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Brushless vs brushed cordless drill

Updated: 22 October 2026

The badge on the box says brushless, and you are not sure the word is worth anything for a flat-pack and the odd plug. Brushless vs brushed cordless drill is a split about friction and how long the work lasts, not about whether a combi can suddenly drill concrete. Pay for brushless when the drilling and driving are long or heavy. For light, occasional DIY a brushed drill can still be enough. In this amazon.co.uk folder the brushless kits already start at about £32.20. The eight listings are on the [brushless cordless combi drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/brushless-cordless-combi-drill). This was written on 20 October 2026 from Which?, The Telegraph and ManoMano. We did not run a brushed drill against these ASINs. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The badge on the box says brushless, and you are not sure the word is worth anything for a flat-pack and the odd plug.

Our top picks

WORX WORX WX355.1 20V brushless combi, 55 Nm, 2.0Ah

Best overall

WORX WORX WX355.1 20V brushless combi, 55 Nm, 2.0Ah
9.2/10about £89.00
View offer
LEEIKOO LEEIKOO 21V brushless hammer drill, two 2.0Ah batteries

Best value

LEEIKOO LEEIKOO 21V brushless hammer drill, two 2.0Ah batteries
8.6/10about £32.20
View offer
Ginour Ginour 21V brushless combi set, two 2.0Ah, 50 Nm

Alternative

Ginour Ginour 21V brushless combi set, two 2.0Ah, 50 Nm
8.6/10about £55.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What changes when the brushes are gone
  2. 2.Light DIY, where the tests barely split them
  3. 3.When the brushless label is the thing you pay for
  4. 4.What the motor does not decide

What changes when the brushes are gone

A brushed motor passes current through carbon brushes on a commutator. ManoMano calls those brushes a wear part that a repairer can replace after years of use. There is no hour count for a service interval. A brushless motor has no brush on a commutator. Which? calls that less friction. The Telegraph adds less heat and longer battery life. Treat that as their summary, not a lab result on the WX355.1. Brushless does not by itself prove higher torque, and 60 Nm is not twice 35 Nm. A five-times-longer claim had no cited UK test here.

Light DIY, where the tests barely split them

Which?'s 2026 round-up found similar performance on lighter DIY, and a clearer brushless advantage on longer, heavier work. Battery-life figures on that article sit behind a login, so this page will not invent a minute count. The Telegraph says a brushed drill is usually cheaper and can still be enough for light jobs. If the tool comes out twice a year for flat-pack and two plugs, you can leave this category. Chuck, kit and platform still decide a bad buy. That order is the brushless cordless combi drill buying guide.
WORX WORX WX355.1 20V brushless combi, 55 Nm, 2.0Ah

Testsieger

WORX WORX WX355.1 20V brushless combi, 55 Nm, 2.0Ah
9.2/10about £89.00
View offer

When the brushless label is the thing you pay for

Stay with brushless for repeated work: a kitchen of cabinets, or more than a handful of plugs in ordinary brick. Which? is the UK source for that split. It is not a promise that a drill here outlasts a brushed trade drill we did not test. On 19 October 2026 the entry band ran from the LEEIKOO at about £32.20 to the Ginour at about £55.99. A £32 kit can still have a 10 mm chuck. The mid band was the WX355.1 at about £89.00 and the Durofix at about £99.99. The Nitro at about £208.15 is a bare body, not proof that brushless means £200. Leave this category for flat-pack and the odd plug when the brushless drill costs a premium you can see.

What the motor does not decide

The motor does not decide the chuck. A 13 mm chuck holds a thicker shank than a 10 mm chuck, and brushless does not widen the jaws or add a second battery. The Nitro has no pack. The WX355.1 highlight has one. The LEEIKOO bullets have two. The motor does not set the clutch, and it does not make a combi into a tool for concrete. Engineering brick, lintels and concrete need an SDS. Ginour claims Makita 18 V fit. Fit was not checked. Brushless is not a safety claim: none of these listings printed a vibration figure.

Common questions

Is a brushless motor worth it for ordinary DIY?
It is worth paying for when the work is long or heavy, because Which? saw the brushless advantage more clearly there than on lighter DIY. For a few flat-pack sessions a brushed drill can still be enough. In this set, brushless kits already list from about £32.20. The chuck and the batteries still have to match the job.
Will I notice the difference on flat-pack and the odd shelf?
Probably not in the way the badge suggests. Which? found similar performance on lighter DIY. A dozen hinge screws will not show you a runtime chart. You are more likely to notice a 10 mm chuck, a missing second battery, or a clutch set too high.
Does brushless mean more torque or a higher voltage?
No. Torque is a separate listing claim, and voltage is the badge on the pack. Which? says higher voltage does not automatically mean higher torque. A 21 V kit is not an 18 V trade platform. Do not rank 60 Nm as twice as useful as 35 Nm.
Do carbon brushes wear out, and do I have to replace them?
On a brushed motor they are a wear part. ManoMano says they conduct current, create friction, and are replaced after years of use. That is not an hour count. A brushless motor has no brushes to replace. Several WORX Nitro reviews describe early stoppages, so missing brushes are not a longer life on that listing.
Is a cheap brushless kit automatically better than a dearer brushed drill?
No. Brushless kits here start at about £32.20, which only shows the word is not reserved for £200 tools. It does not prove the LEEIKOO beats a dearer brushed drill Which? tested. We did not record a brushed amazon.co.uk price. Judge the chuck, the batteries and whether the listing contradicts itself.
When is a brushed drill still the rational buy?
When the drill comes out for flat-pack and the odd plug, and the brushless option costs a premium you would notice. Which?'s lighter-DIY result is the support for that. It is a poor buy for a long day of driving and drilling, which is where the same source says the difference shows.
Does brushless make a combi into a tool for concrete?
No. Motor type does not change the split between a chucked combi and an SDS. Ordinary 6 mm or 8 mm plugs in soft brick can be a combi job. Engineering brick, lintels and concrete are not. The Nitro title's reinforced-concrete claim was not tested.

Related pages

Best brushless cordless combi drill

How to use a cordless combi drill

Brushless cordless combi drill

Brushless cordless combi drill buying guide for the UK

Combi drill for brick plugs and the point you stop

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures checked for this comparison.

  1. Which?: how to buy the best cordless drill (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. The Guardian: best drills, 20 February 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: hand-arm vibration (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE INDG271: buying new machinery (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: UKCA and CE marking (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A12:2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)