Whether you’re upgrading to an electric toothbrush for the first time or you’re trading up to a fancier model, you have a frankly bewildering array of options to choose from in 2025. Oral-B and Philips are the two biggest brands, with an enormous selection of brushes between them, ranging from budget-friendly options to more expensive models packed with smart features you might not need.
To cut through the marketing jargon, I went to an expert to find out what features are important in an electric toothbrush. Dr Praveen Sharma, a specialist in restorative dentistry and scientific advisor to the British Dental Association, advises that you look for a rechargeable brush with a built-in timer, a small head, and medium-stiffness bristles.
You can find these features in lots of budget-friendly toothbrushes, so you don’t need to drop hundreds of pounds on a complicated brush with a hundred modes. Those features are “in the category of ‘nice to have but not essential’,” says Dr Sharma.
With this expert advice in mind, I spent weeks testing my way through a mountain of electric toothbrushes. This included the latest from Oral-B and Philips, as well as challenger brands like Suri, which is shaking things up with a smart, eco-friendly design.
My testing focused on separating the genuinely useful features (like a good pressure sensor) from the expensive gimmicks, to bring you a definitive guide to the electric toothbrushes that are actually worth your money in 2025.
How I tested
I’ve been testing electric toothbrushes since 2021. To ensure my recommendations include options for a broad range of dental needs, I have also enlisted the help of multiple other testers, including those undergoing teeth-straightening with invisible braces and those with implants and sensitivity.
When trialling, the team of testers and I used each model for a minimum of one month, and paid close attention to the following key factors:
- Cleaning ability: This is crucial for electric toothbrushes. We assessed how thoroughly cleaned our teeth felt after one- and two-minute intervals. We also considered how well an electric toothbrush removed plaque and lingering food debris, taking photos before and after cleaning to spot any areas where the brush missed. Only the brushes that had a strong cleaning ability and were able to remove build-up featured here.
- Cleaning modes and settings: We tested every mode and intensity setting of each electric toothbrush, noting how it felt and whether there were any improvements in the cleaning results.
- Pressure sensors: It’s easy to apply too much pressure to your teeth when you’re brushing them, which can cause damage to your gums. We favoured the brushes that had pressure sensors (beeping, lighting up, or vibrating) when brushing.
- Two-minute timer: Dentist Dr Praveen Sharma recommends that you must brush “all surfaces of the teeth for at least two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste.” An electric toothbrush with a timer will help you do just that, so we assessed each brush on its timing abilities.
- Battery life and recharging: There’s nothing worse than an electric toothbrush that cannot hold its charge. We considered how long a brush lasted on a single charge and how easy it was to recharge.
- Price of toothbrush and heads: 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.
- Additional features: We also assessed whether the electric toothbrushes had extra features and whether they were worth the extra money. For example, with app connectivity, we tested how user-friendly it was to use and whether it genuinely provided us with the useful information we needed.
Why you can trust us
IndyBest is The Independent’s expert-driven shopping section. We thoroughly test every product we feature in real-world conditions to bring you unbiased reviews based on our extensive testing. We include products to suit all budgets, from premium to affordable, and we only recommend products we think you’ll love.
Steve Hogarty is a tech journalist with more than a decade’s experience testing and reviewing gadgets. For this review, he tested dozens of electric toothbrushes from big and small brands, enlisted the help of other testers with a range of dental-care needs, and consulted oral health experts to determine which features to look out for.
The best electric toothbrushes for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Oral-B iO2: £45, Boots.com
- Best sustainable brush – Suri electric toothbrush: £75, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Ordo sonic+: £59.99, Ordolife.com
- Best premium option – Philips Sonicare 9900 prestige: £271, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for braces – Oral-B iO9: £210.99, Amazon.co.uk
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Oral-B iO2
Best: Electric toothbrush overall
Cleaning modes: Three
Battery life: Four weeks
Phone app: No
Replacement head: Around £7.50
Why we love it
- Cheapest iO brush you can buy
- Effective cleaning power
Take note
- Less powerful than higher-tier iO brushes
- Silly pressure sensor light placement
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 have 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 in 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.
Buy now £45.00, Boots.com
Suri sustainable electric toothbrush
Best: Sustainable electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Two
Battery life: 40 days
Phone app: No
Replacement head: Around £5
Why we love it
- Comes with magnetic mirror mount
- More sustainable than most
- Self-cleaning case
Take note
- No pressure sensor
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
Buy now £75.00, Trysuri.com
Ordo sonic +
Best: Budget electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Four
Battery life: Three weeks
Phone app: No
Replacement head: About £4
Why we love it
- Replacement heads are on the cheaper side
Take note
- No pressure sensor
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
Buy now £59.99, Ordolife.com
Philips Sonicare 7100
Best: Mid-range electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Four, with three intensity modes each
Battery life: Three weeks
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £9
Why we love it
- Powerful sonic cleaning action
- Loads of intensity settings
- Premium look and feel
- Comes with charging travel case
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.
Buy now £349.99, Amazon.co.uk
Philips Sonicare 9900 prestige
Best: Premium electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Five
Battery life: Two weeks
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £9 each
Why we love it
- Intense sonic cleaning action
- Stylish charging travel case
Take note
- Expensive
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
Buy now £549.99, Amazon.co.uk
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart
Best: Affordable Sonicare electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Four
Battery life: Two weeks
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £8
Why we love it
- Includes charging glass
- Neat and clean design
- Clever pressure sensor warnings
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.
Buy now £399.99, Amazon.co.uk
Spotlight oral care sonic toothbrush
Best: Value electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Three
Battery life: Two weeks
Phone app: No
Replacement head: Around £7
Why we love it
- Good range of modes
- Comes with three replacement heads
Take note
- No pressure sensor
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
Buy now £110.00, Spotlightoralcare.com
Foreo issa 3
Best: Electric toothbrush for sensitive gums
Cleaning modes: 16 intensity settings
Battery life: 180 days
Phone app: No
Replacement head: Around £20
Why we love it
- Amazing battery life
- Great for sensitive gums
- Tongue cleaner included
Take note
- Large brush head isn’t ideal for orthodontics
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.
Buy now £89.00, Amazon.co.uk
Philips one
Best: Electric toothbrush for camping
Cleaning modes: One
Battery life: 90 days
Phone app: No
Replacement head: Around £5
Why we love it
- Simple, travel-friendly design
- Triple-A battery lasts 90 days
Take note
- No recharging option
- Basic functions
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.
You wouldn’t typically choose an electric toothbrush that takes batteries over a rechargeable brush, but if you plan on hiking or camping somewhere without electricity (and you refuse to make do with a manual brush), the Philips one is your best bet.
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, Superdrug.com
Oral-B iO9
Best: Electric toothbrush for braces
Cleaning modes: Seven
Battery life: 14 days
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £10
Why we love it
- Powerful, comfortable cleaning action
Take note
- Replacement heads can be expensive
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 £500.00, Amazon.co.uk
Oral-B iO4
Best: Affordable iO electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Four
Battery life: Two to three weeks
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £10
Why we love it
- Relatively affordable for the iO range
Take note
- No digital display
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.
Buy now £160.00, Boots.com
Oral-B iO6
Best: Smart electric toothbrush
Cleaning modes: Five
Battery life: Two weeks
Phone app: Yes
Replacement head: Around £10
Why we love it
- iO smart features at a reasonable price
Take note
- Travel case doesn’t charge the brush
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 the full Oral-B iO6 review
Buy now £300.00, Currys.co.uk
The best electric toothbrush deals
Oral-B iO2: Was £100, now £42, Amazon.co.uk
The best electric toothbrush I’ve tested has 58 per cent off at Amazon right now. Like many other electric toothbrushes, the Oral-B iO2 bounces between full price and a discounted price roughly every two weeks, so you can expect to see this discount popping up over and over again this year. This saving is slightly deeper than usual though, so now’s a good time to buy.
Oral-B pro 3: Was £100, now £69.99, Amazon.co.uk
If you don’t need all the fancy add-ons of pricier toothbrushes, the Oral-B pro 3 is one of my favourites. In my review, I praised it for its “refreshing simplicity” and cleaning power that left my teeth feeling fresh. Right now, there’s a third off at Amazon. It’s not an all-time low, but it’s still a decent saving compared to its price during the rest of the year.
Your questions on electric toothbrushes answered
What is the best electric toothbrush?
If you want an electric toothbrush that balances powerful cleaning action with an affordable price, we recommend the new Oral-B iO2. It has the premium cleaning technology of more expensive brushes in the iO series, but strips away the features you probably don’t need.
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.
What electric toothbrush do UK dentists recommend?
Oral-B claims to be the number one toothbrush recommended by dentists worldwide, but in general, you won't find UK dentists endorsing one specific brand over another. Instead, the experts we spoke to emphasised the importance of brushing technique over the type of toothbrush you use.
We spoke to Dr Praveen Sharma, a specialist in restorative dentistry and scientific adviser to the BDA, who says that no matter which electric toothbrush you choose, “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.”
If you have any specific concerns, Dr Praveen Sharma recommends speaking to your dentist, who can advise you on the best electric toothbrush for your needs.
Are electric toothbrushes better than manual ones?
The short answer is yes, but not for the reasons you might think. High-speed vibrations or oscillations are proven to be more effective at removing plaque, but what’s more important is your brushing technique. An electric toothbrush helps correct common mistakes, preventing you from brushing too hard, not brushing for long enough, or missing parts of your mouth.
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. And should something break, here’s a guide on how to repair your electric toothbrush.
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