Which Electric Toothbrush Is Better in 2026? 10 Ranked

The Oral-B Pro 1 is the answer to which electric toothbrush is better for most people, because it is the cheapest brush here with a pressure sensor. Press too hard and the brush stops its pulsations, which protects your gums without you having to think about it.

In addition, you get a 2-minute timer that buzzes every 30 seconds to move you round your mouth, and 3 cleaning modes, including Sensitive. The small round head oscillates and rotates, cupping each tooth in turn.

At £29.99 it costs £47.35 less than the Oral-B Pro 3 3000, and the core cleaning is the same. What you give up is the light-up pressure ring and the second brush head.

If you prefer a gentle, vibrating feel to a spinning head, the Philips Sonicare 3100 is the better electric toothbrush to buy. It moves its bristles 62,000 times a minute and, when you press too hard, the handle pulses to tell you to ease off.

Moreover, it has SmarTimer for the full 2 minutes, QuadPacer to move you on every 30 seconds, and EasyStart, which builds the power up gently over your first brushes. That helps if you are switching from a manual brush and find the buzzing strange at first.

Right now it costs £49.64, which is 35p less than the Sonicare 4100, and the 3100 comes with a travel case that the 4100 does not.

With 57,722 ratings, the Philips Sonicare 4100 has the biggest Philips track record in this list. It has a pressure sensor, a 2-minute SmarTimer with QuadPacer, and two intensity settings, so you can turn it down if your gums are sensitive.

Battery life is 2 weeks, and a light tells you when it is running low. Philips says it removes up to 5 times more plaque than a manual brush.

However, at £49.99 it now costs 35p more than the Sonicare 3100 and has no travel case. The charger is USB, so you need your own wall adaptor.

The Oral-B Pro 3 3000 cleans the same way as the Pro 1, with a round oscillating head. The difference you can see is the 360° pressure light, which warns you visibly when you push too hard.

It also has 3 modes, a 2-minute timer, 2 brush heads in the box and a battery that lasts more than 2 weeks. Buyers rate it 4.5, the joint highest score in this list.

The catch is the price. It was £65.00 at our last check and now sits at £77.34, which is £47.35 more than the Pro 1 for a light and an extra head.

The Oral-B iO5 belongs to Oral-B's newer iO range, and it is the brush to pick if you want feedback. The app tracks where you brush in real time, and the smart pressure sensor tells you if you are pressing too hard, too softly or just right.

It has 5 modes, including Super-Sensitive and Whitening, a LightRing timer and a travel case. Oral-B says it removes up to 160% more plaque between teeth than a manual brush.

Bear in mind that it comes with a two-pin charger and no adaptor, and it costs £90.15. That is three times the price of the Pro 1, so you are paying for coaching rather than a cleaner mouth.

The Aquasonic Black Series has 132,293 ratings, more than every other brush in this list put together. It is a sonic brush running at 40,000 vibrations a minute, with 4 modes, a smart timer and wireless charging.

Its biggest selling point is the box. You get 8 brush heads and a hard travel case, and at one head every 3 to 4 months, Aquasonic says that is about 2.5 years of heads.

However, the listing does not mention a pressure sensor, the one feature that protects your gums. That is why it sits below the Oral-B and Philips brushes that have one.

The Philips Sonicare 1100 is the cheapest way into a Philips sonic brush at £28.99, and buyers rate it 4.4. You get SmarTimer, QuadPacer, EasyStart and up to 14 days of brushing per charge.

What it does not have is a pressure sensor. For £1 more, the Oral-B Pro 1 gives you one, which is why the 1100 sits lower here despite its strong rating.

It comes with 1 brush head and a USB charger, so you need to supply your own wall adaptor.

The Oral-B Vitality Pro is the cheapest Oral-B here at £21.00, and 24,971 buyers rate it 4.1. It uses Oral-B's 2D oscillating and rotating action, with 3 modes, including a Sensitive Plus mode for tender gums.

You also get 2 brush heads in the box and a brushing timer. However, the listing does not mention a pressure sensor, and its 2D action is a step below the 3D action of the Pro 1.

For £8.99 more, the Pro 1 adds the pressure sensor, which is the feature we would pay for first.

The Laifen Wave Pro is a hybrid: it swings 60° like an oscillating brush and vibrates 66,000 times a minute like a sonic one. It has a pressure sensor, an app with custom modes and a battery Laifen rates at 70 days, the longest here by far.

It also comes with 2 brush heads, a wireless charging dock, an aluminium handle and a 2-year warranty.

However, only 372 buyers have rated it, so its 4.5 score rests on a small sample. At £119.00 it costs four times the Pro 1, and the extra money buys battery and finish rather than cleaner teeth.