Best Oral-B electric toothbrush 2024: Find the top rotary brush, according to our tests

If you don’t want to spend hours decoding marketing to find out which is the best Oral-B electric toothbrush for you, we’ve got you covered. We’ve tested their sprawling range of rotary toothbrushes to find out what each brush is capable of, ensuring our list of recommendations is as accurate as possible.

Oral B has several different ranges serving different customers and price points, from basic entry-level rotary brushes to all-singing, all-dancing smart iO series models. The prices of these brushes vary massively, ranging from around £30 for a budget brush to upwards of £400 for the top-end models. To make things more difficult, these prices can fluctuate wildly, so you’ll sometimes find new mid-range brushes selling for less than budget brushes if you catch them in a sale.

All that means that we generally advise against buying the first Oral-B brush you see. Instead, we recommend you consult this guide, where we’ll run you through all the best Oral B electric toothbrushes we’ve tested. For more information, you can read our in-depth guide to the Oral-B ranges.

How we test Oral-B electric toothbrushes

We test electric toothbrushes by using them twice a day over at least one week, making sure we get a feel for how they handle and perform when cleaning. During the test period, we’ll try any specific brush modes and attachments, and install any apps required to get the most out of any built-in smart features. For at least one of those brushes, we’ll use plaque-disclosing tablets to check that all areas of the teeth are getting a proper clean.

To assess battery life, we leave the toothbrush running while standing up and time how long it takes for the battery to run down. We then divide this figure by the four minutes per day brushing recommended by dentists to get an accurate idea of how many days and weeks a single charge should last.

READ NEXT: Best water flossers

The best Oral-B electric toothbrushes to buy in 2024

1. Oral-B Vitality Pro: Best cheap Oral-B electric toothbrush

Price when reviewed: £50 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Basic rotary cleaning
• Keep in mind: No pressure sensor

The Vitality Pro is as basic as electric toothbrushes get, but it’s still a better option for most people than your average manual or battery toothbrush. Aside from its three brushing modes, you don’t get much in the way of features, with no pressure sensor; it just has a pulse every 30 seconds to help you track when your two minutes is up. What’s more, it’s one of the few Oral-B brushes to have no vibrating 3D action to break down plaque and work in between your teeth – a simple, back-and-forth oscillation cleans the surface of teeth.

All the same, although the action feels a little rough and rattly in comparison to the brand’s more expensive models, we think it still gives your gnashers a thorough clean. If you have sensitive teeth, we’d recommend tailoring your experience by switching out the CrossAction brush head for a sensitive head. And while we feared the worst from the NiMH battery, it actually lasted a reasonable 43 minutes in our tests. We’d like to see a pressure sensor and a charging indicator, but if you only have around £28 to spend on an Oral-B toothbrush, this is as good as it gets.

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 1; Battery type: NiMH; Accessories included: One brush head, charger; Battery life (tested): 43 mins; Warranty: 2 years; Cost of replacement heads: £18 for 8

2. Oral-B Pro 3 3000: Best budget Oral-B toothbrush

Price when reviewed: £100 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Excellent clean, useful features
• Keep in mind: Now low pressure indicator

We think Oral-B’s affordable Pro 3 3000 feels like a real step up from the Vitality Plus and our previous entry-level favourite, the Pro 2500N. The sleek new design drops the rubber grip of the older model, but we still found it easy to handle, easier to rinse clean and the rear pressure sensor – now a 360-degree ring – can be seen easily while you’re brushing. Throw in the normal two-minute timer, and this brush covers all the fundamentals.

What’s more, it delivers an excellent clean, with three modes – Sensitive, Daily Clean and Whitening – that take you all the way from a softer brush that’s easy on the gums to a more intense polish that should help get rid of staining. Battery life, meanwhile, is exceptional; you’ll easily get through two weeks of brushing and probably three without a recharge. In our eyes, it’s the king of sensibly priced brushes and one of the easiest recommendations in the Oral-B range.

Read our full Oral-B Pro 3 3000 review

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 3; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: One brush head, charger; Battery life (tested): 87 mins; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £18 for 8

3. Oral B iO Series 3: Best Oral-B toothbrush for no-fuss brushing

Price when reviewed: £160 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Comfortable, quiet cleaning with a dual pressure sensor
• Keep in mind: No app

If you’re not bothered with the whole idea of apps and smart toothbrushes, then we think the iO Series 3 is amazing value and, arguably, the best brush in Oral-B’s whole range. It boasts the same magnetic drive technology as the other brushes in Oral-B’s flagship iO-Series range, but lacks the advanced sensors and Bluetooth connectivity to monitor your brushing. In practice, that means a quieter brush with a more comfortable vibration, and one that still leaves your incisors feeling polished and your molars super-clean, as well as doing a fantastic job of clearing plaque from between your teeth.

What’s more, you still get effective pressure-sensing, with an indicator ring on the handle that glows different colours to let you know if you’re brushing too hard, or not hard enough. The 30-second pulse timer also makes it easy to track how long to spend in each quadrant of your mouth. Meanwhile, the battery life is a little better than many of the other iO-Series brushes, with our test brush clocking 2hrs 19mins of action before running flat. In real terms, that means you can easily get through a month of brushing without a recharge. It’s not a whole lot cheaper than the iO Series 4, which comes with all the smart brush mod-cons, but why pay extra if you won’t use the smart features?

Read our full Oral-B iO Series 3 review

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 3; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: One brush head, charger, travel case; Battery life (tested): 2hrs 19mins; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £24 for 4

4. Oral-B Genius 8000: Best value Oral-B smart toothbrush

Price when reviewed: £145 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Range of brush modes, app tracks treatment
• Keep in mind: Similarly-priced iO6 has more features

The Genius 8000 launched as a cut-down, value version of the original Genius 9000 brush, but it still feels like a high-end toothbrush. In our tests, it gave an excellent clean, with a choice of six brush modes and three brush heads – CrossAction, 3D White and Sensitive – to cover a wide range of dental needs. Its Li-ion battery still takes a full night to charge but will last for over an hour of brushing from there on in, which should cover you for a couple of weeks.

The Genius 8000 connects via Bluetooth to your phone, giving real-time brushing feedback, an activity diary and gentle chastisement when you miss a brush or finish early. It can even use the phone’s camera to make sure you’re brushing each area sufficiently. It’s quite entertaining and educational, but we worry that the novelty may wear off with time.

The box includes a suction-based phone holder along with a sleek travel case. The only reason not to buy the Genius 8000 is that the Genius X and iO Series 6 are only slightly more expensive and even better still. If you catch it cheap in a sale, however, it’s a great option.

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 5; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: Three brush heads, charger, travel case, smartphone holder; Battery life (tested): 1hr 2 mins; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £18 for 8

5. Oral-B iO Series 4: Best iO series toothbrush for value

Price when reviewed: £240 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: Magnetic drive cleaning and good range of sensors
• Keep in mind: App doesn’t track the brush around the mouth

We love Oral-B’s iO-series brushes for their new-fangled magnetic drive technology; it’s quieter than the brand’s old system while delivering a fantastic, in-depth clean for your teeth. What we’re not so keen on is the high cost of entry.

That changes with the iO Series 4. With prices from £90 to £130, it’s still nobody’s idea of a budget brush; but it’s a lot more affordable than previous models. It still delivers all of the core iO tech, just without the OLED display and accessories that push up the price.

Offering four modes, including two sensitive modes, we thought the brush gave a superb clean both on and in-between teeth. The pressure sensors and coloured indicator ring helped us to apply just the right amount of pressure and keep track of a typical two-minute session. What’s more, you can use the iO Series 4 with the Oral-B app and track your dental routine from day to day and week to week.

Battery life isn’t up there with some Sonicare models – you’re looking at a recharge roughly every three weeks – but if you want the latest and greatest toothbrush tech for less, there’s no better buy.

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 4; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: 1 x brush head, charger; Battery life (tested): 1hr 38mins; Warranty: 2 years; Cost of replacement heads: £24 for 4

6. Oral-B Genius X: Best Oral-B toothbrush to bag in a sale

Price when reviewed: £300 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: App gives live detailed information about your brushing
• Keep in mind: Clean isn’t as smooth as the iO brushes

Electric toothbrushes that give you feedback via Bluetooth are nothing new, but we think the Oral-B Genius X goes one better. Like the newest iO9 model, it has embedded sensors that work with an app to give you detailed live data about which areas of your mouth you have neglected. The app shows the different sections of the mouth turning from blue to white to show when you’ve brushed them for long enough, and afterwards, it uses the data to score your brushing and show you how you can do better.

Like Oral-B’s Genius 9000 and iO9, the Genius X also offers multiple brushing modes and gum pressure detection, with the 360-degree smart ring glowing red when you apply too much pressure. Meanwhile, the bundled charger doesn’t just charge your toothbrush, but also your phone via USB, which we think is a handy feature for travel.

At launch, this was a very pricey toothbrush, and it still feels like a flagship model. In fact, it makes a good alternative to the more modern iO Series 6 if you want to stick with the old Oral-B brush heads, or you just find a price cut in the sales.

Read our full Oral-B Genius X review

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 6; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: USB travel case with integrated charger; Battery life: 58 mins; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £18 for 8

7. Oral-B iO Series 6: Best mid-range iO Series brush

Price when reviewed: £300 | Check price at Boots

• Great for: Powerful cleaning with an app that tracks where and how you’re brushing
• Keep in mind: Fewer sensors than the iO9

We’d call Oral-B’s iO9 the Tesla supercar of toothbrushes, but it also has the price to match. The newer iO6 is a different story. It has nearly all the same core technology, but at a much more approachable price point. While the RRP is £300, we’ve seen it slip to around £130.

You don’t get the full suite of sensors of the iO9, but we found the iO6 still did a great job of tracking where and how you’re brushing and relaying it back to the Oral-B app. Plus, like the more expensive iO brushes, its pressure-sensing indicators and built-in OLED screen give you instant feedback on your brushing and whether you’ve done the full two minutes or slinked off early.

Thanks to Oral-B’s magnetic motor technology, the clean is as quiet as it is impressive, with little of the vibrating skull effect that drives some electric toothbrush users mad. And with five different brush modes to cover gum care, whitening and sensitive teeth as well as intense and daily cleans, it’s a good bet for any set of gnashers. As long as you can live without the Series 9’s fast charging, it’s arguably Oral-B’s best buy.

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 5; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: One brush head, charger, spare head holder, travel case; Battery life (tested): Two weeks minimum; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £24 for 4

8. Oral-B iO Series 8: Flagship features and quality for less

Price when reviewed: £450 | Check price at Boots

• Great for: Fast charging, Sensitive teeth
• Keep in mind: Expensive

The iO Series 8 is more expensive than the iO Series 6, but the extras and features might make the premium option worth your while. For a start, you get a fast magnetic charger, capable of recharging your toothbrush in around three hours. What’s more, it has an extra ‘Sensitive’ mode and a colour OLED display.

Otherwise, it has the same tech and the same key strengths as the iO Series 6 and iO Series 9, giving you a smoother brush with less vibration than the older Genius models, yet still delivering an excellent ‘fresh from the dentists’ clean. You also get the same pressure sensor and timer, the same two weeks plus battery life and the same app-connected features. Given that the differences between this brush and the Series 9 are minor, we think the Series 8 makes a pretty strong case for itself as the best Oral-B brush to buy. That is, if you have the cash for it.

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 5; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: One brush head, charger, spare head holder, travel case; Battery life (tested): Two weeks minimum; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement heads: £24 for 4

9. Oral-B iO Series 9: Best premium Oral-B electric toothbrush

Price when reviewed: £500 | Check price at Amazon

• Great for: The best clean Oral B has to offer
• Keep in mind: Very expensive

While it has come down in price, the iO Series 9 launched as the priciest toothbrush we’ve ever tested. Luckily, it’s also the best. With bundles of smart features, a new design, significantly improved charging and a new drive system, it’s a big step up from the Genius X. While the bristle heads remain the same, the new magnetic iO drive system transfers motor energy directly to the bristle tips. So, the motor not only powers the bristle rotation, but also uses some of that energy to vibrate the brush head at the same time. You can enjoy a fantastic, in-depth clean, but you’re not getting all the noise and head vibration that often comes with it.

Like its predecessor, there are multiple brushing modes to choose from, including whitening, intense and tongue clean, plus granular mapping to pinpoint specific areas of your mouth and check how effectively you’re cleaning them. Progress is tracked using sensors in the brush that have been trained via an algorithm and, when used in tandem with the app, this can highlight areas for improvement over time. We think this is invaluable for getting the best clean possible.

The other big plus with the iO Series 9 is charging. You get not only two weeks’ worth of charge in just under three hours, but also a slimline travel case that allows you to charge the brush while in-situ. While it’s due to be superseded by the new iO Series 10, this is not just the best Oral-B toothbrush, but the best electric toothbrush you can buy.

Read our full Oral-B iO Series 9 review

Key specs – Cleaning modes: 7; Battery type: Li-ion; Accessories included: One brush head, brush head refill holder, magnetic charger, travel case with integrated charger; Battery life (tested): 14 days minimum; Warranty: Two years; Cost of replacement brushes: £24 for 4

How to choose the best Oral-B electric toothbrush for you

All Oral-B toothbrushes use a variant of the same rotating head technology, where the round brush head oscillates clockwise and anti-clockwise up to 10,800 times per second to clean your teeth. Most combine this with micro vibrations, designed to break up any debris, plaque or tartar so that it’s swept efficiently away.

However, the motors, batteries and features in each of the brushes differ as you move up through the price range. We’ve put together this list to outline what each of the Oral-B brush ranges includes. To compare the specifications of specific brushes, check our comparison tables here.

Vitality Series: Oral B’s most basic brushes, stripped back to the most basic features and with an old-school NiMH battery rather than a longer lasting, faster charging lithium ion effort. You also get no micro-vibrations on these models.

Pro Series: Oral-B’s affordable, mainstream brushes. These bring in the 3D action, with micro vibrations, oscillation and rotation for a better clean, along with pressure alerts and a lithium-ion battery (on most models).

Smart Series: The Smart series builds on the Pro series with Bluetooth connectivity and basic smart features. Some models are quite old now, but still effective.

Genius Series: Oral-B’s previous flagship series before the new iO line took over. High-end, smart toothbrushes, and still worth picking up if they’re on sale at a low price.

iO Series: Oral-B’s flagship range, using a new magnetic motor and redesigned heads for a gentle yet effective clean. Smart features come as standard, while the higher-end models come with magnetic chargers and other premium accessories.

Kids/Junior series: Variations of the Vitality, Pro and Smart Series brushes aimed at kids and teens. Often slightly smaller and featuring favourite characters or more colourful designs.

Be aware that prices can vary wildly from season to season and sale to sale. Sometimes you’ll find iO Series brushes selling for less than older Genius series brushes, or Smart series brushes selling for more than a better Genius series brush. This means you should never just buy the first brush you see, but quickly compare prices to make sure that you couldn’t get a better deal elsewhere.

READ NEXT: Best electric toothbrushes

Are all Oral-B brushes compatible with the same brush heads?

No – there are two types of brush heads available, both of which are available with different bristle types designed to produce different effects, from whitening to sensitive cleaning. Most brush heads work with most brushes, unless they are from the iO range.

• Oral-B’s CrossAction, FlossAction, Precision Clean, Sensi and 3D White brush heads work across brushes in the Vitality, Pro, Smart and Genius lines
• iO Series brushes have their own specific Ultimate Clean and Gentle Care heads.

Which features are worth paying extra for?

Lithium-ion batteries, timers and pressure alerts are the big must-haves, in our experience. With the newer batteries you can get away with charging your brush less often – we’ve found the best only need charging every few weeks. A timer – usually a pause or pulse every 30 seconds – makes it easier to check that you’re brushing for the two minutes that dentists recommend. Pressure alerts warn you when you’re brushing too hard, helping to avoid gum damage.

If you want to push past the basics, we think Bluetooth connectivity and smart app support are worth having, but only if you’re going to use them. Working with the app, you can track your brushing routine and – with the sensors on the more expensive Oral-B iO smart brushes – make sure that you’re reaching every corner of your mouth. This helps to improve your dental hygiene long-term. We’ve found that tracking can be hit-or-miss though, so make sure you’re buying the best brush you can afford to get the best tracking.

Remember, to make the most of these features you may need to take your smartphone to the bathroom and keep an eye on the screen while you brush. If you’re not realistically going to do this, then the Smart features won’t earn their keep.

If you want to push past the basics, Bluetooth connectivity and smart app support are worth having, but only if you’re going to use them. Working with the app, you can track your brushing routine and – with the sensors on the more expensive Oral-B iO smart brushes – make sure that you’re reaching every corner of your mouth. We’ve found that these can be hit-or-miss though, so make sure you’re buying the best brush you can afford to get the best tracking.

Feedback from the app can help you improve your brushing and keep your teeth in shape. However, to make the most of these features you may need to take your smartphone to the bathroom and keep an eye on the screen while you brush. If you’re not realistically going to do this, then the Smart features won’t earn their keep.