11 best electric toothbrushes, tried and tested for a professional clean

The newest and cheapest electric toothbrush in the iO range, the Oral-B iO2 does away with most of the fancy features of the more expensive brushes in the iO series while keeping the all-important, premium, oscillating brush head technology. It does everything you need it to and costs as little as around £45 when on sale.

I’ll always recommend a cheaper electric toothbrush with as few silly extras as possible, so which features has Oral-B removed to bring the price of the iO2 down? Nothing you’ll really miss. The budget-friendly brush doesn’t have a display, fast charging, a rechargeable travel case, or a connected app to track your brushing habits. What’s been retained is the essential iO brushing technology, a pressure sensor to help you avoid brushing too hard, three brushing intensities, a 30-second pace timer, and a battery that lasts weeks between charges.

Accessing the three brushing modes is a matter of pressing the power button to cycle through them. They get names like ‘sensitive plus’ and ‘daily clean’, but in practical terms, the modes are low, medium, and high – again, all you really need from your electric toothbrush. You can set the brush to launch with your preferred intensity every time, too, all without the need for a flashy and expensive LED screen.

The rubber handle is grippy and comfortable, if a little bulkier than the very top-end iO models. The pressure sensor light could be better positioned (it tends to hide under your thumb, where you can’t see it), though the sound of the motor slowing down is enough of a warning when you’re brushing too hard. What’s most important is the cleaning prowess, and here the iO2 excels by using the same oscillating technology as the rest of the Oral-B premium toothbrush range. Whisper it, but there isn’t a dentist in the world who could tell the difference between the iO2’s results and those of an Oral-B brush costing ten times as much.

The full retail price of £100 is steep compared to other excellent brushes on our list, but like most Oral-B and Philips brushes, you can expect to see the Oral-B iO2 on sale with a 50 per cent discount pretty much every other week. Grab it for £50 or less, and it’s the best value electric toothbrush you’ll find.

Read the full Oral-B iO2 review

While we can’t fully test the effectiveness of Suri’s sustainability mission, we appreciate that 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.

Read the full Suri electric toothbrush review

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.

Read the full Ordo sonic + review

The Philips Sonicare 7100 is a more affordable version of the top-end 9900 Prestige featured elsewhere in our list, and while it lacks some advanced features, it uses the same sonic technology to clean your teeth as opposed to the rotating brush head found on the rival Oral-B iO range.

Regardless of whether you go for the 7100 or splash out on a 9900, the sonic cleaning action feels like serious business in your mouth, and could take some manual brush users by surprise. The brush head blasts your teeth with 62,000 vibrations per minute, emitting a soft, high-pitched buzzing sound as it goes. Run your tongue along your teeth and you’ll appreciate some genuinely dentist-fresh results.

There are four main brushing modes for gum health, whitening, sensitive teeth, and daily cleaning, each with its own intensity levels. As with every electric toothbrush, I suspect there’s no major difference between modes besides the intensity of the vibrations, but the 7100 gives you plenty of options to tune the brush to your liking.

You get a sensibly-placed pressure warning light on the base of the handle, which can’t be missed while brushing, while the power is automatically reduced if you’re brushing too hard. Generally, I prefer the small oval brush head and thin neck of the Sonicare range, too. It reaches the back teeth more comfortably, whereas the thicker Oral-B iO requires opening wider and spraying flecks of toothpaste all over the bathroom mirror.

While far from the priciest brush on our list, there’s no getting around how expensive the 7100 is at full price. Catch it when it’s on offer – you’ll frequently see it drop to as much as 60 per cent off – and it’s a much more reasonable, if still premium, choice of electric toothbrush.

This is an exceptionally smart-looking electric toothbrush. 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.

Read the full Philips Sonicare 9900 prestige review

We love that the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart comes with a special charging glass. Pop the glass on top of the included charging dock, then place your toothbrush inside, and it will recharge wirelessly. It gives 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 visible in the mirror while you scrub.

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 (£149.95, 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.

Read the full Spotlight oral care sonic toothbrush review

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 to handle 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.

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.

The Oral-B iO4 is at the lower-end of the extensive iO range, and one of the best value brushes in the series. 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.

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.

Read our full Oral-B iO6 review