The best electric toothbrushes in the UK, including what brush heads really cost

Oscillating-rotating brushes have the strongest clinical evidence for plaque removal, and the iO3 gives you Oral-B's best version of that technology for about £60. Dentists we read consistently rated its clean alongside the £250 models.

Its pressure light is the most useful feature any brush can have: it shows green when you are brushing correctly and red when you press too hard. For most people that matters more than any app.

If an Oral-B feels too aggressive, the Sonicare 5300 is the one to choose. Its sonic action feels gentler, it is quieter, and one long-term tester got more than 40 days from a charge.

Evidence slightly favours oscillating-rotating brushes for plaque removal, but the difference is small when either is used properly for two minutes.

The 7100 was the highest-scoring sonic brush in the dentist-led tests we read. It adds intensity settings, an app and a longer battery to what the 5300 does.

For most people those extras are not worth £70 more, but if you want the best sonic brush short of the flagships, this is it.

The Pro 3 uses Oral-B's standard heads, which cost roughly half as much as iO heads. Over three years that makes it the cheapest brush here by a clear margin, and it still has a proper pressure sensor.

It is louder and less refined than the iO3, but it cleans very well.

The 9900 Prestige is the most comfortable sonic brush we assessed, and its automatic intensity adjustment is clever. Its heads are also the dearest, which makes it the most expensive brush to own.

The iO9 is a lovely object and its tracking genuinely helps people who always miss the same teeth. But the cleaning is the same as the iO3's, because the drive and heads are the same.