When I wrote the Filter’s guide to the best electric toothbrushes, one brand I didn’t need a sample from was Suri. I already owned one of its brushes, drawn in by its impressive commitment to sustainability in a sector that seemed blissfully unbothered by the climate crisis unfolding around us.

Unfortunately, a few things held it back from taking the top spot, and I’m pleased to say that these have mostly been addressed with Suri 2.0. Is it the best you can buy? Still not quite, but the gap has significantly closed, and there are fewer caveats than ever when giving it a recommendation.

If you care about sustainability in any way, it’s the best choice. And now there are fewer drawbacks to doing the right thing.

View at Suri View at Boots

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How I tested

It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to figure out how you test a toothbrush: brush, brush and brush again. Fortunately, Suri was decent enough to give early reviewers a month-long loan, rather than expecting us to burn through several tubes of toothpaste in a matter of hours.

Equally fortunate was the fact that, although I’d donated most of the toothbrushes from the group test to Causeway (as explained here), I held on to our current favourite, the Spotlight Sonic Pro, as a point of reference. Plus, I already had my personal Suri toothbrush, so I could really see where the improvements existed.

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Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush: what you need to know

View at Suri View at Boots

My beef with the original Suri toothbrush was essentially twofold. First, it didn’t feel as powerful as its rivals, offering 33,000 brush strokes per minute (BPM), compared with others that went as high as 62,000.

The second was a deeper problem: the spring pin chargers felt temperamental, and I personally got through three over the years, deeply damaging the sustainability of the product as a whole. This was likely partly my fault (from not adequately drying brushes before charging, causing them to rust), but I wasn’t the only one with the problem.

Suri has addressed both of these weaknesses, and some others that hadn’t bothered me. While the first is a relatively minor tweak – it still vibrates at 33,000 BPM, but with what I’m told is a “more powerful sweeping motion, delivering 25% higher intensity”, whatever that means – Suri 2.0 now charges via wireless induction, both on the charging stand and in the bundled carry case. No more spring pins to rust or snap.

Other improvements include the introduction of a pressure sensor, a quieter motor (50dB rather than 54), a bundled plant-based brush head cover if you want to ditch the travel case, and a travel lock to stop it turning on by mistake. As someone whose luggage was once delayed by an electric toothbrush prompting a bomb threat, I can’t believe “not being mistaken for a terrorist” wasn’t on my wishlist of upgrades, but there we go.

Finally, the travel case has been upgraded to include a battery. This isn’t for charging the brush, but to power a built-in UV-C light to kill bacteria on the go. The UV light was a feature on the original brush, too, but it required a USB-C cable to work, making it a little-used extra for me.

All of this comes in the form of a brush that looks virtually indistinguishable from the original, as you’ll see in the photos. This feels like an odd choice from a marketing perspective, but it does have the advantage of meaning the recyclable plant-based heads are interchangeable between Suri 1.0 and 2.0.

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Specifications

Type: sonic
Modes: two (clean and polish)
Power: 33,000 BPM
Pressure sensor: yes
Battery life: 1+ month
App: no
Warranty: one year (extended to two years with registration)

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What we love

The main thing we love about Suri 2.0 is the same thing we loved in the original – the heads are plant based, made from cornstarch with castor oil bristles. Suri will recycle these free of charge, and provide a self-addressed compostable bag to put your used heads in when you’ve collected four. A pack of three costs £14.99, but if you subscribe, you’ll get two sent out every six months for £8.98. Cheaper than some of the big brands, but more expensive than some third-party heads.

As a brush, it’s light and easy to use. One press of the button turns it on, with a friendly buzz every 30 seconds reminding you to move on to the next quarter of your mouth before it shuts itself down after two minutes. There are two modes, one gentle and one slightly firmer for a stronger clean.

As for those refinements, the pressure sensor is a very good addition indeed. If you push too hard, the brush will buzz three times and then fall asleep. As soon as you reduce the pressure, it’ll stop playing possum, with the timer continuing from where you left off. (Note that you can inadvertently turn this off – something that wasn’t in the review unit’s manual, causing me to think the device might be broken. If your pressure sensor stops working, try pressing and holding the power button for five seconds with the brush switched on. When a light flashes, turn the brush off and back on, and the pressure sensor should be restored.)

The new wireless charging system is a huge improvement, too. Just pop Suri 2.0 on to the USB-C charging stand or into the case (connected to a USB-C cable), and charging starts immediately. Despite losing the unreliable spring pins, the new stand is still magnetic, so the brush handle won’t topple without a push.

Speaking of magnets, one of my favourite design elements of the original is back. Each Suri comes with a magnetic wall mount to prevent cabinet clutter. No screws required: just remove the tab and stick it to a wall or mirror with the pre-applied adhesive.

While the brush looks nearly identical to the original, the case is far nicer to hold and carry, with smoother edges, rather than the sharp angles from the first generation. The built-in battery makes it easier to get into the habit of using the UV-C light, even if it’s not what I’d call an essential feature.

There’s also now a plant-based head cover in the box. To prevent accidental activation, a travel lock mode has been added, requiring a five-second press to switch on and off. This is extremely handy if luggage is at an absolute premium and even the slimline case is too bulky, letting you keep your toothbrush head free from fluff and other detritus.

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What we don’t love

I generally agree with Suri that toothbrush features such as Bluetooth and connected apps are pointless gimmicks. However, having tested a whole host of sonic toothbrushes, I do think that 33,000 BPM is still a touch underpowered, even with the supposed higher intensity.

To put that into perspective, on the Spotlight Pro, the 30,000 BPM setting is called “gentle”, and it has four settings that go all the way up to 50,000 BPM. Whether it’s down to the speed or less planet-friendly bristles, all I can say is that after a cider-heavy night at the pub, Spotlight remains notably more effective at eliminating that disgusting furry tooth feel than Suri. (This is not one of my regular toothbrush tests, but it’s an effective one.)

Using both Suri 1.0 and Suri 2.0 side by side, I couldn’t feel much of a difference, though it’s possible that things are still happening on a level only visible to dentists. While the travel case was an optional extra before, it now comes with every brush. The company says most people wanted the case, so it made sense to include it, but it does mean the starting price has risen to compensate, as well as creating more e-waste in the long run. While you can still buy a Suri 1.0 brush for £75, the starting price for Suri 2.0 with the case has risen to £105.

Finally, it’s a pity that there’s currently no way to trade in the Suri 1.0 brush for its successor. While the company is yet to confirm this, I would be surprised if this remained the case forever, given its commitment to minimising e-waste.

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Sustainability

On that note, Suri’s sustainability credentials remain second to none in the world of toothbrushes. Admittedly, this isn’t especially high praise, but nonetheless, the company’s visible positive environmental choices should be applauded.

The plant-based heads can be recycled free of charge, as previously mentioned, but that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. The body is built from aluminium, the packaging is moulded paper, and the product is carbon neutral with offsetting.

There are limitations to this. There is still a lithium-ion battery on the inside, and some plastic involved, as well as a battery in the mandatory travel cases (something Suri previously avoided on environmental grounds). But there are practical reasons for these ecological compromises, and the company holds itself to account with tracking from ClimatePartner and annual sustainability reports. You can read the 2024 document here, which explains the rationale for limited plastic and lithium-ion battery use, among other things.

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Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush: should I buy it?

All in all, Suri 2.0 is a huge improvement over the original. The enhancements are thoughtful and address real gripes I had, while not feeling the need to lean into gimmicks such as Bluetooth connectivity. A toothbrush I could previously only endorse with a “but” is now an easy recommendation, even if it’s still not the most powerful brush around.

Ironically, I’ll now add a “but” – albeit one I imagine Suri will be happy to read. As the company itself points out, every toothbrush that has ever been built still exists, whether it’s in a cabinet or a landfill, broken or working.

With that in mind, if you need an electric toothbrush, then Suri 2.0 should definitely be on your radar. If you already have one that works well enough, make a mental note and consider picking one up when the time comes (and when it does, you can find out where to recycle your old electric toothbrush locally here).

View at Suri View at Boots

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Alan Martin is a writer who has been putting products – including phones, gaming devices and wearables – through their paces for more than a decade. Although he wouldn’t call teeth brushing a hobby, it’s something he’s been doing for decades with a degree of aptitude that has largely satisfied dentists