Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Cordless drill driver buying guide

Updated: 2026-10-23

You are standing in a UK hallway with a shelf still in its flat-pack and a patch of brick behind the plaster, and the amazon.co.uk page in front of you prints two torque figures, or a drill with no battery in the box. This cordless drill driver buying guide puts that choice in order: the wall and the screws first, then whose battery you already own, then the chuck, the speeds and the clutch, and only then the Newton-metre number. The ten listings, with prices in GBP, sit on the [cordless drill driver comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-drill-driver). This page was prepared from those amazon.co.uk listings, not from a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are standing in a UK hallway with a shelf still in its flat-pack and a patch of brick behind the plaster, and the amazon.co.uk page in front of you prints two torque figures, or a drill with no battery in the box.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill
9.3/10about £64.97
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless drill driver BCD001C1-GB

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless drill driver BCD001C1-GB
9.2/10about £35.00
View offer
Bosch Bosch Professional 18V cordless impact drill driver

Alternative

Bosch Bosch Professional 18V cordless impact drill driver
7.8/10about £48.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Drill driver, combi, or something else
  2. 2.Battery in the box, and whose battery
  3. 3.Chuck, speeds and clutch
  4. 4.Torque without averaging the conflict

Drill driver, combi, or something else

A drill driver has a chuck, a drill mode and a clutch. It fits timber, plasterboard, plastic and light metal. A combi adds hammer mode for a plug hole in ordinary brick or block. An impact driver is a 1/4 inch hex tool for long screws, and useless as a masonry drill. If the wall might be brick, buy the combi. The Terratek listing says it is not for brick. The BLACK+DECKER does not state hammer mode. The EasyImpact 18V-40 does, at 40 Nm and a 13 mm chuck. On the Stanley kit, 165 Nm is the impact driver and the hammer drill is 50 Nm. WORX at 20 V and BETENST at 21 V do not state hammer mode. Masonry bits do not create a hammer. Brick is the cordless drill for brick page. Long screws are impact driver versus drill.

Battery in the box, and whose battery

A body-only drill saves money only when the battery in the cupboard is the same system. Green POWER FOR ALL is not blue Professional 18 V or AMPShare. A UK reviewer returned the Professional bare tool at £48.95 because green batteries did not fit. The GSB with an L-BOXX at £84.99 is the drill and the case. The £199.98 kit is the one with two 5.0 Ah batteries and a GAL 18V-40 charger. The EasyImpact 18V-40 includes a 1.5 Ah battery. The 18V-38 includes 2.5 Ah, and a UK reviewer says earlier Bosch batteries fitted. The BLACK+DECKER charger is listed at about 3.75 hours.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 cordless combi drill
9.3/10about £64.97
View offer

Chuck, speeds and clutch

UK guides treat 13 mm as the more versatile chuck and 10 mm as the more limited class once a masonry bit has to match a plug. The EasyImpact 18V-40, the GSB kit and the WORX print 13 mm. The Professional body, the 18V-38, the BLACK+DECKER and the Terratek print 10 mm. On the GSB body-only page, 175 mm is chuck size in the table and head length in the bullets. The kit of the same model says 13 mm. Low gear is for screws and larger holes. High gear is for small holes. Both EasyImpacts, both GSB listings, the WORX and the BETENST state two speeds. The BLACK+DECKER is one speed at 600 rpm and the Terratek one speed at 650 rpm. The Professional body does not state a speed count. The clutch is steps, not power: 10, 16 plus drill, or 20. Drill mode is the icon, for a hole. Hammer stays off tile, plasterboard, wood and metal.

Torque without averaging the conflict

Newton-metres are twisting force. More of it can drive a longer screw and can also cam out a small screw if the clutch is in drill mode. It does not add hammer action. The Terratek’s 18 Nm stays off masonry. The BLACK+DECKER at 37 Nm and the EasyImpact pair at 38 Nm and 40 Nm are the household band. The Professional body lists a single 45 Nm. The BETENST claims 45 Nm, then a UK reviewer could not screw a 2x4. The GSB prints 55 Nm and 65 Nm. Do not average them. On the Stanley kit, 165 Nm is the impact driver and 50 Nm is the hammer drill. The WORX page never prints torque. Who each model is for is the best cordless drill driver page.

Common questions

Do I need a combi drill or a drill driver?
Buy a combi if you may drill plugs into brick or block, because that needs a stated hammer mode. Buy a drill driver if the work is timber, plasterboard, plastic and light metal. An impact driver is a second tool for long screws, not a substitute when you need holes.
Is a 13 mm chuck worth it over 10 mm?
For ordinary household screws, 10 mm is often enough. A 13 mm chuck matters when the bit is larger than 10 mm, which is why UK guides treat 13 mm as the more versatile class. The EasyImpact 18V-40 prints 13 mm. The 18V-38 prints 10 mm, with a larger 2.5 Ah battery.
Should I buy the body only?
Buy the body only when you already own that battery platform and a charger. The Bosch Professional tool at £48.95 and the GSB with an L-BOXX at £84.99 do not include a pack. A bare blue drill is not a bargain if your batteries are green.
Will any Bosch battery fit any Bosch drill?
No. Green POWER FOR ALL packs and blue Professional 18 V or AMPShare packs are different systems. A UK reviewer returned the Professional bare tool because green batteries did not fit. Match the colour and the platform name before you rely on old packs.
Is a higher Newton-metre number always better?
No. More torque helps a long screw and hurts a small screw in chipboard if the clutch is set too high. It does not add hammer action. The GSB pages print both 55 Nm and 65 Nm. On the Stanley kit, 165 Nm is the impact driver.
What if the listing prints two torque figures?
Keep both figures and do not average them. On the GSB 18V-65 the table says 55 Nm and the bullets say 65 Nm. On the Stanley kit the hammer-drill bullet says 50 Nm and the impact driver is 165 Nm. The same problem is 175 mm called a chuck in one line and head length in another.

Related pages

How to use a cordless drill

Cordless drill driver

Best cordless drill driver for brick or flat-pack jobs

Cordless drill for brick, plugs and concrete lintels

Impact driver vs drill for long screws or flat-pack

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Toolstation drill buying guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Homebuilding: types of drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. UK Tool Store: how to choose a cordless drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Gtech: how to choose a cordless drill (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A12:2022 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE: Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. HSE: indicative vibration magnitudes (retrieved 22 October 2026)