The Best Electric Toothbrush Under £50 (UK)
You really don’t need to spend a lot of money on a quality electric toothbrush. So long as you’re using one instead of a sub-standard manual one, you’re already on the path to better oral hygiene. There are plenty of adverts for expensive super brushes that boast AI smarts and self-cleaning brush heads, but if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, you can still find value in more affordable models.
From advanced brushing modes to built-in pressure sensors, today’s budget-friendly models have more than enough to keep your teeth clean and healthy. But with so many options flooding the UK market, finding a reliable toothbrush that offers great performance without breaking the bank can feel overwhelming.
That’s where we come in. In this guide, we’ve rounded up the best electric toothbrushes under £50 available in the UK, combining expert dental advice, user reviews, and hands-on performance testing. Whether you’re after a sleek daily cleaner, a model with multiple brush modes, or one that offers excellent value for money, there’s something here for every smile — and every budget.
The Best Electric Toothbrush Under £50 for…
For Whiter Teeth: Oral-B Pro 3
For Entry-Level Users: Philips Sonicare 4100
For Beginners: Oral-B iO2
Less Than £50: Philips Sonicare Series 1100
For Most People: Oral-B iO3
For The Lowest Cost: Ordo Sonic Edge
For Sensitive Gums: Oral-B Vitality Pro
How We Test The Best Electric Toothbrush Under £50
All the brushes featured in this article have been tried and tested by Dr Zaeem Jafri, our founder and expert dentist. And are a result of personal opinion.
They have been selected because of their price point, but also because they have some of the best features for getting the best results. Each will have its own merits and positives, so use your own research to help inform your own decision to find the best toothbrush for you.
Key Features We Have Considered
Cost
Cleaning power
Brushing technique features, mainly a 2-minute timer and a pressure sensor
Ease of use
Travel Features
Sustainability
** A note about pricing: These toothbrushes fluctuate in pricing all the time, so the prices listed below are approximate costs. Oral-B and Philips brushes are never really sold at their RRP, so just ignore those inflated costs and discounts. **
Best Features For An Electric Toothbrush under £50
At this price point, you’re going to have to accept a few sacrifices when it comes to features. Expensive models like the Oral-B iO10 or Philips Sonicare 9900 have AI smart tracking that provides real-time guidance and feedback to your smartphone to ensure you don’t miss a single spot while cleaning, but most people don’t need that or really will use it beyond the first week, and these brushes can be extortionately expensive. Instead, you’ll be hunting for a few key features that will provide genuine value.
A pressure sensor - This will either buzz with haptic feedback or shine a little LED light on the brush to warn you when you’re pressing too hard. This will protect your gums and keep in check with even pressure throughout the session.
Two-minute timer - It’s sometimes hard to keep track of how long you’ve been brushing. Dentists recommend brushing for two minutes for maximum benefits, so look out for a brush that has a built-in timer to ensure you’re not over or under-brushing.
Battery life - A lot of top—end brushes have huge batteries that last months between recharges, but in most cases, a cheaper brush that lasts longer than a week is good enough. This will cut down on the amount of time you’re spent recharging and stretches out the overall longevity of the brush.
Travel case - Not all cheaper brushes will come with a case, but it’s a useful addition to look out for to keep you on top of your brushing habits while travelling. The case will stop the brush from turning on accidentally in transit and also keep it clean when not in use.
Cleaning modes - Most brushes have multiple cleaning modes that change the intensity of the vibrations or motions depending on your needs. For sensitive gums, look for a model that has a dedicated mode to gently clean teeth.
Oral-B Pro 3
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 3 - Daily clean, sensitive and whiten
Battery life: 2 weeks
What you really want from an electric toothbrush is solid performance, and that’s exactly what you get from the Oral-B Pro 3. There’s little to write home about in terms of features, but you get all the basic gear like a timer, pressure sensor and Oral-B’s oscillating brush tech, but that’s more than enough to get your teeth cleaned properly on a budget. Three cleaning modes are available, from an every-day clean, to sensitive brushing to a buffering white tooth mode.
Pros: Includes a travel case and spare brush head
Cons: Quite bulky and loud
Philips Sonicare Series 4100
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 2 - Daily clean and sensitive
Battery life: 2 weeks
It’s worth noting that the 4100 has an RRP of £109 on Amazon, but more often than not, it’s discounted below £50. For our money, it’s one of the best options out there. A pressure sensor and two-minute timer provide baseline value, but you also get two cleaning modes, a huge battery, a travel case and wireless charging stand. If you’re not familiar, Philips brushes uses sonic pulses to vibrate plaque off of teeth, making them a good option for those with sensitive gums.
Pros: Includes a travel case and charging station | Superb sonic pulse tech
Cons: Relatively low battery and few cleaning modes | RRP is still expensive
Oral-B iO2
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 2 - Daily clean and sensitive
Battery life: 4 weeks
The iO2 is a slight step down from the iO3 below, but it still holds a lot of value if you’re hoping to save money on a new electric toothbrush. While it may look basic, with three cleaning modes, only one button (outside the power button) on the handle and a streamline design, it still provides those key basic features and uses Oral-B’s exceptional cleaning tech to get an efficient session in twice a day. It’s also got a month-long battery, which is one of the longest on this list.
Pros: Includes a travel case and spare brush head case | Huge battery
Cons: Quite basic
Philips Sonicare Series 1100
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 2 - Daily clean and sensitive
Battery life: 4 weeks
Stripping the brush right down to the basics, the Sonicare 1100 is Philips’ entry brush that has a two-minute timer, a decent two-week battery, a pressure sensor and that’s essentially it. You don’t really need that much more, as the sonic pulse cleaning technology provides excellent cleaning potential, and the brush will slowly learn your technique, increasing the power and intensity of the pulses as you use it to help you get the best clean. All for less than £30. Not bad.
Pros: Sonic pulse technology is great for beginners | Under £30
Cons: Really basic design without many additional features
Oral-B iO3
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 3 - Daily clean, whiten and sensitive
Battery life: 2 weeks
One of the best value electric toothbrushes from Oral-B’s deep vault of quality models is the iO3. At around £30, it’s got some of the iO series’ best features, including a pressure sensor, two-minute timer and travel case. Three cleaning modes are available, which is great if you have sensitive gums or you’re looking to buffer up the whiteness of your teeth and the battery life should be good for two weeks of use. Oral-B’s oscillating brush heads are great for surrounding each tooth and clearing out plaque and debris between teeth. This is one of our favourite options overall and a great option at the price.
Pros: Great range of cleaning modes | Streamlined design
Cons: Small battery that doesn’t last well over a long period of time
Ordo Sonic Edge
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 1
Battery life: 2 weeks
Looking for something a bit different? Oral-B and Philips are great options, but we like Ordo’s impressive range of budget-friendly options, particularly the Sonic Edge. It works similarly to Philips’ Sonicare set, using sonic pulse technology to lift plaque from your teeth, with an oval-brush head design that gets more coverage and allows the bristles to clean between your teeth. Four brushing modes are available, and it’s got a large four-week battery, reducing the amount of time you’re spent recharging it up. For the price, that’s an awful lot of value.
Pros: Very simple to use | Affordable
Cons: Basic design and lack of features may be to its detriment for some
Oral-B Vitality Pro
Key specs
2-min timer: Yes
Pressure sensor: Yes
Cleaning modes: 1
Battery life: 2 weeks
One of Oral-B’s most basic brushes, the Vitality Pro is an excellent entry-level toothbrush for anyone looking to make the jump up from a manual brush but doesn’t want to spend more than £30. Oral-B’s oscillating heads do a stand-up job of clearing out dirt from your teeth, and you can select one of the three cleaning modes to ramp up the intensity should you need a more thorough job. We like that the Vitality Pro has a quadrant timer, buzzing gently every 30 seconds to warn you to move onto a different part of your mouth, keeping you moving across your teeth and ensuring a proper clean.
Pros: A great entry-level option | Ergonomic handle design
Cons: Loud | Battery doesn’t last that long over time
FAQs
How Much Should I Spend On An Electric Toothbrush?
There’s no set budget when buying an electric toothbrush. Whatever you can afford will be an instant improvement on a manual toothbrush, so anything under £50 will be a great starting point to healthier, cleaner teeth. A lot of customers get sucked into the idea they NEED to have the latest cutting-edge features like AI tracking and smartphone compatibility, but a motorised brush with a pressure sensor and two-minute timer will improve your routine.
Is Oral-B Or Philips Better?
The two titans of the electric toothbrush world are Oral-B and Philips. Spend any time researching a new brush and these two will dominate your findings. There are, of course other brands, like Spotlight Oral Care, Suri, Ordo and others, and the “best electric toothbrush for you” will largely come down to budget and personal preference.
Oral-B uses oscillating, circular brush heads that surround the tooth with its bristles and clean each tooth individually. This is a great way to get dirt and plaque out from between teeth and along the gum.
Philips uses its sonic pulse technology, which vibrates intensely at thousands of motions per minute to lift plaque. Its oval brush heads give more coverage and require less motion from you, meaning it’s a good choice for those with sensitive gums.
Whichever you go for, just keep your budget in mind, as we suggest that any electric toothbrush is a good way to improve your dental hygiene.
