The 10 Best Electric Toothbrushes of 2026, Ranked

Neither wins outright. Oral-B uses a small round head that oscillates and rotates, and its iO range adds pressure lights and a gentler feel. Sonicare uses a sonic head that sweeps from side to side, and its brushes tend to be quieter with longer battery life. Owners rate both highly, so pick on handle feel, battery life and head price. A Sonicare 5300 suits short trips, and an iO3 suits sensitive gums.

Both clean well when used for two minutes twice a day. Oscillating-rotating brushes such as Oral-B's cup each tooth in turn and suit people who like a deliberate, tooth-by-tooth clean. Sonic brushes from Philips Sonicare, Ordo, SURI and Oclean vibrate faster and sweep, and many owners find them lighter and quieter. Head shape matters as much: a small round head reaches back teeth easily, while a wider sonic head covers more surface per stroke.

Every three months, or sooner if the bristles flare. Oral-B heads have blue indicator bristles that fade, and Sonicare's BrushSync models remind you when to swap. Brand heads cost roughly £4 to £10 each depending on the brand and pack size, with multipacks and third-party heads cheaper. Check that the head fits your handle before buying: iO heads do not fit older Oral-B handles, and Sonicare click-on heads differ between ranges.

Most people do not. A built-in two-minute timer with 30-second quadrant pacing and a pressure sensor give the benefits that matter. Apps and AI position tracking, as on the Oral-B iO Series 10 and Sonicare Prestige 9900, show which areas you miss, and some owners find that useful for building a habit. Reviewers often say the extras go unused after the first few weeks.

Yes, for most people. A basic brush such as the Oral-B Vitality Pro or Ordo Sonic Lite gives an electric clean with a timer. Moving up buys more modes, longer battery life and a travel case. Some budget brushes, such as the Sonicare 3100, already include a pressure alert. Mid-range brushes such as the Sonicare 5300 and Oral-B iO3 also add a pressure sensor, which protects gums if you brush hard. Check the running cost too, as heads add up over a few years. Charging costs are negligible.

Dentists generally recommend any electric brush with a two-minute timer and a pressure sensor, used twice a day, and Oral-B and Philips Sonicare are the names most often seen in UK practices. No single model is the official pick. Which? runs its own lab assessments of electric toothbrushes and scores cleaning and ease of use, but VettedTen does not assess products itself: these ten are ranked from owner ratings across 22 models.

Look at battery life and what comes in the box. Brushes with three to five weeks of battery, such as the Ordo and Oclean models here, rarely need a charger on a short trip. A USB charger needs an adaptor in a UK bathroom, which has shaver sockets only, so charge in the bedroom. A travel case in the box, as with the iO3 and Sonicare 5300, saves buying one separately.