so it’s not one for bringing on hols.

Lighter and easier to roll out than traditional yoga mats, this travel mat is ideal for taking on holiday (poolside yoga anyone?). The bag with a shoulder pad is a particularly nice touch, making keeping fit on the go stress free.

Extremely grippy, even when sweaty, this mat would suit yogis and general fitness fanatics alike. Our expert enjoyed the alignment system feature that helped with positioning and technique, and WH Fitness Editor Bridie has used hers almost every day since investing in it two years ago.

A vegan suede yoga mat with a luxury feel? Yes, please! Unravelling easily, with a light cushioning, we found it had the perfect balance of being soft yet grippy on our hands and feet.

The mat felt sturdy and stayed flat throughout all the workouts tested. With lots of patterns and colours to choose from, your mat can be as stylish as your workout gear.

It’s also machine washable and dries overnight for the ultimate convenience. What more could you want?

Ever tried savasana on a hardwood or tiled floor? Not fun. Or it didn’t used to be, anyway. Now, thanks to this plush mat, you can transform the hardest surfaces into cushioned workout zones.

It’s sticky and feels soft on bare feet, a potent combo for yoga, and is also more than durable enough to provide a solid base for weights sessions. Thicker than most mats, it cocooned our spines during ab workouts, but can still be rolled up tight thanks to its nifty adjustable carry straps.

If a mat has any green credentials, it’s a big bonus in our book. So, when we found out this one is partly made from algae (yep, the stuff from lakes and ponds), we knew we had to give it a try.

Our expert said it was one of the most comfortable mats they tested, offering mattress-levels of cushioning, and it felt soothing on their hands and feet. It was surprisingly lightweight and portable too, handy if you fancy some Pilates in the park. Our only niggle: it wasn’t amazingly grippy, so we’d reserve it for more relaxed practices.

Oh Decathlon, yet again you've given us just what we need before we even realised we needed it, and at a price we can just about stomach. This time, it’s a yoga mat made for restorative sessions such as yin yoga.

When you’re holding poses for longer periods of time, you want a mat that can keep you comfortable and your joints happy. Thankfully, at a generous 8mm thick, this one does just that.

Scoring an average of 4.5* out of 5 among the Amazon reviewer crowd, this is a good beginner exercise mat.

It's plush so offers good cushioning for floor work — welcome news for those with sore knees, or if you like taking your fitness sessions outside. However, if yoga is more your thing than workouts, you may prefer something thinner.

Here's a yoga mat you can throw into your suitcase for your next trip away, and for such a bargain price, it feels like a smart buy. It folds up too – budget and lifestyle-friendly, what more could you ask for?

Skipping out on your much-looked-forward-to daily flow, because you're not at home and didn't feel like lugging a hefty workout mat around?

That won't be a problem once you get your hands on this super light yoga mat. Weighing only 450g, you won't mind taking it along for the ride.