Philips Sonicare Toothbrush Not Charging: 2 Tips on How to Fix It - Tool Croze (2025)

I’m so used to my electric toothbrush that it’s hard to go back to basic ones. There’s no difference between them and regular toothbrushes if they don’t charge and turn on though.

That’s what I’m here to talk about today. Specifically, I’m going to tell you how to deal with a Philips Sonicare toothbrush that’s not charging. Keep reading for a couple of working fixes.

But before you continue reading this article, you could also first watch the short video I’ve made about this topic. You can watch the video down below.

On the video, I discussed some of the some potential reasons for this issue like a dead battery or a problem with the wireless charging component at the bottom of Philips Sonicare toothbrush.

2 Reasons Why Your Philips Sonicare Toothbrush Is Not Charging

1. Dead Battery

My Sonicare toothbrush runs on a 1450 rechargeable battery rated at 3.6V. Yours probably has a similar battery too, or the exact one if it’s the same model as mine.

Anyway, that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is what’s going on with that voltage. Is it still at a good level, or is it too weak to power the brush?

Over time, the voltage of the battery inside can drop so low that the toothbrush stops charging. That’s what you have to check to confirm whether the battery is too weak or not.

Obviously, you’ll need a multimeter to check the voltages. Once you have one, start by taking the covers off the toothbrush to expose the battery.

Wrap the bottom of the brush in a thick cloth, and then use a hammer to hit the edges lightly, like I’m doing above. That’ll get the covers loose enough to remove them.

To get a reading, touch the multimeter leads to the positive and negative terminals of the battery. Look at the reading that comes up on the screen after this.

A healthy battery should read around 3.6V. If the reading is far below 3.6V—let’s say 2.0V or less—that’s a strong sign the battery can’t hold a charge.

When a battery is too weak, the Sonicare handle won’t even recognize there’s any power. You won’t see any lights on the toothbrush, it will not turn on, and the base charger light won’t come on, either.

Even leaving it on the charger overnight won’t help if the battery itself is too far gone. The only thing you can do to deal with this is replace the battery.

Choose a battery that matches the toothbrush’s specifications. This might involve some disassembly and a bit of soldering, depending on your toothbrush model.

If you’re not comfortable doing that yourself, I suggest checking if there’s a repair service in your area or see if the manufacturer can assist.

I managed to get a replacement battery for my Philips Sonicare toothbrush that was around 3.6V and a perfect fit. You can see me taking its reading in the photo above this.

2. Charging Component Problem

If the battery still measures close to 3.6V (or you replaced it with a new one and it’s still not charging), the issue could be with the wireless charging system inside the toothbrush.

Philips Sonicare devices rely on inductive charging. That means the charger and toothbrush have to communicate power wirelessly using coils.

Any issues with the coils will lead to issues with charging. If the battery is fully functional, the coils are probably what’s problematic instead, and you’ll need to take a look at them.

First things first, strip the toothbrush down to its base to expose the coils (like the image below). Take the covers off using my trick from earlier with the cloth and hammer!

With the covers off, put the toothbrush on charge. When it’s charging, get a reading by putting the multimeter’s wires on the two probes that the coil is connected to.

It won’t be a high voltage, but it should be something higher than no voltage at all. If you see no induced voltage whatsoever, that just means the charging system is failing.

The toothbrush’s coil or the part of the circuit that handles wireless charging might be defective. It probably suffered some kind of damage which is why it’s now this way.

Sometimes, a drop can knock the coil loose, or moisture can get inside and corrode the connections. If you see visible damage, that’s why the toothbrush isn’t picking up any charge.

In many cases, you’ll notice a small crack or a dislodged wire if the coil is physically disturbed. Any of these things can stop the Philips Sonicare toothbrush from charging.

Fixing a failed wireless charging assembly can be tricky if you don’t have the right parts or experience working with electronics.

I don’t recommend trying repairs on your own. If you don’t have a lot of experience with tech, it might be better to buy a new Philips Sonicare toothbrush.