Best: Colour range

Rating: 10/10

Love a spot of colour coordination? You’ll love Homescapes bath mat, which measures 50cm by 80cm and comes in 15 colours (the dazzlingly-bright raspberry and royal blue tones are our favourites). The potential plainness of a solid block of colour is offset by a sleek striped design, and it’s surprisingly thick, making it the perfect mat for anyone with kids who like to kick up a tsunami of bath water. There’s no non-slip backing, but the combination of the thick material and the rigid design helped to keep it in place.

Best: For fun factor

Rating: 8/10

Why is it that so few of the fanciest bath mats come with non-slip backings? We’re firm believers that our desire not to crash across a wet bathroom floor shouldn’t require sacrifices in the style stakes. Luckily, Red Candy has come to the rescue with a ridiculously cheery rainbow-shaped bath mat which doesn’t just feel wonderfully thick, but which has an ultra-grippy TPE (thermoplastic elastomer, if you were wondering, which you probably weren’t) backing to ensure this mood-enhancing mat stays put. Made from 100 per cent polyester microfiber, it’s quick-drying and can be chucked in the washing machine, although light stains can easily be spot-removed with some warm water and detergent.

Best: Bath-side specific mat

Rating: 9/10

What could be cooler than a man-eater swimming across your bathroom floor? Another 100 per cent polyester microfiber mat which is kept in place by a TPE backing, this mat has a top quality feel (a good yank of its tufts failed to displace any of the fibres) and is surprisingly thick. Its long, narrow profile (50cm x 110cm) is the reason this mat is best suited to baths, rather than showers – place it along the length of the tub to provide plenty of space for damp, slippery feet. We also loved the level of detail, which extends to the shark’s gills and a rather evil-looking eye.

Best: For kids

Rating: 7/10

We love a pun here at IndyBest, even more so when it’s on the side of a super soft bath mat. This is a brilliant way to liven up bathrooms in households with younger children – it will instantly take the edge off bath time for youngsters who don’t enjoy it, and can also be placed sink-side as a timely reminder of the importance of hand-washing. The thick cotton is super soft, and it can be chucked in the washing machine, too.

Best: For quality

Rating: 10/10

This is one of the softest bath mats we’ve come across, and we suspect it’s down to the bobbles – all too often the individual fibres on bath mats quickly become compressed and worn down, reducing their ability to absorb water and giving the mat a thinner, harder feel. Not so with this one, which is covered with super-soft, ultra-absorbent bobble-shaped fibres which remain resolutely upright. They’ve been awarded European Oeko-Tex 100 certification too, which guarantees that no harmful dyes or chemicals were used in the production process.

Best: Value

Rating: 8/10

Full disclosure: we know we’ve banged on about thickness. A lot. But this Turkish cotton bath mat takes the concept of plush to a whole new level, proof of which is in the high GSM (grams per square metre), which comes in at 850. The fibres are wonderfully thick, long and dense (nothing’s worse than a bald spot on a bath mat, after all) and the non-slip backing – a no-nonsense patch of extra-grippy rubber – ensures this mat stays put, no matter how much of a drenching your bathroom gets.  It’s another one which comes in a great range of colours, and the 11 shades include the fabulously-named mojito (£4.80, Christy.co.uk), poolside (£4.80, Christy.co.uk) and very berry (£4.80, Christy.co.uk). We’re even smitten with the oddly-named tarmac, which is a surprisingly stylish slate grey. A top tip? Pair your prism mat with one of Christy’s prism towels, which come in the same colours. We recommend teaming a tarmac towel with an absinthe (bright green) bath mat. Which sounds weird, but trust us, it works.

Best: Style

Rating: 9/10

There’s something wonderfully, unashamedly retro about this bright pink, flower-powered bath mat, 85 per cent of which is made from Egyptian cotton. It’s incredibly absorbent, thanks both to the presence of two-thread yarn (ultra-absorbent yarn made by twisting two threads together) and so-called long staple cotton, which is known for both its lustre and softness. This non-slip bath mat makes a brilliant centre piece for larger bathrooms, although you’d be wise to consider existing colour schemes first – this is a seriously bright bath mat.

Best: For a splash of colour

Rating: 9/10

If only all cacti were this wonderful to walk on. Splash out on this mat, which covers 90 x 40cm and has a non-slip base, and you’ll get to adorn your bathroom floor with a cluster of cacti depicted in glorious technicolour (the shades range from a neon-green to a deep, grass-like hue). It feels wonderfully plush – its supreme softness is apparently down to the use of top-quality Egyptian cotton, and the individual fibres are also incredibly thick and long. The (minor) downside is that you’ll need a little extra drying time if you subject this particular mat to a super soaking, but the fact that it’s machine washable more than makes up for it in the maintenance stakes.