The 18 best electric toothbrushes for pearlier whites: Tried and tested by GQ's grooming editors

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 7 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Super Sensitive, Tongue Clean, and Whiten
• Included accessories: Charging station, travel case
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Let's kick off this list with the absolute peak of tooth cleaning performance. Oral-B gets a lot of stick for delivering absurdly expensive, ultra-modern electric toothbrushes that border on the outlandish, and for good reason, because the latest flagship model is the most expensive, most comprehensively well-equipped model of the lot.

Oral-B combines both the typical oscillating motion of the brush head with gentle micro-vibrations for a best-of-both-worlds clean that is unrivalled by any other brush. Boasting seven brushing modes and the same smart AI tracking that features on many of Oral-B's other top-tier models, the iO10 will map out 16 zones of your mouth to give pinpoint guidance on how you can optimise your cleaning, with real-time coaching on how to brush with greater efficiency.

Is it absurdly expensive? Of course it is, its RRP is a staggering £799. For what it's worth, Amazon and other retailers regularly take pity on us and slash prices by half pretty much all year round, but still… you could literally buy a holiday for this kind of cash.

Read GQ's Oral-B iO10 review

• Type: Sonic brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 4 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean
• Included accessories: Charging case, charging base
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

If the oscillating variety of toothbrushes from Oral-B doesn't quite tickle the dirt off your teeth, then why not explore the bone-rattling experience of a sonic pulse brush from Philips? The Sonicare 9900 Prestige is amongst the brand's best offerings, packed full of smart AI tech to nudge you towards better cleaning habits, a more thorough brush and a healthier mouth overall, which is what we're after, isn't it?

It's not quite as spenny as its Oral-B counterpart, but that doesn't really mean it's cheap. Far from it at just under £300, it does come with the premium features that make the investment worth it –at least, that's what your dentist will tell you. Download and sync your brush to the app to get a proper 3D map of your gob every time you brush, with a guide to help you get in all the nooks and crannies with the superbly fitted pulsing brush head. In our eyes, the vibrations were a tad violent, but you can switch up the cleaning modes for a gentler brushing session if it's too much.

Once it's done, pop it either on the included charging puck, which looks lovely in the bathroom, or the charging travel case and chuck it in your suitcase for a top-tier cleaning machine on the go.

Read GQ's Philips Sonicare 9900 Prestige review

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 7 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Whitening, Tongue Cleaner, Super Sensitive
• Included accessories: 1 charging travel case, 1 charger, 1 refill holder
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Electric toothbrushes are all the rage right now, and it's about time we saw tech making hygiene and self-care exciting. Oral-B's iO9 is an exceptionally clever device capable of educating you through the process of better cleaning your teeth. They intelligently track where you're brushing in the mouth, warning you via an app if you've not hit a particular tooth all the way. It has an LED display to notify you which of the eight brushing styles you're using, and will light up red if you're pressing into your teeth too hard.

If that all sounds a bit like overkill for a vibrating stick that you’ll wedge in your mouth for four minutes a day, then rest assured it's the simpler things that really impress about the iO9. There’s a timer so you're not guessing how long you've brushed based on pauses in vibration and info on remaining battery life rather than waiting blindly for sub-par performance.

• Type: Sonic brush
• Number of cleaning modes: four modes with three intensity settings: Clean, White+, Deep Clean+ and Gum Health
• Included accessories: Charging station, travel case, USB cable, additional brush head
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

During our testing, we absolutely loved Philips' smart DiamondClean toothbrush, and we know you will too. Yes, it's expensive – honestly, almost every electric toothbrush is these days – but once you're over that hump, it's among the best tools out there for buffing up those pearly whites. Ostensibly designed for the travelling smiler, it's jam-packed with features to help you out while on the go, including a marvellous travel case that doubles up as a charging station. Plug it into a USB port and get your rapid battery back, it's a hard-lock case, so there's no fear it will suddenly start buzzing when you get through security at the airport.

If, however, you're not roaming, it comes with a wonderfully chic charging glass – bet you've never heard of one of those before – which tops up the battery while remaining the sort of accessory you wouldn't mind having on the sink side while guests are over.

It's got the usual smarts to hook up to your phone, which is easy to use throughout our own testing, and the battery is still decent enough for plenty of brushing.

Read GQ's Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart toothbrush review

• Type: Sonic brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 1
• Included accessories: Charging travel case
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: No
• Travel case: Yes

Tech and sustainability don't often go hand in hand unless a brand goes out of its way to make products that are kind to the planet. Suri, or Sustainable Ritual to use the full name, is exactly that sort of company, building its devices from plant-based materials and producing them on a net-zero basis to be as gentle and clean on the earth as it is on your teeth.

There's a lot of sacrifice you'll have to be okay with, though. Namely, it's not that well-equipped with smart features when stacked against alternatives, with no pressure sensor and only one cleaning mode. Sure, you get a travel case to take with you on a trip, but for the price, you do really wish you had a bit more to offer.

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 6 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Whitening, Super Sensitive
• Included accessories: 1 magnetic pouch, 1 charger, 1 refill holder
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Is it ever the right time to buy a toothbrush that’s probably more intelligent than you? If the answer is ‘yes’ then the time is now. With its flashy graphic display, pressure sensors and an all-new patented brushing technique promising a more thorough than ever clean, it’s a sale purchase that’s sure to make you smile.

Complete with top-spec features, you'll find a well-crafted, ergonomic handle that makes tooth-cleaning a relative doddle morning and night, with a handy buzz to warn you that you've completed the mandatory two minutes of cleaning each time.

It's worth noting that the current discount here isn't that much different to what you'll find for the top-spec iO9, which is the current peak of Oral-B's line-up. The iO9 is currently £80 more expensive and (allegedly) only £50 cheaper than its usual RRP, so it might be worth jumping up to the more premium option if you have the funds for it.

• Type: Sonic brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 4 - Clean, white, massage and sensitive
• Included accessories: Charging travel case
• Battery life: Four weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Sometimes you just need a grooming device that's stripped right back to the basics. Forget your smart AI features and Bluetooth connectivity. All you need is a bloody solid brush that gets you into the right habits. In steps Ordo's SOnic+, an affordable, no-nonsense brush that even your technophobe grandad can get along with.

It's not so basic that it doesn't have a pressure sensor or a few cleaning modes –four to be exact– but it throws away the AI tech found in the likes of top Oral-B and Philips models in favour of a solid handle, an ergonomic, long-lasting design, and a marathon-length battery.

Throughout our testing, we even found this particular model to feel a bit more robust than even the most expensive options, with a charging travel case that looks almost identical to the Oral-B iO10 which can cost almost ten times as much. If the budget needs looking after, you won't find much better, sturdier or offering more value than the Sonic+.

Read GQ's Ordo Sonic+ review

• Type: Oscillating
• Number of cleaning modes: 5 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Whitening
• Included accessories: iO7 handle with ultimate clean brush head, 1 premium travel case, 1 charger, 1 refill holder
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Oral-B's iO series toothbrushes are plastered all over this list and it makes total sense when you take a look at the specs. They are simply the cream of the tooth-cleaning crop and while they are often on the pricey end of the scale –often costing as much as a reasonable holiday package– they are worth their pennies in quality, features and battery life.

The iO7 is longer in the proverbial tooth these days but is still strapped up to the limit with smart tech, including a pressure sensor to stop you from pressing too hard on your gums, a smart map of your mouth to ensure you mop up all the dirt in your mouth, and a log of your cleaning history so you can see how much you've improved over time. It's got a smart magnetic travel case to keep it gunk-free on the move and the wireless charging case brings you back up to 100 per cent in just a few hours.

• Type: Sonic
• Number of cleaning modes: 4 - Clean, White+, Gum Health and Deep Clean+
• Included accessories: 2 Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 handles, 2 C3 Premium Plaque Defence brush heads, 2 charger bases, and a glass charger
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

If you were to think of Philips’ Advanced Whitening Edition and DiamondClean as twins, the latter is the sightlier, sexier one. Well, as sexy as a toothbrush can get, which is very much up for debate. As its ever-so-slightly more streamlined design might suggest, the focus here is marginally more geared to a shiny Hollywood smile – that diamond sparkle.

Although this might sound like glossy marketing speak, there four cleaning modes at three intensities do offer an elevated level of finesse here. Thanks to the highly engineered charms of Philips’ C3 Premium Plaque Control brush head, the brand claims you’ll remove 10 times as much plaque in a day with the DiamondClean as you would with a standard, manual brush. You don’t need to be a dentist to know that‘ll have a notable impact on your general complexion, even if Tom Cruises’ Top Gun-ready gnashers can probably still rest easy.

Aside from offering an experience that’s better personalised to your own teeth, the DiamondClean also comes packed with the usual electric essentials, including feedback for when you’re brushing too hard, alerts for when you need to replace your brush head and ample three-week battery life. Not only that, but it comes with a rather handsome travel case, in addition to a wireless charging stand that's cleverly designed to look like regular glass. Good, glistening stuff all around.

• Type: Oscillating
• Number of cleaning modes: 5 - Daily clean, pro clean, sensitive, whitening and gum care
• Included accessories: 1 handle with 2 minutes timer, 1 charger, 3 brush heads, 1 premium travel case
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

If you’re keen on checking out Oral-B’s cleaver IO series but don’t want to fork out hundreds for the latest editions, the IO6 is slightly longer in the tooth but no less impressive for keeping your pearly whites nice and clean thanks to the smartphone connectivity. It maps your entire mouth and will intelligently track which teeth have had a thorough once-over, guiding you around your teeth for a complete wash. There are multiple brush settings to work your way through if you’ve got sensitive gums and the battery and motor are solid enough to get through two weeks, no problem.

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: One
• Included accessories: Toothbrush head, beard trimmer, hair clipper, nose hair trimmer, foil shaver head.
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: No
• Travel case: Yes

What's better than a plain old electric toothbrush? One that completely revolutionizes the grooming routine with a plethora of interchangeable heads that help you shave, trim your beard, cut your nose hair and even fade your head hair, all from the same device. Panasonic’s Multishape is your ultimate grooming tool combining all your most-needed devices into one long-lasting handle. Simply clip on a new head and jump from tidying your whiskers to glossing those pearly whites.

The brush itself is solid, with a sonic pulse that eradicates plaque and dirt as you brush — though be warned it's not a flexible head, so don't push too hard. When you're done, why not tidy up your whiskers while you're at it?

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 4 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Super-Sensitive, Whitening
• Included accessories: 1 charging travel case, 1 charger, 1 refill holder
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

If you're glancing at the top-tier Oral-B offerings and nervously wondering if £400 is now the price for clean and healthy teeth, don't worry, there are more affordable options that still can deliver fantastic results if you're willing to forego a few smart features.

The iO4 is an ideal choice for those who want the most important core functionality of a high-end electric toothbrush, without paying through the nose for snazzy bells and whistles that they'll probably never use. So while you won't get anything advanced like 3D teeth mapping and a colour-coded pressure-sensitive charging dock indicator, you will still have the two most important features at your disposal — namely, a built-in timer to keep tabs on your brushing, and a pressure sensor to help ensure the best possible clean while minimising damage to sensitive gums.

The latter, by the way, lets you know how hard you're pressing via a useful red, green or white LED system that's clearly visible on the toothbrush itself, taking all the guesswork out of the equation. With four brush modes, a case for spare heads and a travel case, you're getting a lot of Oral-B goodness for your buck.

• Type: Oscillating brush
• Number of cleaning modes: 7 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, Whitening, Tongue Cleaner, Super Sensitive
• Included accessories: 1 charging travel case, 1 charger, 1 refill holder
• Battery life: Three weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes

Hunting for healthier gums shouldn’t be a difficult venture when you’ve got the right tool for the job, and one of our favourite models is the Philips Sonicare Expertclean 7300. The clue is in the name: soft yet durable bristles; sonic pulse tech that eradicates built-up residue; a three-week battery that simply won’t quit; a travel case; and three intensities of pulse depending on how much pressure you need. It really is a complete package, and for just over £100, it’s one of the most affordable premium devices around.

• Type: Oscillating
• Number of cleaning modes: 5 - Daily clean, pro clean, sensitive, whitening and gum care
• Included accessories: 1 handle with 2 minutes timer, 1 charger, 3 brush heads, 1 premium travel case
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: Yes
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Perrenially discounted Oral-B electric toothbrushes are as regular as a failing British star joining I'm A Celebrity… (looking at you Matt Hancock), but we're much happier to see the cheaper brushes online than the former Health Secretary eating a sordid array of animal parts in an Australian jungle. Oral-B's Smart series has long been a go-to for tech-centric cleaners, as they offer great smart features to help you track your brushing, manage your time spent cleaning, and to get advice on how to clean even better.

The Smart 6 has plenty of great features to make the relatively high price point worth it, with a built-in pressure sensor, app support and a range of cleaning modes to be kind to your gums if you need it. Throw some free brush heads into the mix and you have a tool that’ll see the whole family right.

• Type: Sonic
• Number of cleaning modes: One
• Included accessories: AAA battery and replacement heads
• Battery life: 90 days
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: No
• Travel case: Yes

For around a tenner, we'd expect a whole lot less than this electric toothbrush from Sonisk. Built with travel in mind, its slim design is bolstered by a handy in-line travel case/cap, which keeps everything secure in a neat little package that's easily portable. Capable of up to 31,000 strokes a minute, it's no slouch on the power front either, while a second head is a generous inclusion you wouldn't normally expect to find at this price.

Available in six alluring colours, this is probably the best travel choice for most people, thanks to a combination of sleek, clever design, and an extremely wallet-friendly price tag. If you can get past the non-rechargeable battery (it uses AAA batteries which we think is rather convenient), then it's a no-brainer, even when it's not on offer.

• Type: Oscillating
• Number of cleaning modes: 6 - gum care, sensitive, whitening and tongue cleaning
• Included accessories: Smart USB travel case, charging station
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: No
• Pressure sensor: Yes
• Travel case: Yes

Let’s face it, most of us end up brushing our teeth in a daze. Whether you’re half asleep or half awake, the whole experience can be a little haphazard – even if we do our very best to hit the two-minute mark every time we daub away the toothpaste in a zombie-like pre-coffee haze.

Enter Oral-B’s latest Genius X electric toothbrush — an intelligent teeth-cleaning tool that's built to avert sloppy technique and lazy brushmanship. Working in conjunction with a companion app thanks to its built-in Bluetooth smarts, its AI-powered programme can track where the brush is in your mouth, ensuring you don’t miss a spot, put too much pressure on your teeth and/or avoid damaging your gums. As a result of this technical wizardry, a thorough clean is guaranteed, so you’ll never make it out of the house with last night’s dinner still kicking around in between your molars.

On an altogether more basic note, if you’re familiar with Oral-B brushes and just want a relatively recent model at a reasonable price, then this is the one to go for. With six brushing modes and a multi-voltage travel case, it has you covered for the long haul — especially as it can last up to two weeks on a single charge. Pretty good value when on offer, though we wish it came with at least one extra head considering the still rather dear price tag.

• Type: Sonic
• Number of cleaning modes: 3 - Sensitive, gentle clean, clean white
• Included accessories: 1 handle
• Battery life: 10 weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: No
• Travel case: No

It’s not hard to see why Spotlight is fast catching up to the big names in oral hygiene. Founded by two dentists, its product line both looks and feels the part, directly targeting problem areas such as whitening and gum health through tech and tinctures alike. The sonic toothbrush is a highlight for many reasons, not least the slick build to sit pretty on your sink-side. We’re big fans of the ability to personalise your brush with a choice of colour options – a particularly nice touch for those who want a bit more razzle-dazzle from their grooming kit.

Aesthetics aside, Spotlight’s toothbrush is just a joy to use. The three settings are easy to switch between and the sensitivity option is especially good at lowering the intensity while still feeling effective (the misuse of powerful electric toothbrushes can, after all, be a cause of gum recession). Its high-frequency sonic oscillation also means that toothpaste and oxygen are delivered to even the most inaccessible places for a deeper clean.

Add to that a UK three-pin plug for charging (something anyone lacking the dedicated bathroom plugs will be thankful for), a battery life of up to 70 days and a carry case (so you can take it away with you without packing a charger) and this really is one to rival the Oral-Bs and Phillips. Proof that highfalutin features such as AI and app compatibility aren’t always necessary for driving dental hygiene forward.

• Type: Oscillating
• Number of cleaning modes: Three speed settings
• Included accessories: toothbrush
• Battery life: Two weeks
• Smart features: No
• Spare heads included: Yes
• Pressure sensor: No
• Travel case: Yes

The oddly named Silk'n Toothwave is one of the more unique electric toothbrushes we've used. While it appears to be a regular toothbrush (in fact, its design is a little on the dull and blocky side), its brush head hosts some very clever tech within.

The tech in question is its ability to actually emit radio-frequency waves using clinically proven DentalRF technology, which helps clean teeth at a molecular level. These waves can break the strong bonds that attach stubborn impurities that result in discolouration and stains, allowing them to more easily wash away. Each of the two included brush heads feature two electrodes and a silicon strip, which work together to create the waves, while vibration speeds up to 48,000 strokes per minute should be more than enough for even the most stubborn teeth. The only thing we will say is that the sensation of the high-speed vibrations is likely to be too tickly on the max setting at first, so ease your way up through the three intensity levels gradually. It won't be long before you're enjoying a squeaky clean feeling either way.

Priced at well over the £200 mark when it first launched, you’d have found yourself paying a hefty premium for this new tech. With its current offer price though, it's well worth a look, especially for those who prefer a more gentle brush without sacrificing cleaning results in the process.