12 best electric toothbrushes, tried and tested for a professional clean
To cut through the marketing jargon, I went straight to an expert. I asked Dr Praveen Sharma, a specialist in restorative dentistry and scientific advisor to the British Dental Association, about the most important features of an electric toothbrush.
His advice was clear: 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 fancy Bluetooth brush. 'Other features are in the category of 'nice to have but not essential',' says Dr Sharma.
With that expert advice as my guide, 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 buildup 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.
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