The two main electric toothbrush brands, Oral-B and Philips have more toothbrushes than you have teeth in your mouth. There’s a bewildering selection to choose from, ranging from the sub-£20 Philips One to the premium Oral-B iO9 and Philips Sonicare 9900. But what’s the difference between all of these brushes? Why are some of them so expensive? And are there any alternatives?
The best electric toothbrush for you isn’t necessarily the most expensive model with the most advanced features. You probably don’t need a Bluetooth-enabled coaching app to tell you how to brush your teeth properly, and you might not need a faux-leather travel case that doubles as a charger.
We asked Dr Praveen Sharma – a specialist in restorative dentistry and scientific advisor to the British Dental Association – which important features to look out for. The expert recommends an electric toothbrush that’s rechargeable and has a timer, medium-stiffness bristles and a small brush head. “Don’t let the cost of really expensive brushes put you off,” says Dr Sharma. “Even the most reasonably priced ones can have the features listed above. Other features are in the category of ‘nice to have but not essential’.
“Whether you use a manual or an electric toothbrush, the most effective way to clean teeth is to use the correct technique, brushing all surfaces of the teeth for at least two minutes, with a fluoride toothpaste,” says Dr Sharma. “Your dentist or dental hygienist will be happy to advise on individualised oral hygiene regime/aids, including tooth-brushing training.”
Most of the brushes we’ve featured have all of these basic necessities included, and many come with extra features, such as pressure sensors, that you may find useful. Where there are exceptions, we’ve pointed them out. We’ve also tested some more environmentally sustainable electric toothbrushes, which aim to reduce plastic waste by using recyclable brush heads.
How we tested the best electric toothbrushes
We tested a wide range of electric toothbrushes in the real world, by asking our testers to swap out their regular brush for each of the models featured below. Using these models for several weeks, our testers paid close attention to how well each toothbrush removed plaque and lingering food debris, as well as how comfortable each brush felt to hold, how user-friendly each model’s app was, how long each brush lasted on a single charge, and how easy they were to recharge.
The brushes in our round-up were tested on a variety of mouths, including family and friends going through teeth-straightening with invisible braces and those with implants and sensitivity. We asked testers to rate the brushes on how thoroughly they felt their teeth had been cleaned after one- and two-minute intervals, as well as ranking them for battery life, portability and comfort.
We also considered the price of each electric toothbrush versus the ongoing cost of replacing the brush heads. Some of the more-premium brushes require expensive replacement brush heads, but it’s worth shopping around online for off-brand replacements, particularly for the most popular toothbrush brands. There’s no quality guarantee when buying third-party brush heads but, during testing, we noticed no difference in results.
The best electric toothbrushes for 2024 are:
Oral-B pro 3
In a world of app-connected toothbrushes with more cleaning modes than bristles, the Oral-B pro 3 stands out for its refreshing simplicity. This budget-friendly electric toothbrush might lack the bells and whistles of its pricier iO siblings, but the oscillating head still delivers a reliably thorough clean.
While less powerful and a tad noisier than brushes in the iO series, the Oral-B pro 3 has everything you need with none of the frills. It’s compatible with the widely available and affordable standard Oral-B brush heads, features a handy timer with 30-second pacing buzzes to encourage consistency, and has a respectable two-week battery life. You get three modes – daily clean, sensitive, and whitening – but don’t expect miracles from the latter. Like most toothbrushes claiming a whitening function, it’s essentially a polishing mode that aims to buff your front teeth to a shine. In our tests, we didn’t notice any visible whitening effects.
What matters is the cleaning power, and the Oral-B pro 3 doesn’t disappoint. Our teeth felt fresh and thoroughly scrubbed, delivering that satisfying “just been to the dentist” sensation. Plus, the lack of a companion app means you can use your free hand to indulge in your morning TikTok scroll without judgement. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense electric toothbrush that gets the job done without breaking the bank, the Oral-B pro 3 is an excellent choice.
Buy now £40.00, Amazon.co.uk
Suri sustainable electric toothbrush
While we can’t fully test the effectiveness of Suri’s sustainability mission, we definitely appreciate there’s a brand that’s making some attempt to reduce the plastic waste caused by regular electric toothbrushes. The Suri sustainable electric toothbrush dodges landfill by using parts that are more easily recycled or repaired – such as the cornstarch and castor oil toothbrush heads, which can be sent back to Suri in a freepost envelope for composting.
Setting aside the B-Corp credentials and carbon offsetting, the Suri brush itself is easily the best-looking electric toothbrush we’ve ever popped in our mouths. The brush is sleek, slim and compact, coming in a range of speckled, pastel colourways that look like they’ve been carved from stone. Even the matching USB charging dock is pretty, resembling something that belongs in a zen garden rather than on your bathroom sink.
As for your teeth, the Suri brush performs well, with its 33,000 sonic vibrations lifting plaque and delivering a comprehensive clean. There’s no fussing around with an on-brush display and Suri’s kept things simple with two levels of intensity, but the biggest oversight here is the lack of a pressure sensor. If you’ve ever been told you scrub too hard, Suri’s brush won’t be able to correct you.
Buy now £75.00, Trysuri.com
Philips Sonicare 9900 prestige
This is an exceptionally smart-looking electric toothbrush. It’s giving Kendall Roy vibes – the kind of brush you might whip out of a Tom Ford wash bag in the bathroom of a Learjet. It comes in two shades – champagne and midnight blue – and includes a stylish and compact pleather travel case that doubles as a USB-C charger.
Unlike other premium brushes, the Sonicare 9900 doesn’t feature anything as flashy as a digital screen, instead featuring a single, neatly recessed power button that doubles as a manual switch for three brushing modes, indicated by LEDs. The app lets you customise your intensity settings further, and will send you real-time feedback and a recommendation if it thinks there’s a better mode or brush head for you. We’re not usually fans of brushing apps, but this one actually improved our form by telling us off for moving the brush around too much.
If you don’t want to faff around with apps, the Sonicare 9900 is still smart enough without one and includes a few common-sense features. The brush drops down to a gentler brushing intensity for a brief moment if it senses you’re putting too much pressure on your gums, so that, over time, you gradually train yourself to do it correctly. This brush can also hit a chart-topping 62,000 vibrations per minute – more than any other brush we’ve tested – delivering a noticeably more intense clean versus cheaper brushes.
All of these premium features come at a cost. At full price, this toothbrush is a luxury purchase, but catch it on sale and there’s no brush we’d sooner recommend.
Buy now £525.00, Amazon.co.uk
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart
We love that the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart comes with a special charging glass. Pop the glass on top of the included charging dock, and your toothbrush will recharge wirelessly when dropped in, giving you all of the convenience of an electric toothbrush while retaining a manual toothbrush aesthetic.
Useful? Well, not hugely. You can use the glass as normal to rinse your mouth – it’s a glass, after all. The whole setup is a little bulkier than a regular charging dock, but if you value your bathroom decor and want to hide any unsightly toothbrush charging ports, it’s a genuinely clever solution.
The Sonicare DiamondClean Smart itself is a sleek-looking brush with a high-quality travel case and a battery that lasts for ages – we went a week between charges. The companion app gives you a lot of control over the brushing experience, letting you easily choose from four modes and three intensities. The app lets you designate problem areas in your mouth and reminds you to catch them – useful if your dentist has pointed out any bleeding or plaque build-up.
Aside from the fancy app tricks, the basics are all nailed. We rate Philips pressure sensors in general: the LED in the base of the brush handle flashes if you’re going at it too hard, and it’s clearly visible in the mirror while you scrub.
Buy now £209.99, Amazon.co.uk
Philips one
This is a brilliant little brush for travelling and camping. If you’ve ever made it to the airport only to realise you’ve forgotten your toothbrush, chances are you’ve seen this guy glaring at you smugly from the shelf in Boots.
About as simple as an electric toothbrush gets, the Philips one lasts three months on a single triple-A battery; features a sleek, contoured handle that’s pleasant to hold; and comes with a compact, colour-matched travel case. There are no modes or bonus features to mess with – just a solid 13,000 micro-vibrations and a two-minute buzzing timer with 30-second intervals – and the brush heads are replaceable at a cost of about £5 per head.
Usually on sale for less than £20 – unless you’re forgetful enough to have to pay departure lounge prices – the Philips one is a lightweight travel companion and a great first electric toothbrush for kids.
Buy now £15.99, Amazon.co.uk
Spotlight oral care sonic toothbrush
The Spotlight oral care sonic toothbrush offers a lot to smile about. For around £70, you get a travel case and no fewer than three brush heads in the pack – just one or two tends to be standard – while the three brushing modes, clean design, 48,000rpm vibrations and comfortable handle gives the brush a premium feel that belies its budget-friendly price.
While those three speed settings cater to various oral hygiene goals and situations – from deep cleaning to sensitive gums – the lack of a pressure sensor should give some users pause. If you tend to brush with too much enthusiasm, this brush won’t be able to guide you towards a gentler approach. We haven’t tested it yet, but spotlight makes a pro version of this brush (£97.47, Spotlightoralcare.com) to help with that.
On the plus side, the brush heads are remarkably gentle on gums and the brush itself boasts an impressive 70-day battery life, while the 48,000 vibrations are enough to break up plaque and get that all-important, deep-clean mouthfeel.
Buy now £66.00, Spotlightoralcare.com
Oral-B iO3
This is the cheapest electric toothbrush in the iO range, and does away with all of the techy smart features found higher up the series. What’s left behind is an excellent and affordable brush that uses the same powerful and quiet oscillating motor found in other iO brushes, giving it comparable cleaning performance at a fraction of the price.
For anyone who really couldn’t care less about brushing apps, the Oral-B iO3 is a great choice. You won’t get recommendations or customisation options, but you’ll still get three brushing modes for daily cleaning, gentle care and whitening, all easily accessible via a physical button on the stylish and cleanly designed handle.
You also don’t miss out on the more important brushing features, such as a pressure sensor with lights, a timer and a pacer for making sure every corner of your mouth is getting equal attention over the course of a two-minute brushing session.
The smaller battery size means you’ll need to be diligent about popping the Oral-B iO3 back on its charging base – the 16-hour recharge time also means you can’t fully charge it overnight – but if you’re looking to upgrade to iO technology without the hefty price tag, this is a great place to start.
Buy now £75.00, Amazon.co.uk
Oral-B iO9
The Oral-B iO9 electric toothbrush sits just below the top-of-the-range iO10, offering a similar suite of premium features at a slightly more palatable price. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of its eye-wateringly expensive sibling, the iO9 still packs a punch with its sleek design, impressive cleaning power, and smart features.
The brush boasts no fewer than seven cleaning modes, indicated by intuitive LED graphics decorating the handle. The oscillating action of the iO9 seems to be more effective than a sonic brush for cleaning around orthodontics, too, presumably because the mechanical action of the fast-moving brush can more easily get into those hard-to-reach areas – our implant-wearing tester was impressed by the results.
Oral-B’s accompanying app elevates the brushing experience, though the iO9 offers a powerful clean and plenty of on-handle feedback without it. You can get real-time reports on your brushing technique, helping you achieve a consistently thorough clean and improve your oral hygiene over time. You’ll ditch the app once you’ve settled into the right brushing habits – there are only so many notifications about your teeth you can handle – but those looking to maximise their brushing routine will appreciate the insights.
Buy now £249.99, Amazon.co.uk
Foreo issa 3
The newest brush in Swedish brand Foreo’s range, this model comes with 16 intensity settings – you dial in the one that suits you and can increase the intensity as you get more comfortable with the medical-grade, soft-silicone brush head and polymer bristles. Trust us, they do take a bit of getting used to.
The relatively large size and unusual shape of the brush head and bristles means you don’t get the classic deep-clean sensation found with other brushes, but the polymer material in combination with the sonic pulses meant there wasn’t a kinder brush to gums on test. If you’re looking for a brush where you can really dial-in the sensitivity, this is a very good option.
If you turn the brush head over, you also have a tongue and cheek cleaner, which aims to make for a healthier environment inside your entire mouth. The brush still looks striking and feels comfortable to use, and the patented battery design means a single charge will last for six months.
Read the full Foreo issa 3 review
Buy now £179.00, Amazon.co.uk
Oral-B iO4
The Oral-B iO4 is at the lower-end of the extensive iO range, and one of the best brushes in the series, in terms of value. It ditches the digital display, which, let’s be honest, nobody really needs. Instead, it pares things back to basics, with a single button for power and switching between modes.
While it doesn’t have the fancier features of more-expensive brushes, the iO4 retains the impressive oscillating cleaning power and the most essential smarts of the iO range. The built-in pressure sensor alerts you if you’re brushing too hard or too soft (by turning red or green), while the handy timer guides you to a consistent clean. For adventurous brushers who like to switch up their routine from time to time, the iO4 offers four brushing modes, accessible either on-handle or through the accompanying app.
Buy now £95.00, Amazon.co.uk
Ordo sonic +
At first glance, this toothbrush could be mistaken for the more expensive Sonicare brush in our list, with a clean, white, clinical design that wouldn’t look out of place at your local dental surgery. The brush delivers a powerful clean, using 40,000 sonic pulses per minute, and has four brushing modes, plus the usual timer to ensure you’re giving every corner of your mouth enough attention.
The W-shaped bristle design performs well around hard-to-reach areas, and there’s a silicone cross in the centre of the brush head to help polish the teeth and massage gums – all our testers felt that this addition was very effective in getting rid of longer-term stains.
While the Ordo sonic + delivers on cleaning power and features, the lack of a pressure sensor is a disappointment. If you’re prone to over-enthusiastic brushing (and bad at following your dentist’s orders), you might want to consider an alternative brush that warns you when you’re giving those gums a hard time.
Buy now £45.00, Ordolife.com
Oral-B genius X
The more inexpensive Oral-B genius X differs from the premium Oral-B iO range in that it uses a different type of motor in the handle. You’ll get the same cleaning results, but the brush is slightly louder and has a different feel in the mouth: less smooth and a little buzzier.
The oscillating round brush head (amusingly called “dentist inspired”, whatever that means) includes an LED pressure sensor, six cleaning modes and a two-week battery life. The app has a smart coaching feature, which tracks how well you brush over time and gives you tips on how to improve your technique. Brushing apps might be over-complicating a task we do at least twice a day for our entire lives, but they’re a good way to remedy any bad habits you might not realise you’ve fallen into.
The clincher is that this is the most advanced Oral-B electric toothbrush to use the standard Oral-B brush heads. Whereas the iO range uses special heads costing £15 at full price, the genius X uses heads costing around £4 each.
Buy now £113.28, Amazon.co.uk
Oral-B iO6
The Oral-B iO6 electric toothbrush hits a sweet spot between price and performance. While it lacks some nice-to-have features of the Oral-B iO9, this marginally more budget-friendly mid-range option delivers the same cleaning performance with a smaller subset of the iO range’s signature smarts.
The iO6 is the cheapest in the series to use a digital display on the handle, making it easier to see at a glance which of the five brushing modes you’re currently using, as well as things such as battery life and when it’s time to replace the brush head. The five cleaning modes provide plenty of versatility for your particular oral care needs, and you still get the benefit of Oral-B’s app, which offers personalised insights into your brushing technique if you want it.
Even without the app, the iO6 keeps you on track with a built-in pressure sensor, timer and pacer. You miss out on the premium charging case of the more expensive iO9 – the included plastic travel case is just a case – and the charging dock is your standard design rather than the sleek magnetic stand that comes with the more-expensive brush.
Buy now £130.00, Amazon.co.uk
Electric toothbrush FAQs
Do dentists recommend Oral-B or Sonicare?
Oral-B and Philips’s Sonicare are two of the most widely recommended toothbrush brands by dentists, but there’s no industry consensus on which electric toothbrush is best. Dentists recommend a wide range of electric toothbrushes, and, depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer.
One thing almost every dentist agrees on, however, is that electric toothbrushes are better at cleaning than manual toothbrushes. Even more important than the type of brush you use is practising good dental hygiene habits: brushing regularly and for the dentist-recommended two minutes, reaching all parts of the mouth, and flossing.
Are round-head electric toothbrushes better?
Round-head electric toothbrushes oscillate thousands of times per minute, enough to efficiently remove plaque, bacteria and debris while brushing. A sonic or ultrasonic toothbrush, which is more likely to have a standard-shaped head, pulses tens of thousands of times per minute to break down and dislodge plaque, bacteria and debris.
There’s not a whole lot of evidence that sonic and ultrasonic toothbrushes are more effective than standard electric toothbrushes at cleaning teeth but, on paper, the newer technology packs more vibrations per second and could help remove plaque quicker.
Are electric toothbrushes better than manual toothbrushes?
Research shows electric toothbrushes are more effective at cleaning teeth and protecting from gum disease if they are used properly and for the recommended time. That’s because the vibration of the bristles works extra hard to remove plaque from your teeth and reduce the risk of inflammation of the gums.
Electric toothbrushes often have extra features that are also significant. A built-in timer, for example, can help ensure you brush your teeth long enough. Some toothbrushes even connect to your phone to bring you personalised brushing advice.
Some people report being more focused when cleaning their teeth with an electric toothbrush, and kids tend to find them more fun – especially if there are associated child-friendly apps involved. People with braces can also find it easier to keep their teeth clean with an electric toothbrush.
But electric toothbrushes are pricier than manual ones, and finding replacement heads isn’t always easy. It’s also worth noting not everyone likes the feeling of using them.
Can electric toothbrushes be bad for your teeth?
Brushing too hard and fast with an electric toothbrush can permanently damage teeth enamel and cause gum recession. But electric toothbrushes can only damage teeth and gums in this way if excess pressure is applied, so always make sure you allow the movement of the toothbrush to do all the hard work.
Top features to look for in an electric toothbrush
How to use an electric toothbrush properly
Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards the gum line. Move the brush gently back and forth, with a circular movement over the front, back and top of your teeth. Don’t scrub, especially along the gum line, and use floss for harder-to-reach areas between the teeth. Some toothbrushes also allow you to brush your tongue, to combat cavity-causing bacteria.
You should spend at least two minutes using this technique, spending 30 seconds on each section of your mouth – upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left. Repeat both morning and night.
How to clean an electric toothbrush
To make sure your electric toothbrush stands the test of time, we’d recommend cleaning it regularly. Rinse the toothbrush head and electric body after every use, to remove toothpaste build-up and excess grime. A cotton bud can also be used to reach areas such as the base, while a damp cloth may help remove tougher debris.
How long do electric toothbrushes last?
The average electric toothbrush lasts three to five years. Many electric toothbrushes come with a two-year warranty but you will need to change the heads more frequently – the general advice is at least every three months. Some of the newer electric toothbrush heads have colour-change indicators to alert you to when they need replacing.
The verdict: Electric toothbrushes
If you want an electric toothbrush that isn’t too expensive and is relatively cheap to buy replacement heads for, we recommend the Oral-B pro 3. Its oscillating brush head features a powerful cleaning action and can easily get into those hard-to-reach spots, while the 360-degree pressure sensor ensures you’re brushing safely.
For a genuinely great-looking electric toothbrush from a brand that’s trying to reduce its environmental impact, Suri’s sustainable brush is highly recommended. Even if you couldn’t give a hoot about plastic waste, the brush looks smart, cleans brilliantly and comes in a slim and compact travel case.
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